This month for Buy Indie Press, I’m putting the spotlight on Annick Press, Albert Whitman Teen and Running Press with a list books from these publishers that I’m excited to read, starting with one title that I have read and really enjoyed! Here we go!
Annick Press
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1. Chanda’s Secrets by Allan Stratton
Release Date: February 1, 2004
Genre: Young Adult Contemporary
ISBN: 978-1550378351
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Chanda’s Secrets os a suspense-filled novel about a teenager who fights to rescue the people she loves. Through his dramatic storytelling, Allan Stratton captures the enduring strength of loyalty, the profound impact of loss, and a fearlessness that is powered by the heart. Above all, this is a story about living with truth.
I read this book in book club back in high school and if I remember correctly, this was the most disturbing book we’d. I remember the discussions we had in book club and I remember how moved I was by this book then. I haven’t read the book since but based on what I remember, I’d definitely recommend this to anyone interested in reading this, just know it’s not for the faint of heart.
2. Urban Tribes: Native Americans in the City Edited by Lisa Charleyboy & Mary Beth Leatherdale
Release Date: September 9, 2015
Genre: Nonfiction
ISBN: 978-1554517510
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Young, urban Natives powerfully show how their culture and values can survive—and enrich—city life. Urban Tribes offers unique insight into this growing and often misperceived group. Emotionally potent and visually arresting, the anthology profiles young urban Natives from across North America, exploring how they connect with Native culture and values in their contemporary lives.
Their stories are as diverse as they are. From a young Dene woman pursuing a MBA at Stanford to a Pima photographer in Phoenix to a Mohawk actress in New York, these urban Natives share their unique perspectives to bridge the divide between their past and their future, their cultural home, and their adopted cities. Unflinchingly honest and deeply moving, contributors explore a wide-range of topics. From the trials and tribulations of dating in the city to the alienating experience of leaving a remote reserve to attend high school in the city, from the mainstream success of Electric Pow wow music to the humiliation of dealing with racist school mascots, personal perspectives illuminate larger political issues. An innovative and highly visual design offers a dynamic, reading experience.
This nonfiction title has gotten the stamp of approval from actual Native Americans which is so important to me so I am very excited about getting to this one. Maybe there will be something new that I find out about my own family’s tribes. We shall see!
Albert Whitman Teen
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3. Stronger Than You Know by Jolene Perry
Release Date: September 1, 2014
Genre: Young Adult Contemporary
ISBN: 978-0807531556
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After police intervention, fifteen-year-old Joy has finally escaped the trailer where she once lived with her mother and survived years of confinement and abuse. Now living with her aunt, uncle, and cousins in a comfortable house, she’s sure she’ll never belong. Wracked by panic attacks, afraid to talk to anyone at her new school, Joy’s got a whole list of reasons why she’s crazy. With immense courage, Joy finds friends and grows closer to her new family. But just when hope is taking hold, she learns she must testify in her mother’s trial. Can she face her old life without losing her way in the new one? Will she ever truly belong in a world that seems too normal to be real?
I don’t read a ton of contemporary but when I do, this is right up my alley. I’m hoping that this one meets or better, exceeds my expectations.
4. Future Shock by Elizabeth Briggs
Release Date: April 1, 2016
Genre: Young Adult Sci-fi
ISBN: 978-0807526828
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Elena Martinez has hidden her eidetic memory all her life—or so she thinks. When powerful tech giant Aether Corporation selects her for a top-secret project, she can’t say no. All she has to do is participate in a trip to the future to bring back data, and she’ll be set for life.
Elena joins a team of four other teens with special skills, including Adam, a science prodigy with his own reason for being there. But when the time travelers arrive thirty years in the future, something goes wrong and they break the only rule they were given: do not look into their own fates. Now they have twenty-four hours to get back to the present and find a way to stop a seemingly inevitable future from unfolding. With time running out and deadly secrets uncovered, Elena must use her eidetic memory, street smarts, and a growing trust in Adam to save her new friends and herself.
This book has been on my radar for awhile now but it wasn’t until I saw the author on a panel at SDCC last month that I officially added the book to my TBR list and moved it up the list significantly. I cannot wait to read this one! Sci-fi is my wheelhouse and the author was great on the panel and also gave more insight than the synopsis did so now I’m super stoked for this one!
5. Down from the Mountain by Elizabeth Fixmer
Release Date: March 1, 2015
Genre: Young Adult Contemporary
ISBN: 978-0807583708
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Eva just wants to be a good disciple of Righteous Path. She grew up knowing that she’s among the chosen few to be saved from Armageddon. Lately, though, being saved feels awfully treacherous. Ever since they moved to the compound in Colorado, their food supplies have dwindled even while their leader, Ezekiel, has stockpiled weapons. The only money comes from the jewelry Eva makes and sells down in Boulder—a purpose she’ll serve until she becomes one of Ezekiel’s wives. But a college student named Trevor and the other “heathens” she meets on her trips beyond the compound are far different from what she’s been led to believe. Now Eva doesn’t know which is more dangerous—the outside world, or Brother Ezekiel’s plans…
A moment to appreciate this beautiful cover! Stunning. Anyway, as far as overall theme goes, if you’re a fan of Fox’s The Following or Hulu’s The Path, maybe, just maybe this cult story will be up your alley? I’m hoping it’s up mine!
