From last week's Indie bestseller lists, available at IndieBound.org, here are the recommended titles, which are also Indie Next Great Reads:
Hardcover
Little World by Josephine Rowe (Transit Books, $22.95, 9798893380163). "Is a saint a victim, an exercise in wishful thinking, an exculpation of someone else's sins, or truly something miraculous? Poetic and transcendent, yet very much of this plane, Little World is its own miracle." --Jennifer Ray, Powell's Books, Portland, Ore.
Women, Seated by Zhang Yueran, trans. by Jeremy Tiang (Riverhead, $29, 9780593851920). "Riveting, smart, funny, and introspective, Women, Seated paints a portrait of a family's fall from grace from the inside. This book will leave you questioning your sense of freedom, desire, and security." --Sophia Abuabara, Seminary Co-Op Bookstores, Chicago, Ill.
Paperback
The Man Who Died Seven Times by Yasuhiko Nishizawa, illus. by Jesse Kirkwood (Pushkin Vertigo, $17.95, 9781805335436). "What could be worse than spending New Year's with your dysfunctional family? Getting stuck in a nine-day time-loop. Oh, and your grandfather who is planning to announce the sole benefactor of the family inheritance dies each day." --Jenny Gilroy, E. Shaver, Bookseller, Savannah, Ga.
Ages 4-8
Island Storm by Brian Floca, illus. by Sydney Smith (Neal Porter Books, $18.99, 9780823456475). "This is beautiful. The perfect match of text and image bring an island storm to life. You can feel the anxiety. You can hear the cry of the neighbor to 'go home' just as you can hear the wind building, the thunder rumbling, and the trees creaking." --Kristine Jelstrom-Hamill, Buttonwood Books and Toys, Cohasset, Mass.
Ages 9-12
Tyger by SF Said, illus. by Dave McKean (Penguin Workshop, $18.99, 9780593887240). "Tyger is a breathtaking story of courage, creativity, and resistance. With themes of anticolonialism, anticapitalism, and the power of empathy, this book reminds us that young minds can shape the world, if only we let them." --Hezekiah Olorode, Old Town Books, Alexandria, Va.
Ages 12+
Soulmatch by Rebecca Danzenbaker (Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, $19.99, 9781665963701). "Just what I needed to read to get me out of my reading slump! Sivon was a very compelling heroine. This brought me back to when dystopian was all the rage! The premise of the book had me from the beginning and held my attention all the way through." --Tammy Klawitter, Lykke Books, New Ulm, Minn.
[Many thanks to IndieBound and the ABA!]
