From last week's Indie bestseller lists, available at IndieBound.org, here are the recommended titles, which are also Indie Next Great Reads:
Hardcover
Golden Child: A Novel by Claire Adam (SJP for Hogarth, $26, 9780525572992). "The country of Trinidad, in all of its lush complexities and sociopolitical intricacies, is the real main character here. As a family struggles with the terrible news that their son has been kidnapped, the reader is treated to a tour of the sights, sounds, and smells of Port of Spain and the outlying countryside, in all of its corruption and glory. This lyrical first novel portends great things to come for Claire Adam." --Emily Crowe, An Unlikely Story, Plainville, Mass.
Hardcover: An Indies Introduce Title
The Falconer: A Novel by Dana Czapnik (Atria, $25, 9781501193224). "Dana Czapnik's debut is a sharp coming-of-age story set in New York City in the mid-1990s with an unforgettable protagonist: Lucy is a street-smart basketball phenom who is secretly in love with Percy, her best friend and fellow baller. Lucy and Percy jump off the page through Czapnik's propulsive, stylish writing. These characters are interesting, warm, and quirky and feel entirely authentic as they struggle to define who they are and want to become. Czapnik's novel has personality and an attitude that infuses the pages and makes it impossible to put down." --Lori Feathers, Interabang Books, Dallas, Tex.
Paperback
Three Daughters of Eve: A Novel by Elif Shafak (Bloomsbury, $18, 9781632869968). "Elif Shafak's Three Daughters of Eve depicts a sophisticated and compelling story of modern Istanbul. Peri is now a rich and glamorous woman living a comfortable life. While suffering through a tedious dinner party with the international elite, she ponders her days as a student at Oxford, when her life was profoundly impacted by two friends and a charismatic professor. As a young, unformed student, Peri felt lost in her search for faith and self. Looking back on these years from the perspective of adulthood, Peri must confront her past before it collides with the present. Compelling, poignant, and highly relevant, Three Daughters of Eve is a modern exploration of identity in a changing world." --Pamela Klinger-Horn, Excelsior Bay Books, Excelsior, Minn.
For Ages 4 to 8
The Goose Egg by Liz Wong (Knopf, $17.99, 9780553511574). "When Henrietta the Elephant 'adopts' baby Goose, she does her best to raise her as a proper goose despite how noisy baby Goose makes Henrietta's once-quiet home. Henrietta misses the quietness and is anxious for Goose to head off on her own, but when the time comes and Goose is gone, Henrietta misses Goose terribly. Her quiet home is too quiet and she feels so lonely. One day Henrietta hears a goose honk but thinks it's her imagination until she looks outside to find baby Goose is now a Mother Goose and has brought all her goslings! Once again, Henrietta's home is full of noise, happiness, and love. A story that will warm your heart. Absolutely beautiful illustrations!" --Amanda Zirn Hudson, Bethany Beach Books, Bethany Beach, Del.
For Ages 9 to 12
Limitless: 24 Remarkable American Women of Vision, Grit, and Guts by Leah Tinari (Aladdin, $19.99, 9781534418554). "WOW. This intriguing group of American women peer out at the reader through beautiful portraits that give an impression of concentrated, unique strength and character. So empowering! So cool!" --Rebecca Waesch, Joseph-Beth Booksellers, Cincinnati, Ohio
For Teen Readers
The Cold Is in Her Bones by Peternelle van Arsdale (Margaret K. McElderry, $18.99, 9781481488440). "Peternelle van Arsdale writes old-fashioned fairy tales for modern girls. With The Cold Is in Her Bones, she takes inspiration from Greek mythology and Eastern European folklore to craft the tale of Milla, a girl who has always tried to be good, even though on the inside she's angry and frustrated. Milla's quest is not to win the hand of her true love, but to rescue her brother and the sister-of-her-heart and, in so doing, rescue all the other cast-off girls and lift the curse that plagues her village. Milla is every girl who chafes against society's expectations, every girl who has ever been told or made to feel that she is not enough, every girl who has been outcast or ridiculed for being different--in short, Milla is Every Girl and her story reminds us that just because others say we can't doesn't oblige us to believe them." --Billie Bloebaum, Third Street Books, McMinnville, Ore.
[Many thanks to IndieBound and the ABA!]