6. Girl Last Seen by Heather Anastasiu & Anne Greenwood Brown
Release Date: March 1, 2016
Genre: Young Adult Mystery
ISBN: 978-0807581407
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Kadence Mulligan’s star was rising. She and her best friend, Lauren DeSanto, watched their songs go viral on YouTube, then she launched a solo career when a nasty throat infection paralyzed Lauren’s vocal chords.
Everyone knows Lauren and Kadence had a major falling-out over Kady’s boyfriend. But Lauren knows how deceptive Kadence could be sometimes. And nobody believes Lauren when she claims she had nothing to do with the disappearance. Or the blood evidence… As the town and local media condemns Lauren, she realizes the only way to clear her name is to discover the truth herself. Lauren slowly unravels the twisted life of Kadence Mulligan and sees that there was more to her than she ever knew. But will she realize she’s unknowingly playing a part in an elaborate game to cover up a crime before it’s too late?
Honestly, I had heard about this book before and even added it to my TBR list back in February but I actually forgot about this book until I began making this top ten list. So now, it’s back on my radar and I am very much looking forward to reading this one! Mysteries are hit or miss for me so hoping this one is a hit!
Running Press
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7. Coda by Emma Trevayne
Release Date: May 7, 2013
Genre: Young Adult Sci-fi
ISBN: 978-0762447282
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Ever since he was a young boy, music has coursed through the veins of eighteen-year-old Anthem—the Corp has certainly seen to that. By encoding music with addictive and mind-altering elements, the Corp holds control over all citizens, particularly conduits like Anthem, whose life energy feeds the main power in the Grid.
Anthem finds hope and comfort in the twin siblings he cares for, even as he watches the life drain slowly and painfully from his father. Escape is found in his underground rock band, where music sounds free, clear, and unencoded deep in an abandoned basement. But when a band member dies suspiciously from a tracking overdose, Anthem knows that his time has suddenly become limited. Revolution all but sings in the air, and Anthem cannot help but answer the call with the chords of choice and free will. But will the girl he loves help or hinder him?
I’ve heard nothing but good things about this book and hope that I can one day in the near future contribute to the positive vibes surrounding this book! Sci-fi. Music. Diverse love. Sign me up.
8. The Secret Side of Empty by Maria E. Andreu
Release Date: March 11, 2014
Genre: Young Adult Contemporary
ISBN: 978-0762451920
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With graduation and an uncertain future looming, M.T. must figure out how to grow up in the only country she’s ever called home… a country in which she’s “illegal.”
M.T. was born in Argentina and brought to America as a baby without any official papers. And as questions of college, work, and the future arise, M.T. will have to decide what exactly she wants for herself, knowing someone she loves will unavoidably pay the price for it. On the way, M.T. must navigate first love, letting go of her childhood friends as they begin a life she can’t share, a difficult relationship with a father who grew up a world away and a mother struggling to find her way in America. What is it like when the only country you’ve ever known says you don’t belong? The Secret Side of Empty offers an intimate, often surprising glimpse into a story you often hear on the news but have never heard told this way before.
Author Maria E. Andreu draws from her personal experience as a former undocumented immigrant to explore issues of belonging, keeping secrets and what it’s like to be undocumented. More than that, The Secret Side of Empty is a story that will touch anyone who has ever felt excluded or unsure about the future or has kept a secret she felt was too big too share.
I can’t remember the last time I read a YA story exploring what it means to be in a country illegally when you’re just there for a better life and still, there’s conflict. Very much looking forward to this one, especially since it draws from the author’s own experience.
9. Turner Classic Movies: The Essentials: 52 Must-See Movies and Why They Matter by Jeremy Arnold, Foreword by Robert Osborne
Release Date: May 3, 2016
Genre: Movies
ISBN: 978-0762459469
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Showcasing 52 Essential films from the golden age to the present, Turner Classic Movies invites you into a world filled with stirring performances, dazzling musical numbers, and bold directorial visions that mark the greatest moments in film history. These are movies that define what it means to be a classic. Readers can enjoy one film per week, for a year of stellar viewing, or indulge in their own classic movie festival.
For the fellow movie buffs, this one is for you! Being a movie buff is about so much more than seeing all of the latest blockbusters. There’s so much more to the film industry than that and here’s a great look into another often overlooked side. The classics! Can’t wait to have this in my collection.
10. Off Track Planet’s Travel Guide to ‘Merica! for the Young, Sexy, and Broke by Off Track Planet
Release Date: May 10, 2016
Genre: Travel
ISBN: 978-0762459261
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The experts at Off Track Planet bring you a roadtripping guide to ’Merica. This guide includes all the information you’ll need to take on the great nation of ’Merica, a country filled with rich culture, museums, shopping, sightseeing, partying, art and music, festivals, nightlife, and more.
This edgy reference book will include information on fashion, climate, health and safety, budgeting, and where to stay, as well as show you how to navigate every mode of transportation from buses to Uber; explore the finest art museums to the most tagged urban beauty; discover bodegas, delis, corner stores, and tasting menus around the country; visit weird landmarks; take cheap must-do tours; and crash anywhere from a hostel to a couch. Complete with pre-departure suggestions, OTP Tips and Fun Facts, as well as illustrated maps and 200+ full-color photos, this comprehensive travel guide is equally as entertaining as it is informative.
This needs no explanation. A traveling guide for broke people who want to see what their country has to offer. Pretty straight forward. Hope it delivers!
What books from these publishers have you read and loved or plan on reading?