The March 2010 Indie Next List Preview

Here's a preview of the titles on the March Indie Next List flier, on its way to ABA member stores in the IndieBound movement. A downloadable PDF version of the list will also be available beginning March 1 on BookWeb.org and IndieBound.org.

Major Pettigrew's Last Stand: A Novel by Helen Simonson
(Random House, $25, 9781400068937)
"In a comedy of manners that would make Jane Austen proud, a retired general and a widowed Pakistani woman meet and court in an out-of-the-way English village. There is wit here, and cleverness, and a host of clear-eyed, stiff-lipped, curmudgeonly joys. Fans of British humor and storytelling must acquire this wryly funny love story." --Mark Bradshaw, Watermark Books, Wichita, KS

One Amazing Thing: A Novel by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
(Voice, $23.99, 9781401340995)
"Nine people are trapped in the Indian consulate's visa office after a devastating earthquake. As they start to melt down emotionally, Uma, a grad student, suggests they each tell a story about one thing in their lives. The stories they tell are incredible, and you will feel as though you have known and understand each character as they wait for rescue or death. An amazing read." -- Cinda Meister, Booksmart, Morgan Hill, CA

Horns: A Novel by Joe Hill
(Morrow, $25.99, 9780061147951)
"When Ignatius Perrish wakes up with horns and discovers that everyone he meets will tell him their darkest desires, he finally begins to piece together the events behind the brutal murder of his girlfriend. But when everyone in town thinks you are the murderer, it's quite possible you don't want to hear what they're really thinking. Joe Hill's new novel is a brilliant mix of horror and mystery." --Whitney Spotts, Schuler Books & Music, Lansing, MI

One Good Dog: A Novel by Susan Wilson
(St. Martin's, $22.99, 9780312571252)
"Two tough fighters -- one a man, one a dog -- stumble upon each other at a critical juncture in their lives, and each narrate part of the novel. This is an utterly engrossing tale of recreating yourself with more than one love story woven into it. A marvelous tale of redemption, salvation, and reinvention." --Jackie Blem, Tattered Cover Book Store, Denver, CO

The Surrendered: A Novel by Chang-rae Lee
(Riverhead, $26.95, 9781594489761)
"Events of the Korean War slam into a young girl, a GI, and the wife of a missionary with a tragic ferocity, and their lives will intersect in Korea, changing them forever. Epic in its scope and beautifully written, The Surrendered begins in Korea and then moves to Manchuria, New Jersey, and Italy. What makes us who we are? Can cataclysmic events alter our sense of self beyond redemption? A powerful novel." --Deon Stonehouse, Sunriver Books, Sunriver, OR

The Journal Keeper: A Memoir by Phyllis Theroux
(Atlantic Monthly, $24, 9780802118974)
"The Journal Keeper is a radiant display of Phyllis Theroux's considerable talents with pen and paper but even more remarkable is her window on a mystical world of universal wisdom that she unveils in her daily task of record keeping." --Barbara Meade, Politics & Prose Bookstore and Coffeehouse, Washington, DC

The Dream of Perpetual Motion: A Novel by Dexter Palmer
(St. Martin's, $24.99, 9780312558154)
"Dexter Palmer's debut work is an absolutely enchanting novel with elements of steampunk and alternate history, loosely constructed around the plot of Shakespeare's The Tempest. It's a powerful story and I can't wait to see what he writes next." --Bridget Allison, Phoenix Books, Essex, VT

Making Toast: A Family Story by Roger Rosenblatt
(Ecco, $21.99, 9780061825934)
"After the death of their married daughter, Roger Rosenblatt and his wife take on all that they can to help their son-in-law and grandchildren. The pain of the story is beautifully mitigated by the elegance of the language, and Making Toast is inspiring. This is a book to cherish." --Dana Brigham, Brookline Booksmith, Brookline, MA

