The Singer's Gun
Emily St. John Mandel (Unbridled Books)
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“While in some ways Emily St. John Mandel's novels defy classification, the appeal of her work is wide. The Singer's Gun is a taut, restrained book with a quick hook and a long pull. More than that, it reads refreshingly against the grain of so much commercial literary fiction that is full of cute tricks and slick, self-impressed prose. It is a moving and mysterious work, wholly authentic. I look forward to following this outstanding novelist's career for many years.”
— Jason Hafer, Wolfgang Books, Phoenixville, PA
May 2010 Indie Next List
Inspired Recommendations from Indie Booksellers
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“The Lonely Polygamist is the story of 45-year-old Golden Richards, a hapless soul, whose four wives, 28 children, and one paramour run his life. By turns laugh-out-loud funny and hauntingly sad, this novel is a big, fat, satisfying read that will make you reconsider what it means to be part of a family. Plus, it contains the naughtiest, goofiest 11-year-old boy who will ever break your heart.”
— Roberta Dyer, Broadway Books, Portland, OR
By Jacqueline Winspear
Harper
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“To open a new Maisie Dobbs mystery is like checking in with an old friend. In this sixth book, Maisie has been asked to discover what really happened to World War I cartographer Michael, listed as missing in the trenches in France. The closer she gets to answers for Michael's family, the more she must deal with personal issues that will change her life. I can't wait to read the next installment!”
— Sue Richardson, Maine Coast Book Shop, Inc., Damariscotta, ME
By Jean Kwok
Riverhead Hardcover
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“It's never easy being the new kid, and harder still when you are poor and you don't speak the language. From a comfortable life in Hong Kong to a gritty sweatshop in New York, we follow Kimberly Chang in this smartly told story that illuminates the struggles of adolescence against a backdrop of poverty and cultural conflicts and reveals that, even in the land of opportunity, sometimes you have to fight for what you want and let go of what you love.”
— Carol Mark, Books On The Common, Ridgefield, CT
By Joseph Wallace
Touchstone
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“Brooklyn, baseball, prohibition, Babe Ruth, Jack Dempsey, corrupt cops, Ku Klux Klan, Chicago gangsters--what's not to love, especially in the capable hands of author Joseph Wallace. But the best part is Ruby, the girl with the golden throwing arm. who pitches faster than any man and outwits the ones that get in her way.”
— Josette King, Books Inc., San Francisco, CA
By Lesley Kagen
Dutton Adult
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“Kagen's trademark has become her unusual narrators, and Tomorrow River gives us one to remember in Shenandoah 'Shenny' Carmody--twin of mute Woody, and daughter of a formidable Virginia Supreme Court judge and his missing wife. Ingeniously, Kagen gives us a compelling story on two levels--one we're told by 11-year-old Shenandoah, and one we 'understand' as a reader. Atmosphere, great characters, interesting twists--Tomorrow River has it all.”
— Jill Miner, Saturn Booksellers, Gaylord, MI
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“The Invisible Bridge will make you forget every other novel you've ever read about World War II.Through the lives of two Hungarian Jewish brothers whose fates span the vibrant student cafes of 1930s Paris to the backbreaking labor camps on the Eastern Front, Orringer creates an entire universe, breathtaking in its breadth and extraordinary in its intimacy.”
— Elizabeth Sher, Politics & Prose Books &, Washington, DC
By Jaspreet Singh
Bloomsbury USA
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“In war-torn Kashmir, a young Sikh's training to become an army chef is the setting of this hauntingly atmospheric novel. Chef weaves together themes of conflict, duty, and allegiance to self, friends, and country. Throughout runs the current of food: as art, as love, as teacher, and even as weapon. A quietly passionate and beautifully crafted book.”
— Anne Adare, The Toadstool Bookshop, Keene, NH
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“On the eve of the Civil War, Albany midwife Mary Sutter desperately wants to be a surgeon. When Dorothea Dix puts out a call for nurses, Mary leaves her family behind and rushes to Washington. Told from the point of view of nurses, family members, and politicians, this novel is an enthralling, exquisitely crafted debut, a story for lovers of historical fiction as well as anyone who believes in the power of the human spirit.”
— Erin Kurup, Book House of Stuyvesant Plaza, Albany, NY
By Boyd Morrison
Touchstone
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“Can the ancient world still impact the modern? In a resounding 'Yes,' Boyd Morrison relates a story involving Noah's Ark and a modern bioweapon. This fast-paced suspense sweeps two engineers and an archaeologist into the grip of modern day fanaticism. The Ark will take you on a roller coaster ride of plot twists and turns. Highly recommended!”
