IndieBound

1. Radiant Darkness: A Novel by Emily Whitman
(Greenwillow, $16.99, 9780061724497 / 0061724491)
"Emily Whitman has written an inventive retelling of the myth of Persephone's kidnapping by Hades and her stay in the Underworld. In this version, she is a willing participant in the seduction, but then has to establish herself as an equal in her relationship with Hades. Are there modern overtones? Yes, and they help make Radiant Darkness a very good story." --Nicola Rooney, Nicola's Books, Ann Arbor, MI

This has been a banner week for the IndieBound application for iPhone. It's now at #2 in iTunes Free Book Apps list, and was recently featured on the front page of the iTunes App Store, viewable both in the iTunes program and in the iPhone's native App Store.

Marc Fitten, author of the new novel Valeria's Last Stand (Bloomsbury), is "spicing up" his U.S. book tour by visiting 100 independent bookstores along the way.

Fifty of independent booksellers' favorite authors will be at this year's ABA Celebration of Bookselling Luncheon at BookExpo America. The Friday, May 29, event, open exclusively to the owners and staff at ABA member stores, will feature the presentation of the inaugural Indies Choice Book Awards (ICBA).

Here's a full preview of the Indie Next Spring/Summer '09 Reading Group List, which ABA member stores in the IndieBound movement will be receiving in the May Red Box.

After more than four weeks of voting by booksellers at independent bookstores across the country, the American Booksellers Association today announces the first three inductees to the Indies Choice Book Awards Picture Book Hall of Fame.

From a list of 13 finalists, the owners and staff at ABA member stores cast votes for three favorites. The 2009 inductees into the Indies Choice Picture Book Hall of Fame, as chosen by indie booksellers, are:

Reaction to the IndieBound application for iPhone and iPod Touch, released Monday, has been overwhelming, with hundreds of downloads and many positive reviews.

For the eight-week period ending April 21, 2009, and based on sales at independent bookstores nationwide.