Grace's July Indie Next List Picks

The July Indie Next List just came out and two of the featured reads are my current favorites to recommend!

Grace's 1st Pick: Landline by Rainbow Rowell

Rainbow Rowell has quickly become one of my favorite authors.  I would buy anything she wrote, even if it was a technical manual on how to operate a vacuum cleaner.  That's why I'm so excited to tell you all about her latest novel, Landline, because not only is it about a topic way more exciting than vacuum cleaners, it's an exceptional piece of writing! 

Georgie McCool (seriously, what an awesome name!) is about to make a big move in her career as a television writer and she couldn't be happier, except that it means the slow implosion of her marriage is about to speed up.  Georgie's husband, Neal, and their kids leave for Christmas while Georgie stays behind to work on her new TV show, and she begins to wonder if she's finally ruined everything.   That's when she discovers that her old landline offers a way to communicate with Neal in the past, exactly one week before he proposed.  Now she has the opportunity to fix her marriage before it even starts...unless she's not meant to?  Faced with a choice of moving forward or living in the past, Georgie must decide which path is the best for herself, her marriage, and her family.

Readers will be enthralled with Rowell's true-to-life characters and her ability to make a magical connection to the past seem completely feasible.  I mean seriously?  A magical landline?  And yet, I completely bought into it because Rowell's writing totally captivates and engrosses the reader from the very first chapter.  It's the perfect beach read, rainy day read, stay up until all hours of the night read, forgot to make dinner because this book is so good read...you get the idea!

Grace gives this book 5 out of 5 carrots!

Click here to purchase your copy of Landline from The Velveteen Rabbit Bookshop & Guest House.

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Grace's 2nd Pick: The Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johansen

My second pick is featured as the cover page title of the July Indie Next List and it has a take-charge, intelligent heroine at the helm.  Kelsea Raleigh Glynn has been raised in exile, but now that she has come of age, she must reclaim her mother's throne and learn to be a ruler despite seemingly insurmountable obstacles.  There's the Red Queen, a powerful monarch in a neighboring kingdown; the Caden, a group of assassins tasked with eliminating Kelsea; and the Regent of Tearling, her uncle Thomas, who will do anything necessary to stay in power. Facing these three foes, Kelsea must gain the trust and loyalty of her protectors and subjects, as well as learn to use the Tearling sapphire, a jewel of immense power passed on to her by her late mother.

What doesn't this novel have?  Readers can find magic, adventure, mystery, and romance as they follow Kelsea's journey to reclaiming her throne.  Johansen has laid a fantastic foundation for what promises to be thrilling trilogy in this first book.  While the story seemed to drag in a few places, it had more than enough twists and turns in the plot to keep me reading late into the night.  Johansen's characters and world-building really blew me away and must have impressed some other readers as well because Harry Potter producer David Heyman has taken on the project of creating a film version of the book with Emma Watson starring as Kelsea!  While book to movie adaptations always make me nervous, it sounds like the novel will be in good hands.  Just be sure to read the book before the story hits the big screen!

Grace gives this book 4.5 out of 5 carrots!

Click here to purchase your copy of The Queen of the Tearling from The Velveteen Rabbit Bookshop & Guest House.

More of an eBook reader?  Click here to find out how you can support your local, independent bookshop through eReading!

“Wisdom’s Kiss” by Catherine Gilbert Murdock

 I have never been more confused  by the first 15 pages of a book as I was by the latest novel from the author of the Dairy Queen series.  Of course, if I had read the back cover of the book more carefully,  I would have realized the brilliance of the narrative from the first page.  What makes this book truly unique is the way Murdock seamlessly links diary entries,  letters, encyclopedia excerpts, a self-published family history, and a play to give this fantastic fairytale a unique sense of realism.  Once I figured out how to piece the story together from  the different sources,  I was able to fully enjoy the magic, adventure, and romance that fill the pages.

The story follows the adventures of Princess Wisdom, from the female-led kingdom of Montagne; Trudy, an orphaned kitchen maid; and Tips, a soldier and the object of Trudy’s affections.  Duchess Wilhelmina of Farina wants to absorb the smaller kingdom of Montagne and has set her master plan in motion to do just that.  Now the three heroes of this tale must save their empire from ruin – that is, if they can tolerate each other long enough to form a plan!  They are assisted, as well as hindered, by a thoroughly entertaining cast of characters including Sir Felis el Gato (a master swordsman with an ego longer than his sword), the Queen Mother Benevolence (an attentive and caring chaperone of Princess Wisdom), and her cat, Escoffier.  

As I’ve already mentioned, the unique narrative is what keeps the storyline fresh and exciting for the reader. Although it does take some getting used to, stringing the story together from the several sources of narration becomes a fun sort of game that propels the reader forward until the end of the book. If you’re looking for an entertaining read, Wisdom’s Kiss will not disappoint.

Grace gives this book four and a half out of five carrots!

Click here to purchase your copy of Wisdom’s Kiss from The Velveteen Rabbit Bookshop!

"Shades of Grey" by Jasper Fforde

For those who were enthralled by Lois Lowry's The Giver, Jasper Fforde has produced a new dystopia novel sure to get you thinking! This Indie Next List book from the author of Thursday Next kept me hooked to the very last page.
Welcome to Chromotacia, where society is ruled by a Colortocracy and you are what you can see. Eddie Russett has no real ambition to be anything other than a loyal drone of the Collective. His above-average red perception would allow him to marry well, inherit the string works, maybe even make prefect. Eddie's life looks colorful until he moves with his father to East Carmince. There, he falls for a Grey named Jane who reveals the painful truth about his seemingly perfect society. Curiosity grabs hold of Eddie, who begins to question the Collective. Black-and-white certainties are reduced to shades of grey as Eddie, along with Jane, begins to dig up answers. Dystopia junkies (myself included) will most definitely enjoy this thought-provoking novel to the very last page!
Keep on the lookout for the second book in this series coming in April 2010!

Grace gives this book five out of five carrots!

Click here to buy this book at The Velveteen Rabbit Bookshop and Guest House!

"Catching Fire" by Suzanne Collins

I have been waiting almost a full year for this sequel to The Hunger Games and I was not disappointed. In fact, I was so engrossed I could barely put the book down long enough to eat dinner! The story picks up after Katniss Everdeen has won the annual Hunger Games with Peeta Mellark. There are rumors of rebellion among the districts, and Katniss and Peeta, to their horror, are the faces of that rebellion. Readers are kept guessing until the end with twists and turns in every chapter. This series is excellent for those who liked The Giver and The Silenced. Now we'll just have to wait for the third and final book in the trilogy. I'm sure, like Catching Fire, it will be well worth the wait!

Grace gives it five out of five carrots!

Click here to order your copy of "Catching Fire" from The Velveteen Rabbit Bookshop!