New York, New York – April 1, 2008 – Barnes & Noble, Inc. (NYSE: BKS), the world’s largest bookseller, announced that Marisa de los Santos’ Belong to Me (William Morrow) will be the next selection in the Barnes & Noble Recommends program.  The book goes on sale today, April 1, and can be purchased at any Barnes & Noble store or online at Barnes & Noble.com (www.bn.com/recommends).

“Marisa de los Santos’ Belong to Me is an exhilarating tale of a circle of friends bound together by secrets and love,” said Steve Riggio, chief executive officer of Barnes & Noble, Inc.  “This warmhearted novel pulls readers into the stories and relationships of three women and their families and friends, and teaches us what it means for human beings to care for one another.”

The seventh selection in the Barnes & Noble Recommends program, Belong to Me, is the story of Cornelia Brown and her husband, Teo Sandoval (from de los Santos’ first novel, Love Walked In) as they move to a Philadelphia suburb.  We meet Cornelia’s new neighbor, Piper Truitt, the epitome of blonde cool; and Lake, a waitress at the local Italian restaurant, and her gifted son, Dev.  De los Santos weaves together several different strands to tell the story of the intertwined lives and loves of these fascinating women.  As the present is threatened by the revelation of past secrets, they forge a circle of strength and forgiveness that the reader also belongs to – and will hate to leave when the last page is turned.

One of Barnes & Noble’s booksellers who voted for this selection wrote, “I became so involved with these charming, fully-developed characters.  The writing is so luscious!  Like biting into a juicy peach, where every sense is touched and filled with delight and wonder.”  Another bookseller added, “All I can say is, I want more!”

The Barnes & Noble Recommends program includes:

• Barnes & Noble store events.  Reading group discussions of Belong to Me will be held in Barnes & Noble stores across the country.
• Author appearances.  Meet Marisa de los Santos at Barnes & Noble.  Visit www.bn.com/recommends for information on her in-store events. 
• An online book club.  Join Marisa de los Santos in our online book club, and discuss Belong to Me with her and other readers.  Log on to www.bn.com/bookclubs throughout May.
• A free reading group guide.  Ask any Barnes & Noble bookseller for a copy of our free guide to starting your own reading group.  The guide can also be found online at www.bn.com/recommends.

Selections for Barnes & Noble Recommends are chosen by the company’s booksellers from across the country.  Each selection is a book that Barnes & Noble recommends unconditionally, believes is “unputdownable” and is especially appropriate for book discussion groups.

The previous six Barnes & Noble Recommends selections were:

• Diane Setterfield’s debut novel, The Thirteenth Tale (Atria Books), now in paperback
• Chris Bohjalian’s The Double Bind (Shaye Areheart Books), now in paperback
• Mohsin Hamid’s The Reluctant Fundamentalist (Harcourt), paperback on sale 4/14
• Paulette Jiles’ Stormy Weather (William Morrow)
• Sarah Addison Allen’s Garden Spells (Bantam Books), paperback on sale 4/29
• Maggie O’Farrell’s The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox (Harcourt)

Each of these novels, including Belong to Me, qualify as riveting reads, books of exceptional quality, worthy of stimulating discussion.