Out now, the Indie Next List for February!

On the cover of this month's list is A GOOD AMERICAN by Alex George. In this decades spanning novel, Frederick and Jette flee Prussia in 1904 and find themselves in Beatrice, Missouri. Leslie Reiner from Inkwood Books (Tampa, FL) says, ". . .like the best family stories, is filled with the coincidences, missed connections, and both the tragedy and magic of ordinary life. . .Carrying the reader across the generations with music and food, religion and prohibition, racism and patriotism, A Good American makes this unique family's story seem familiar in the best of ways."

Watch this elegant video for THE SNOW CHILD, Eowyn Ivey's debut novel set in Alaska about an childless couple who, on the first snowfall of the year, fancifully build a girl out of snow. Come morning, the girl has become real and so begins a novel about which Valerie Koehler from Blue Willow Book Shop (Houston, TX) says, "As the girl grows through the years, we know that this enchanting story will have the twists that we have come to expect with tales that teach us lessons about life."

Other videos for Next books is a brief glimpse at DEFENDING JACOB, William Landay's provocative new thriller about a lawyer who his defending his 14-year old son who is on trial for murder and Liz Moore's HEFT, a novel that Dawn Rennert from The Concord Bookshop (Concord, MA) called, ". . .a novel both heartbreaking and hopeful, with characters who navigate the waters of love and family as if afraid of drowning."

Other selections this month include:

• As heard on NPR - THE ODDS by Stuart Onan: "This is a small novel that packs an emotional wallop. . .Anyone in a long relationship will both nod and cringe as O'Nan subtly and brilliantly lays out Art and Marion's frailties, strengths, foibles, and deep affection.” -- Cathy Langer, Tattered Cover Book Store (Denver, CO)
• Conversation Starters from ReadingGroupChoices.com - THE FACE THIEF by Eli Gottlieb: "The Face Thief pushes you down the stairs on the first page and never lets you get your feet back under you. . . .Love, parenting, relationships, temptation, money, and green living are explored in an honest voice that doesn't take sides. . ." -- Shawn Bridges, Literary Lion (Stephenville, TX)

Also, don't forget about past IndieNext picks now available in paperback, including two wonderful memoirs: Gabrielle Hamilton writes about her journey to chefdom in BLOOD, BONES, AND BUTTER and Andre Dubus III recounts his turbulent childhood growing up in a downtrodden Massachusetts town filled with a seeming black hole of drugs and violence in TOWNIE.

Find the printed list at an independent bookstore near you. We're also offering a print-at-home version, found on the Indie Next List page directly beneath the carousel of titles, so you can browse at home and take it to your local indie.

Happy reading!