From last week's Indie bestseller lists, available at IndieBound.org, here are the recommended titles, which are also Indie Next Great Reads:
Hardcover
Annie Bot: A Novel by Sierra Greer (Mariner, $28, 9780063312692). "Annie is an AI-enabled sex doll that learns from her mistakes to please humans. What happens when her intelligence turns inward? A novel about power, intimacy, artificial intelligence, and an imperfect relationship under patriarchy." --Jennifer Carney, Sidetrack Bookshop, Royal Oak, Mich.
The Woods All Black by Lee Mandelo (Tordotcom, $19.99, 9781250790316). "A visceral queer revenge story wrapped in the mists of post-World War I Appalachia. Mandelo's rabid, religious community unsettles with its modern parallels. But it's his eerie, possibly unhealthy forest that will drag you in and refuse to let go." --Christy Peterson, Vintage Books, Vancouver, Wash.
Paperback
The Tree Doctor: A Novel by Marie Mutsuki Mockett (Graywolf Press, $17, 9781644452776). "Verdant, potent, real, The Tree Doctor explores so much about relationships as one woman lives through the isolation--the unexpected wintering of one pandemic year along the California coast. This book is the spring that arrives at last." --Melinda Powers, Bookshop Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, Calif.
Ages 4 to 8
Small Things Mended by Casey W. Robinson, illus. by Nancy Whitesides (Rocky Pond Books, $18.99, 9780593529812). "With Small Things Mended, Casey Robinson transcends kids' expectations of adults and shows just how infectious and healing kindness can be. The illustrations will bring big smiles and a jaunty pep to your step all day long." --Gibran Graham, The Briar Patch, Bangor, Maine
Ages 8 to 12: An Indies Introduce Title
Daughters of the Lamp by Nedda Lewers (Putnam Books for Young Readers, $18.99, 9780593619308). "A magical tale of a science-minded kid encountering things she can't explain as Sahara and her father travel to Egypt for a family wedding. This was an adorable book full of family love and Arabian traditions!" --Andi Richardson, Fountain Bookstore, Richmond, Va.
Teen Readers
Skater Boy by Anthony Nerada (Soho Teen, $18.99, 9781641295345). "Skater Boy is a thoughtful and honest coming-of-age romance, centering a lot on the idea of who we are, and who we want to be--and how to navigate it, as simple and complicated as it can all be." --Andrew King, Secret Garden Bookshop, Seattle, Wash.
[Many thanks to IndieBound and the ABA!]
