March 2012 Indie Next List

Out now, the Indie Next List for March!

On the cover of this month's Indie Next list is CARRY THE ONE by Carol Anshaw. In this novel, Carmen and Matt have just gotten married and a lifetime of happiness awaits. A car full of guests hit and kill a girl following the wedding, and the heretofor predictable trajectory of their lives veers wildly off course. Deon Stonehouse of Sunriver Books & Music, (Sunriver, OR) says of the book: 'Carry the One examines the subtle shades of change this tragic accident causes in their lives. It is a compelling story of friendship, loss, betrayal, and life at its most real.

Watch this video for BIRDS OF A LESSER PARADISE, where author Megan Mayhew Bergam talks about her new collection of stories that finds the natural world around shaping lives and relationships. Anderson McKean from Page & Palette, (Fairhope, AL) says, "Birds of a Lesser Paradise is a poignant collection of stories, each filled with vivid imagery, surprising wit, and elegant prose."

Other videos for Next books include a brief glimpse at PURE, Julianna Baggott's new dystopian novel with YA/Adult cross-over appeal about which Lauren Peugh from Mrs.Nelson's Toy & Bookshop, (La Verne, CA) wrote, "I can say, without a doubt, that this is one of the best books I've read in the past year. . .this first part of a trilogy has something for everyone: mystery and intrigue, violence, romance, and rumblings of a sinister conspiracy."

Also available for watching are looks at the previously mentioned CARRY THE ONE and THE DRESSMAKER by Kate Alcott, about a young women who survives the sinking of the Titanic and must deal with the decisions made during the chaos on the doomed ship.

Other selections this month include:

• Conversation Starters from ReadingGroupChoices.com - ARCADIA by Lauren Groff: "I am left almost speechless by the beauty and raw reality of this book. . .Groff's wonderful use of language brings us into Bit's world - the intimacy, wonder, confusion, worry, and unwavering hope he holds as a child and the struggle, shattering grief, and quiet determined bravery he develops as a man" -- Susan McCloskey, Bookshop Santa Cruz, (Santa Cruz, CA)
• FLATSCREEN by Adam Wilson: "Reading Flatscreen in public without cracking up was a challenge, one that I did not meet, and I frequently looked like a crazy person reading the book. . .Eli's struggle to assert himself in a digitized world as a fleshed-out man is as frighteningly real as it is funny." -- Zach Sampinos, Weller Book Works, (Salt Lake City, UT)

Also, don't forget about past IndieNext picks now available in paperback, including DOC, Mary Doria Russell's novel about the life of Doc Holliday before he became the Doc Holliday and READING MY FATHER, Alexandra Styron's compelling memoir about her childhood with her father, author William Styron.

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!