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 Oldest Bitch Alive by Morgan Day (Astra House, $28, 9781662603372). "Probably the strangest book I've ever read. Think Ulysses, with a parasite-riddled old French Bulldog named Gelsomina. She'll break your heart and make you think too hard…and look at your dog differently." --Vaughn Lachenauer, Main Point Books, Wayne, Pa.
Hardcover: An Indies Introduce Title
Honeysuckle: A Novel by Bar Fridman-Tell (Bloomsbury, $28.99, 9781639736737). "I truly love and appreciate when authors use horror, Gothic, and mythology to weave a complex story, and that is what Bar Fridman-Tell did perfectly here. A magnificent debut. Obsessed is an understatement." --Mirna Villeda, Timbre Books, Ventura, Calif.
Paperback: An Indies Introduce Title
Aicha by Soraya Bouazzaoui (Orbit, $18.99, 9780316582018). "Aicha is an unforgettable fantasy that will have you cheering for a heroine determined to save her people and preserve their culture. Filled with resistance, sacrifice, and the raw magic of survival, this story will grip you." --Ambir Moore, The Book Lovers Era, Hill AFB, Utah
Ages 3-6
The Rare Bird by Elisha Cooper (Roaring Brook Press, $18.99, 9781250364395). "What a joy to follow Rare Bird's feline main character as he soars from couch to cloud to dream, and what a perfect book to remind us that imagination is limitless." --Victoria Sanchez, Bookshop West Portal, San Francisco, Calif.
Ages 9-12
Sweet, Tart by Kara Thom (Candlewick, $18.99, 9781536239256). "Middle grade readers will find much to love about Halle and her beloved horse friend. Author Kara Thom sensitively portrays topics of grief, friendship, and family dynamics through the framework of both poetry and prose. Sweet, Tart is a blue ribbon read." --Pamela Klinger-Horn, Valley Bookseller, Stillwater, Minn.
Ages 14+
If We Never End by Laura Taylor Namey (Bloomsbury YA, $20.99, 9781547618057). "If you like a side of emotional damage with your romances, please cry about If We Never End with me. Sylvie is set to have another boring summer until a gold watch in a small-town thrift store sends her on a life-changing adventure. This book is a quiet mystery that builds to a gut-wrenching twist." --Becky Martone, R.J. Julia Booksellers, Madison, Conn.
[Many thanks to IndieBound and the ABA!]
