April 2022 Indie Next List
Sea of Tranquility: A novel
Emily St. John Mandel (Knopf)
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“A gem of a novel, spiraling out of place and time to shape our present hopes and anxieties into a story of peace and resilience. Mandel weaves effortlessly between historical and science fiction and is a master of immersive storytelling.”
— Dan Brewster, Prologue Bookshop, Columbus, OH
April 2022 Indie Next List
Inspired Recommendations from Indie Booksellers
By Bonnie Garmus
Doubleday
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“Protagonist Elizabeth Zott's confrontations with 1960s patriarchy will resonate with women who lived it, but how she gets by while staying true to herself will inspire women of all ages. Read it — and give copies to all your friends!”
— Ellen Klein, Hooray for Books!, Alexandria, VA
By Jennifer Egan
Scribner
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“Egan weaves together these seemingly disparate characters and storylines into a stunning ending. The Candy House is about family, connection, legacy, technology, and so much more. It is her best work yet.”
— Ariana Paliobagis, Country Bookshelf, Bozeman, MT
By Mary Laura Philpott
Atria Books
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“I have so much love for Bomb Shelter, as a mom, a woman, an animal lover, and simply as a fellow human. I love Mary Laura’s humor and her compassionate and certain voice. I can’t wait to share this book with EVERYONE!”
— Sue Kowalski, The Bookstore of Glen Ellyn, Glen Ellyn, IL
By Delia Ephron
Little, Brown and Company
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“Left on Tenth is prime Delia — honest, raw, generous — be it her husband’s death, a call with Verizon, or the long and painful journey through leukemia. She’s endured so much, but shares with remarkable humor and an overflowing heart.”
— Melanie Fleishman, Arcadia Books, Spring Green, WI
By Chloé Cooper Jones
Avid Reader Press / Simon & Schuster
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“The subtitle ‘memoir’ doesn't do justice to this spectacular, sui generis meditation on art, disability, parenting, and travel. It's about more than memory — it's about living in the now and creating the future we want for our children.”
— Rebekah Shoaf, Boogie Down Books, Bronx, NY
By Blair Fell
Atria/Emily Bestler Books
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“Unforgettable and completely unique! Fell illuminates DeafBlind life in Arlo Dilly, who will steal your heart as he journeys to experience life and independence, and to break free of those who have been holding him back. A must read!”
— Maxwell Gregory, Madison Street Books, Chicago, IL
By Annie Hartnett
Ballantine Books
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“Small-town residents — dead, alive, missing, and four-pawed — are the heart of this unforgettable novel of Emma's quarter-life and family crises. Hartnett’s quirky humor makes dark stuff feel manageable, a skill we need these days.”
— Maggie Robe, Flyleaf Books, Chapel Hill, NC
By Grant Ginder
Henry Holt and Co.
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“Politics, family dysfunction, drug addiction, bad behavior — what could possibly go wrong? This extremely readable novel about a New York City political family will grab you right away. The perfect antidote to today’s headlines.”
— Terry Gilman, Creating Conversations, Redondo Beach, CA
By Ocean Vuong
Penguin Press
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“Ocean Vuong comes home in his second full-length collection, exploring grief, violence, masculinity and queer life in America. Whether shoveling snow, reversing time, or losing his mother, Vuong will crack you open and heal you.”
— Owen Elphick, Main Point Books, Wayne, PA
By Douglas Stuart
Grove Press
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“A truly devastating story told in decadent, layered prose. You cannot help but to love and want the best for Mungo in the hyper-masculine, violent world he lives in. I want to protect these characters and their love with all that I have.”
— Mallory Melton, BookPeople, Austin, TX
By Kerri Ní Dochartaigh
Milkweed Editions
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“Memoir and folklore weave together in this haunting story of a childhood unfolding during the Troubles in Northern Ireland, capturing a burning desire to find balance and peace. Superbly beautiful, raw, and heartbreaking writing.”
