Top Ten
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“After decades of working in bookstores, I am-perhaps not suprisingly-immune to picking up a new book by a prolific author. I tend to assume, as with rock songwriters, that an author's best work is always behind them. If that is true, then I have seriously missed out by not reading Hoffman before. I pretty much inhaled this book. Faithful, although destined for the adult fiction section, reads like a smart young adult novel and would be a perfect pick for a mother-daughter book club. Real teens, real young adults, and real parents-and one life-shattering mistake.”
— Carla Bayha, Literati Bookstore, Ann Arbor, MI
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“We never learn the narrator's name in Zadie Smith's Swing Time, and yet we know the character intimately. We see her in contrast to her childhood friend Tracey, who is agile and beautiful compared to the narrator's more prosaic style. We follow her as she matures into adulthood as the assistant to an Australian pop star. The chapters switch between past and present, and we see it all vividly: the struggles of maintaining friendships, racial tensions, parenting disparities, world politics. Once again, Smith has taken on the tough subjects. This will be a great pick for book clubs.”
— Mamie Potter, Quail Ridge Books, Raleigh, NC
By Terry Tempest Williams
Picador
“I cannot think of a better person to commemorate the National Park Service on its 100th birthday. When Terry Tempest Williams writes, the personal blends with the political, the public and private meet, and truth spreads into layers of beautiful, often troubling complexity. The same can be said for the National Park Service. By exploring 12 national parks and monuments throughout the country, Williams creates both an intimate elegy to the land and a plea to recognize it for all its history and connection.”
— Melinda Powers, Bookshop Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA
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“Min Jin Lee has given us a treasure. Pachinko is one of those rare novels that changes your perception of history. The characters are complex and fascinating, and the setting is so beautifully drawn that I felt I was right there with them in Korea, Japan, and the U.S. Lee illuminates the history of Koreans during and after World War II, but, more than that, she brings us a haunting yet beautiful story of family, devotion, lies, politics, and, of course, the game of pachinko.”
— Elaine Petrocelli, Book Passage, Corte Madera, CA
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“Leah Weiss' ability to create characters is top notch. Get ready to delve into the rough mountain life of Sadie Blue, a young newlywed with an abusive, moonshining husband, which is not an unfamiliar situation in her family line. Readers will watch Sadie, surrounded by a community of strong and caring Appalachian neighbors, find the strength to believe in herself and save her own life.”
— Lauri Weisbecker (W), Island Bookstore, Corolla, NC
By Dava Sobel
Penguin Books
“As much as I love learning, the last few nonfiction books I picked up disappointed me. Not so with The Glass Universe! I'm fascinated by the dedication and motivation of the women in this book. Their work was amazing and gave us so much insight into our vast universe. Dava Sobel has done a superb job of recreating the lives and work of the women in these pages. I'm definitely recommending this to everyone I know!”
— Sheridyn Trotter, Bookends on Main, Menomonie, WI
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“A feeling of wonder pervades this captivating novelization of the mysterious lives of Chabon's grandfather and grandmother. This thrilling, poignant, and magical book left me feeling like I do when I leave the theater after a great movie-I couldn't talk; I just had to readjust to the world.”
— Tim Benz, Joseph-Beth Booksellers, Crestview Hills, KY
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“An absolutely beautiful exploration of family, grief, memory, and madness, The Glass Eye is outstanding. Jeannie Vanasco promised her father before his death that she would write a book for him, never knowing the psychological and mental toll the process would ultimately take on her. Vanasco explores her family's history-the entirely separate family her father had before she was born and the late-in-life marriage that led to Jeannie's birth-and her own destructive behavior as she falls in and out of a mental illness that informs the truly fascinating structure of the book. The layers found in this memoir are as plentiful as the layers found in the human eye; it is as deeply layered as the human experience itself.”
— Jamie Thomas, Women & Children First, Chicago, IL
By Chris Dombrowski
Milkweed Editions
“Much like its author, Chris Dombrowski-poet, gifted storyteller, Montana fly-fishing guide, and family man-Body of Water is many things. It is part love letter to fishing, part natural history of the Bahamas, part conservationist manifesto, and part meditation on the self. These multifarious aspects are anchored by the story of David Pinder Sr., one of the legendary grandfathers of Bahamian bonefish guiding. Dombrowski's talent as a writer is on full display here, his tight and rhythmic prose reminding one of the gentle and relaxing lap of water against the hull of a fishing boat on a sunny and windless day.”
