August 2024 Indie Next List
The Wedding People: A Novel
Alison Espach (Henry Holt and Co.)
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“The Wedding People hits the absolute sweet spot of compulsively fun to read while asking serious questions about life, love, and a lavish destination wedding. Alison Espach’s mix of light and dark makes for deeply authentic characters.”
— Nina Barrett, Bookends & Beginnings, Evanston, IL
August 2024 Indie Next List
Inspired Recommendations from Indie Booksellers
By Casey McQuiston
St. Martin's Griffin
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“The Pairing is Casey McQuiston’s masterwork. This was sensual, lush, and decadent in all the best ways. I fell in love with Theo and Kit, and I can’t wait to reread it and experience the magic all over again.”
— Amanda Olmstead, The Book Burrow, Pflugerville, TX
By Helen Phillips
S&S/ Marysue Rucci Books
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“Helen Phillips takes us on a wild, anxious ride into the (near?) future: an AI-driven world. Fast-paced and tense, Hum ponders the current state of technology and its effect on human behavior. A brilliant, futuristic page-turner!”
— Caroline Buchta, Andover Bookstore, Andover, MA
By T. Kingfisher
Tor Books
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“In T. Kingfisher’s retelling of the Goose Girl fairytale, there’s an emphasis on found family, and finding strength in yourself that you didn’t know you had. I would like Hester and Cordelia to be my new best friends, please and thank you.”
— Cora Kelly, Bear Pond Books, Montpelier, VT
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“I am head over heels in love with Burgess and Tallulah! I mean, an overprotective hockey captain that falls first and falls hard, and nicknames her gorgeous? You can’t go wrong. Tessa Bailey knows how to bring the swooning full force.”
— Mandy Harris, Angel Wings Bookstore, Stem, NC
By P. Djèlí Clark
Tordotcom
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“When undead assassin Eveen is contracted to kill a person who appears to be her own younger self, forbidden magics and lethal shenanigans ensue. This is a delicious, funny, unexpectedly heartwarming story with just the right amount of viciousness.”
— Milo Michels, University Book Store, Seattle, WA
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“You know a book’s good when it starts with a quote from Monty Python. I utterly loved it from the first page to the last. Witty, serious, magical, and with an amazing cast of characters, this is everything an Arthurian epic should be.”
— Emily Pate, Word After Word Books, Truckee, CA
By Rainbow Rowell
William Morrow
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“Shiloh and Cary quickly became two of my favorite characters ever. Rowell uses dual POV and a non-linear timeline to explore a stunning relationship between two utterly flawed, brilliantly eccentric best friends.”
— Ebani Filbert, The Bookworm of Omaha, Omaha, NE
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“Set in an isolated Italian village, this is so rich in detail, so deep in characterization, that it’s like eating dessert in a fine restaurant: savoring each bite, letting it linger on the palette. Easily one of my favorite books of the year so far!”
— Pete Mock, McIntyre's Fine Books, Pittsboro, NC
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“A shatteringly beautiful story of a woman’s search for answers about her mother’s disappearance. Through shifting memories, the reader moves through Marianne’s trauma and changing understanding of her mother. This aches and amazes in equal measure.”
— Allyson Howard, Invitation Bookshop, Gig Harbor, WA
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“Lady Macbeth is the gothic fantasy retelling of my dreams! Ava Reid stuns once again with their attention to historic detail as they maintain the magic of Macbeth. This book is dreamy, lush, and had me spiraling for days after reading it!”
— Haley Calvin, The Novel Neighbor, Webster Groves, MO
By Meg Shaffer
Ballantine Books
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“Can you feel nostalgic about a book you just read? Apparently yes, if it reminds you of when you were a child who believed in magic. Like any fairy tale, there is darkness, but only enough to make the light more brilliant.”
— Laura Kendall, Second Flight Books, Lafayette, IN
By M. T. Anderson
Pantheon
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“A truly immersive, boisterous, playful, and earnest heist story from so far in the past it becomes magical. With a writing style as elusive as the plot twists, a colorful cast of thieves and priests, and a breathless romance, it’s not one to miss.”
