Indie Next List

What is the Indie Next List?

The Indie Next List is your next great read! This monthly list features the top nominations from independent booksellers across the country, showcasing the best of the best debuts and new releases in all categories and genres.

Victorian Psycho: A Novel

Virginia Feito (Liveright)

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“Grotesque, wildly funny, and utterly weird, this novel will have you hooked as the new governess enters the dysfunctional halls of Ensor’s House. What’s her secret? Does she know? Feito takes the Gothic and tames it like a misbehaving charge.”

— Joshua Lambie, Underground Books, Carrollton, GA

Indie Next List Inspired Recommendations from Indie Booksellers

This Is a Love Story: A Novel

By Jessica Soffer

Dutton

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“This beautiful novel opens as Abe tenderly comforts his dying wife, Jane, reconstructing the life they shared. It includes the intimate stories of the people closest to them and beyond to Central Park, the backdrop for a fascinating array of human behavior.” — Sheila Daley, Barrett Bookstore, Darien, CT

Three Days in June: A Novel

By Anne Tyler

Knopf

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“Sixty-something Gail is suddenly without a job, her daughter is getting married tomorrow, and her ex shows up without a place to stay for the wedding (and he’s brought a CAT!). But, hey, a lot can happen in three days. An absolute joyride!” — Barb Bassett, Red Balloon Bookshop, St. Paul, MN

Black Woods, Blue Sky: A Novel

By Eowyn Ivey, Ruth Hulbert

Random House

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“Black Woods, Blue Sky is dark, wild, gorgeous. Birdie and her daughter move to the isolated Alaskan wilderness with the reclusive Arthur in search of a better life. Blending fairytale with harsh reality, this is an achingly beautiful hymn to all of nature’s cruelty and allure.” — Jude Burke-Lewis, Square Books, Oxford, MS

We Could Be Rats: A Novel

By Emily Austin

Atria Books

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“In her latest novel, Austin captures the bittersweet heart of growing up and growing apart. Told over the course of Sigrid’s attempts at a suicide note, Austin guides the reader though Sigrid’s disenchantment with equal humor and heartbreak.” — Alea Lopes, The Oxford Exchange, Tampa, FL

Isola: A Novel

By Allegra Goodman

The Dial Press

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“For those who loved Frozen River and The Mercies, this is a riveting historical fiction read — from court to a cave, from France to the St. Lawrence Seaway, from love to grief. Marguerite makes her way as a survivor, a tutor, a storyteller, a lover.” — Sara Rottunda, Valley Bookseller, Stillwater, MN

The Bones Beneath My Skin

By TJ Klune

Tor Books

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“As a man facing the loss of his job and his family, he returns to a secluded cabin in the woods to find he is not alone. The characters, in true Klune form, were vibrant and the world is vivid. It is so easy to recommend this book.” — Brady Parkin, The King's English Bookshop, Salt Lake City, UT

Emily Wilde's Compendium of Lost Tales

By Heather Fawcett

Del Rey

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“A conclusion to the trilogy that invites old friends back, shows us new parts of the beautifully bizarre and macabre Faerie world, and has Emily Wilde come into her own as a scholar, a partner, and a monarch. Fawcett concludes this series with a flourish!” — Emily Gilbow, House of Books, Kent, CT

Tartufo

By Kira Jane Buxton

Grand Central Publishing

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“Tartufo is the ideal breakout novel for readers who don’t know Kira Jane Buxton. Replace talking crows and apocalyptic futures with a Tuscan village that’s seen better days and a truffle of epic proportions. A book that’s sure to delight!” — Susan Tunis, Bookshop West Portal, San Francisco, CA

First-Time Caller (Heartstrings #1)

By B.K. Borison

Berkley

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“B.K. Borison climbed into my brain and pulled out my most vulnerable thoughts on love. I’ve never felt more called out by a romance in the absolute best way. The world needs more Sleepless In Seattle moments, and First Time Caller is truly the best!” — Emily Morgan, The Novel Neighbor, Webster Groves, MO

Out of the Woods: A Novel

By Hannah Bonam-Young

Dell

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“Out of the Woods is one of the best marriage-in-distress romances I have ever read. Not only do we get to see Sarah and Caleb work on things, but we also get to see where it all started. Have tissues handy – Bonam-Young’s writing is beautiful.” — Preet Singh, Eagle Eye Book Shop, Decatur, GA

Memorial Days: A Memoir

By Geraldine Brooks

Viking

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“Memorial Days is a beautifully written story of grief over the loss of a spouse. I appreciate how honest Brooks is with her grief, addressing her regrets as well as her intense love for her partner. This book will stay with me for some time.” — Daniel Jordan, Pearl's Books, Fayetteville, AR

