From last week's Indie bestseller lists, available at IndieBound.org, here are the recommended titles, which are also Indie Next Great Reads:
Hardcover
A Wild Swan: And Other Tales by Michael Cunningham, illustrated by Yuko Shimizu (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, $23, 9780374290252). "The author of The Hours gives us a modern take on classic fairy tales, from a sympathetic Rumpelstiltskin to a jaded but content Steadfast Tin Soldier. Cunningham is not shy with his characters: he strips away sentimentality like an old Band-Aid, tearing through the romanticism that these tales usually inspire. Each story is less a retelling and more an unflinching dissection of human nature--our base needs and urges, our raw fears and joys. Shimizu's haunting illustrations give the book a classic feel, and make it a perfect addition to any fairy tale lover's collection." --Jennifer Oleinik, University Book Store, Seattle, Wash.
Paradise City: A Novel by Elizabeth Day (Bloomsbury, $27, 9781620408360). "When I was young, one of my favorite toys was my dollhouse. It looked just like a regular house from the front, but the back was open with all the rooms exposed. That's what Paradise City reminded me of, with each chapter narrated by a different character, all inscrutable to the people around them, but giving the reader glimpses into their inner lives. Every character is richly detailed and Day's clear, sharp prose had me relating to their every feeling from wild, unexpected happiness to deep, thudding sadness. I can't remember the last time I enjoyed a book this much!" --Lauren Peugh, Changing Hands Bookstore, Tempe, Ariz.
Paperback
Oh the Moon: Stories From the Tortured Mind of Charlyne Yi by Charlyne Yi (Harper Perennial, $16.99, 9780062363299). "Yi's debut book of illustrated stories snagged my heart from the start and left it shaken, squeezed, and full. Her deceptively simple narratives and sketched illustrations reminiscent of Shel Silverstein shift the mood smoothly from surreal to touching to utterly charming. Highly recommended for daydreamers, artists, and lovers of life!" --Whitney Spotts, Schuler Books & Music, Grand Rapids, Mich.
For Ages 4 to 8: Revisit & Rediscover
The Other Side by Jacqueline Woodson, illustrated by E.B. Lewis (Putnam Books for Young Readers/Penguin, $16.99, 9780399231162). "Jacqueline Woodson's gem of a picture book tells of the fence that runs through town, dividing the white side from the black side. Two young girls, Annie and Clover, whose yards are back-to-back, watch each other through the fence. Both were told by their mamas not to cross over to the other side, but no one told them not to sit on top of the fence. One day they dare to climb up and sit together, with the hope that 'someday somebody's going to come along and knock this old fence down.'" --Sharon Hearn, Children's Book World, Los Angeles, Calif.
For Ages 9 to 12
Warren the 13th and the All-Seeing Eye: A Novel by Tania del Rio, illustrated by Will Staehle (Quirk Books, 9781594748035, $16.99). "Warren the 13th's family has been running the Warren Hotel for generations--13, in fact. The latest caretaker has some added challenges as the hotel has fallen on hard times, and Warren's guardian has married the sinister Annaconda, who is bent on discovering the magic All-Seeing Eye that is rumored to be hidden somewhere in the hotel. The somber setting is captured perfectly by Staehle's illustrations, which are reminiscent of Tim Burton, and del Rio creates subtle subversions of stock characters that will appeal to older readers, while the twists, puzzles, and action will keep young readers turning pages until the book's splashy ending." --Paul Boers, Salem Book Bin East, Salem, Ore.
For Teen Readers
Ten Thousand Skies Above You by Claudia Gray (HarperTeen, $17.99, 9780062278999). "In this sequel to A Thousand Pieces of You, Marguerite's life has been turned upside down since her parents' invention of the Firebird, which allows users to jump into parallel universes. Marguerite is wanted by Triad, an evil corporation headed by Wyatt Conly, who wants to use Marguerite's innate ability to cross alternate dimensions for his own purposes. To that end, Conly has splintered the soul of Paul, Marguerite's boyfriend, and scattered the pieces throughout the multi-verse. Can Marguerite rescue Paul in time? These are excellent books, thrilling and full of original, thought-provoking twists and turns. I look forward to the concluding volume in the trilogy." --Krys Toutois, Bookbug, Kalamazoo, Mich.
[Many thanks to IndieBound and the ABA!]
