From last week's Indie bestseller lists, available at IndieBound.org, here are the recommended titles, which are also Indie Next Great Reads:
Hardcover
Autonomous: A Novel by Annalee Newitz (Tor Books, $25.99, 9780765392077). "The best science fiction stretches our ingrained concepts of humanity and civilization into a series of questions that entrance and electrify, both by the nature of the questions and by the contextual reality the author has created. Annalee Newitz shows her mastery of the genre with Autonomous, which poses questions relating to artificial intelligence, consciousness, and ownership against the backdrop of Earth in 2144, where patent property law rules social order and indentured people and bots are the new lower class. Autonomous follows Jack, a drug pirate desperately trying to fix a deadly mistake she made while racing against Eliasz, a temperamental military agent, and Paladin, a newly conscious indentured military bot. Newitz forces you to empathize with every character. A true masterpiece." --Charlotte Bruell, Literati Bookstore, Ann Arbor, Mich.
Caroline: Little House, Revisited by Sarah Miller (Morrow, $25.99, 9780062685346). "In Caroline, Sarah Miller recreates Little House on the Prairie from Ma's point of view. An oft-overlooked character, in Caroline we find a rich inner life that rarely breaks her smooth surface. She is constantly wrestling with fears and doubts about this journey and everything that it means (she was actually pregnant during it). Although Caroline seems consumed by caregiving, childbearing, and constant tasks for others, we get a glimpse of her true self through her thoughts on her childhood, her relationship with Charles, and her time as a teacher. Miller draws out the quiet richness of Caroline as a character, showing her to be as integral to the story as Pa or Laura." --Jordan Barnes, Brookline Booksmith, Brookline, Mass.
Paperback: An Indies Introduce Title
The Glass Eye: A Memoir by Jeannie Vanasco (Tin House Books, $15.95, 9781941040775). "The Glass Eye, at its heart, is a memoir of Jeannie's relationship with her late father and the grief she experienced after his death. But it's also about her half-sister, Jeanne, who died before she was born; it's about mental illness; and it's about family and what that means. This is memoir at its best. The prose is powerful and often breathtaking--it'll make your heart break, it might make you cry, and you'll probably even laugh a few times. This is an elegy fierce and lyrical and raw, like none I've read before." --Sarah Malley, Newtonville Books, Newton Centre, Mass.
For Ages 4 to 8
Come With Me by Holly M. McGhee, illustrated by Pascal Lemaître (Putnam, $17.99, 9781524739058). "Come With Me is simple and inspiring. We all have those days, when we're afraid and sad because of the news; this book shows us how to step outside the fear 'to make the world a better place.' Hand in hand, kindness by kindness, we can make a difference and win 'a tiny battle over fear for [ourselves] and for the people of the world.' " --Tegan Tigani, Queen Anne Book Company, Seattle, Wash.
For Ages 9 to 12
The Wonderling by Mira Bartók (Candlewick, $21.99, 9780763691219). "Imaginative and lyrically written, The Wonderling is a fabulous fantasy adventure full of memorable characters, surprising twists, and gorgeous illustrative flourishes. The best fantasies have hearts of truth, and the truths of The Wonderling--that kindness is never wasted, that friends are always nearby if we know where to look, and that hope is never truly lost--feel both revelatory and timeless." --Stephanie Appell, Parnassus Books, Nashville, Tenn.
For Teen Readers
Moxie by Jennifer Mathieu (Roaring Brook Press, $17.99, 9781626726352). "I adored this book. Vivian's many struggles are so beautifully portrayed: negotiating between an old friendship and a new one; navigating a new crush; worrying about her grandparents' reaction to behavior that's out of character; raging silently (at first) against the quotidian misogyny of a small town high school. And, of course, her Moxie zine is everything you would want from a cool, smart, strong teen heroine." --Lexi Beach, Astoria Bookshop, Astoria, N.Y.
[Many thanks to IndieBound and the ABA!]