A Forty Year Kiss: A Novel

By Nickolas Butler

Sourcebooks Landmark

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“Can a love be rekindled after forty years? Charlie has been living with regrets since the ending of his first marriage to Vivian. He arranges a meeting to find out if she’s still the one. A Forty Year Kiss is a tale of love, hope, and change.” — Mary McBride, Monstera's Books, Overland Park, KS

Blob: A Love Story

By Maggie Su

Harper

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“Sure, Vi finds a sentient blob outside of a drag show in her Midwest college town, and sure she tries to turn that blob into the perfect boyfriend. But at its core, Blob is about falling back in love with the parts of yourself that you thought you lost forever.” — Mikey LaFave, Avid Bookshop, Athens, GA

The Lamb: A Novel

By Lucy Rose

Harper

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“A coming-of-age story meets the cabin-in-the-woods cannibalism trope. The senses are engaged for a moody, atmospheric ride spattered in blood and rot as Margot makes sense in a world of neglectful trauma and relative isolation.” — Danielle Smith, Auntie's Bookstore, Spokane, WA

The Harder I Fight the More I Love You: A Memoir

By Neko Case

Grand Central Publishing

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“Electric, angry, joyful, scrappy, and full of life. The Harder I Fight the More I Love You is a powerful work that is moving even if you are not familiar with Neko’s music. A celebration of the power of art and being our true selves in the world.” — Caleb Masters, Bookmarks, Winston-Salem, NC

Mutual Interest

By Olivia Wolfgang-Smith

Bloomsbury Publishing

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“Using a marriage of convenience as the framework for this layered portrait of queer love, Wolfgang-Smith’s historical fiction feels timeless yet speaks perfectly to the present. Mutual Interest feels new and unexpected in the best way.” — David Vogel, Literati Bookstore, Ann Arbor, MI

The Queens of Crime: A Novel

By Marie Benedict

St. Martin's Press

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“Crime writer Dorothy Sayers gathers four actual female mystery novelists (including Agatha Christie!) to solve the murder of a young nurse. Through language, costume, and ambiance, Benedict once again brings the 1930s to life. Wonderful!” — Mindy Ostrow, The River's End Bookstore, Oswego, NY

Penitence: A Novel

By Kristin Koval

Celadon Books

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“Penitence tells the story of a small town Colorado murder, woven with the guilt and anger of another loss from many years ago. Touching on youth incarceration, families, love, and trust, this debut makes me want to see what Kristin Koval will bring next.” — Gail Dickson, The Bookstore of Glen Ellyn, Glen Ellyn, IL

Idle Grounds: A Novel

By Krystelle Bamford

Scribner

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“Prepare to be consumed by this eerie debut. A group of cousins venture into an impenetrable forest in search of a missing child from their group. Like many youthful escapades, their mystery is much more innocent than the one they uncover.” — Melissa Sagendorph, Harvard Book Store, Cambridge, MA

Last Twilight in Paris

By Pam Jenoff

Park Row

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“Last Twilight in Paris is another incredible historical fiction novel by Pam Jenoff, detailing Lévitan, a department store in the middle of Paris during WWII that was used as a Nazi labor camp. Captivating, moving, and fast-paced!” — Kathy Morrison, Newtown Bookshop, Newtown, PA

Too Soon: A Novel

By Betty Shamieh

Avid Reader Press / Simon & Schuster

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“Too Soon explores love and freedom in the confines of history through three Palestinian American women: Arabella travels to the West Bank to direct a gender-swapped Hamlet, her grandmother Zoya’s flight from the Nakba in 1948 Jaffa, and her mother Naya’s life in a forced marriage.” — Olivia Marchese, Author's Note, Medina, NY

Beartooth

By Callan Wink

Spiegel & Grau

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“Callan Wink has an ability to describe the look and smell of a setting like I’ve never experienced. This is the story of two brothers fighting to survive in a modern West by partaking in an illegal poaching trade. A suspenseful and timely family novel.” — Josie Williams, Invitation Bookshop, Gig Harbor, WA

Waiting for the Long Night Moon: Stories

By Amanda Peters

Catapult

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“This short story collection is filled with stunning prose, ranging chronologies, and characters that will stick with you after even the shortest vignette. A beautiful homage and moving contribution to the lineage of Indigenous storytelling.” — Camille Thornton, The Bookshop (TN), Nashville, TN

elseship: an unrequited affair

By Tree Abraham

Soft Skull

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“Tree Abraham’s elseship recounts a tale of unrequited love between her and her housemate via striking prose and mixed media visuals. This book serves as both an emotional autopsy of the heart and a case study of true unconditional love.” — Emma Fong, Books Inc., San Francisco, CA

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