From last week's Indie bestseller lists, available at IndieBound.org, here are the recommended titles, which are also Indie Next Great Reads:
Hardcover
Stranger Here Below: A Novel by Joyce Hinnefeld (Unbridled, $24.95, 9781609530044/1609530047). "In Stranger Here Below, Joyce Hinnefeld introduces the reader to three generations of women, each with their individual strengths and frailties, and explores the sometimes tenuous bonds of friendship. This is an excellent book to share among sisters, mothers, daughters, and friends."--Sandy Scott, Galaxy Bookshop, Hardwick, Vt.
The Dirty Life: On Farming, Food, and Love by Kristin Kimball (Scribner, $24, 9781416551607/1416551603). "Kristin was very much a city girl until a writing assignment brought her to Mark's small plot of land, where he was growing food to feed many families. It was love at first sight, at least for the farming. Falling for Mark didn't take too much time after that. The resulting CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) is a new model in which the members can be completely supported by the produce, meat, eggs, and cheese they can pick up weekly, year-round. This is a fascinating story of what love of the land and the desire to feed people can do for individuals and communities, and the potential impact it could have on a global scale."--Jackie Blem, Tattered Cover Bookstore, Denver, Colo.
Paperback
The Truth-Teller's Lie: A Novel by Sophie Hannah (Penguin, $15, 9780143115854/0143115855), previously published as Hurting Distance. "Desperate to find her lover, adulterous Naomi Jenkins decides to embellish a lie to speed up a missing persons investigation. She relates a horrific experience in which she was a victim, yet changes the identity of the perpetrator in hopes of finding Robert, her true love. How else will she save him? However, Naomi isn't aware that in telling her long-ago secret, she is eerily close to figuring out the truth. This psychologically tense thriller will keep you on the edge with its many dark turns and frightening twists."--Kristin Bates, McLean & Eakin Booksellers, Petoskey, Mich.
For Ages 4 to 8
The Last Train by Gordon M. Titcomb, illustrated by Wendell Minor (Roaring Brook Press, $16.99, 9781596431645/1596431644). "You can almost hear the train's whistle from these expressive, beautifully rendered paintings by Wendell Minor that capture the magnificence of that dying steel behemoth--the steam train. Gordon Titcomb's song is a sad refrain for the life that was centered around those engines. Rail enthusiasts--and others--will rejoice in this evocative pairing."--Maureen Palacios, Once Upon a Time, Montrose, Calif.
[Many thanks to IndieBound and the ABA!]