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!

"The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" by Rebecca Skloot

I love reading about women who were erased by time. The magnitude of Henrietta Lacks--her life, her death, her cells--has impacted almost every facet of genetic science since the 1950's. She has opened the doors for a crop of new cures, allowed new and exciting research to be done, and caused a generation of people to question the ethical practices in modern medicine. Perhaps most impressive, Henrietta Lacks did all this after she died--and without her knowledge or permission.

Henrietta suffered through a rare and extremely volatile case of cervical cancer. While being treated, doctors collected samples of her tissue for medical tests. They never asked permission; they never informed her family. Little did they know her cells were capable of reproducing indefinitely, becoming the first "immortal" cell. These "HeLa" cells (taken from the first two letters of Henrietta's first and last names) were soon distributed world-wide for use by scientists. Skloot not only unearths the lost story of Henrietta's life--for years, scientists believed the source of their cells was a "Helen Lane"--she also delves deeply into the impoverished, superstitious, and often-jilted Lacks family. A heartfelt story of a family's struggle to understand their mother and her impressive legacy is woven into Skloot's impeccable journalism and scientific descriptions.

Beth gives this book five out of five carrots!

Click here to purchase your copy of "Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" at The Velveteen Rabbit Bookshop!

"Girl in Translation" by Jean Kwok

"It's never easy being the new kid, and harder still when you are poor and you don't speak the language. From a comfortable life in Hong Kong to a gritty sweatshop in New York, we follow Kimberly Change in this smartly told story that illuminates the struggles of adolescence against a backdrop of poverty and cultural conflicts and reveals that, even in the land of opportunity, sometimes you have to fight for what you want and let go of what you love."
--Carol Mark, Books on the Common, Ridgefield, CT

I couldn't have put it any better myself. Told from an interesting and uncommon perspective, this story centers around strong, intelligent Kimberly, an inspiring and refreshing character to read about. She struggles to reach her dream of practicing medicine, facing down all obstacles, even love, and yet her priorities never waver. This book is perfect for any young woman, and though it is definitely more oriented towards females, it is certainly a great read for everyone else as well.

Kerry gives it four out of five carrots!

Click here to order Girl in Translation from the Velveteen Rabbit Bookshop!

"My Name is Memory" by Ann Brashares

Although nothing less could be expected, Ann Brashares again delivers an imaginative and inspired novel about a love that truly withstands the test of time. Daniel has the ability to remember all of his previous lives and recognize the souls he met during them, including his soul mate, Sophia. This is both a gift and a curse, because for all the times he and Sophia have managed to connect throughout the centuries, they’ve also been wrenched apart by fate. Readers are transported through time as they follow these two souls and their journeys to find one another.

I especially appreciated how Brashares would intertwine both Daniel's and Sophia's past lives and the present day. It really kept the reader captivated and the plot flowing. I also have to grudgingly admit that as much as I was upset by the ending of the novel (don't worry, I won't spoil it), it was the best fit for the story. As a fan of The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants books I was very pleased with Brashares' latest novel and apparently so were other readers because it's featured as a June Indie Next List Pick!

Grace gives it four and a half out of five carrots!

Click here to order My Name is Memory at The Velveteen Rabbit Bookshop!

"Mennonite in a Little Black Dress", by Rhoda Janzen

Not a regular memoir reader, I was apprehensive about picking this book up. But from the first paragraph, I was hooked. I absolutely adore this book. Rhoda Janzen masterfully combines a multitude of emotions into this perspective-packed window of her life -- a life she portrays with humor, intelligence and grace despite the misfortunes that lead her to return to and reflect on her Mennonite roots. It is remarkable how easy to be drawn into not only the book, but Janzen's likeable, laughable personality. A difficult book to put down and one you can refer back to again and again, you will most certainly find something you can relate to and take wisdom from. This book is perfect for individual reflection or reading group material!

“Poet Rhoda Janzen has an intriguingly honest and witty way with language, and a personality and unique story to match. This insightful memoir is simultaneously humorous and touching -- a rare combination you certainly don't want to miss.”—Kerry Hartwick, The Velveteen Rabbit Bookshop, Indie Bound Newsletter Nov. 2009

Click here to buy Mennonite in a Little Black Dress at The Velveteen Rabbit Bookshop!

Kerry gives it five out of five carrots!

"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!