Here are the best sellers for the week ending Saturday, June 27, compiled from data from independent and chain bookstores, book wholesalers and independent distributors nationwide.

"Black Hills" by Nora Roberts; Putnam (2009), 472 pages, $26.95 (hardcover)

Less than half of U.S. consumers (45 percent) know about netbook computers, and only 28 percent can think of a reason to buy one, according to the results of a study released Tuesday by TNS, a market research group.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Outside, it's May.

-"The Glister," by John Burnside; Nan A. Talese (240 pages, $22.95)

-"Against the Wall: Poor, Young, Black, and Male," edited by Elijah Anderson; University of Pennsylvania Press (296 pages, $24.95)

As we approach the 4th of July weekend, we prepare to celebrate our many precious freedoms - two of those essential ones being freedom of speech and expression.

PHILADELPHIA - Patrolman Keith Gilman's longtime dream of becoming a mystery novelist was nurtured in the few spare moments he could steal away.

Can't afford to collect cars? You might be able to swing a few book on your favorite marques. And, with summer here, a hammock and a fresh, new car book seem like the perfect match. Let's take a few new books out for a spin.

Get your history on with a new cookbook from chef and restaurateur Walter Staib.

-"Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince"

"My Sister's Keeper" is based on Jodi Picoult's best-seller, a page-turner that plunges you into conflicting viewpoints as characters take turns narrating.

Here are the best sellers for the week ending Saturday, June 20, compiled from data from independent and chain bookstores, book wholesalers and independent distributors nationwide.

"Rethink: A Business Manifesto for Cutting Costs and Boosting Innovation" by Ric Merrifield; FT Press (240 pages)

When I was a kid, my brothers and sister and I loved the book "A Big Ball of String," by Marion Holland, now out of print, but available here and there.

In years past, electronic books were esoteric gadgets that catered to a small, elite crowd. But thanks to product lines like the Amazon Kindle and the Sony Reader, the category has gone mainstream. We've rounded up the top e-book readers in the current market, where Amazon and Sony have two models each.

Award-winning author Aleksandar Hemon's newest book," Love and Obstacles," is a "... beautifully tooled, by turns sardonic, muscular and nostalgia-streaked short story collection," writes Hedy Weiss (Chicago Sun Times).

"Do Not Deny Me" by Jean Thompson; Simon & Schuster (292 pages. $14 in paper)

Crime thrillers, familial love and environmental activism usually don't find themselves together in the same book. But all three elements blend into "Below Zero," the ninth novel in 2009 Edgar Award winner C.J. Box's Joe Pickett series.

"What Happens In London" by Julia Quinn; Avon Books (2009), 372 pages, $7.99 (paperback)

FRESNO, Calif. - Sunset Thomas has appeared in more than 300 adult films, worked at the Bunny Ranch brothel in Nevada and been photographed for stacks of magazines. She's used those experiences to write fiction novel "Anatomy of an Adult Film" ($20, World Audience Inc.), which tells the story of a veteran star and an energetic novice.

WILMINGTON, Del. - Among the rewards of seeing her best-selling 2002 memoir, "Riding the Bus With My Sister," turned into a "Hallmark Hall of Fame" television movie, Rachel Simon found herself with a stash of cash.

"Think fantastic," urges the charismatic Chuck Ramkissoon, the shady but genial Trinidadian entrepreneur in Joseph O'Neill's prize-winning novel "Netherland." "My motto is, Think fantastic."

SAN JOSE, Calif. Is Facebook a phenomenon - or a fad? Even as it has grown to more than 200 million users and become the global leader in social-networking Web sites, many people see it as just a nifty way for people to share information and images among far-flung friends and acquaintances.

When you see an old woman reading her local newspaper online in an independent living center, you know things are changing. Such is the case with the venerable Reader's Digest, which at 87 years old, just announced a so-called "transformation" into new and expanded digital product offerings.

Who can afford to get out of town this summer? A more budget-friendly option is to bring a book (or three) to the beach and spend your time traveling in your imagination. Here are some options to fill the season's days.

Just in time for summer vacations comes "Sandcastles Made Simple" (Stewart, Tabori & Chang, $10.95) by Lucinda "Sandy Feet" Wierenga. Wierenga is an international award-winning sandcastle artist. The book includes four sections: The Basics (tools, methods, info on sand); Building (soft-packing, hand-stacking and using forms); Carving (roofs, architectural elements, characters, etc.); and Make It Fun (tips for working in big groups, with children and how to enter contests, etc.). Some of the photos are quite daunting - certainly not projects for beginners - but they are all inspirational. A project in the back of the book, aimed at working with kids, actually looked like something I could do - make a sea turtle. Even those of us who don't feel compelled to build a 5-foot Disney Cinderella Castle-like construction will learn some valuable basic tips for better sand sculpting.