From last week's Indie bestseller lists, available at IndieBound.org, here are the recommended titles, which are also Indie Next Great Reads:
Hardcover
Beneath the Sugar Sky by Seanan McGuire (Tor, $17.99, 9780765393586). "McGuire's Wayward Children series is a lush faerie-tale world in the vein of Hans Christian Andersen and the Brothers Grimm. It is dark and lovely, vivid and painful, weird and subtle. Beneath the Sugar Sky reintroduces many characters we met in Every Heart a Doorway and takes us to new worlds in an exploration of friendship, family, and what is not possible when everything is possible. Rini exemplifies the lovely mix of what it means to be in that strange place between childhood belief and adult cynicism." --Jessica Cox, Plot Twist Bookstore, Ankeny, Iowa
The Widows of Malabar Hill by Sujata Massey (Soho Crime, $26.95, 9781616957780). "This is a harrowing story--and the mystery is great, too! Life for a single woman in Bombay in 1916 is fraught. But Perveen Mistry has the support of her lawyer father and is educated as a lawyer, as very few women are in this time and place. She becomes essential when the law firm needs to interview three widows living in full purdah, secluded from the world in general and men in particular. When their house agent is murdered, the male police are stymied by the women's inaccessibility. The backstory is disturbing in how the law favored even abusive men over women. A fascinating start to a new series." --Lisa Wright, Oblong Books & Music, Millerton, N.Y.
Paperback
Setting Free the Kites: A Novel by Alex George (Putnam, $16, 9780399576485). "This heartfelt and compelling novel from A Good American author Alex George is a story of friendship, loss, and how we deal with grief, a story about how a single friendship can change us forever. Yet again, George has developed beautiful, layered characters and you will quickly fall in love with Nathan, Robert, and Liam in blustery seaside Maine in the 1970s. You will hear the excitement each hot, blistering summer of children and families visiting the amusement park owned by Robert's family. You will laugh, you will cry, and you will grieve, but you will not be disappointed." -- Amanda Zirn, Bethany Beach Books, Bethany Beach, Del.
For Ages 4 to 8
Grandma's Purse by Vanessa Brantley-Newton (Knopf, $17.99, 9781524714314). "Grandma Mimi is coming for a visit and the little girl narrator can't wait to go through her purse. Bright, fun illustrations bring all of grandma's treasures to life and the dialogue between grandmother and grandchild shows us the kinds of things the two enjoy together. This would make a fantastic addition to any story time, especially if you add a real purse and props." --Angela Whited, Red Balloon Bookshop, St. Paul, Minn.
For Ages 9 to 12
Escape From Aleppo by N.H. Senzai (Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman, $16.99, 9781481472173). "Escape From Aleppo is an exceptional and heart-wrenching story with beautiful prose, vivid imagery, and one incredibly resilient young girl. Although the book doesn't shy away from Nadia's post-traumatic stress and the hardships she encounters, Senzai manages to balance this with Nadia's belief in stories, the goodness of others, and the positive power of religion, keeping the story realistic but not too heavy for middle-grade readers." --Sami Thomason, Square Books, Oxford, Miss.
For Teen Readers: An Indies Introduce Title
You'll Miss Me When I'm Gone by Rachel Lynn Solomon (Simon Pulse, $17.99, 9781481497732). "Twins Tovah and Adina are completely different in almost every way. Their one commonality? The genes they share with their dying mother. Each twin has a 50/50 chance that their bright future may be cut short with the same genetic disorder, and, now 18, they can finally find out their fate. After the genetic test results are in, they have to reexamine what it means to live and to be ready to die. This is an honest and heartwarming story about luck, love, and trusting your fate." --Kim Bissell, Broadway Books, Portland, Ore.
[Many thanks to IndieBound and the ABA!]
