The November 2010 Indie Next List Preview

Here's a preview of the Indie Next List Great Reads and "Now In Paperback" titles, featured with jacket images, on the November Indie Next List flier, on its way to ABA member stores in the IndieBound movement.

The November Indie Notables will be featured in a downloadable flier and shelf-talkers on BookWeb.org, beginning November 1.

The November 2010 Indie Next List Great Reads

#1 Pick for November: Moonlight Mile by Dennis Lehane
(Morrow, 9780061836923, $26.99)
“Patrick and Angie are back, and so are the consequences from the decisions they made years ago in the Gone, Baby, Gone case. The same child, Amanda McCready, now 16, has disappeared and the pair of P.I.s vow this time will be different when they track her down. Lehane is a master at exploring -- yet not answering or resolving -- difficult issues of morality and individual and social responsibility, all while giving the reader great dialogue, unexpected plot twists, and unforgettable characters. This is a sequel worthy of its predecessor.” --Leslie Reiner, Inkwood Books, Tampa, FL

Mr. Toppit: A Novel by Charles Elton
(Other Press, 9781590513903, paper, $15.95)
“What happens when a chance encounter between an American tourist and a dying man in London results in a runaway-bestselling children’s book series?  Luke Hayman, whose alter ego is the protagonist in his father’s books, discovers the hard way how fame is like the fickle ‘Wheel of Fortune,’ feeding his family’s dysfunctional neuroses and uncovering their secrets with every upswing in the series’ popularity. As delightfully quirky and unpredictable as The Royal Tenenbaums.” --Emily Crowe, Odyssey Bookshop, South Hadley, MA

The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer by Siddhartha Mukherjee
(Scribner, 9781439107959, $30)
“The struggle against cancer eventually touches the lives of every person on this planet. In The Emperor of All Maladies, Siddhartha Mukherjee displays remarkable skill in blending a definitive history of this disease with a compelling narrative. The book is informative, moving, and provocative, and teaches us a powerful lesson about humanity. We live in the face of inevitable uncertainty, but the knowledge in these pages makes us stronger and more compassionate beings.” --Geoffrey B. Jennings, Rainy Day Books, Fairway, KS

The Wolves of Andover: A Novel by Kathleen Kent
(Reagan Arthur Books, 9780316068628, $24.99)
“This prequel to The Heretic’s Daughter presents the early days of Thomas and Martha Carrier in recently settled colonial New England. The ramifications of the English Civil War and Cromwell’s failed protectorate are still felt in most lives, especially that of Thomas, who protects his secrets and must be wary of the King’s assassins. Strong characters, tense plotting, and great historical detail make for a superb novel.” --Bill Cusumano, Nicola’s Books, Ann Arbor, MI

Mary Ann in Autumn: A Tales of the City Novel by Armistead Maupin
(Harper, 9780061470882, $25.99)
“What a delight to discover a new Tales of the City novel continuing Armistead Maupin's saga of larger-than-life characters: lesbians DeDe and D'oro, transgendereds Jake and Anna, newlyweds Michael and Ben, and sex blogger Shawna.  Mary Ann had left San Francisco for a television career in New York City, but she returns looking for solace from the friends she left behind.  What a beautiful world it would be if we all had the compassion and acceptance of others that Maupin’s characters display!” --Karen Briggs, Great Northern Books and Hobbies, Oscoda, MI

After the Falls: Coming of Age in the Sixties by Catherine Gildiner
(Viking, 9780670022052, $25.95)
“Continuing her memoirs in the same frank and funny tone as her previous book, Too Close to the Falls, Gildiner recounts her experience coming of age in the 1960s. She copes with an unhappy move to Buffalo with her family, vandalizes neighborhood houses in a misguided attempt to bring about social change, goes off to college, and deals with a tragedy at home. Gildiner’s personal narrative is a tour through the 1960s, revealing the political unrest and social movements that defined the era.”--Erica Caldwell, Present Tense, Batavia, NY

