September 2022 Indie Next List
Love on the Brain
Ali Hazelwood (Berkley)
Buy
“Ali Hazelwood has done it again! This is NOT a novel that you can read a few pages here, a few pages there — it demands one sitting. With expert pacing, witty humor, and loveable characters, Love on the Brain is this fall’s hot romantic comedy!”
— Stefanie Lynn, The Kennett Bookhouse, Kennett Square, PA
September 2022 Indie Next List
Inspired Recommendations from Indie Booksellers
By Taylor Jenkins Reid
Ballantine Books
Buy Now
“This might be Reid’s best yet! Carrie Soto was so fierce. It was fun to see her cope with aging and realize there is more to life than winning. Reid delivers yet another strong, unconventional female lead. Just like Carrie, this is a winner!”
— Kathy Clemmons, Sundog Books, Santa Rosa Beach, FL
By R. F. Kuang
Harper Voyager
Buy Now
“Finishing a book like this is equal parts pleasure and pain: pleasure in reading something so striking and beautiful juxtaposed by the pain of it ending. Few books have brought tears to my eyes; Kuang’s Babel is now numbered among them.”
— Maxwell Leaning, Paragraphs Bookstore, Mount Vernon, OH
By Maggie O'Farrell
Knopf
Buy Now
“Lucrezia de’ Medici’s brief spark of a life is granted lush, compassionate detail in The Marriage Portrait. The frills and deceits of medieval court society come alive as our dear protagonist fights to survive them. An outstanding read!”
— Celina Munoz, Brick & Mortar Books, Redmond, WA
By Jonathan Escoffery
MCD
Buy Now
“A story collection that reads like a loose novel; Escoffery is a literary master. Images from this book have come unbidden to me long after reading, as though these are people who told me their stories themselves. This is a knockout debut!”
— Julie Wernersbach, P&T Knitwear Bookstore, New York, NY
Buy Now
“Every book in this series somehow surpasses the last in writing, plot, character development, and sheer off-the-wall entertainment. Without spoilers, I’ll just say that you are going to love Nona as much as Nona loves you (and Noodle).”
— Brooke Williams, Bookends & Beginnings, Evanston, IL
By Alice Feeney
Flatiron Books
Buy Now
“Daisy Darker headed in a direction I didn’t expect, and I was torn between rereading all I just read or going forward to see what was next! A dark and twisty tale — from the moment we arrive at Seaglass with the waves pounding until the very end.”
— Nona Camuel, CoffeeTree Books, Morehead, KY
By Sarah Addison Allen
St. Martin's Press
Buy Now
“It has been over a week since I finished Other Birds and I am still enchanted. A beautiful story with an eclectic bunch of characters in a dreamy southern town with a touch of mystery, love, and loss.”
— Elisa McIntosh, The Bookstore Plus Music & Art, Lake Placid, NY
Buy Now
“Man, what a brave and brilliant memoir. It’s hard to imagine what Javiercito endured in his quest to be reunited with his parents, not to mention the mental and physical journey north to La USA. I’ll be putting this in readers’ hands for a long time. Essential.”
— Javier Ramirez, Exile in Bookville, Chicago, IL
By Carolyn Huynh
Atria Books
Buy Now
“A story about the pushes and pulls of first-generation Americans, of grandmothers, mothers, sisters, and daughters. There is love, accomplishment, community, and it’s laugh out loud funny. Give yourself the gift of reading this book.”
— Holly Hendricks, Sunriver Books & Music, Sunriver, OR
By Michael Frank, Maira Kalman
Avid Reader Press / Simon & Schuster
Buy Now
“Saturday after Saturday, Stella Levi’s story forms the lively, tragic tale that is One Hundred Saturdays. This is the best book I’ve read all year, and with Maira Kalman’s brilliant illustrations it may be the best book of the decade.”
— Angie Tally, The Country Bookshop, Southern Pines, NC
By Ellen Marie Wiseman
Kensington
Buy Now
“Based on the horrible truth of the Willowbrook State School, Wiseman tells a powerful story of sisters and the true strength of family. An emotional ride that speaks to real historic events and the cruelty in institutions like Willowbrook.”
— Mia D'Alessandro, Thunder Road Books, Spring Lake, NJ
By Sangu Mandanna
Berkley
Buy Now
“I chose this book because of the wonderful title. I stayed through the end because of Mika Moon, our ridiculously charming reluctant heroine. We should all have a friend like Mika. Magic, family, romance, home — this book has it all!”
