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The Indie Next List, drawn from bookseller-recommended favorite handsells, epitomizes the heart and soul of passionate bookselling. Independent booksellers are and have always been discoverers of the next big thing, the next great read, the next bestseller, and the next undiscovered gem.
By
Marisa Kashino
“A couple is desperate to move out of their cramped apartment and into a home to start a family. The wife gets creative in her bid not to let the next house get away. Best Offer Wins will have you flipping pages as quickly as the houses flip in this darkly hilarious novel.”
- Mary O'Malley, Skylark Bookshop, Columbia, MONew Release
Family of Spies: A World War II Story of Nazi Espionage, Betrayal, and the Secret History Behind Pearl Harbor
Current price:
$29.99
“Both a fascinating and devastating true story of a family that proves truth is stranger than fiction. I’ve thought about it every day since finishing. For readers of history, true crime, spy thrillers, and memoirs.”
- Miranda Berdahl, Wind City Books, Casper, WY
Violet Thistlewaite Is Not a Villain Anymore
Current price:
$19.00
“This was an amazing cozy book. The town was full of lovable, quirky people that you can’t help but want to be near. A story about learning who you are and learning to cope with unrealistic expectations.”
- Erica Marsh, The Book Room, Wilkesboro, NCNew Release
Every Day I Read: 53 Ways to Get Closer to Books
Current price:
$27.99
“If you're feeling burnt out with your TBR, this is a great book to stop and smell the roses (or pages). A collection of relatable short stories that help you reflect on reading, perfect for the busy times ahead.”
- Sarah Dimaria, Cavalier House Books, Denham Springs, LA
I, Medusa: A Novel
Current price:
$30.00
“Gray explores timely themes of power, diversity, agency and humanity through a mythological lens. Even though I knew Medusa's ultimate fate, I wanted to go on this journey with her.”
- Ginger Young, WordsWorth Books (AR), Little Rock, ARNew Release
Canticle
Current price:
$30.00
“As a young woman in the 13th century, facing a future being married off to a man she doesn’t love, Aleys joins a group of women, beguines, who live a life of prayer and service. A most original tale of faith and power!”
- Pat Rudebusch, Orinda Books, Orinda, CA
The Bookshop Below
Current price:
$29.00
“Chiron’s Bookshop is where Cassandra grew up, but sinister forces are at play. An ode to bookshops and a somewhat cozy and paradoxically dark magical fantasy. An exciting read!”
- Aerie Brown, Blue Willow Bookshop, Houston, TXNew Release
House of Day, House of Night: A Novel
Current price:
$28.00
“House of Day, House of Night is further proof of Olga Tokarczuk’s genius. Each fragment of this book creates a fable-like tapestry that illuminates deeper truths. Piecing everything together is a thrilling experience.”
- James Harrod, West Side Books , Denver, CONew Release
The Mating Game
Current price:
$19.00
“There is no author I trust more to tell me about a story about two adults who can change into wolves and will fall in love. The Mating Game is exactly what it should be: hilarious, heartwarming and freaking sexy.”
- Mekhala Villegas, Fountain Bookstore, Richmond, VANew Release
The Book of Luke: A Novel
Current price:
$30.00
“I haven't read a book this exciting in awhile. Holder manages to write characters that are typically flattened on reality TV with so much complexity. Heart, humor, redemption arcs, fun games, and DRAMA!”
- Alexis Powell, The King's English Bookshop, Salt Lake City, UT
The Merge: A Novel
Current price:
$28.00
“With a sense of dread and unease that brings to mind notes of The Stepford Wives, this slow-burn science fiction thriller gripped me from the first page. This book will give you so much to think about.”
- Brandy Herr, Arts & Letters Bookstore, Granbury, TXNew Release
Tender Cruelty (Dark Olympus)
Current price:
$18.99
“Okay, this is 100% my favorite book of the series. The animosity that they (I say they, but I mean Callisto) had for each other at the beginning made their love at the end that much sweeter. The WORST part of this book is that it’s OVER.”
- Amelia Yasuda, Queen Takes Book, Columbia, MD
59 Minutes: A Novel
Current price:
$29.00
“What would you do if you had 59 minutes left before a nuclear strike? Pulse-pounding plot, clever twists, interesting characters, and a thought-provoking concept of how close we are — at any given moment — to destruction.”
- Debra Ginsberg, DIESEL, A Bookstore, Santa Monica, CANew Release
Television: A Novel
Current price:
$28.00
“Such a fresh, nimble novel, with so much depth. It's a story about uncanny love and the inconvenience of celebrity, about restlessness and contentment and the ways we move between them.”
- Kristen Iskandrian, Thank You Books, Birmingham, ALNew Release
Second Chance Romance: A Harlot's Bay Novel (Harlot’s Bay #2)
Current price:
$18.99
“Olivia Dade takes us back to Harlot’s Bay. Our beloved Cadbury Egg hero, Karl, has a heartwarming journey as he learns to express and accept love from the people in his life, including his biggest crush, Molly.”
- Michelle Whittaker, Fonts Books, McLean, VAPreorder
Everyone in the Group Chat Dies: A Novel
Current price:
$19.00
“A deliciously creepy thriller that perfectly blends murder mystery elements with the absurdities of modern social media culture. A small-town mystery with dysfunctional flatmates, and fast-paced, dark humor."
