From last week's Indie bestseller lists, available at IndieBound.org, here are the recommended titles, which are also Indie Next Great Reads:
Hardcover
Sacrament: A Novel by Susan Straight (Counterpoint, $29, 9781640097131). "A portrait of a community in crisis and upheaval with a diverse, fully realized cast whose dignity and love for each other shines bright. Susan Straight has captured the sacrifices of COVID first-responders and proved there's beauty in our complex, contradictory humanity." --Luis Correa, White Whale Bookstore, Pittsburgh, Pa.
The Isle in the Silver Sea by Tasha Suri (Orbit, $30, 9780316595087). "A beautiful novel full of (doomed?) romance, magic, and pageantry. Also a timely criticism about why stories matter: who gets to tell them, who gets to curate them, and what happens when we suppress them." --Keith Glaeske, East City Bookshop, Washington, D.C.
Paperback
Crawl: Stories by Max Delsohn (Graywolf Press, $17, 9781644453612). "Intimate, hilarious, both sexy and devastatingly un-sexy, and joyfully queer, reading Crawl feels like sitting down to gossip with your smartest and most interesting friends." --Madisen Gummer, P&T Knitwear Bookstore, New York, N.Y.
Ages 4-8
Don't Eat Eustace by Lian Cho (HarperCollins, $19.99, 9780063321847). "I laughed so hard at Don't Eat Eustace that I teared up. Then, I forced the very next person to walk into our office to sit down as I read the book out loud to her. She thanked me for doing so. A perfect example of elevated humor in children's books." --Sarah Bradley, The Library Shop, San Diego, Calif.
Ages 6-9
Night Chef: An Epic Tale of Friendship with a Side of Deliciousness! by Mika Song (Random House Graphic, $20.99, 9780593303153). "Fans of Ratatouille and Wild Robot, step right up! Night Chef is your next beloved read. Following one misfit raccoon who has big dreams of being a chef who embarks on a journey to get a baby crow back to its family, this story is one of perseverance, community, whimsy, and of course, food." --Allie Cesmat, Changing Hands, Tempe, Ariz.
Ages 12+
The Secret Astronomers by Jessica Walker (Viking Books for Young Readers, 19.99, 9780593692677). "The Secret Astronomers is more than a deeply-felt story of an unlikely, unique high school friendship between two fully-realized characters, more than a slow-burn mystery reaching for answers from a loved one who's passed. It's a wildly impressive and completely immersive reading experience." --Meg Willing, Devaney, Doak & Garrett Booksellers, Farmington, Maine
[Many thanks to IndieBound and the ABA!]
