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Presenting 2009 Indie Next List Great Reads... Now in Paperback
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Twenty titles chosen by booksellers for the 2009 Indie Next Lists in hardcover and now available in paperback format are featured in "Presenting Paperbacks," an attractive, two-page downloadable flier, ideal for display and for use as a handout or bag stuffer.
"Booksellers have requested more lists of their favorite handsells in paperback, and we are pleased to be able to provide this 'suggested holiday gift list' for use as a sales tool during the busiest retail time of the year," said Mark Nichols, ABA senior director of publisher initiatives.
The new "Presenting Paperbacks" list, featuring bookseller quotes and jacket images, is in lieu of a printed Year-End Highlights flier. The new PDF format flier can easily be printed on one sheet (front and back) of 8-1/2" x 11" paper.
Presenting Paperbacks
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Fiction
The Eleventh Man: A Novel by Ivan Doig
(Mariner, $13.95, 9780547247632)
"A football team that makes the papers in 1941 goes to war in 1943, its players deployed from Europe to the Pacific -- all but the quarterback, who, son of a journalist, is assigned to chronicle their exploits for the wartime propaganda machine he loathes. Indelibly wrought characters and a plot that mixes love, treason, heroism, and history make this a blissfully good read." --Betsy Burton, The King's English, Salt Lake City, UT
Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet: A Novel by Jamie Ford
(Ballantine, $15, 9780345505347)
"The Japanese internment of WWII comes alive in this timeless story, set in 1940s Seattle, of the power of the human heart to rise above hatred and bigotry. This is a book to share with others." --Marilyn Scheer, East West Bookshop, Seattle, WA
The Hour I First Believed: A Novel by Wally Lamb
(Harper Perennial, $15.99, 9780060988432)
"In The Hour I First Believed, Wally Lamb captures the essence of modern America through the events of the past decade. Though sweeping, the story resonates in a powerfully intimate and personal way, at once heart-wrenching and hopeful, with characters so deeply conceived that you will think of them and their lives long after you have finished reading the book." --Suzy Staubach, UConn Co-op, Storrs, CT
I See You Everywhere by Julia Glass
(Anchor, $15, 9781400075775)
"Louisa -- solid, steady, dependable. Clem -- younger, rebellious, daring, and the favorite. This is a story, told over 25 years, of two sisters -- opposite as night and day, oil and water, yin and yang -- and how they remain connected. In my opinion, this is Julia Glass' best book yet!" --Vicki McNeil, Watermark Book Co., Anacortes, WA
Miles From Nowhere by Nami Mun
(Riverhead Trade, $14, 9781594483981)
"It's New York in the '80s, and Joon is a teenage Korean immigrant living in the Bronx who is now on the run. Rarely does a first novel blaze across our dark night with the brilliance and fury of lightning -- but Mun's Miles From Nowhere is just that electric. A debut to cheer." --Nick Petrulakis, Books Inc., Alameda, CA
The Piano Teacher: A Novel by Janice Y.K. Lee
(Penguin Books, $15, 9780143116530)
"Janice Y.K. Lee makes a powerful entry into the literary world with this lush, intriguing novel of Hong Kong on the edge of World War II and, then, its aftermath. Creating characters as exotic and mysterious as the story's locale, she portrays a society that was lost, a facade that eventually brought horrific costs to most of its members." --Bill Cusumano, Nicola's Books, Ann Arbor, MI
Sing Them Home by Stephanie Kallos
(Grove Press, $14.95, 9780802144133)
"When a tornado dips into Emlyn Springs, Nebraska, it swoops up Hope Jones and never sets her down. Decades later, her grown children are still looking ... for the lives left incomplete. This epic moves expertly between the pre- and post-tornado years, and among the three siblings and the townspeople. As in her debut novel, Broken for You, Stephanie Kallos carefully weaves a complex tale featuring quirky, sympathetic characters." --Cheryl McKeon, Third Place Books, Lake Forest Park, WA
Sleepwalking in Daylight by Elizabeth Flock
(MIRA, $13.95, 9780778327349)
"Elizabeth Flock has written a novel with engrossing and compelling characters: a mother who seems to have it all, but who finds only emptiness; a daughter who cries for help from the depths of her depression and isolation -- both part of a family spinning out of control. Sleepwalking in Daylight explores both disturbing human truths that lead to tragedy and the will to survive." --Peter Marsh, Briggs Carriage Bookstore, Brandon, VT
Biography/Memoir
Fred Astaire by Joseph Epstein
(Yale, $15, 9780300158441)