- Lisa Driban, Hockessin Book Shelf, Hockessin, DENew Release
As Many Souls as Stars: A Novel
Current price:
$30.00
“The eldest daughter in a family of witches is born ‘cursed’ again and again. When a demonic entity takes notice and offers her a deal, she takes it. She never expected a tumultuous relationship with a demon that spans centuries.”
- Jennifer Lieberman, Books Are Awesome, Parker, COPreorder
Tailored Realities
Current price:
$29.99
“I really enjoyed this collection of short stories, especially Sanderson’s postscripts at the end of each one, delving into his thoughts and feelings at the time he was writing them. A must read for any Sanderson fan.”
- Lynne Graham, Watermark Books & Cafe, Wichita, KS
Lucky Seed
Current price:
$30.00
“Good Eggs meets Crazy Rich Asians as a wealthy Chinese family with multiple dysfunctional issues bank on the leading queer son to produce a male heir to continue the traditional namesake and lineage.”
- Gerard Villegas, Auntie's Bookstore, Spokane, WA
The Sofa
Current price:
$17.95
“Many fictional families have dealt with cursed objects unwittingly introduced into their homes. In this case, it's a couch that seems to be the root cause of happenings just strange enough to invite the possibility of the supernatural.”
- Tony Paese, Books & Company, Oconomowoc, WINew Release
Supersaurio
Current price:
$30.00
“This book lets you know you’re not the only one that’s cried in the bathroom at work. The humor is quick and ironic, with deep insight into being a twenty-something in a world that feels out of your grasp.”
- Lucy Lawrence, Serendipity Books, Chelsea, MINew Release
The Jaguar's Roar: A Novel
Current price:
$27.99
“In The Jaguar's Roar, Verunschk makes full use of heart, mind, and voice to map remote corners of the past and present, speaking out strongly for those who would otherwise be forgotten.”
- James Crossley, Leviathan Bookstore, St. Louis, MONew Release
The Curse of the Cole Women: A Novel
Current price:
$19.99
“This beautiful novel is at once an examination of the human spirit in the face of adversity and indifference as well as the sometimes tumultuous relationships between mothers and daughters.”
- Jamie Sommers, The End Bookstore, Allentown, PANew Release
Winter Stories
Current price:
$22.00
“This spare but moving set of Norwegian short stories gives readers a snapshot of the lives of beleaguered people facing difficult decisions at a time of year when many expect to be reveling in the holidays.”
- Kelly Barth, Raven Book Store, Lawrence, KSNew Release
Casanova 20: Or, Hot World
Current price:
$17.95
“Literature has no shortage of stereotypes about queerness and hypersexuality, but this book looks beyond. It carefully slices the tumor from the host, and then it gives the tumor life. Bold.”
- Sayan Ray, Politics and Prose Bookstore, Washington, DCNew Release
Booked for Murder: An Old Juniper Bookshop Mystery
Current price:
$19.00
Madeline inherits her aunt’s bookstore and mansion. She finds herself in the middle of much drama and mystery, with a murder to solve. In the midst of everything, Madeline finds kindred spirits and possibly a home.” —Alexandra Bender, Fonts Books, McLean, VA
- Alexandra Bender, Fonts Books, McLean, VA
Emily Wilde's Compendium of Lost Tales
Current price:
$19.00
“Emily Wilde’s journey from curmudgeonly scholar to a queen has been lovely and twisted, just like the Fae realm. The rich descriptions of the realm and the life-or-death stakes kept me riveted. A series for anyone interested in trying fantasy for the first time.” — Alexa Manning, Bookshop Benicia,...
- Alexa Manning, Bookshop Benicia, Benicia, CANew Release
How Does That Make You Feel, Magda Eklund?: A Novel
Current price:
$17.99
“This novel follows a 70-year-old woman on a road trip with her best friend’s ashes. Along the way, she confronts her grief and her sexuality, showing that honesty and connection are there if we are brave enough to reach for them.” —Colleen Schneider Cameron, Read Between the Lynes, Woodstock, IL
- Colleen Schneider Cameron, Read Between the Lynes, Woodstock, ILNew Release
Isola: Reese's Book Club: A Novel
Current price:
$19.00
“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, ...
- Sara Rottunda, Valley Bookseller, Stillwater, MNNew Release
The Note: A Novel
Current price:
$18.00
“A long overdue girl’s weekend is upended when a seemingly random stranger goes missing. Old rivalries, distant connections, and very real deaths seem unrelated…at first. In this very well-crafted novel, Alafair Burke is at the top of her game.” —Sarah Bagby, Watermark Books & Café, Wichita, KS
- Sarah Bagby, Watermark Books & Cafe, Wichita, KS
Only Here, Only Now: A Novel
Current price:
$17.99
“This debut is the thunderous announcement of a brilliant novelist with a keen wit. Like Derry Girls done by Dave Eggers, Only Here, Only Now is fiercely original, unabashedly Scottish, heartrendingly poignant, and hilarious to the point of tears.” —Steve Iwanski, Charter Books, Newport, RI
- Steve Iwanski, Charter Books, Newport, RI