Driving on the Rim: A Novel by Thomas McGuane
(Knopf, 9781400041558, $26.95)
“Young Berl, named after Irving Berlin, is dragged willy-nilly from his family’s intrastate rug-shampooing venture to Pentacostal services, and then to his aunt’s bed -- not a good place for any boy to be. If he comes of age late in life, it’s no wonder, given these beginnings. But by the grace of the medicine he practices, the Montana landscape he inhabits, and the community he belongs to in his own way, Berl manages to track his way through the mined landscape of the past. McGuane seduces the reader with hilarity, and then sneaks illumination past our unguarded hearts.”--Betsy Burton, The King’s English, Salt Lake City, UT

Cleopatra: A Life by Stacy Schiff
(Little, Brown, 9780316001922, $29.99)
“Here is a wonderful antidote to the endless salacious fictionalizations of Cleopatra.  Well researched and documented, this biography draws a complete portrait of Cleopatra and her age, and the wealth of detail is balanced by a strong narrative thread. Schiff has a natural sensitivity for her subject, and it turns out that the real Cleo may be even more interesting than our imagined one!” --Jennie Turner-Collins, Joseph-Beth Booksellers, Cincinnati, OH

Exley: A Novel by Brock Clarke
(Algonquin, 9781565126084, $24.95)
“If you like a book featuring an unreliable narrator, you have found it. Miller is nine years old and struggling with the disappearance of his father, who may or may not have joined the army and gone to Iraq. Miller's ‘mental health professional’ strains the definition of the title ‘professional.’ Miller's mother is bitter and quite sure that joining the military is the last thing her husband would have done. And then there's Frederick Exley, who inhabits the novel through the relationship each of these characters has with his book, A Fan's Notes. Even if, like me, you have never read A Fan's Notes, you will feel rewarded by this smart and moving novel." --Stan Hynds, Northshire Bookstore, Manchester Center, VT

Washington: A Life by Ron Chernow
(Penguin Press, 9781594202667, $40)
“This fast-paced, intriguing biography transforms George Washington from a stone-faced enigma perched atop Mt. Rushmore into an intriguing, approachable historical character. In the hands of award-winning biographer Ron Chernow, Washington's life emerges in sharp focus to reveal a complex persona -- a man who was at once charming and morally upright, yet also politically astute and masterful at concealing deep emotion. Meticulously researched and elegantly written, this work is destined to serve as this generation's standard.” --Maggie McIntire, Books on the Common, Ridgefield, CT

Sunset Park: A Novel by Paul Auster
(Holt, 9780805092868, $25)
“In Auster’s latest novel, the once-vibrant Miles Heller has been running from responsibility, abandoning all contact with his family for seven years. Fleeing a doomed love affair in Florida, he returns to Brooklyn. Soon, Heller finds himself avoiding the law, squatting in Sunset Park among an eclectic cast of characters, and desperately trying to repair the damage done by his estrangement and guilt. This is a dark look at how life can turn in a moment’s notice and how the resulting consequences can impact the ones we love the most.”--Kristin Bates, McLean & Eakin Booksellers, Petoskey, MI

Lipstick in Afghanistan  by Roberta Gately
(Gallery, 9781439191385, paper, $15)
“Elsa was inspired to try to make a difference while still a child.  She grew up with the dream of working in far-off lands and making a real contribution. Trained as a nurse, Elsa volunteers to help with an aid group and is sent to Afghanistan. As she grows close to the people, she becomes involved in their struggle against the tyranny of the Taliban.  Her good friend, Parween, is determined to resist the oppressors.  We need a lot more people like Elsa and Parween!”--Deon Stonehouse, Sunriver Books, Sunriver, OR

