October 2024 Indie Next List
The Night We Lost Him: A Novel
Laura Dave (S&S/ Marysue Rucci Books)
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“Laura Dave’s signature blend of twisty mystery, family drama, and moving love story is top-notch in this tender and profound exploration of grief, truth, trust, and forgiveness. A perfect follow-up to The Last Thing He Told Me!”
— Alyssa Raymond, Copper Dog Books, Beverly, MA
October 2024 Indie Next List
Inspired Recommendations from Indie Booksellers
By Kay Chronister
Counterpoint
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“This one blew me away! The whole human experience contained in an immersive tale about the five children of a strange family navigating their relationship to each other, the land, and their history. A spectacular accomplishment.”
— Christie Olson Day, Gallery Bookshop & Bookwinkle's Children's Books, Mendocino, CA
By Stacy Sivinski
Atria Books
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“Sisters and secrets. Magic and mystery. Tea and tarot! I could not have been more invested in what happens to these triplets and their tea shop in Chicago, bursting with magic and a house that loves them just as much as they love each other.”
— Rhiannon Gupta, R.J. Julia Booksellers, Madison, CT
By Rumaan Alam
Riverhead Books
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“In Entitlement, Rumaan Alam’s prose is at its most effortless, his storytelling at its most engrossing, his pacing at its most propulsive. Questions of race, class, generosity, and obsession weave through a thoroughly unpredictable story.”
— Joelle Herr, The Bookshop (TN), Nashville, TN
By Sally Rooney
Farrar, Straus and Giroux
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“Rooney’s dazzling masterpiece explores the hidden depths of our relationships to one another. Peter and Ivan grieve the recent loss of their father. Never close, they struggle to avoid estrangement while navigating their very different lives.”
— Cody Morrison, Square Books, Oxford, MS
By Ann Liang
St. Martin's Press
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“As enchanting as it is heartbreaking, A Song to Drown Rivers follows a young woman turned deadly spy, who uses her beauty and charm as a devastating weapon to topple kingdoms. This book will take your breath away!”
— Claire Deeds, Covered Treasures Bookstore, Monument, CO
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“In this vibrant story, a struggling heir hires a charming con artist to be his swordsman at his upcoming wedding. Through sword-fighting practice and an unexpected mystery, white-hot desire sparks and they risk losing everything they hold dear.”
— Joshua Lambie, Underground Books, Carrollton, GA
By Olga Tokarczuk, Antonia Lloyd-Jones
Riverhead Books
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“The Empusium is a sardonic tale that holds nothing back, taking institutional misogyny to task in a world on the brink of World War I. Tokarczuk brings all her brilliance and creates a poignant narrative that’s eerily reminiscent of modern day.”
— Dominic Smith, Underbrush Books, Rogers, AR
By Jean Hanff Korelitz
Celadon Books
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“The meta fictional humor of this sequel to The Plot works on every level — as a straightforward thriller, as a satire of the literary industrial complex, and as a knowing wink to the secret strivings and longings of artists everywhere.”
— Errol Anderson, Charis Books & More, Atlanta, GA
By Jason Rekulak
Flatiron Books
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“What is more powerful: love or money? This book takes the reader on a twisty journey of how far one will go to help their kids and do the right thing, even when they don’t want (or need) help.”
— Tara Goldberg-DeLeo, Mystery Lovers Bookshop, Oakmont, PA
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“When you find yourself magically bound to the guy you hate, what else is there to do but explore a magical forest full of bizarre, deadly monsters together in hopes of finding an elusive sorcerer who can cure you? I can’t wait for book two!”
— Jenna Kaufman, Brick & Mortar Books, Redmond, WA
By Richard Powers
W. W. Norton & Company
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“Powers raises his poetic prose to the heavens in Playground. A thematic triad of intense but flawed relationships, a powerful environmental message, and fantastical technological advancement results in nothing less than a masterpiece.”
— Kay Wosewick, Boswell Book Company, Milwaukee, WI
By Yuri Herrera
Graywolf Press
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“There isn’t a writer out there like Yuri Herrera, one of my favorite Latin American writers. His newest novel is just as brilliant. An extraordinary, vivid, and ingenious novel. I couldn’t look away from the minute I started reading.”
