Indie Next Picks for Book Clubs

Indie Next Picks for Book Clubs

The Summer 2015 Indie Next List for Reading Groups features six Macmillan titles! Top Ten THE EMPATHY EXAMS by Leslie Jamison THE PLOVER by Brian Doyle RADIANCE OF TOMORROW by Ishmael Beah SHOTGUN LOVESONGS by Nickolas Butler Familes… And Other Challenges THE GLASS KITCHEN by Linda Francis Lee Exciting New Voices THE WIVES OF LOS ALAMOS […]

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Maximum Shelf: THE PLOVER

Maximum Shelf: THE PLOVER

MaxShelf-Plover

“I must have wanted to write a sea novel for years—I just adored Stevenson and Kipling and Conrad and Jack London and voyage-logs and sea stories and KON-TIKI as a boy.”
— Brian Doyle on his inspiration for THE PLOVER

Plover jacket
We're very excited about THE PLOVER by Brian Doyle, which continues the story of Declan O Donnell from one of Doyle's previous novels, MINK RIVER. It's an April Indie Next pick, and is this week's Maximum Shelf Awareness feature (we're pretty crazy about it, too).

“THE PLOVER is a fun ride with meaning and heart, lots of it, as well as jokes, scares, storms at sea, surprises, magic, absurdity—and humanity, exuberant joyful humanity.” — Shelf Awareness

See the full summary, review and interview with Brian Doyle on Shelf-Awareness.com.

DRC buttonGet whitelisted and download your e-galley on Edelweiss. 

Praise for THE PLOVER:

“Doyle has written a novel in the adventurous style of Jack London and Robert Louis Stevenson but with a gentle mocking of their valorization of the individual as absolute. Readers will enjoy this bracing and euphoric ode to the vastness of the ocean and the unexpectedness of life.”
Library Journal, starred review

“In near stream of consciousness, wave upon wave of words tumbles out in long, beautifully rendered, description-packed sentences... A rare and unusual book and a brilliant, mystical exploration of the human spirit.”
Kirkus Reviews, starred review

“A jack of all literary trades, Doyle augments his impressive oeuvre with this whimsical dreamscape of a nautical adventure about desolation and friendship. A joyous journey of discovery.” Booklist

“Every sentence Doyle writes about the ocean smacks of authenticity...”
Publishers Weekly

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Sneak Peek: April 2014 Indie Next list

Sneak Peek: April 2014 Indie Next list

Indie Next logoThe April 2014 Indie Next list was recently announced and we're thrilled that it includes so many great Macmillan titles!

THE EMPATHY EXAMS by Leslie Jamison
"A tough, intrepid, scouring observer and vigilant thinker, she generates startling and sparking extrapolations and analysis. On the prowl for truth and intimate with pain, Jamison carries forward the fierce and empathic essayistic tradition as practiced by writers she names as mentors, most resonantly James Agee and Joan Didion." — Booklist, starred review & our most popular ARC at ALA Midwinter! 

THE PLOVER by Brian Doyle
Doyle's story about a man who flees his troubled life on land for the solitude of the Pacific Ocean, but ends up on a rousing adventure is, “A rare and unusual book and a brilliant, mystical exploration of the human spirit.” — Kirkus Reviews, starred review

MIMI MALLOY, AT LAST! by Julia MacDonnell
"MacDonnell captures perfectly the family dynamics between sisters, mothers, and daughters, as if she were sitting in on their gab sessions, taking copious notes. For readers who enjoy Maeve Binchy and Rosamunde Pilcher, this is a highly engaging family chronicle, with a healthy dose of Irish history laced in as well." — Booklist 

THE CAIRO AFFAIR by Olen Steinhauer
Steinhauer's geopolitical tale about the aftermath of a diplomat's assassination and his wife's relentless investigation is “Elaborate, sophisticated…a long, twisty road full of cleverly placed potholes and unexpected turns. Mr. Steinhauer draws his spies as flesh-and-blood characters in whom his readers invest both attention and emotion.” — Janet Maslin, The New York Times

ROOSEVELT'S BEAST by Louis Bayard
Bayard draws on Teddy and Kermit Roosevelt’s real-life ill-fated 1914 Amazon expedition to create "A suspense-filled re-imagining of history deepened by a confrontation with evil’s supernatural presence." — Kirkus Reviews

See the full April 2014 Indie Next List here.

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Stars for THE PLOVER!

Stars for THE PLOVER!

The great news keeps coming for THE PLOVERBrian Doyle's story about a man who flees his troubled life on land for the solitude of the Pacific Ocean, but ends up on a rousing adventure. 

It's an April 2014 Indie Next Pick and has two starred reviews:

"Doyle has written a novel in the adventurous style of Jack London and Robert Louis Stevenson but with a gentle mocking of their valorization of the individual as absolute. Readers will enjoy this bracing and euphoric ode to the vastness of the ocean and the unexpectedness of life."
Library Journal, starred review 

“A rare and unusual book and a brilliant, mystical exploration of the human spirit.” 
— Kirkus Reviews, starred review

"A jack of all literary trades, Doyle augments his impressive oeuvre with this whimsical dreamscape of a nautical adventure about desolation and friendship. In stylized prose with frequent nods to Coleridge, Melville, and Stevenson, Doyle’s surreal world is alive with vivid characters, mysterious birds, and lyrical philosophy about contentment. A joyous journey of discovery."
Booklist  

“Every sentence Doyle writes about the ocean smacks of authenticity…” 
— Publishers Weekly

DRC button - Plover


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and download your copy of THE PLOVER.
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For Your Consideration: April LibraryReads titles

For Your Consideration: April LibraryReads titles

The March LibraryReads list may have just been announced (thank you to everyone who voted for PRECIOUS THING!!!), but we're already excited about April's potential picks. With February being such a short month and the Winter Olympics distracting us from reading time, the March 1 deadline to nominate April 2014 publications will be here faster than Shani Davis can break a new speedskating record!

