From last week's Indie bestseller lists, available at IndieBound.org, here are the recommended titles, which are also Indie Next Great Reads:
Hardcover
Clear: A Novel by Carys Davies (Scribner, $24, 9781668030660). "Insightful and memorable, Clear is an elemental portrayal of loneliness, language, and unlikely companionship. Set on a harsh and unforgiving isle in northern Scotland, Davies elegantly shares how regular daily moments can be profound." --Miriam Roskam, Mountain Shire: Books & Gifts, Winter Park, Colo.
Hardcover: An Indies Introduce Title
The Emperor and the Endless Palace by Justinian Huang (Mira, $28.99, 9780778305231). "The Emperor and the Endless Palace is a hard novel to sum up, but let me try: an erotic love story, three eras, loyalty, betrayal, intrigue, mythology. The story is gloriously addictive and will keep you turning page after page!" --Kathy Baum, Tattered Cover Book Store, Denver, Colo.
Paperback
The Great Reclamation: A Novel by Rachel Heng (Riverhead, $18, 9780593420126). "An epic historical fiction in an area most Americans know little about. Ah Boon and Siok Mei's paths diverge between fighting oppression and moving Singapore into the 'modern' world. So many relevant issues in this thought-provoking read." --Audrey Huang, Belmont Books, Belmont, Mass.
Ages 4 to 8
Gaga Mistake Day by Emma Straub and Susan Straub, illus. by Jessica Love (Rocky Pond Books, $18.99, 9780593529461). "Possibly one of the very best grandma books out there. Gaga and her granddaughter are both characters you want to be friends with as they get up to shenanigans while Mom and Dad are out, and the illustrations make them jump off the page." --Jess Iverson, Booked, Evanston, Ill.
Ages 8 to 12
Blood City Rollers by V.P. Anderson, illus. by Tatiana Hill (Labyrinth Road, $21.99, 9780593485699). "Fast moving, silly, with the right amount of introspection. Mira gets injured and can no longer skate, disrupting her parents' plans for the Olympics. Luckily, she's kidnapped by a vampire roller derby team who is in desperate need of a 'mandatory human.' " --Jamie Kovacs, Flyleaf Books, Chapel Hill, N.C.
Teen Readers
Every Time You Hear That Song by Jenna Voris (Viking Books for Young Readers, $12.99, 9780593623398). "This book shined in portraying the complicated feelings that a hometown can inspire, especially for young adults trying to find who they want to be. It's impossible not to relate to Darren as she decides how much of her past she'll take into her future." --Julia Boaman, Bethany Beach Books, Bethany Beach, Del.
[Many thanks to IndieBound and the ABA!]
