On the cover of this month's Indie Next list is
THE READERS OF BROKEN WHEEL RECOMMEND, by Katarina Bivald
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View from a bookseller
“One of the conundrums facing a true bibliophile has always been: books or people? Sara has spent her entire life in Sweden working in a bookshop and her answer has always been obvious: books. An unexpected pen pal relationship with Amy — an older book lover from Iowa — challenges that easy answer and forces her to reconsider her view of herself and the world. After months of corresponding, trading books and sharing details of one another’s lives, Amy invites Sara to come visit her one-stoplight town, Broken Wheel, for a summer of reading and getting to know small-town America. However, when Sara arrives, she is greeted by Amy’s funeral procession. Thousands of miles from home, with a return ticket dated two months hence, Sara is at a loss for what to do. So, naturally, with Amy’s collection of books, she opens a bookstore. Filled with familiar literary references, charming and quirky townsfolk, and plenty of scheming, plotting, and shenanigans that could only occur in a place like Broken Wheel, Bivald’s feel-good novel explores that ever-present question: books or people?”
—Erin Figel, pages: a bookstore, Manhattan Beach, CA
Indie Next authors talk about their books...
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Mitch Albom talks about his new book, THE MAGIC STRINGS OF FRANKIE PRESTO: A Novel, about which Karen Briggs (Great Northern Books & Hobbies in Oscoda, MI) says: "According to the Spirit of Music, the narrator of Albom’s latest novel, everyone joins a band in life — some of them play music, while others can be in a band of friendship, romance, or career. Frankie’s music is so powerful that he can actually affect people’s futures with the six magic strings on his guitar, but this gift becomes a burden for Frankie, impacting his loves and friendships, and, ultimately, his life.”
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Indie Next around the web. . .
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 “The author of The Hours gives us a modern take on classic fairy tales, from a sympathetic Rumpelstiltskin to a jaded but content Steadfast Tin Soldier. Cunningham is not shy with his characters: he strips away sentimentality like an old Band-Aid, tearing through the romanticism that these tales usually inspire. Each story is less a retelling and more an unflinching dissection of human nature—our base needs and urges, our raw fears and joys. Shimizu’s haunting illustrations give the book a classic feel, and make it a perfect addition to any fairy tale lover’s collection.” |
Indie Next in Paperback. . .
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