From last week's Indie bestseller lists, available at IndieBound.org, here are the recommended titles, which are also Indie Next Great Reads:
Hardcover
200 Monas: A Novel by Jan Saenz (Little, Brown, $29, 9780316595889). "This book was a trip. Try to keep up with main character Arvy as she desperately tries to find a way to sell 200 pills she discovered in her recently deceased mother's closet. The story is fast paced, raunchy, and sprinkled with notes of humanity." --Kyra Tatlow, Book Love, Plymouth, Mass.
Lake Effect: A Novel by Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney (Ecco, $30, 9780063377684). "Fans of The Nest will be thrilled to have Sweeney back with an equally riveting family saga. New readers to Sweeney's rich prose and unforgettable characters will come away with lessons on facing up to and letting go of the past." --James Conrad, The Golden Notebook, Woodstock, N.Y.
Paperback
The Story She Left Behind: A Novel by Patti Callahan Henry (Atria, $19, 9781668011881). "The Story She Left Behind transports us across the Atlantic along with these characters. Patti Callahan Henry's gorgeous writing grips our hearts and won't let go as she weaves a story of mothers and daughters full of mystery and imagination." --Theresa Decker, Book Love the Bookshop of Senoia, Senoia, Ga.
Ages 3-7
Ruthie by Esmé Shapiro (Tundra Books, $18.99, 9781774885659). "This precious picture book is what dreams are made of! If I could jump into these whimsical pages and journey with Prince Ruthie and friends, I would in a heartbeat." --Amali Gordon-Buxbaum, Books Are Magic, Brooklyn, N.Y.
Ages 8-12
Queso, Just in Time by Ernesto Cisneros (Quill Tree Books, $19.99, 9780063092242). "Queso is such a wonderful character who, as he time travels, experiences so many emotions including love and loss and grief. The book includes the importance of friendship and community, culture and diversity, past and present, and libraries as safe places." --Mollie Mitchell, HearthFire Books, Evergreen, Colo.
Ages 12+: Indies Introduce
Her Hidden Fire by Cliodhna O'Sullivan (Viking Books for Young Readers, $22.99, 9798217040506). "A romantasy set in a fantasy-Ireland full of magic, betrayals, and battles for power. A young man set out to save his family from a future that forces them to give up their place and home. Unknown to him, his childhood friend sets out to protect him, but at what cost? I loved this!" --Shannon Alden, Literati Bookstore, Ann Arbor, Mich.
[Many thanks to IndieBound and the ABA!]