— Lane Jacobson, Flyleaf Books, Chapel Hill, NC
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“I'm blown away by 300 Arguments, a wild, literary sleight-of-hand on par with the best of David Byrne or Jenny Holzer. Sarah Manguso packs so much feeling and genius into such compact little pieces. I keep watching, but I can't figure out how she does it.”
— Jamie Schwesnedl, Moon Palace Books, Minneapolis, MN
Rural Life
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“Sons and daughters, bosses and laborers, lovers and exes: the vivid, striking characters that inhabit Robin MacArthur's unforgettable collection of interconnected stories all live in a tight-knit community in rural Vermont. However, Half Wild is anything but provincial. True, these characters belong to the place they come from, but, first and foremost, they belong to each other.”
— Sam Kaas (M), Village Books, Bellingham, WA
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“Arrowood delivers us a spiderweb of mystery crawling with details obscured by time, leading us ever closer to the answers that Arden has been longing to grasp since the age of eight. Having recently inherited the childhood manor she grew up in, Arden tears open the wounds she's been tending wider than she ever has before. Part self-discovery, part family drama, Arrowood brings suspense for dinner and a healthy serving of historic nostalgia for dessert. McHugh's second novel is great for any fan of mysteries, Southern Gothic literature, Daniel Woodrell, or Donald Ray Pollack.”
— Alex Ness, McLean & Eakin Booksellers, Petoskey, MI
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“Hillbilly Elegy is a sad and beautiful kind of reckoning. Author J.D. Vance comes to terms with his own upbringing, highlighting both working-class and poverty-stricken whites in Appalachia, the Rust Belt, and much of the nation. Vance uses his own family as a microcosm to highlight the culture, politics, and economic status of a specific group living on the margins. He covers topics ranging from education and familial bonds to addiction and health, but where Vance really shines is in telling the story of his family-a harrowing tale, to be sure, but one that is told with grace, honesty, and insight. While I don't necessarily agree with his politics, I found the book deeply moving and important in understanding America today.”
— Hilary Gustafson, Literati Bookstore, Ann Arbor, MI
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“This novel is a knockout, absolutely beautifully written and compelling. Ever so carefully, Fridlund pulls readers into the world of 14-year-old Linda, her strange parents (the last members of a remote commune), and the family across the lake, who will ensnare Linda in a devastating tragedy. An unforgettable coming-of-age story that asks big questions about choices and responsibility.”
— Sarah Willis, Loganberry Books, Shaker Hts, OH
Historical Fiction
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“Behind every great man... is a woman whose name got left out of the publication credits. Physics historians continue to discuss how much of the creation of the theory of relativity-and the other brilliant papers published during Einstein's 'golden year' of 1905-can be credited to his brilliant but overlooked wife, Mileva Maric. This fantastic book casts a spotlight upon her and shows how her hopes and dreams were shadowed and then crushed by Einstein's meteoric rise.”
— Genevieve Taylor (E), The Boulder Book Store, Boulder, CO
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“Just when you thought you'd read enough about World War II, Armando Lucas Correa's The German Girl sheds light on an entirely different aspect-Cuba. Hannah (or Anna with a J, as they say in Cuba) is 12 years old when her family boards the S.S. St. Louis to take them away from Berlin and the taint of 'dirtiness.' As they arrive in Cuban waters, the government refuses to accept all but a few passengers, leaving Hannah and her mother there alone. Seventy years later, Hannah's great niece, Anna, comes to Cuba at the same age to discover the story of the father she never knew.”
— Marya Johnston, Out West Books, Grand Junction, CO
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“Winston Groom's El Paso is indeed a story of passages-from American imperialism to the Mexican Revolution, from the Gilded Age to the Progressive Era, and one man's journey from a life of contemplation to one of action. Arthur Shaughnessy has spent a lifetime trying to prove his worth to his adoptive father, a wealthy railroad tycoon. When the legendary Pancho Villa ransacks their Mexican estate and then kidnaps Arthur's children for ransom, it is time to put his skills and determination to the test. Filled with gripping action, dashing characterization, attention to detail, and Groom's signature historical cameos, El Paso is a fantastic return to fiction for a beloved American author.”
— Andrew Hedglin, Lemuria Bookstore, Jackson, MS
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“Leopard at the Door is a beautiful portrait of a Kenya, which, like many other countries around the world, is much more complicated than it appears. The story of a girl returning to a home she no longer recognizes serves as the backdrop to explore the birth of modern-day Kenya in all its contradictions. McVeigh's vision of Kenya is definitely the main character; vivid, alluring, and damaged, this Kenya draws you in and has you sympathizing with and rooting for it.”