"How could a string bean with an oversize forehead, jug ears, and an obvious toupee be one of the romantic leads of movie history? Epstein meditates on this heavenly hoofer from every angle, and the results will have you jonesing for a TCM movie marathon." --Daniel Goldin, Boswell Books Company, Milwaukee, WI
The Longest Trip Home: A Memoir by John Grogan
(Harper Paperbacks, $14.99, 9780061713309)
"John Grogan has another winner in The Longest Trip Home, his reminiscence of growing up a somewhat reluctant Catholic. It's funny, romantic, and poignant--an entertaining and worthwhile read." --Alec Milner, Vintage Books, Vancouver, WA
The Widow Clicquot: The Story of a Champagne Empire and the Woman Who Ruled It by Tilar J. Mazzeo
(Harper Perennial, $15.99, 9780061288586)
"The story of how -- in 1800s France -- this brave and cunning woman emerged from small-time broker to dominate the international luxury market is intoxicating. Mazzeo's prose is appropriately effervescent as she explores the secrets and science of wine making and the numerous factors that contributed to champagne becoming the world's most powerful symbol of celebration and the good life. A toast to Mazzeo for capturing the essence of a radical life -- cheers!" --Melba Major, Square Books, Oxford, MS
Mystery/Thriller
Among the Mad: A Maisie Dobbs Novel by Jacqueline Winspear
(Picador $14, 9780312429256)
"Conscripted as a special advisor to Scotland Yard, psychologist and investigator Maisie Dobbs once again takes us to an unsettled postwar London. After her proximity to a veteran's suicide, Maisie searches for a madman, whose deadlines threaten havoc for the government and people of London. Jacqueline Winspear consistently delivers strong characters and an intelligent, thought-provoking story." --Becky Milner, Vintage Books, Vancouver, WA
Bone by Bone by Carol O'Connell
(Berkley, $9.99, 9780425231050)
"Carol O'Connell's first stand-alone book is a winner--an intricately plotted story of an unsolved murder of a teenage boy. This extraordinary thriller will keep you hooked." --Patricia Worth, River Reader LLC, Lexington, MO
Dog On It: A Chet and Bernie Mystery by Spencer Quinn
(Atria, $15, 9781416585848)
"Dog On It is the debut of a new, hilarious, hard-hitting crime-fighting duo -- Bernie (a human private investigator) and Chet (an almost completely trained police dog). It's Chet who narrates the story, full of interesting clues and the charm of a storytelling style that can't be beat." --Jackie Blem, Tattered Cover Bookstore, Denver, CO
Once Were Cops: A Novel by Ken Bruen
Minotaur, $14.99, 9780312540173)
"If you haven't read any Bruen yet, this gritty noir tale of a wild Irish cop on the loose in the NYPD is a great introduction. There are twists and turns aplenty is this riveting read." --Rich Chasse, The Kennebunk Book Port, Kennebunkport, ME
The Spy Who Came for Christmas: A Novel by David Morrell
(Vanguard, $10, 9781593155636)
"In The Spy Who Came for Christmas, David Morrell has woven the Christmas story into an entertaining, modern-day spy novel. This is a great little stocking stuffer for the thriller reader on your Christmas list!" --Carl Wichman, Varsity Mart, Fargo, ND
Nonfiction
American Buffalo: In Search of a Lost Icon by Steven Rinella
(Spiegel & Grau, $15, 9780385521697)
"American Buffalo is a fascinating, panoramic account of buffalo, their evolution, and the long history of their relationship with humans. Rinella's enthusiasm for his subject is evident as he skillfully juxtaposes his personal experience as a proficient and dedicated hunter with sections on archaeology and history, all accessibly and engagingly written." --Lynne Almeida, Spellbound Children's Bookshop, Asheville, NC
Confessions of an Eco-Sinner: Tracking Down the Sources of My Stuff by Fred Pearce
(Beacon, $16, 9780807085950)
"It's official: Everyone is going green. Sometimes, though, learning which behaviors really make a difference seems an impossible task. In Confessions of an Eco-Sinner, Fred Pearce is determined to find the truth by following his possessions from the cradle to the grave. What he learns is sometimes disturbing, occasionally rewarding, and always eye-opening." --Rachel Tavares, Changing Hands Bookstore, Tempe, AZ
The Last Stand of Fox Company: A True Story of U.S. Marines in Combat by Bob Drury and Tom Clavin
(Grove, $15, 9780802144515)
"Another great book from the authors who gave us Halsey's Typhoon. Their latest effectively captures the savagery, command mistakes, courage, and tenacity of a company of Marines and those who supported them during the Korean War." --Richard Daley, Pass Christian Books, Pass Christian, MS
The Wordy Shipmates by Sarah Vowell
(Riverhead Trade, $16, 9781594484001)
"As always, Vowell is darkly hilarious and freshly informative. She pokes fun at the buckle-shoed Puritans who first settled here, but she also tells a story of how their quirks, foibles, and love of words formed our country's personality. Her distinct and sharply witty voice makes this book an edifying delight." --Laura DeLaney, The Rediscovered Bookshop, Boise, ID