Angelology: A Novel by Danielle Trussoni
(Viking, $27.95, 9780670021475)
"Danielle Trussoni explodes upon the fiction scene with a classic clash of good and evil that is bound to rivet readers to their seats until completion. Delving deftly into myth and belief, she presents a contemporary world of angels more like the battles of John Milton than the heavenly choirs of Hollywood." --Bill Cusumano, Nicola's Books, Ann Arbor, MI

House Rules: A Novel by Jodi Picoult
(Atria, $28, 9780743296434)
"Jacob Hunt is an 18-year-old whose IQ borders on the genius spectrum but who also has Asperger's Syndrome, which leaves him unable to interact well with others. His passion for forensic science causes him to become a suspect in the murder of his tutor, resulting in an arrest and trial that triggers many of the symptoms of his disability. This heartwarming and moving story is one that only Picoult could write." --Carol Hicks, Bookshelf At Hooligan Rocks, Truckee, CA

Bone Fire: A Novel by Mark Spragg
(Knopf, $25.95, 9780307272751)
"Mark Spragg's writing is lyrical and wonderfully descriptive, and his characters come alive in this story, set in modern-day Wyoming. In Bone Fire, we have the return of characters from Spragg's An Unfinished Life and a 10-year-old boy who will grab hold of your heart and never let go. This is writing and reading at its very best!" --Susan Wasson, Bookworks, Albuquerque, NM

Brooklyn: A Novel by Colm Toibin
(Scribner, $15, 9781439148952)
"One of the loveliest novels of 2009 now available in paperback: an Irish coming-of-age story that is both heartrending and full of hope. Toibin is a master." --Matthew Lage, Iowa Book L.L.C., Iowa City, IA

The Hole We're In: A Novel by Gabrielle Zevin
(Grove, $14 paper, 9780802119230)
"The Pomeroys are your normal American family, religious, heavily in debt, lacking communication skills, and tempted by your garden variety of carnal sins, with a side order of pride. Patriarch Roger has left his school job to get a doctorate in education, leaving his wife to cover up his debt. Zevin plays around with structure, juggling perspective among the family members, and she packs the story with a full platter of issues, from abortion to race to veteran's issues and, of course, religious intolerance. The sins of the father (and mother) play out over two generations, in a manner that had me alternately sad and hopeful." --Daniel Goldin, Boswell Book Company, Milwaukee, WI

After the Workshop: A Novel by John McNally
(Counterpoint, $15.95 paper, 9781582435602)
"Join media escort Jack Hercules Sheahan in a wicked romp through Iowa City as he escorts pretentious writers, spends an evening in jail, and battles writers block. A must for any student of fiction, or for that matter, any reader." --Zach Sampinos, Sam Weller's Books, Salt Lake City, UT

The Crimson Rooms: A Novel by Katharine McMahon
(Putnam, $25.95, 9780399156229)
"In this engrossing historical mystery set in 1920s England, Evelyn Gifford faces the problems of trying to become a lawyer amidst prejudice and finding love in the face of looming spinsterhood. When she begins work on a murder case for an understanding lawyer and the young son of her dead brother reappears, her life begins to completely change. There are no good guys or bad guys in this story, but, rather, people who are capable of either, making this well-written novel a delight to read." --Ann Carlson, Harborwalk Books, Georgetown, SC

The Man From Beijing: A Novel by Henning Mankell, Laurie Thompson (trans.)
(Knopf, $25.95, 9780307271860)
"Henning Mankell's stand-alone novel spans 150 years in a story that begins with a murder in a small Swedish hamlet. Exquisitely plotted with dynamic characterizations, this thrilling saga is as good if not better than any of Mankell's Inspector Wallander novels." --Joyce Behncke, Third Place Books, Lake Forest Park, WA