— Jessica Cox, Plot Twist Bookstore, Ankeny, IA
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“Only two days after her marriage, Placidia's new husband-a Confederate major-is called to war, leaving his young wife alone to run his farm, care for his two-year-old son, and manage the slaves, none of which she's equipped to do. The story unfolds through their letters to each other and between Placidia's friend and herself. The Second Mrs. Hockaday is a solid historical novel and a very enjoyable read-perfect for book clubs.”
— Robin Allen, Forever Books, Saint Joseph, MI
In Other Worlds
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“Even sitting in front of the warmest of fires, you'll feel the frostbite on your nose while reading The Bear and the Nightingale. Despite not drawing from any specific Russian folktale (arguably it can be most closely tied to Vasilisa the Beautiful), the story unfolds as intricately and as in depth as if it already has centuries of retellings behind it. The character of Vasya shines the brightest in the book, refusing to be held captive by tradition and lore and asserting her wildness and independence in a sharply refreshing way.”
— Alice Ahn, Water Street Books, Exeter, NH
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“An alternate history echoes our current world in Underground Airlines, a novel full of twists, intrigue, government cover-ups, and a protagonist whose moral compass goes spiraling in a world where no one is truly free. The final scene of the book felt like Jason Bourne had been remade into a former slave ready to take down the system that stripped him of his freedom.”
— Elena Eustaquio, Books Inc., San Francisco, CA
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“When Pavla is born a dwarf, she is initially despised by her mother. But this beautiful child ultimately wins the hearts of her parents, who eventually take her to a quack doctor in their misguided attempts to 'fix' their beloved daughter. What transpires is part fairy tale, part love story-a magical tale in which things are not always as they appear to be, and the line between human and animal is fluid and metamorphic. An extraordinary novel!”
— Anita Isser, Bloomsbury Books, Ashland, OR
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“A dystopia full of hope, a running manual full of feeling, and a family man full of remorse. This fast-paced run across the island of Great Britain takes Edgar Hill through the most difficult terrain-self-assessment. When a swarm of asteroids wreaks widespread destruction, the survivors struggle to make sense of the new world. Some do better than others, and Ed threads a path between dangers and pitfalls. At the end of the world, we find that the only answers are the ones we knew at the beginning.”
— Shannon McMaster, The Bookman, Grand Haven, MI
Of Writers and Readers
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“From beloved novelist and short story writer Peter Orner comes a collection of essays on the reading life. Orner considers Chekhov in a hospital cafeteria, Welty on a remote island; he also throws Julian Barnes out the window of a moving car-after all, who would trust a man who only talked about what he loved? Behind and around and between these meditations flit the ghosts of the author's life: his late father, his lost marriage, his self-deprecating take on his own career. The result is a book overflowing with charm-wry, delectable, and laugh-out-loud funny. Orner is a writer's writer, but he is also a reader's reader. Am I Alone Here? is an absolute treasure.”
— Mairead Stead (M), Literati Bookstore, Ann Arbor, MI
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“A German writer sells all of his things, buys a train ticket to Spain, and winds up in the sleepy resort town of Cabo de Gata, hoping to make a change in his life. He fails miserably-and therein lies the fun of Ruge's second novel. Instead of deliverance, he finds surly waitresses, a mysterious abandoned briefcase, and an equally mysterious cat-the routines and disturbances of village life that don't make for high drama, but which make Cabo de Gata an enormous pleasure to read.”
— Travis Smith, Flyleaf Books, Chapel Hill, NC
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“In Books for Living, Will Schwalbe delights in detailing the pleasure and necessity of reading. Each chapter features a different book and what the author got from reading it. In fact, the only time I put this book down was to record my own feelings about what I had just read. A perfect book for any bookworm, and one that I'll be sharing with my book club friends!”
— Kate Towery (E), The Fountain Bookstore, Richmond, VA
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“Much like Alice falling down the rabbit hole, Elise Hooper drops the reader into the story behind the story in her lovely book, The Other Alcott. Centered around May, the inspiration for Amy in Little Women, The Other Alcott quickly transports one to bearing silent witness to May's disappointments and growing ambitions as she pursues an artist's life, all the while trying to escape her fame as the selfish, petulant Amy March. This is a wonderful suggestion for book clubs reconvening after their summer hiatus and a joy to place into the hands of readers.”