Here's the inside track on our hot April titles: 

KEEP QUIET by Lisa Scottoline
In New York Times bestselling author Scottoline's latest standalone, Jake Whitmore is enjoying a rare bonding moment with his sixteen-year-old son, Ryan, when they get in a terrible car accident that threatens to derail Ryan’s future. Jake makes a split-second decision that saves his son from formal punishment, but plunges them both into a world of guilt, lies, and secrecy. When a malevolent outsider comes forward with the power to expose them, Jake must do anything he can to prevent the further unraveling of his family.

THE PLOVER by Brian Doyle
When Declan O Donnell flees his troubled life on land by setting out on the Pacific Ocean in his boat, the Plover, he discovers something much more interesting than the solitude he sought. "Doyle (editor, Portland Magazine) has written a novel in the adventurous style of Jack London and Robert Louis Stevenson but with a gentle mocking of their valorization of the individual as absolute. Readers will enjoy this bracing and euphoric ode to the vastness of the ocean and the unexpectedness of life." — Library Journal, starred review

SEDITION by Katharine Grant
In this "...witty, dark, and sophisticated tale" (Publishers Weekly, starred review), four nouveau rich fathers make their five marriageable daughters learn to play the piano in an effort to attract men and marry well. However, the girls' lascivious (and French) piano teacher has an education beyond music in his plans. "[A] fun, lascivious gambol through the lives of women and men with decidedly carnal appetites... Suggest to fans of Sarah Dunant and Sarah Waters." — Booklist

DESTROYER ANGEL by Nevada Barr
In the next book in Barr's New York Times bestselling Anna Pigeon series, a camping trip in Minnesota goes harrowingly wrong when Anna's friends are taken hostage by armed thugs. "Once again, Barr lays down a riveting mystery and permeates the pages with scrupulous descriptions of Anna's struggle with the cold, with the night, and with the terror and fear of not rescuing her friends." — Library Journal, starred review 

DON'T EVER LOOK BACK by Daniel Friedman
In this "alternately humorous and moving sequel" (Publishers Weekly) to the Edgar Award-nominated debut DON'T EVER GET OLD, feisty octogenarian Buck Schatz is trying to close the case on some unsolved robberies from his past.

'TIL THE WELL RUNS DRY by Lauren Francis-Sharma
This buzzed about debut novel is a glorious and moving multi-generational, multicultural saga that begins in the 1940s and sweeps through the 1960s in Trinidad and the United States. "Why the buzz: Voice, Voice, Voice! A story that takes you places you have never been and will stay with you forever." — Publishers Weekly, ABA's Winter Institute 9 round-up

MIMI MALLOY AT LAST by Julia MacDonnell
An April 2014 Indie Next pick! "MacDonnell captures perfectly the family dynamics between sisters, mothers, and daughters, as if she were sitting in on their gab sessions, taking copious notes. For readers who enjoy Maeve Binchy and Rosamunde Pilcher, this is a highly engaging family chronicle, with a healthy dose of Irish history laced in as well." — Booklist 
 

THE OTHER STORY by Tatiana de Rosnay
The internationally bestselling author of SARAH'S KEY returns with another absorbing novel about a young writer who, while digging into his family’s deeply buried secrets, finds the key to his future.

For more April LibraryReads title suggestions, view our collection on Edelweiss. Happy reading and happy nominating!

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Friday Reads (1/17/14 Edition)

Friday Reads (1/17/14 Edition)

TGIF! We're celebrating the start of a long weekend with these #FridayReads:
Talia's in a sailing mood thanks to 

THE PLOVER by Brian Doyle
When Declan O Donnell flees his troubled life on land by setting out on the Pacific Ocean in his boat, the Plover, he discovers something much more interesting than the solitude he sought. "Doyle (editor, Portland Magazine) has written a novel in the adventurous style of Jack London and Robert Louis Stevenson but with a gentle mocking of their valorization of the individual as absolute. Readers will enjoy this bracing and euphoric ode to the vastness of the ocean and the unexpectedness of life." — Library Journal, starred review 

Anne's gearing up to meet one of her favorite writers at ALA Midwinter with

KEEP QUIET by Lisa Scottoline
Jake Whitmore is enjoying a rare bonding moment with his sixteen-year-old son, Ryan, when they get in a terrible car accident that threatens to derail Ryan’s future. Jake makes a split-second decision that saves his son from formal punishment, but plunges them both into a world of guilt, lies, and secrecy. When a malevolent outsider comes forward with the power to expose them, Jake must do anything he can to prevent the further unraveling of his family.

What are you reading this Friday? Share your thoughts with us @MacmillanLib with the hashtag #FridayReads.

In the meantime, we'll be loading up our e-readers and getting ready to hit the road for Philly. We're off for the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday on Monday, but will be posting content when we can leading up to the opening of ALA Midwinter. We hope to see you there (and by there, we mean Booth #622)! 

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