The Indie Next List, drawn from bookseller-recommended favorite handsells, epitomizes the heart and soul of passionate bookselling. Independent booksellers are and have always been discoverers of the next big thing, the next great read, the next bestseller, and the next undiscovered gem.
08/31/2010
Room
"Room is like no other book I have ever read. This emotionally powerful story of young Jack and his mother, held in captivity for seven years, is both a heart wrenching testament to the power of the love between a mother and child and a riveting story of overcoming horrible circumstances. Emma Donohue has written one of those rare books that you will remember reading your entire life, as you will be altered by the experience." -- Lanora Hurley, Next Chapter Bookshop, Mequon, WI
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09/01/2010
The Gendarme
"Injured in WWI, Emmet Conn suffered amnesia as a result of a head wound. Now, at 92, a brain tumor causes long-lost memories to return, as Emmet recalls an earlier life as a Turkish gendarme leading a group of Armenian refugees to the border. The brutality and despair, filth and degradation these people must endure on the forced march mean little to him until he falls in love with Araxie, one of the Armenian refugees, and he begins to perceive his actions and his attitude through her eyes. Mesmerizing, beautiful, and heart-breaking." -- Jennie Turner-Collins, Joseph-Beth Booksellers, Cincinnati, OH
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09/06/2010
Ape House
"In her new novel, Water for Elephants author Sara Gruen once again examines the relationship - both emotional and biological - between man and animal. This time, focusing on highly intelligent bonobo apes, she infuses the story with an unexpected level of humor, mystery and a foray into popular culture. What the reader can be assured of is yet another thoroughly engaging story, brimming with deftly drawn characters and compelling storylines. A delight!" -- Sue Beale, Nicola's Books, Ann Arbor, MI
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08/23/2010
The Tiger
"What happens when the order of hunter and prey is reversed? Yuri Trush, a tracker living near a tiny Siberian village, must find a tiger that has recently killed a poacher. Trush and his team must learn what drives the tiger to behave in this terrifying new way before they can stop the carnage. By turns absolutely fascinating and monstrously chilling, The Tiger explores the world of the Siberian tiger from its mythic history and extreme habitat to modern economics and black market poaching." -- Marilyn Smith, Kepler's Books & Magazine, Menlo Park, CA
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08/31/2010
The Good Daughters
"The Good Daughters follows the lives of two women, born on the same day, in the same hospital, to two very different families. Their lives couldn't be less similar, but the one thing they have in common is a feeling of never quite fitting in. At times comic, at times tragic, at times horrifying, this novel is a fascinating study of what it means to be part of a family. This is not a book to simply read and enjoy, but one that that calls out to be shared and discussed." -- Joe Eichman, Tattered Cover Bookstore, Denver, CO
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09/06/2010
The Lady Matador's Hotel
"Cristina Garcia has written another astounding novel. The Lady Matador's Hotel will rightly take its place alongside her Dreaming in Cuban and The Aguero Sisters for its lyricism and its masterful exploration and treatment of identity and dislocation. Suki Palacios, the lady matador in the title, is a character I won't soon forget and is one that I know will resonate with readers everywhere." -- Mitchell Kaplan, Books & Books, Coral Gables, FL
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08/31/2010
Russian Winter
"This narrative pas de deux binds Nina Revskaya's mysterious past as the Bolshoi Ballet's rising young star with her reclusive present as an anonymous benefactor of the Boston arts scene. When a rash, youthful decision based on jealousy and insecurity sets events spinning out of her control, Nina spends the rest of her life guarding a dark secret. With this sweeping story of art, love, and Soviet politics come hints of intrigue and betrayal, and even those with the most dazzling talent cannot protect themselves against damaging accusations." -- Emily Crowe, Odyssey Bookshop, South Hadley, MA
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08/23/2010
Juliet
"When her Aunt Rose dies, Julie Jacobs finds out that her real name is Giulietta Tolomei and that she was born in Siena, Italy. Julie journeys to Siena in search of her past, and to learn if she has a connection to the original Giulietta and her lover Romeo Marescotti, whose story was famously retold by Shakespeare. With vivid descriptions of the city and its inhabitants, Anne Fortier weaves a compelling story full of intrigue, historical references, and romance." -- Cynthia Kuhn, Blue Willow Bookshop, Houston, TX
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08/16/2010
I'd Know You Anywhere
"During the summer of 1985, Walter Bowman is a young 'spree' killer when he kidnaps 15-year-old Elizabeth Lerner. This psychological thriller spans the following 20 years in the life of Elizabeth Lerner/Eliza Benedict. Having left behind the memory of her captivity and rescue, and of Walter's capture, trial, and death-sentence verdict, she is drawn back to the past when she is contacted by Walter's advocate asking her help in commuting his upcoming execution to a life sentence. This compelling and sensitive story of predator and prey is a work of suspense not to be missed." -- Carol Hicks, Bookshelf At Hooligan Rocks, Truckee, CA
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08/31/2010
An Impartial Witness
"Bess Crawford, World War I battlefield nurse, catches a glimpse of the wife of one of the wounded soldiers in her care in a desperate clutch at a train station. The wife is murdered later that day and Bess's patient is soon dead, also. What and whom did Bess see? Scotland Yard is soon in touch, and Bess can't let the memory go. The battlefield scenes are unforgettable, but it is the characters and suspense that drive this, the second in the excellent new series from the author of the Ian Rutledge Mysteries." -- Becky Milner, Vintage Books, Vancouver, WA
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