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 Oxford Guide to Scandal and Lies: A Novel by Kate Westbury (Minotaur Books, $29, 9781250424105). "Post-WWII Oxford has never been this fun to get lost in. Give me a reluctant partnership and a slow burn any day. The thrill of discovery and uncovering kept driving this forward and the romance was the cherry on top." --Mackenzie Cooper, Ballast Book Company, Bremerton, Wash.
Daggerbound (Swordheart #2) by T. Kingfisher (Bramble, $29.99, 9781250400086). "What an absolute delight of a fantasy adventure! Kingfisher has a way of capturing what it feels like to play Dungeons and Dragons with your friends, but in novel form. The perfect balance of humor, romance, and edge of your seat action." --Emma Lucore, East City Bookshop, Washington, D.C.
Paperback
Ship Happens: A Novel by Mason Deaver (Avon, $18.99, 9780063394346). "I'm not exaggerating when I say that this book has everything I've wanted in any piece of media ever. Transgender AND disability rep, and a diverse found family of characters that makes your stomach hurt from laughter and your heart ache all at once? Heaven." --Joey Santo Domingo, Black Garnet Books, Saint Paul, Minn.
Ages 4-8
I Am Murphy and I Am Waiting by Dan Yaccarino (Holt BYR, $18.99, 9781250424280). "Murphy has very big feelings about that big yellow thing that took his boy away. Hilarity ensues as Murphy finds all sorts of ways to pass the time until the best reunion ever." --Jennifer Carney, Sidetrack Bookshop, Royal Oak, Mich.
Ages 8-12
Fatal Glitch: Camp Zero by Erin Entrada Kelly and Eliot Schrefer, illus. by Jeannette Arroyo (Stonefruit Studio, $14.99, 9781464241048). "Sonia, narrator and avid Sandbox gamer, is sent to bare-bones Camp Forestjaw with six other kids. Part high-tech, part horror story, one camper is 'eliminated' each day of their camp week. Where do they go? Who'll remain and win the prize? Amazing! I'm already watching for the next installment." --Susan Posch, The Book Shoppe, Boone, Iowa
Ages 13+ (Indies Introduce)
72 Hours of You by Darianne Schramm (Disney Hyperion, $19.99, 9781368116077). "Sydney Hoffman has a problem: she sees clocks that appear over people's heads 72 hours before they die. And no, she can't prevent their deaths. She has strict rules about what to do when these clocks appear, and she is determined to keep their existence a secret. But Peter, a sweet, attractive boy in her class, challenges all her safeguards. This page-turner has a pitch-perfect young adult voice, twists upon twists, and a killer, swoony romance." --Michael Leali, Mrs. Dalloway's Literary & Garden Arts, Berkeley, Calif.
[Many thanks to IndieBound and the ABA!]