— Lisa Reid, Lucy's Books, Astoria, OR
By Alexandra Rowland
Tordotcom
Buy Now
“A sizzling romance that had me on the edge of my seat! Kadou and Evemer are compelling and their world is full of delightful intrigue. Themes of fealty, forgiveness, and the true value of things make this an unforgettable adventure.”
— Katie Elms, Bookbug, Kalamazoo, MI
By William Kent Krueger
Atria Books
Buy Now
“Fox Creek continues the saga of Cork O’Connor who is now a licensed private investigator. Krueger’s concern for the Native people of Northern Minnesota is very evident in this tense and dramatic mystery with many unexpected twists.”
— Carolyn Statler, Three Sisters Books & Gifts, Shelbyville, IN
By James Hannaham
Little, Brown and Company
Buy Now
“Carlotta, a trans woman, is released home to Brooklyn after 22 years in a male prison. As she adjusts to life outside, she faces one injustice after another. Through so many inequities, Carlotta maintains her optimism, humor, and hope.”
— Mary Kay Burnett, Buttonwood Books and Toys, Cohasset, MA
By Candice Carty-Williams
Gallery/Scout Press
Buy Now
“Meet the Penningtons: Five siblings from four mothers, raised in London with no support from their father and with vastly different backgrounds. Somehow, they mesh. People Person makes their growing bond a hilarious triumph of family.”
— Myles Mickle, Village Square Booksellers, Bellows Falls, VT
By Elena Armas
Atria Books
Buy Now
“The American Roommate Experiment is a fun friends-to-lovers, forced-proximity, fake-dating romance! Read it as a stand-alone or an exciting follow up to The Spanish Love Deception with guest appearances of its beloved characters.”
— Katie Harveson, Rediscovered Books, Boise, ID
By Catherine Adel West
Park Row
Buy Now
“A beautifully written, complex story of motherhood, found family, grief, reinvention, and redemption. West captures the challenges of fleeing a difficult past and explores profound questions about racial justice in the Jim Crow South.”
— Alyssa Raymond, Copper Dog Books, Beverly, MA
By Brenda Lozano, Heather Cleary
Catapult
Buy Now
“Witches features the most distinctive voice I’ve come across in fiction this year. Feliciana’s life as an indigenous healer — or curandera — is hypnotic. Her story combines with Zoe’s to highlight women striving to find their own voices.”
— Jude Burke-Lewis, Square Books, Oxford, MS
By Ling Ma
Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Buy Now
“A stunning, haunting collection. In these stories, the mundane meets the fantastic in a web of intrigue, walking the line between thriller and horror in a genre of Ma’s own. A must read for fans of dystopian sci-fi and magical realism.”
— Meghana Kandlur, Seminary Co-Op Bookstores, Chicago, IL
Buy Now
“Rich with detail and compelling characters, this gorgeously written novel left me brimming with warmth and courage. The often-misunderstood Hera provides a perfect lens for a faithful, unique, and satisfying retelling of a beloved story.”
— Julie Goodrich, Beaverdale Books, Des Moines, IA
By Catherine Ryan Howard
Blackstone Publishing
Buy Now
“Now THIS is what I love about Catherine Ryan Howard — plots that defy trends, characters dangling over the abyss. Run Time had me exactly where I love to be: teetering on a high wire, completely off balance, and loving every minute of it.”
— Tarin Paradise, Naughty Dog Books, Nashville, IN
By Jill Bialosky
Counterpoint
Buy Now
“The Deceptions is a wonder. A story of love, family, aspiration, and betrayal through a kaleidoscope of history and myth, we follow a middle-aged poet among the statues of the Met. Bialosky packs an impactful story in a dreamlike package.”
— Luisa Smith, Book Passage, Corte Madera, CA
By Peter Geye
Univ Of Minnesota Press
Buy Now
“This book is about so much more than ski jumping. A stunning story of family, trauma, secrets, and forgiveness, of finding peace as we grow older. You will grow attached to every single character in this storytelling masterpiece.”
— Kristen Sandstrom, Apostle Islands Booksellers, Bayfield, WI
Now in Paperback
Indie Next List Selections Come to Paperback
