In Like a Lion

We've got three picks for March's selection. The poll will go up tonight and close Monday night. And the nominees are:

1. No One Belongs Here More Than You - Miranda July. Miranda July (I'm convinced that she has the type of name that only sounds good when you say both first and last every time. I don't know her well enough - or at all, really - to call her by her first name, and writing just "July" is surreal, like a Neil Gaiman story: "'I don't have anything personal on this, said July, apologetically. 'It's purely procedural. We shouldn't be setting precedents'") is a contemporary American writer and I admit I have not read anything by her. No One is a book of short stories from last year, and based on the book description and her website (click on the arrow in the bottom right), it looks intriguing. Thanks Suzanne for the suggestion.

2. Through Black Spruce - Joseph Boyden. Boyden (whose surname is a little more manageable) won the Giller prize in 2008 and by all accounts is a great read. One reader said, "Really enjoying the first 10 or 20 pages I have read so far" and another fan I spoke with loved Three Day Road, Boyden's previous novel. So another winner, it looks like. Thanks to Deanna for this one.

3. A Prayer for Owen Meany - John Irving. I suggested this one for three reasons: it is now considered a "classic" (it has its own SparkNotes!); Owen Meany is an Irish name; and, duh, it's John Irving. What more reason do you need?

Vote! Do it now!