April 2024 Indie Next List
James: A Novel
Percival Everett (Doubleday)
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“Percival Everett, deep into his brilliant career, adds another indelible novel into his vast canon. James reimagines an emblematic — and yes, problematic — American classic and asks about life, history, and our cultural psyche.”
— Stephen Sparks, Point Reyes Books, Point Reyes Station, CA
April 2024 Indie Next List
Inspired Recommendations from Indie Booksellers
By Rebecca Serle
Atria Books
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“I came for Rebecca Serle’s signature magical realism and romance, and stayed for the free will vs. determinism conversation. A quick, enjoyable read that I cried during. Love is a net. It can catch you long after someone is gone.”
— Lindsay Makowicki, Bank Square Books, Mystic, CT
By Holly Gramazio
Doubleday
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“Lauren is faced with a troubling situation — not only is she married to a complete stranger, she can also trade her husband in for a new one. The story leans into the wacky possibilities and bittersweet potentials that could tempt many of us.”
— Erin Pastore, Water Street Bookstore, Exeter, NH
By Douglas Westerbeke
Avid Reader Press / Simon & Schuster
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“A Short Walk Through a Wide World is an epic novel charting the adventurous journey of one woman trying to outrun a mysterious curse. Douglas Westerbeke’s debut captures the imagination. A dazzling read!”
— Linda Kass, Gramercy Books, Bexley, OH
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“Insightful and memorable, Clear is an elemental portrayal of loneliness, language, and unlikely companionship. Set on a harsh and unforgiving isle in northern Scotland, Davies elegantly shares how regular daily moments can be profound.”
— Miriam Roskam, Mountain Shire: Books & Gifts, Winter Park, CO
By Leigh Bardugo
Flatiron Books
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“Luzia and Santángel, a duo for the ages! A scullion and an immortal familiar team up to win the king’s competition in the Spanish Golden Age as the Inquisition looms. The Familiar will lead you down new paths you won’t ever forget.”
— Coco Zephir, Phoenix Books Essex, Essex Junction, VT
By Alexandra Tanner
Scribner
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“Insidious millennial malaise and the exhaustion of performative activism are contrasted through the story of two sisters who overstay their welcome in one another’s orbit. The dialogue will split you, gut you, and stitch you back up again.”
— Kyle Rea, Greenlight Bookstore, Brooklyn, NY
By Maggie Thrash
Harper Perennial
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“The setting: 1980s New Hampshire, a society roiled by suppressed memories. The characters: two young teens, parents convicted of child abuse arising from these memories. Maggie Thrash does not shy away in this compelling story.”
— Willard Williams, Balin Books, Nashua, NH
By Sierra Greer
Mariner Books
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“Annie is an AI-enabled sex doll that learns from her mistakes to please humans. What happens when her intelligence turns inward? A novel about power, intimacy, artificial intelligence, and an imperfect relationship under patriarchy.”
— Jennifer Carney, Sidetrack Bookshop, Royal Oak, MI
By Justinian Huang
Mira Books
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“The Emperor and the Endless Palace is a hard novel to sum up, but let me try: an erotic love story, three eras, loyalty, betrayal, intrigue, mythology. The story is gloriously addictive and will keep you turning page after page!”
— Kathy Baum, Tattered Cover Book Store, Denver, CO
By KT Hoffman
Dial Press Trade Paperback
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“A joyful, heartfelt debut! Gene loves baseball and his team, even in the minors. It’s enough to be the first openly trans player. When a face from the past joins his team, it upsets the life Gene’s made for himself. Can he restore the balance?”
— Jennifer Jones, Bookmiser, Marietta, GA
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“Justin and Emma share the same curse: everyone they date goes on to meet and marry their soulmate. They decide to date just for the summer to break the curse. Abby Jimenez writes characters working through their traumas with humor and joy.”
— Chantalle Carles, East City Bookshop, Washington, DC
By Leif Enger
Atlantic Monthly Press
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“Haunting yet hopeful, this futuristic tale will hit close to home with its honesty and pertinent observation of what it is to be human. I Cheerfully Refuse is proof of the power of a well-told story to ask the reader to live and feel deeply.”
