From last week's Indie bestseller lists, available at IndieBound.org, here are the recommended titles, which are also Indie Next picks:
Hardcover
The Leisure Seeker: A Novel by Michael Zadoorian (Morrow, $24.99, 9780061671784/0061671789). "John and Ella Robina are an infirm, elderly couple who refuse to go quietly into that dark night, and The Leisure Seeker is a funny, touching tribute to their spirit."--Rhoda Wolff, Schuler Books & Music, Lansing, Mich.
Nature's Second Chance: Restoring the Ecology of Stone Prairie Farm by Steven I. Apfelbaum (Beacon, $25.95, 9780807085820/0807085820). "Long before 'being green' was fashionable--some 30 years ago, in fact--Steven Apfelbaum started to return his 80-acre Wisconsin farm to its natural health and beauty as prairie, wetland, and savanna. Here, he recounts the joys and difficulties of pursuing his vision."--Ellen Sandmeyer, Sandmeyer's Bookstore, Chicago, Ill.
Paperback
The Nightingale: A Novel by Morgana Gallaway (Kensington, $14, 9780758227287/0758227280). "This timely book, set in contemporary Mosul, is a great read about a young woman caught between two war-time cultures--that of her formerly prominent, very traditional Moslem family and that of a world of more Western values. The Nightingale looks at the Iraq War from different points of view and offers much to think about."--Linda Vinstra, Great Northern Books and Hobbies, Oscoda, Mich.
For Ages 9-12
We Can't All Be Rattlesnakes by Patrick Jennings (HarperCollins, $15.99, 9780060821142/0060821140). "Crusher the gopher snake matches wits with his filthy, fleshy human captor in this hilarious snake-eye view of the world. This is a charmer!"--Jennifer Laughran, Books Inc., San Francisco, Calif.
[Many thanks to IndieBound and the ABA!]