— Mary O'Malley, Anderson's Bookshop (La Grange), La Grange, IL
From University Presses
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“Part comedy of manners, part romance, part mystery, and part bildungsroman, this delightful tale is a good read and a surprising addition to Whitman's published writing. Discovered only recently, it playfully works the moral tones, the social perception, the joys in human company, and the focus on the common man and woman Whitman is known for. This is Mark Twain meets Charles Dickens in mid-19th-century Manhattan-a perfectly delightful read!”
— John Evans, DIESEL, A Bookstore, Oakland, CA
By Sam Shepard, Johnny Dark, Chad Hammett (Ed.)
University of Texas Press
“Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright, Academy Award-nominated actor, accomplished screenwriter, and acclaimed fiction writer Sam Shepard apparently once said he'd never write a memoir, so the closest we'll get is this collection of letters and conversations with his former father-in-law and closest friend. An honest, compelling, and poignant portrait of the late artist and of a deep and abiding friendship.”
— Jonathon Welch, Talking Leaves Inc, Buffalo, NY
By Darran Anderson
University Of Chicago Press
“Anderson's inspired book is a brilliant, unrelenting survey of cities in legend, films, ruins, novels, ideology, and beyond. Anderson probes each vision for its implicit definition of humanity and its solutions to the problems of how to live, and especially how to live together. This fantasia of a book moves from Marco Polo's half-remembered/half-invented East to the various utopias of Thomas More and Francis Bacon, and from the lost lands of Atlantis, Uruk, and Ji to the visions of Italian futurists and on to space-age Googie architecture. Imaginary Cities is truly a map of the imagination-that most teeming, sprawling, revelatory city of all.”
— Laurie Greer, Politics & Prose Books and Coffee Shop, Washington, DC
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“Melissa Fraterrigo knows what the new realities of small rural towns located in America's flyover states do to their inhabitants, and it isn't pretty. Fraterrigo's magically realistic naturalism is the perfect style to reflect the intersection of broken lives, broken land, and a broken-down amusement park. But even amidst all the brokenness, Fraterrigo's Glory Days provides a welcome spark of hope.”
— Kathleen Angelone, Bookmamas, Indianapolis, IN
Family and Coming-of-Age
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“After an 11-year gap between novels, Jonathan Safran Foer's Here I Am is a brilliant statement. It is straightforward and complex, with layers upon layers of ideas. The extraordinary paradoxes inherent in being human are mirrored in the demands and gifts of religion and art. Here I Am is an intimate portrait of a family falling apart, but it is also about our global family and the ways we love and disappoint each other. By rationing his well-known sense of humor, Foer deliberately raises the emotional stakes. Ultimately, Here I Am is a gift and-perhaps in reference to Abraham and his son-a sacrifice, about the pain and joy of survival.”
— Sara Hinckley, Hudson Booksellers, Marietta, GA
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“Two bored 10-year-olds spend a sweltering July of 1976 sleuthing throughout their British village looking for answers: what happened to their neighbor, and where exactly is God? Grace and Tilly discover answers (and more questions) as they interview neighbors and examine clues, attempting to solve why Mrs. Creasy disappeared and why God isn't helping in their search. Deeper truths surface in this often funny mystery, which is chock-full of quirky characters, witty language, and its young protagonists' charm. It's a rare mystery that's book-club appropriate, and one that offers much to discuss.”
— Cheryl McKeon, Book Passage, San Francisco, CA
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“The Wangs vs. the World tells the classic immigration story in reverse: Charles Wang built a cosmetics empire in America only to lose it all and pack up his adult children, intending to search for meaning in his homeland. The Wang family road trip is a surefire charmer, with the dysfunctional family of The Nest and the quirk and humor of Where'd You Go, Bernadette.”
— Katie Eelman, Papercuts JP, Boston, MA
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“The Mothers is about hurt, about three people who love each other and hurt each other, and how that hurt reverberates in the community surrounding them. Bennett is so good at uncovering the strata of these relationships over time, digging deeper and deeper with each immaculate scene, skipping years and picking up where things left off, as so many relationships do. Every page feels like a jewel: put them all together, and it is almost too much. This book is blindingly good.”
— Tyler Goodson, Avid Bookshop, Athens, GA
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“A love story with Elinor Lipman's signature wit, charm, and zaniness, On Turpentine Lane is a pure delight! Faith's ho-hum life is upended after she buys a bungalow, and what follows is a tale only Lipman could invent: a philandering father in the midst of a mid-life crisis who paints commissioned Chagall knock-offs for the uber-wealthy, an apparently sweet little house that appears to be home to past murders and disappearing babies, and a whole cast of characters beginning and ending unlikely relationships. Woven through it all is a family that lovingly supports one another, and the unfolding of a delightful romance.”