The Distant Hours: A Novel by Kate Morton
(Atria, 9781439152782, $26)
“A decaying castle hides family secrets, three elderly sisters protect those secrets, and a long lost letter finally delivered 50 years later could reveal those secrets.  The Distant Hours brings the reader a novel steeped in a gothic atmosphere by an author writing a spellbinding story in a classic style not to be missed.” --Carol Hicks, Bookshelf at Hooligan Rocks, Truckee, CA

Oogy: The Dog Only a Family Could Love by Larry Levin
(Grand Central Publishing, 9780446546317, $19.99)
“Yes, there have been a lot of dog memoirs lately, but there are several reasons why Oogy stands out from the pack. First, because Oogy is no ordinary dog story. As a puppy he was used as bait for fighting dogs, mangled, and left in a cage to die, but Oogy's good nature led him to be saved against the odds. Second, because the story is as much about the author and his family as it is about the dog, it offers fascinating insights into the human-animal bond and the way that rescue is as enriching to the rescuer as it is to the animal being rescued. Oogy is a heartening story and a terrific read.” --Carol Schneck, Schuler Books & Music, Okemos, MI

Atlantic: Great Sea Battles, Heroic Discoveries, Titanic Storms, and a Vast Ocean of a Million Stories by Simon Winchester
(Harper, 9780061702587, $27.99)
“This book, like its subject, is both sprawling and majestic. To reinforce his view of the ocean as a living thing, Winchester terms his book a ‘biography of the ocean.’ His life story of the Atlantic begins with the ocean's very formation. In later ages, Winchester discusses such diverse topics as exploration, piracy, slavery, and conflict. Winchester writes with both beauty and authority, and his love of the ocean is so clearly expressed that readers nearly smell the salt! This is a masterpiece!” --Christopher Rose, Andover Bookstore, Andover, MA

Dogfight, A Love Story: A Novel by Matt Burgess
(Doubleday, 9780385532983, $24.95)
“This is the story of a young struggling Puerto Rican couple in Queens as they come of age. Drugs, crime, and strife surround and inform their everyday lives, yet somehow Burgess is still able to convey them as wholesome and decent folks, even when they are doing illegal things. I found myself rooting for them as I followed the story of their fight for their lives, both literally and figuratively. Life is hard, but this couple makes a great go of it. This is a strong debut!” --Rebecca Fitting, Greenlight Bookstore, Brooklyn, NY

A Secret Gift: How One Man’s Kindness – and a Trove of Letters – Revealed the Hidden History of the Great Depression by Ted Gup
(Penguin Press, 9781594202704, $25.95)
“A suitcase of letters leads Ted Gup on a journey to his hometown of Canton, Ohio, during the heart of the Great Depression. A Secret Gift is a wonderful look at one man's generosity in a time of despair and how the human spirit survives even the most difficult times.  Gup weaves the tale of the lives of those touched by the secret letters and their descendants with great care and charm.” --Sam Droke-Dickinson, Aaron’s Books, Lititz, PA

Dewey’s Nine Lives: The Legacy of the Small-Town Library Cat Who Inspired Millions by Vicki Myron
(Dutton, 9780525951865, $19.95)
“Dewey’s Nine Lives is a celebration of people and their cats.  This is a touching series of biographies of both the humorous antics and the struggles of people and their cat companions.  The stories teach us that it’s okay to deeply love our cats and mourn their passing.  Our culture doesn’t always understand the enduring emotional connections between people and their pets. This book wonderfully acknowledges them.” --Fran Wilson, Colorado State University Bookstore, Fort Collins, CO

Nemesis by Philip Roth
(Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 9780547318356, $26)
“This is a fiercely passionate, devastating book on the themes of hubris and retributive justice set in an elegiac summer camp during an unchecked polio epidemic in the mid 1940s.  Roth has done nothing less than create an authentic American counterpart to Greek tragedy. It's a disturbing, unnerving book that keeps you in an increasingly fearful nervous tension. This is Roth in top form.” --Russ Barker, Brookline Booksmith, Brookline, MA