— Katrina Mendrey, Chapter One Book Store (MT), Hamilton, MT
By Amanda Montell
Atria/One Signal Publishers
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“Exploring our current culture of overthinking and the language surrounding it, these essays are fascinating and enlightening. Peppered with anecdotes and self-evaluation, this is the book Montell was meant to write.”
— Mallory Melton, BookPeople, Austin, TX
By Julia Alvarez
Algonquin Books
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“Alvarez’s beautiful new novel synthesizes her familiar themes: storytelling, sisters, family differences, the violent legacy of the Dominican Republic, the allure of ‘home’, and of ‘up North’, and the craft of writing itself.”
— Melanie Fleishman, Arcadia Books, Spring Green, WI
By Lisa Ko
Riverhead Books
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“I finished Memory Piece on a family trip, and found myself thinking of it when I woke up and itching to get back to it. I’ll remember Giselle, Ellen, and Jackie — their friendships, art and community making, and survival — for a long time!”
— Jhoanna Belfer, Bel Canto Books, Long Beach, CA
By Hanif Abdurraqib
Random House
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“Using basketball as a vehicle for reflection of East Columbus history and personal memoir, There’s Always This Year is a triumph of contemplative, emotionally-rich writing that will have you wiping tears and on the edge of your seat.”
— Gary Lovely, Prologue Bookshop, Columbus, OH
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“This collection of stories and a novella is the perfect thing to tide over Amor Towles’ legion of fans till the next novel. There’s even an Evelyn Ross appearance, from The Rules of Civility, which is worth the price of admission alone.”
— Cody Morrison, Square Books, Oxford, MS
By Jessie Ren Marshall
Bloomsbury Publishing
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“Women! In! Peril! is a sharply written, eclectically bizarre collection that starts with a bang and ends in tender tears, and everything in-between. A fantastic debut from an author to watch out for!”
— Jessie Wright, Copper Dog Books, Beverly, MA
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“A visceral queer revenge story wrapped in the mists of Post-WWI Appalachia. Mandelo’s rabid, religious community unsettles with its modern parallels. But it’s his eerie, possibly unhealthy forest that will drag you in and refuse to let go.”
— Christy Peterson, Vintage Books, Vancouver, WA
By Simone Gorrindo
Gallery/Scout Press
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“With courage and raw truth, Simone Gorrindo conveys the stress, anxiety, and pain of military marriage. She illustrates the importance of the friendships that are formed among those left behind and the camaraderie of those in the Unit.”
— Laura Edwards, The Little Bookshop, Midlothian, VA
By Ursula Villarreal-Moura
Celadon Books
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“With fantastic prose and a compelling story and protagonist, Like Happiness grabbed my attention from page one and never let go. I cannot wait to follow Ursula Villarreal-Moura’s career; I know I will eagerly read anything she writes!”
— Christine Bollow, Loyalty Bookstores, Washington, DC
By Sy Montgomery
National Geographic
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“If you’re not already in love with octopuses, Montgomery’s new book will seduce you. For those in love, you’ll be filled with more. Perhaps most interesting are the funny, weird, and intense emotional human-octopus relationships.”
— Kay Wosewick, Boswell Book Company, Milwaukee, WI
By Marie Mutsuki Mockett
Graywolf Press
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“Verdant, potent, real, The Tree Doctor explores so much about relationships as one woman lives through the isolation — the unexpected wintering of one pandemic year along the California coast. This book is the spring that arrives at last.”
— Melinda Powers, Bookshop Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA
By Marissa Higgins
Catapult
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“Higgins’ debut is a pull on the cigarette you shouldn’t be having, the shot of adrenaline you get when you wake up through the daze of a hangover and remember your bad dreams. A Good Happy Girl is a pitch-perfect entry into the lesbian canon.”
— Gaby Iori, Epilogue: Books Chocolate Brews, Chapel Hill, NC
Now in Paperback
Indie Next List Selections Come to Paperback
