November 2023 Indie Next List
Let Us Descend: A Novel
Jesmyn Ward (Scribner)
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“Jesmyn Ward is one of the most important writers of our time. This may be her best to date. Heartbreaking and gorgeous, Annis carries us through her story of loss and brutal enslavement — a story of strength, love, enduring, and finding a way.”
— Jeanne Costello, Maria's Bookshop, Durango, CO
November 2023 Indie Next List
Inspired Recommendations from Indie Booksellers
By Travis Baldree
Tor Books
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“This prequel to Legends & Lattes celebrates the magic of bookselling as Viv recovers from injury and recuperates a faltering little bookshop. Complete with in-universe bodice rippers, quiet romance, and more delicious baked goods!”
— Miriasha Borsykowsky, Phoenix Books Essex, Essex Junction, VT
By Tan Twan Eng
Bloomsbury Publishing
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“A lovely historical novel set in a 1920s British colony in Penang. Somerset Maugham appears as a house guest who spins his friends’ lives into a tale for his book. There’s forbidden love, unhappy marriage —now I want to read Maugham’s work!”
— Susan Taylor, Book House of Stuyvesant Plaza, Albany, NY
By Naomi Alderman
Simon & Schuster
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“Gripping speculative fiction/CliFi. Naomi Alderman has a knack for crafting a future with enough detail to make it feel breathtakingly possible, but not overdrawn. When I finished, I wanted more time with these people and in this world.”
— Liz Whitelam, Whitelam Books, Reading, MA
By Michael Cunningham
Random House
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“This story takes place on the same day, but during three consecutive years. A family — father, mother, mother’s brother, and two children — is breaking apart. Their nuanced, subtle interior lives are remarkably portrayed. This one is a gem.”
— Jude Sales, Readers' Books, Sonoma, CA
By Ashley Herring Blake
Berkley
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“A funny, hot queer romance that tackles real issues! Iris Kelly is happy without a relationship. So why won’t her friends and family stop trying to change her? When she meets adorably awkward Stevie Scott, fake dating leads to real feelings.”
— Carol Schneck Varner, Schuler Books (Okemos), Okemos, MI
By Elizabeth Crook
Little, Brown and Company
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“A literary Western about a young mother, her son, and the man charged with getting them across Texas while fleeing vengeful outlaws. Beautifully written with great characters, this is sure to please fans of Paulette Jiles or Larry McMurtry.”
— Cody Morrison, Square Books, Oxford, MS
By Margaret Renkl
Spiegel & Grau
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“Oh what a lovely world to live in — every night I looked forward to sinking in. Set up like a devotional following the seasons, Renkl brings hope to our chances to make a difference as climate news only gets worse. Gift yourself this treasure.”
— Gee Gee Rosell, Buxton Village Books, Buxton, NC
By Martha Wells
Tordotcom
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“I’m a bit of a Murderbot purist — All Systems Red made me reevaluate who I am, and that’s a tough act to follow. Here comes System Collapse hitting my trauma and making me Feel. Rude. Martha Wells taps in to the hardest parts of learning to be a person.”
— Meg Wasmer, Copper Dog Books, Beverly, MA
By Amanda Peters
Catapult
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“A wonderful debut about a missing Indigenous child and the parallel lives of two families — from the loss that echoes through the lives of the berry pickers, to a rancid secret that erodes the other family. A tender, compelling novel.”
— Keith Vient, Politics and Prose Bookstore, Washington, DC
By Stephanie Land
Atria/One Signal Publishers
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“A memoir I couldn’t put down! The author’s struggle to rise out of poverty while raising a child and trying to earn a college degree is so admirable and inspiring. I would love another follow-up book to find out where her journey takes her!”
— Lorilee Sugden, Linden Tree Children's Books, Los Altos, CA
By Henry Winkler
Celadon Books
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“I adore Henry Winkler. Loved him as The Fonz, love his books for dyslexic readers, and I have loved his other roles. I’ll probably never get to sit in a diner booth as Henry talks about his life over a cup of coffee. Being Henry is the next best thing.”
