From last week's Indie bestseller lists, available at IndieBound.org, here are the recommended titles, which are also Indie Next Great Reads:
Hardcover
Miss Jane: A Novel by Brad Watson (Norton, $25.95, 9780393241730). "At first, I was uncomfortable reading about the life Jane Chisolm has to lead due to a genital birth defect and assumed that I would be sad for her throughout the book, but this is so beautifully written and unsentimental in its depiction of Jane's quiet strength and courageous acceptance of her life that I fell in love with her quite quickly. While all the supporting characters have their own peculiarities, they are tender and endearing to Jane and that helped me to understand how she endured and was loved so fully. Everyone should read this extraordinary book and feel, as I did, the joy of this remarkable woman." --Nancy Banks, City Stacks Books and Coffee, Denver, Colo.
If I Forget You: A Novel by Thomas Christopher Greene (Thomas Dunne, $24.99, 9781250072788). "Twenty years ago, Margo and Henry fell in love, lost each other to a fierce misunderstanding, and went their separate ways--to marriages, children, and a second-best kind of happiness. Now, a chance encounter holds out hope for reconciliation and the joy of true love. Greene tells this story by jumping back and forth in time and between narrators, while readers wonder 'will they or won't they?' Read this one for the story and the superb style. One of the best books I have read this year." --Linda Bond, Auntie's Bookstore, Spokane, Wash.
Paperback
Look: Poems by Solmaz Sharif (Graywolf Press, $16, 9781555977443). "Sharif's first poetry collection tells the story of the punishing legacy that enduring warfare can have on a family. She expertly utilizes language lifted from the Department of Defense Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms to demonstrate how we have sanitized the language of warfare into something more benign and seemingly less deadly. The essential task of poetry is to engender empathy and to speak truth to power; to that end, Look succeeds in spades." --Matt Keliher, SubText: A Bookstore, St. Paul, Minn.
For Ages 4 to 8
Tell Me a Tattoo Story by Alison McGhee, illustrated by Eliza Wheeler (Chronicle, $16.99, 9781452119373). "Finally, a kids' book that is tailor-made for the millennial parent--an age demographic that is not only accepting of body art but also celebrates the stories of the body as canvas and fosters appreciation for the art form. There is often a deeply personal story behind each tattoo and that legacy is highlighted with McGhee's gentle words and Wheeler's tender illustrations. As the hip father in the book recounts his tattoos' meanings to his curious young son, a well-rounded life full of love is told through ink." --Julie Oliver, Odyssey Bookshop, South Hadley, Mass.
For Ages 9 to 12
When Friendship Followed Me Home by Paul Griffin (Dial, $16.99, 9780803738164). "When outsider Ben Coffin discovers Flip, an abandoned dog, and finds a friend in Halley, the librarian's daughter, he finally begins to feel like he belongs in his own life. When tragedy strikes and Ben's life threatens to fall apart, Flip proves that friendship--and love--can take many forms. This book can only be described as tail-thumping, dog-kisses-all-over-your-face good!" --Clara Martin, Lemuria Bookstore, Jackson, Miss.
For Teen Readers
Julia Vanishes by Catherine Egan (Knopf, $17.99, 9780553524840). "Julia lives in Spira City, where magic and even folklore are punishable by death, and she loves her edgy life as a thief and a spy. Her mother was a witch, drowned in the river as part of the frequent Cleansing ceremonies, so Julia stays away from magic. Except that she does have a special skill that comes in handy while thieving: Julia can make herself almost unseen. This is the first book in a new trilogy and I look forward to more of Julia's adventures as this epic story continues." --Clare Doornbos, DIESEL: A Bookstore, Larkspur, Calif.
[Many thanks to IndieBound and the ABA!]