— BJ Hegedus, Postalworks Silver Lake, Los Angeles, CA
By Melissa Febos
Catapult
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“This book is both a self-reflection piece and a tender yet valiant meditation on the power of writing. Anyone that approaches their work through an autoethnographic lens would benefit from tools Febos so kindly lends to us in Body Work.”
— Eden Hakimzadeh, The Oxford Exchange, Tampa, FL
By Peter Swanson
William Morrow
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“It’s impossible to describe the experience of reading Nine Lives as anything other than edge-of-your-seat. Death truly lurks around every corner, around every page. It eats at the characters and it eats at you. Wicked fun.”
— Thatcher Svekis, DIESEL, A Bookstore, Santa Monica, CA
By Tara M. Stringfellow
The Dial Press
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“Centering Black joy above all, Stringfellow’s life-affirming debut follows three generations of unforgettable women in a gifted but tested family. Readers will cry, laugh, and sing. I hope we read Stringfellow for a long, long time.”
— Katie Williamson, Square Books, Oxford, MS
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“I giggle-snorted my way through this, then watched all of my favorite kaiju movies. This book will make you laugh in public and feed the hope that kaiju are secretly hiding somewhere (in an alternate dimension?!). This book is glorious!”
— Annie Carl, The Neverending Bookshop, Edmonds, WA
By Jenny Tinghui Zhang
Flatiron Books
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“A stunning debut! Four Treasures of the Sky is pointed, heartbreaking, and breathtakingly beautiful. Indisputably a masterpiece, and I am already looking forward to whatever journey Zhang wants to take us on next.”
— Kari Johnson, Shakespeare & Co., New York, NY
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“When Serena Drew thinks she sees her cousin in the train station as she returns from her partner’s parents, she avoids him, setting off a cascade of questions. Anne Tyler reminds us that in families, the ripples are crimped in forever.”
— Kayleen Rohrer, InkLink Books, East Troy, WI
By Elaine Hsieh Chou
Penguin Press
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“Part academic satire, part mystery that keeps you reading. Told with sharp and tender wit, Disorientation is one of the most original debuts I’ve ever read.”
— Shannon Alden, Literati Bookstore, Ann Arbor, MI
By Sally Hepworth
St. Martin's Press
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“Mothers, daughters, wives, and friends, secrets kept and revealed. I'm still dissecting and remembering these relationships days after reading. Part psychological page turner, part family drama — lean back and wonder with me.”
— Veronica Berkey, Fables Books, Goshen, IN
By Jane Green
Hanover Square Press
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“It’s the ‘60s. There is sex, drugs, and rock and roll, all beautifully written in lush detail by the incomparable Jane Green, who has crafted her first work of biographical fiction about the life of Talitha Getty. It is pure perfection.”
— Dallas Strawn, Litchfield Books, Pawleys Island, SC
By Peng Shepherd
William Morrow
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“A can’t-put-it-down immersive magical mystery that kept me up late to read. Anyone with an affinity for antique maps, the NY Public Library, and twisty-turny reveals will dig this. Highly entertaining with a superb cast of characters.”
— Cheri Anderson, The Bookloft (MA), Great Barrington, MA
By Dolen Perkins-Valdez
Berkley
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“Dolen Perkins-Valdez has a gift. Take My Hand sheds light on the long history of forced sterilization of African American women and introduces the incredible Civil Townsend, whose compassion I see in Black women doctors in my own life.”
— Morgan Harding, Politics and Prose Bookstore, Washington, DC
By Maria Gainza, Thomas Bunstead
Catapult
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“This superb novel gives us María Gainza's singular storytelling talent. This time, a Buenos Aires art critic on the trail of a suspected master forger. More than one form of mystery unfolds and is revealed. Surprises abound.”
— Rick Simonson, The Elliott Bay Book Company, Seattle, WA
By Silje Ulstein, Alison McCullough
Grove Press
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“This dark, twisty novel will snake into your thoughts and not let go. Multiple storylines ebb and flow, coming together to reveal shocking secrets that will change your perspective. This debut thriller set in Norway is not one to miss!”
— Katrina Bright-Yerges, Books & Company, Oconomowoc, WI
Now in Paperback
Indie Next List Selections Come to Paperback