— Bridget Fenner, BookPeople, Austin, TX
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“Ember is tired of her dead-end job, of being broke, and never getting ahead as a Chickasaw woman. So, she lies. As these lies pile up, how can Ember be real? Emotional, witty, and tender, this debut Native rom-com is a perfect workplace romance!”
— Coco Zephir, Phoenix Books Essex, Essex Junction, VT
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“A completely modern look at the way we live, regarding hurt, protection, and connection. As the protagonist tries to make himself into a blank slate so he can rent himself to strangers, the faded outline of his real self keeps threatening to peek through.”
— James Crossley, Leviathan Bookstore, St. Louis, MO
By Karla Cornejo Villavicencio
One World
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“Catalina is such a delightful book — funny and quick-witted, but also thoughtful and heart-rending. I loved Catalina’s smart, singular voice. This is a perfect read for lovers of Lily King's Writers & Lovers, or fans of Sally Rooney’s work.”
— Shannon Guinn-Collins, Bookworks (NM), Albuquerque, NM
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“A swoony story about two best friends finding their way back to each other after breaking up five years ago. Georgia and Eli must work together for their best friend Adam’s wedding and realize they left a lot unsaid. I had butterflies the whole time!”
— Claire McWhorter, River & Hill Books, Rome, GA
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“Al Ward is flawed — alcoholism, a never quite good enough country guitarist and song writer. When a blind horse shows up at his isolated shack on a snowy, freezing night, the best of Al comes out. Yes, Al is flawed, but you'll root for him.”
— Karen Emmerling, Beach Books, Seaside, OR
By Stephen Graham Jones
S&S/Saga Press
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“My heart aches for the slasher? This cannot be right. Tolly, the slasher, tells his bloody, horrific story in a voice so real and raw that you can almost hear him, as though seated right beside you, and feel every detail of his inescapable pain.”
— Nancy Sims-West, Raven Book Store, Lawrence, KS
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“In the spirit of Station Eleven, there is only one thing humankind understands when it must survive: it cannot be done alone. You read this novel and wonder how such a painful book can be so damn beautiful. Gorgeous writing meets heart-pounding thriller.”
— Jessilynn Norcross, McLean & Eakin Booksellers, Petoskey, MI
By Leslie J. Anderson
Quirk Books
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“Anderson beautifully blends a small-town mystery with the supernatural (and a little feminist rage) to deliver this cathartic punch of a story. If you loved the what-the-hell-is-going-on energy of classic X-Files, then read this book.”
— Jennifer Martin, Tattered Cover Book Store, Denver, CO
By Alisa Alering
Tin House Books
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“Beautiful, surreal, and otherworldly, I fully fell into Alering’s supernatural mystery. Their use of sound grounds the reader in Sheila and Angie’s strange and difficult life on the margins of society in some of the best writing I’ve seen.”
— Amanda Scroggins, Watermark Books & Cafe, Wichita, KS
By Halle Butler
Random House
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“Banal Nightmare crackles with humanity. You may hate these feckless — at times ugly — characters, or recognize yourself in them (and still hate them). But it’ll thrill you in its fearlessness. Either way, this will leave a mark on you. It blisters.”
— Matt Nixon, A Cappella Books, Atlanta, GA
By Lena Valencia
Tin House Books
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“Mystery Lights is a collection of dark and beautiful short stories that will leave you breathless. A woven tapestry of women and girls living their lives amongst the desert and its mysteries.”
— Elisa McIntosh, The Bookstore Plus Music & Art, Lake Placid, NY
By Katie Siegel
Kensington
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“Siegel’s humor and heart shine as we follow Charlotte to her new job as a substitute teacher at her old middle school, as she helps her new colleagues solve a mystery. Fan favorites Lucy and Gabe are back to help and their banter remains delightful.”
— Andi Richardson, Fountain Bookstore, Richmond, VA
Now in Paperback
Indie Next List Selections Come to Paperback