Impatient With Desire: A Novel by Gabrielle Burton
(Voice, $22.99, 9781401341015)
"Impatient With Desire tells the story of the trials of the Donner Party through the eyes of Tamsen Donner -- wife, mother, adventurer and, ultimately, survivor -- who made great sacrifices for the sake of her family. Her story is told simply, in letter and journal format, and, in the end, you'll understand and appreciate the pioneer spirit that is the foundation of the westward movement." --Mary Toni, R.J. Julia Booksellers, Madison, CT

Claiming Ground by Laura Bell
(Knopf, $24.95, 9780307272881)
"When Laura Bell moves from Kentucky to Wyoming to herd sheep, she finds a land of staggering beauty peopled by a cast of oddballs and eccentrics, and a blissful and terrifying solitude that is perhaps the defining characteristic of that land. Bell's ability to relay the beauty and the terror, the loneliness and the oddly satisfying connections, make this an unforgettable memoir, evocative in terms of the landscape of the human heart." --Betsy Burton, The King's English, Salt Lake City, UT

Postcards From a Dead Girl: A Novel by Kirk Farber
(Harper Perennial, $13.99 paper, 9780061834479)
"Kirk Farber's quirky debut novel explores themes of love, loss, grief, and what they do to our psyches. Told via the darkly hilarious actions and musings of the hapless Sid as he tries to solve the mystery of a series of postcards from his dead?, missing?... or not, girlfriend. A great read!" --Chris Grabish, MacDonald Book Shop, Estes Park, CO

The House of Tomorrow: A Novel by Peter Bognanni
(Amy Einhorn Books/Putnam, $24.95, 9780399156090)
"The House of Tomorrow sparkles with great dialogue between its two main characters, Sebastian, a home schooled science nerd, and Jared, a heart transplant recipient and punk rock devotee. Their respective guardians, the strong-willed Nana and the worried and overworked Janice, have to struggle with the realities of living a full life. When their worlds collide, it's a matter of how one chooses to live -- and we go willingly along for the ride in this debut novel that perfectly captures teen angst, spirit, and heart." --Valerie Koehler, Blue Willow Bookshop, Houston, TX

Fiction

The Heights: A Novel by Peter Hedges (Dutton, $25.95, 9780525951131)
So Much for That: A Novel by Lionel Shriver (Harper, $25.99, 9780061458583)
Sudden Fiction Latino: Short-Short Stories From the United States and Latin America, edited by Robert Shapard, James Thomas, and Ray Gonzales (Norton, $15.95 paper, 9780393336450)
A Thousand Cuts: A Novel by Simon Lelic (Viking, $24.95, 9780670021505)
Walking to Gatlinburg: A Novel by Howard Frank Mosher (Shaye Areheart Books, $25, 9780307450678) The Wives of Henry Oades: A Novel by Johanna Moran (Ballantine, $15 paper, 9780345510952)

Nonfiction

Animal Factory: The Looming Threat of Industrial Pig, Dairy, and Poultry Farms to Humans and the Environment by David Kirby (St. Martin's, $26.99, 9780312380588)
Cast Member Confidential: A Disneyfied Memoir by Chris Mitchell (Citadel, $15.95 paper, 9780806531281)
Chasing the White Dog: An Amateur Outlaw's Adventures in Moonshine by Max Watman (Simon & Schuster, $25, 9781416571780)
Devotion: A Memoir by Dani Shapiro (Harper, $24.99, 9780061628344)
Lunch in Paris, A Love Story, With Recipes by Elizabeth Bard (Little, Brown, $23.99, 9780316042796)
The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander (New Press, $27.95, 9781595581037)
Willie Mays: The Life, The Legend by James S. Hirsch (Scribner, $30, 9781416547907)

Mystery/Suspense

The Devil's Star: A Novel by Jo Nesbo (Harper, $25.99, 9780061133978)
False Mermaid: A Novel by Erin Hart (Scribner, $26, 9781416563761)
No Mercy: A Mystery by Lori Armstrong (Touchstone, $25, 9781416590958)
Silencer: A Novel by James W. Hall (Minotaur, $24.99, 9780312359591)