From last week's Book Sense bestseller lists, available at BookSense.com, here are the recommended titles, which are also Book Sense Picks:

Hardcover

Talk to the Snail: Ten Commandments for Understanding the French by Stephen Clarke (Bloomsbury, $14.95, 9781596913097/1596913096). "Stephen Clarke has given us another hilarious send-up of life in France, a good-natured travel guide chock full of practical (and not-so-practical) advice. Written with Clarke's gleeful tongue-in-cheek style, this book will appeal to both Francophiles and Francophobes (and everyone in between)."--Tova Beiser, Brown University Bookstore, Providence, R.I.

The Armageddon Project by Tom Sancton (Other Press, $24.95, 9781590512524/1590512529). "This is a well-written contemporary political thriller concerning the U.S. presence in Iraq that rings true, especially since the news reports of close to $1 billion missing from the War Ministry in Baghdad. The action is fast-paced and moves between France, Iraq and the U.S. Let us hope that the story is not an omen for the future as the political implications are downright scary."--Douglas Westgate, Octavia Books, New Orleans, La.

Paperback

An Alphabetical Life: Living It Up in the Business of Books by Wendy Werris (Carroll & Graf, $15.95, 9780786718177/078671817X). "Highlights of Wendy Werris' bookselling career: running into Hunter S. Thompson in her office, a wild car ride with Fran Liebowitz, dinner with special guest George Harrison, and stalking Kurt Vonnegut in New York City. Read this fast-paced and engaging memoir and get a glimpse of how books have shaped all of our histories."--Jessilyn Krebs, McLean & Eakin Booksellers, Petoskey, Mich.

For Children to Age 8

One of Those Days by Amy Krouse Rosenthal, illustration by Rebecca Doughty (Putnam, $13.99, 9780399243653/0399243658). "I recognized myself and my children in Rosenthal's depictions of life's little catastrophes. The delightful illustrations keep the tone light as we are reminded at the end that, after each night, comes a new day."--Kathleen Jewell, Pomegranate Books, Wilmington, N.C.

[Many thanks to Book Sense and the ABA!]