— Isabel Berg, Book Ends, Winchester, MA
Lives in the Arts
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“Odelle, a Caribbean native scraping out a living in London in the 1960s, finds herself in the middle of an intrigue involving a mysterious piece of art. Burton seamlessly takes us back and forth between the origination of the painting in pre-war Spain and its dramatic entrance into the public eye at a posh British art gallery. Unique characters and unusual situations will keep you reading to understand the truth behind the layers of mystique surrounding the painting and the players involved in creating it. A fast-paced and well-developed literary thriller!”
— Phyllis Spinale, Wellesley Books, Wellesley, MA
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“A Twenty Minute Silence Followed by Applause is the sort of book in which every line feels like a revelation. Writing a meditation on the French mime Marcel Marceau, Wen weaves a mixture of poetry and journalism to create a beautiful look at a misunderstood art. Reminiscent of Maggie Nelson and Sarah Manguso, Shawn Wen is a an exciting and talented new voice.”
— Emily Ballaine, Green Apple Books on the Park, San Francisco, CA
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“I've said it before and I'll say it again: If I could only read the work of one author for the rest of my life, I'd choose Haruki Murakami. In this new nonfiction work, Murakami sits down with Seiji Ozawa, legendary conductor of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Music has long been a pivotal component of Murakami's novels, which is no surprise, since he ran a jazz club before becoming an internationally bestselling author. Absolutely on Music is like sitting in on an intimate conversation between friends; it's a privilege to be able to eavesdrop on these two legends.”
— Chris Linendoll, Northshire Bookstore, Manchester Center, VT
Young Adult
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“With the same intense focus on memory as Lois Lowry's The Giver, The Forgetting reveals a society in which everyone forgets their lives every 12 years. In order to preserve their identities-or, sometimes, to deceptively forge new ones-each citizen records their daily thoughts and events in a series of books, hoping to understand themselves and their loved ones when they wake up from the Forgetting. But Nadia, our heroine, remembers her life before the Forgetting. It has profoundly impacted her, from her quiet nature to her inability to get close to people to her desire to venture into the forbidden lands outside the walled city. Gray, the glassblower's son, is drawn to Nadia, an element that adds an unforgettable love story to this introspective dystopian thriller destined to keep readers up late.”
— Danielle Borsch, Vroman's Bookstore, Pasadena, CA
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“Stopping an asteroid that is about to destroy the West Coast is no problem for Yuri, a 17-year-old physics prodigy from Russia, but learning to talk to and fit in with American teenagers? Now that is hard! I loved this book. Yuri is such a likeable character and you can't help but cheer him on as he tries to make friends for the first time, goes to his first high school dance, and-of course-attempts to save the world. A great read sure to appeal to teens.”
— Lisa Nehs, Books & Company, Oconomowoc, WI
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“Victor has a rare syndrome called Moebius, meaning his face is paralyzed, meaning he gets weird looks, meaning Victor is a bit of an outcast. The judgments Vic confronts have nothing to do with his father's death, his love of art (mostly Matisse), or his obsession with the song 'The Flower Duet,' but have everything to do with what others see. That is until he meets Mad, Baz, Zuz, and Coco, who take him in and help him with the challenge of laying his father to rest. Each one of these kids has a story to tell and a reason they can't go home. This is their story, and it's messy and interesting and as close to the truth as they remember it to be. This book will leave you smiling from the inside out, in the best way possible.”
— Kelsey Morrison, Moravian Book Shop, Bethlehem, PA
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“Upon their 16th birthday, one among the triplets Arsinoe, Katharine, and Mirabella is destined to become queen. Each is trained in deadly talents, and each is determined to win the throne; it's sister against sister in Kendare Blake's dark fantasy, which will leave two destroyed while one captures the crown. Will Arsinoe, Katharine, and Mirabella fight for their destiny and and their sisters' untimely deaths, or will they recall their early upbringing together and turn their destructive talents elsewhere?”
— Kristin Bates, McLean & Eakin Booksellers, Petoskey, MI
More Indie Next Lists
- February 2024 Indie Next List
- January 2024 Indie Next List
- Winter 2024 Reading Group Indie Next List
- January/February 2024 Kids Indie Next List
- December 2023 Indie Next List
- November 2023 Indie Next List
- November/December 2023 Kids Indie Next List
- October 2023 Indie Next List
- Fall 2023 Reading Group Indie Next List
- September 2023 Indie Next List