From last week's Indie bestseller lists, available at IndieBound.org, here are the recommended titles, which are also Indie Next Great Reads:
Hardcover
The Wild Beneath by Kelly Anderson (Park Row, $30, 9780778306061). "When I was done reading this I had sand under my fingernails, pockets full of seashells, salt water in my hair, and a story to tell." --Jackie Jones, Books Revisited, St. Cloud, Minn.
The Amateur: A Novel by Chris Bohjalian (Doubleday, $33, 9780385551298). "The Amateur is a defiant, tour de force of a book... a legal thriller about a young woman who makes endless wrong decisions, unlike anything he's delivered to readers before." --Dallas Strawn, Pelican Bookstore, Sunset Beach, N.C.
Paperback
Devour Me: A Novel by Emily Rath (Avon, $22, 9780063484764) "Polyamory is so much fun! On a mysterious island, a skeptical historian, a mage, and a shadow entity unite to stop a big bad and break a curse while entering into a throuple. Hilarity and hormones ensue!" --Gerard Villegas, Auntie's Bookstore, Spokane, Wash.
Ages 4-8
If the Moon by Matthew Burgess, illus. by Matthew Forsythe (Stonefruit Studio, $19.99, 9781464244049). "A gentle call towards calming an anxious brain, for adults and children alike. This trip through dreamland asks readers to think in beautifully creative and expansive ways. Burgess and Forsythe show us that the world is a beautiful place to be, if only we notice it and dream it." --Mikey LaFave, Rec Room Books, Athens, Ga.
Ages 8-12
Ghost in the Night by Tiffany D. Jackson (Scholastic Press, $18.99, 9798225017477). "While seeking solace from her grief over her Grandma's death, Harmony finds herself on a search for a ghost. This thriller is a love letter to Savannah, an examination of African American history, and is full of exciting page-turning action." --Jennifer Kraar, White Whale Bookstore, Pittsburgh, Pa.
Ages 13+
The Dream Thieves: The Graphic Novel by Maggie Stiefvater, illus. by Sas Milledge (Viking Books for Young Readers, $25.99, 9780593621226). "I love the unique suspense and strange mystery of this series. Sas Milledge's soft yet rich art style breathes a wonderful life into these characters that has transitioned beautifully into the second book. Let’s keep it going!" --Ross Ramirez, E. Shaver, Bookseller, Savannah, Ga.
[Many thanks to IndieBound and the ABA!]