Nature Stories by Jules Renard, Douglas Parmee (trans.)
(New York Review Books, 9781590173640, paper, $14.95)
“This is a whimsical and at times playful collection of brief sketches of the inhabitants of the natural world. Full of wonder and astonishment, Nature Stories is the perfect book to open at random and see where it takes you. A naturalistic charmer with a post-impressionistic eye.” --Jason Hafer, Wolfgang Books, Phoenixville, PA

The November 2010 "Now in Paperback"

A Friend of the Family by Lauren Grodstein (Algonquin Books, 9781616200176, $13.95)

The Hidden Life of Deer by Elizabeth Marshall Thomas (Harper Perennial, 9780061792113, $14.99)

The Lady Queen by Nancy Goldstone (Walker & Company, 9780802777706, $17)

Love and Summer by William Trevor (Penguin, 9780143117889, $15)

Makers by Cory Doctorow (Tor Books, 9780765312815, $14.99)

Remarkable Creatures by Tracy Chevalier (Plume, 9780452296725, $15)

Spooner by Pete Dexter (Grand Central Publishing, 9780446540735, $14.99)

The Swan Thieves by Elizabeth Kostova (Back Bay Books, 9780316065795, $15.99)

Too Much Happiness by Alice Munro (Vintage, 9780307390349, $15)

When Everything Changed by Gail Collins (Back Bay Books, 9780316014045, $15.99)

Why My Third Husband Will Be a Dog by Lisa Scottoline (St. Martin’s Griffin, 9780312649432, $14.99)

A World Without Ice by Henry Pollack, Ph.D. (Avery Trade, 9781583334072, $16)

The November 2010 Indie Next Notables

FICTION

Daniel by Henning Mankell (New Press, 9781595581938, $26.95)

Foreign Bodies by Cynthia Ozick (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 9780547435572, $26)

The Instructions by Adam Levin (McSweeney’s, 9781934781821, $29)

The Love Goddess’ Cooking School by Melissa Senate (Gallery, 9781439107232, paper, $15)

Visitation by Jenny Erpenbeck, Susan Bernofsky (trans.) (New Directions, 9780811218351, paper, $14.95)

NONFICTION

And the Pursuit of Happiness by Maira Kalman (The Penguin Press, 9781594202674, $29.95)

Bloody Crimes: The Chase for Jefferson Davis and the Death Pageant for Lincoln’s Corpse by James Swanson (Morrow, 9780061233784, $27.99)

Dealings: A Political and Financial Life by Felix Rohatyn (Simon & Schuster, 9781439181966, $27)

Frank: The Voice by James Kaplan (Doubleday, 9780385518048, $35)

Half Empty by David Rakoff (Doubleday, 9780385525244, $24.95)

The Killing of Crazy Horse by Thomas Powers (Knopf, 9780375414466, $30)

Must You Go?: My Life with Harold Pinter by Antonia Fraser (Nan A. Talese/Doubleday, 9780385532501, $28.95)

Travels in Siberia by Ian Frazier (FSG, 9780374278724, $30)

You Don’t Look Like Anyone I Know: A True Story of Family, Face-Blindness, and Forgiveness by Heather Sellers (Riverhead, 9781594487736, $25.95)

MYSTERY / THRILLER

Best American Noir of the Century, Otto Penzler and James Ellroy (eds.) (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 9780547330778, $30)

Broken English: An Amish-Country Mystery by P.L. Gaus (Plume, 9780452296619, paper, $13)

Christmas Mourning by Margaret Maron (Grand Central Publishing, 9780446555807, $25.99)

The Huckleberry Murders: A Sheriff Bo Tully Mystery by Patrick F. McManus (Simon & Schuster, 9781439190845, $25)

Our Kind of Traitor by John le Carré (Viking, 9780670022243, $27.95)

Red Herring: A Joe Gunther Novel by Archer Mayor (Minotaur, 9780312381936, $24.99)