— Mary O'Malley, Skylark Bookshop, Columbia, MO
By Claire Keegan
Grove Press
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“Simply perfect, as to be expected from Claire Keegan. She has a way of dropping you right into the middle of a piece of everyday life and tearing out your heart. With perfectly drawn characters, she always leaves you wanting more of the story.”
— Lori Virelli, Harvey's Tales, Geneva, IL
By Freya Marske
Tordotcom
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“In the culminating tale of my favorite fantasy romance trilogy, Freya Marske does it all: a darkly romantic enemies-to-lovers story, a compelling magical adventure, and beautifully queer found family. I want everyone to read these books!”
— Kira Apple, Charis Books & More, Atlanta, GA
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“A fun locked-room murder mystery in the spirit of our favorite detective stories like Murder, She Wrote. West Heart Killputs a new spin on the genre. Dann McDorman’s debut arrives at the whodunit delightfully. I eagerly await his next one.”
— Rebekah Rine, Watermark Books & Cafe, Wichita, KS
By Roz Chast
Bloomsbury Publishing
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“I Must Be Dreaming delighted me from beginning to end. Chast’s illustrations are imbued with zany charm as she relays both wild and mundane dreams, giving us a peek into the subconscious of one of our most beloved cartoonists.”
— Rose Heithoff, Back Cove Books, Portland, ME
By Nina Maclaughlin
Black Sparrow Press
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“This book surpassed my expectations. The imagery evoked left me yearning for that magical season when the earth invites us to go inward. Winter Solstice is a beautiful meditation on slowing down and appreciating life’s simple pleasures.”
— Pat Rudebusch, Orinda Books, Orinda, CA
By Christine Coulson
Avid Reader Press / Simon & Schuster
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“This journey through a museum exhibit via wall tags provides insightful commentary on the way women are often sidelined as ornamental accessories, even in the story of their own lives. A wholly unique masterclass on economy in language.”
— David Vogel, Literati Bookstore, Ann Arbor, MI
By E. J. Koh
Tin House Books
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“E. J. Koh tells an epic saga with poetic grace: four generations deal with the legacy of Japanese and American colonization in South Korea, divisions within Korea itself, and with various loves and betrayals along the way.”
— Rick Simonson, The Elliott Bay Book Company, Seattle, WA
By Tananarive Due
Gallery / Saga Press
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“The Reformatory had me on the edge of my seat, in sheer terror throughout. While there are definitely ghosts in this one, it’s not the ghosts that’ll scare you — it’s the living. Fenton Haddock is a character that will haunt your dreams.”
— John Cauley, The Doylestown & Lahaska Bookshops, Doylestown, PA
By Sigrid Nunez
Riverhead Books
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“This book was my cure! All of my thoughts, feelings, and experiences living in our complex current moment in time turned into a beautiful novel. Elegant prose. Wise delivery. Cozy feelings. Sigrid Nunez is a must read!”
— Rachel Brewer, Carmichael's Bookstore, Louisville, KY
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“Same Bed Different Dreams is a monumentally funny and epically mind-bending novel that opens doors you may never have even realized were doors. Ed Park has gifted us something truly remarkable.”
— Stephen Sparks, Point Reyes Books, Point Reyes Station, CA
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“A funny, perceptive study of a couple hurdling toward marriage for reasons unclear to everyone involved. Told by the couple as well as family and friends, The Happy Couple observes a (doomed) modern relationship from all sides.”
— Julia Lewis, Fountain Bookstore, Richmond, VA
By Tim O'Brien
Mariner Books
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“A brilliant romp across the continent. Boyd Halverson feels the urge to shake things up. So, he gets up from his Kiwanis Club brunch, strolls across the street to a bank with a .38 revolver, robs it, and takes Angie Banks, the teller, hostage. Away we go!”
— Deon Stonehouse, Sunriver Books & Music, Sunriver, OR
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“In this book, young Chinese villagers flee flood and famine for a ‘better life’ in California, and lurch through bitter hardship, unspeakable racism, and repeated brutality. They fight, love, and struggle to survive with their souls intact.”
— Reiko Redmonde, Revolution Books, Berkeley, CA
Now in Paperback
Indie Next List Selections Come to Paperback
