From last week's Indie bestseller lists, available at IndieBound.org, here are the recommended titles, which are also Indie Next Great Reads:
Hardcover
Tuesday Mooney Talks to Ghosts: A Novel by Kate Racculia (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, $26, 9780358023937). "Tuesday Mooney is smart, intrepid, and just a little bit lost--even 20 years after her best friend disappears without a trace. A prospect researcher by trade, she dives in deep when a strange and reclusive billionaire dies and leaves puzzles throughout the city in an elaborate treasure hunt. While this fun and affecting book could have won me over just by being a romp, there is more here. Tuesday and her compatriots are all forced to confront the traumas that have stunted their lives and find new strength in their relationships. I couldn't have asked for more!" --Anmiryam Budner, Main Point Books, Wayne, Pa.
How to Catch a Mole: Wisdom From a Life Lived in Nature by Marc Hamer (Greystone Books, $24.95, 9781771644792). "Sublimely touching (and with the softest of hands), this book has that balance of warmth and cold that makes for good nature writing. Hamer's observations demonstrate both a refusal to look away and a tender love for the environment around him. His memoir of a life spent catching moles waxes and wanes, at times gruesome, sensual, violent, and awestruck. This is a book for fans of the way that Mary Oliver lived and talked about her life." --Afton Montgomery, Tattered Cover Book Store, Denver, Colo.
Paperback
The Dakota Winters: A Novel by Tom Barbash (Ecco, $16.99, 9780062258212). "In The Dakota Winters, Barbash delivers a sweeping family saga that transports readers to the New York City of the late '70s and early '80s, to Central Park, the Village, the restaurant and club scenes, from the Beatles to the Flying Lizards to your average dysfunctional family living at the Dakota--the Winters. The story follows two conflicting arcs: that of fading father and late-night host Buddy Winter and that of his emerging 23-year-old son Anton. I loved Barbash's first novel, The Last Good Time, and The Dakota Winters does not disappoint. You'll want to savor every sentence of this powerful chronicle of the times!" --Bill Reilly, the river's end bookstore, Oswego, N.Y.
For Ages 4 to 8
SumoKitty by David Biedrzycki (Charlesbridge, $18.99, 9781580896825). "SumoKitty is a humorous, enjoyable tale of a stray kitty who is taken in at a sumo wrestling training center. SumoKitty lives an easy life and becomes quite plump and a bit lazy, and because of this he is put back out as a stray. When he is given a second chance, he must train and learn the values and traditions of a sumo wrestler in order to be in good enough shape to catch mice and earn his keep at the sumo heya. This story is filled with elements of Japanese culture and vocabulary while teaching the importance of dedication and perseverance. A delightful read-aloud with an inspiring message and a humorous tone." --Colleen Shipman, Phoenix Books, Essex Junction, Vt.
For Ages 9 to 12: An Indies Introduce title
Emmy in the Key of Code by Aimee Lucido (Versify, $16.99, 9780358040828). "Resonant verse melds together the world of music and the world of code--two worlds that Emmy is unsure can coexist as she navigates through the ups and downs of starting a new school, finding her passions, and making true friends. This book brought me right back to the emotions of my middle-school years and I'm sure that in the right hands, it will mean the world to someone." --Casey Leidig, Green Apple Books on the Park, San Francisco, Calif.
For Teen Readers
The Beautiful by Renée Ahdieh (Putnam, $18.99, 9781524738174). "A lustrous and seductive answer to a call for more vampire lore, The Beautiful excels at creating a moody and romantic atmosphere without sacrificing storytelling or character development. Celine is a heroine for the ages: sharp, calculating, and full of hidden depth. Bastien is similarly fleshed out and certainly swoon-worthy enough to elicit a reader crush. I love Ahdieh's dedication to historical detail and mythological research, and I can't wait for more stories of her New Orleans." --Sami Thomason, Square Books, Oxford, Miss.
[Many thanks to IndieBound and the ABA!]
