From last week's Indie bestseller lists, available at IndieBound.org, here are the recommended titles, which are also Indie Next Great Reads:
Hardcover
The Dark Net: A Novel by Benjamin Percy (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, $26, 9780544750333). "In The Dark Net, Benjamin Percy's best work yet, the author takes the poorly understood underbelly of the Internet and brings it to terrifying life in Portland, Oregon, in a tale complete with hipsters and homeless people, supernatural beings, hardcore geeks, a journalist, and a blind 12-year-old girl. As a former resident of Portland and a technologist, I was particularly impressed with Percy's nuanced portrayal of downtown Portland and its landmarks, including Powell's Books. Percy does a masterful job of making the Internet scary in a thriller that feels like a combination of American Gods and the Stephen King books I tore through as a teenager. Highly recommended." --Nathan White, Content Bookstore, Northfield, Minn.
The Library of Light and Shadow: A Novel by M.J. Rose (Atria, $26, 9781476778129). "The novels of M.J. Rose are always rich in sensual detail, and her latest is no exception. Though the other senses are hardly neglected, in The Library of Light and Shadow the sense of vision is central to Delphine Duplessi, a young Frenchwoman who is a painter as well as a witch, and who sees both the surface of things and their hidden secrets. Thanks to the author's rich descriptions, readers, too, will see beyond their ordinary abilities, to the passion between Delphine and the man she loves but feels she must give up forever." --Pamela Grath, Dog Ears Books, Northport, Mich.
Paperback
Arrowood: A Novel by Laura McHugh (Spiegel & Grau, $16, 9780812986419). "When her father dies, Arden inherits Arrowood, her childhood home. Set on the Mississippi River, the little town of Keokuk, Iowa, has seen more prosperous days, as has Arrowood, which has stood vacant for years. Arden decides to move back to Keokuk and re-establish the search for her two-year-old twin siblings who disappeared 20 years earlier under her watch. With the help of Ben, her childhood friend and a longtime resident of Keokuk, Arden re-examines the disappearance, hoping to not only find the twins, but also to make peace with her own deep-rooted secrets." --Brenda Jordan, Murder by the Book, Houston, Tex.
For Ages 4 to 8
Margaret and the Moon by Dean Robbins, illustrated by Lucy Knisley (Knopf, $17.99, 9780399551857). "Here's to female scientists and children's picture books about them! I loved Margaret and the Moon, which is about Margaret Hamilton, the woman considered the first female software engineer. This is a must-read for strong girls and those who love and support them." --Rachel Watkins, Avid Bookshop, Athens, Ga.
For Ages 9 to 12: An Indies Introduce Title
Sidetracked by Diana Harmon Asher (Amulet Books, $16.99, 9781419726019). "Sidetracked is the story of two outsiders connecting. Heather and Joseph are complete opposites: she is tall, strong, and an excellent student, while he is puny, has severe attention deficit disorder, and sees every school day as a struggle to survive. Diana Harmon Asher has crafted a highly satisfying underdog story about the power of trying to do your personal best." --Laura Delaney, Rediscovered Books, Boise, Idaho.
For Teen Readers
Dear Reader by Mary O'Connell (Flatiron, $17.99, 9781250077080). "Dear Reader is a quirky and unique novel about the ways relationships change us. A special teacher can change the way you think or read, a first love can affect the ways we move through adulthood, and fiction can alter how we view the world around us. Mary O'Connell playfully explores the relationships Flannery forms with others, not through action but through unique narrative devices and interior voices. Alternately emotional and lighthearted, Dear Reader will satisfy bookish types and Brontë enthusiasts of all ages!" --Johanna Albrecht, Flyleaf Books, Chapel Hill, N.C.
[Many thanks to IndieBound and the ABA!]