— Oscar Almonte Espinal, Uncle Bobbie's Coffee & Books, Philadelphia, PA
By CJ Leede
Tor Nightfire
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“In lesser hands, American Rapture would feel like well-trodden apocalyptic ground; here, it feels fresh and bleak. CJ Leede is really doing the horror lord's work! American Rapture will rip your heart (and throat) out!”
— Audrey Kohler, BookWoman, Austin, TX
By M. L. Rio
Flatiron Books
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“Graveyard Shift is an ode to insomniacs — to the students squirreled away in their corners writing and studying, to the faculty and staff with their own troubles, and to the truly sleepless watching the sun set and rise again. Fun and creepy.”
— Maxwell Leaning, Paragraphs Bookstore, Mount Vernon, OH
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“Mesmerizing, romantic, and charged through poignant critiques of nationalistic literature. Saft’s adult debut challenges the dark origins of twisted fairytales with empathy while weaving a tense web of sapphic yearning. A new favorite!”
— Isabel Agajanian, The Oxford Exchange, Tampa, FL
By Wright Thompson
Penguin Press
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“Thompson’s research not only reveals the depth of depravity and barbarity of Emmett Till’s murderers, but illuminates the commitment to collective forgetting by the white townspeople. This book is a necessary admonition and critical to the historical record.”
— Destinee Hodge, East City Bookshop, Washington, DC
By Dava Sobel
Atlantic Monthly Press
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“There’s a very short list of biographers whose books I’ll read no matter the subject. And there is an even shorter list of science communicators who make complex subjects both accessible and fascinating. At the center of that Venn diagram is Dava Sobel. A deeply satisfying read!”
— Susan Tunis, Bookshop West Portal, San Francisco, CA
By Mariana Enriquez, Megan McDowell
Hogarth
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“Mariana Enríquez is willing and able to explore the darkness simmering in both Buenos Aires and the Argentinean countryside. Be prepared for her mesmerizing storytelling and otherworldly horrors.”
— Elizabeth Ahlquist, Blue Cypress Books, New Orleans, LA
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“A stunning look at small town life. A beautiful look at a place and a way of life that is harmful to those that live it. Erdrich draws you right into the hearts and souls of her characters and their surroundings.”
— Marisa Neyenhuis, Chapter One Book Store (MT), Hamilton, MT
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“Bull Moon Rising was a great mix of fantasy worldbuilding and steamy monster romance that we expect from Ruby Dixon. The tension in Aspeth and Hawk’s marriage of convenience is delicious.”
— Mekhala Villegas-Rogers, Tombolo Books, St. Petersburg, FL
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“When a thief steals holy relics from churches in Florence during the outbreak of the Black Plague, one woman formerly accused of witchcraft and exiled is brought back to investigate by a deceitful, powerful bishop. A fascinating historical read.”
— Jane Simons, The Dog Eared Book, Palmyra, NY
By Maria Popova, Ofra Amit
Storey Publishing, LLC
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“Imagine aliens asking us about the human experience, about what it is like living on earth, and us giving them a guide. I’d like it to be this book. I’ve been a subscriber to Popova’s newsletter for a long time and my life is better for it. And now there’s a BOOK!”
— Andrea Iriarte, Molly's Bookstore, Melrose, MA
By Nico Lang
Abrams Press
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“Following eight trans and nonbinary teenagers, American Teenager shows us that there is no one way to be trans — or a teen. At their heart, these trans teens dream of what’s after high school, gossip, dread tests and class assignments, and try to figure out life.”
— Kristin Saner, Fables Books, Goshen, IN
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“In this apocalyptic story, Larison sweeps us across a landscape through the eyes of characters each with a unique view of the devastation of the past. Different societies clash as resources grow scarce, and plans for colonization of other lands become paramount.”
— Josie Williams, Invitation Bookshop, Gig Harbor, WA
Now in Paperback
Indie Next List Selections Come to Paperback