— Fran Wilson, Colorado State University Bookstore, Fort Collins, CO
By Brunonia Barry
William Morrow
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“Brunonia Barry has claimed Salem, Massachusetts, as her own locale--even using Hawthorne's House of Seven Gables--and the town couldn't ask for a better chronicler. Just as the city is a place of haunted mystery, so is the life of Zee Finch, who is forced to confront both past and present when caring for her ailing father. With characters that are rich, engaging, and sympathetic, Barry has created a world that perfectly expresses ordinary life.”
— Bill Cusumano, Nicola's Books, Ann Arbor, MI
By Yann Martel
Spiegel & Grau
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“Henry is a writer whose first book was wildly successful. When harsh criticism greets his second work, he retreats from the literary world. A request for help by the author of a strangely compelling play draws him deeper and deeper into the bizarre reality of its writer. While this plot may seem simple, its many-faceted story draws readers into a complex drama of guilt and the attempt to justify a horrific past.”
— Linda Walonen, Bay Books, San Ramon, CA
By Willy Vlautin
Harper Perennial
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“Vlautin's third, and arguably best, book is the harrowing and heartbreaking story of a high school- age boy in Portland, Oregon, who is set adrift when his father dies. With no resources and nowhere else to go, he sets out to find an aunt who may or may not still be in Wyoming. Vlautin's prose is skillfully without artifice, telling the story directly and cleanly, and we ache as our protagonist tries to make his way in an indifferent and, sometimes, dangerous world.”
— Kevin Ryan, Green Apple Books, San Francisco, CA
By Joanna Trollope
Touchstone
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“Richie Rossiter has two families, the family he left behind more than two decades ago and his second family, with three beautiful daughters and the woman he would not marry. They revolved around Richie like planets orbiting a hot sun, never intersecting. He was the star of their firmament, and life spun around him until one day it stopped. Now, because of a strange bequest in his will, the two orbits must cross.”
— Deon Stonehouse, Sunriver Books, Sunriver, OR
By Maggie O'Farrell
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
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“Alternating chapters tell the story of two women in London in two very different times: Lexie, the journalist in post-war London, and Elina, a new mother struggling with her baby and her boyfriend in the present day. The portraits of these women are spellbinding in their depth of understanding, and the way O'Farrell weaves them together is dazzling.”
— Jude Sales, Readers' Books, Sonoma, CA
By Deborah Coonts
Forge Books
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“Witty, unrelenting, and tenacious, Lucky O'Toole runs the Babylon Casino in LasVegas. When a suspected murder kicks off a weekend filled with a sex industry convention, a swingers' retreat, and an adult film industry banquet, Lucky must add investigator to her repertoire. Wrangling the partygoers, pornographers, and murderers is enough to drive Lucky over the edge, but she holds on with sarcasm, passion, and just a smidge of romance.”
— Megan Fecko, Joseph-Beth Booksellers, Lyndhurst, OH
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“Is it chance or an invisible 'Red Thread' that connects parents to the children they were meant to have? In this story of love and hope and new beginnings, Hood expertly weaves together the lives of five couples who yearn for children, and the Chinese babies who are abandoned half a world away.”
— Pat Coussa, Island Books, Middletown, RI
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“In this third novel in the Reincarnationist series, Rose spins another incredible tale with mesmerizing characters and a thrilling plot. The shifts in perspective add to the overall story--like being able to view a priceless and beautiful sculpture from all sides. Highly recommended!”
— Maura I. Benton, Ravenous Reader, Charleston, SC
By Frederick Reiken
Reagan Arthur Books
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“Ten people, 10 stories spanning more than four decades and crossing the Atlantic Ocean. It is left up to the reader to determine what parts of which stories are vital and who is connected to whom in order to answer the final question: Who is the most important link in the chain? The link that, if broken, would result in the whole architecture crumbling to the ground? Intricate, crafty, and fascinating!”
— Stacie M. Williams, Boswell Book Company, Milwaukee, WI
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“Snobbish, aristocratic Olivier, a fictional version of historian and political thinker Alexis de Tocqueville, escapes the French Revolution to America with his angry servant, Parrot. Their lives become a grand adventure both historical and humorous.”
— Karen T. Harris, Bunch of Grapes Bookstore, Vineyard Haven, MA
Now in Paperback
Indie Next List Selections Come to Paperback