September 2021 Indie Next List
Matrix
Lauren Groff (Riverhead Books)
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“Lauren Groff has created an incredibly powerful portrait of the compelling Marie de France, banished to 12th-century England to live in a failing abbey. I fell in love with Marie and the sisters she lives with.”
— Rosanna Nissen, Barrett Bookstore, Darien, CT
September 2021 Indie Next List
Inspired Recommendations from Indie Booksellers
By Kira Jane Buxton
Grand Central Publishing
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“Feral Creatures is dark, hilarious, and apocalyptic. It has all the same heart, tenderness, bizarre humor, and hilarity as Hollow Kingdom. This is a follow-up not to be missed!”
— Michelle Malonzo, Changing Hands, Tempe, AZ
By Colson Whitehead
Doubleday Books
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“A love letter to 1960s Harlem that’s also a heist novel, a family saga, and so much more. Colson Whitehead proves once again that he’s always at the top of his game!”
— Alyssa Raymond, Copper Dog Books, Beverly, MA
By Zoraida Córdova
Atria Books
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“This story sparkles and enchants! It’s a rich and layered multigeneration saga featuring strong women and a mystery veiled in magical realism that will tease and feed your imagination.”
— Grace Rajendran, University Book Store, Seattle, WA
By William Kent Krueger
Atria Books
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“In this prequel set in 1963, we meet 12-year-old Cork’s family as his father investigates a murder. Even as Cork believes he will never be a cop, we can see Cork’s inevitable future as an investigator.”
— Carol Blizzard Dunn, Northwind Book & Fiber, Spooner, WI
By Stephen Graham Jones
Gallery / Saga Press
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“Jade isn’t the final girl; she doesn’t fit the requirements for a typical slasher flick. When her town becomes the setting for a real-life slasher case, she fills the role of wise woman to the appropriate final girl.”
— April Gosling, Boulder Book Store, Boulder, CO
By Maggie Nelson
Graywolf Press
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“I have long anticipated Maggie Nelson’s newest work and On Freedom does not disappoint. Who doesn’t want to know her thoughts on art, sex, drugs, and climate?”
— Dartricia Rollins, Charis Books & More, Atlanta, GA
By Qian Julie Wang
Doubleday Books
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“In this brutally honest coming-of-age memoir, Qian Julie Wang comes to terms with the deprivations and struggles of her undocumented Chinese upbringing in New York City in the 1990s.”
— Kayleen Rohrer, InkLink Books, East Troy, WI
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“This follow-up to The River is just as pitch perfect, with each bit of suspense doled out at just the right time. You don’t need to read The River before reading The Guide, but it will definitely deepen the experience.”
— Paul Swydan, The Silver Unicorn Bookstore, Acton, MA
By Lisa Jewell
Atria Books
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“Lisa Jewell is indeed a master of suspense with The Night She Disappeared. Multiple timelines add to the suspense as the characters’ lives began to interweave and the story builds to an unexpected climax.”
— Eileen McGervey, One More Page Books, Arlington, VA
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“This stunning psychological suspense novel will have you reading well into the night. That ending! Fans of Gillian Flynn and Caroline Kepnes will love this intense book.”
— William Carl, An Unlikely Story, Plainville, MA
By Cadwell Turnbull
Blackstone Publishing
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“Cadwell Turnbull weaves fantasy with current events to reveal how difficult it is to hold onto your humanity when society denies your existence or, worse, systematically erases you.”
— Nicole A. Johnson, Baltimore Read Aloud, Baltimore, MD
By Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Del Rey Books
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“From the author of Mexican Gothic comes a classic noir with a side of romance based on the Mexican government’s suppression of dissent in the ’60s and ’70s and the involvement of the CIA and KGB.”
— Rebecca Dowling, Hockessin Book Shelf, Hockessin, DE
By James Kennedy
Quirk Books
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“A company can tell you with 100% accuracy when you are going to die. But what happens when you live beyond your expiration date? As you read Dare to Know, your sense of reality will melt away.”
— Bob Lingle, Off the Beaten Path Bookstore (NY), Lakewood, NY
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“If, like me, your catnip is the taciturn, brainy, hot hero who is secretly a big squishy marshmallow at heart, look no further than this awesome debut!”
— Angela Trigg, The Haunted Book Shop, Mobile, AL
By Jay Kristoff, Bon Orthwick
St. Martin's Press
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“In the vein of The Name of the Wind, a vampire hunter recounts his life to his executioner. This epic dystopian fantasy is dark and seductive. The violence! The expletives! The smut! What’s not to love?”
— Leah Atlee, Bright Side Bookshop, Flagstaff, AZ
By Sally Rooney
Farrar, Straus and Giroux
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“Another incredible story! The characters are vibrant and familiar, and the intimate moments are uniquely painted. It’s as if a close friend is confessing their life to you and you are seeing yourself in it.”
— Katie Kenney, Bank Square Books, Mystic, CT
By Alison Cochrun
Atria Books
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“While Dev believes in fairytale romances, Charlie most certainly does not. That doesn’t stop the two of them from stumbling into their own romantic comedy that will leave you absolutely charmed.”
— Lauren Homza, Rediscovered Books, Boise, ID
By Margaret Renkl
Milkweed Editions
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“Margaret Renkl’s essays alternate between balm for the soul and outrage at the world with all of its injustices. She makes me think and see things in a different light, and for that I’m eternally grateful.”
— Jayne Rowsam, Mystery to Me, Madison, WI
By Paula Hawkins
Riverhead Books
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“I remember the addictiveness of Girl on The Train and Into the Water, and Paula Hawkins did not let readers down with this new book. A Slow Fire Burning was an amazing read that I couldn’t put down.”
— Deanna Bailey, Story on The Square, McDonough, GA
By Mary Roach
W. W. Norton & Company
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“Human encounters with wildlife are increasing as land development shrinks wildlife habitat. Roach recounts dangerous engagements, some head-shaking practices, and plenty of laugh-out-loud turf wars.”
— Kay Wosewick, Boswell Book Company, Milwaukee, WI
By Emily Itami
Custom House
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“Emily Itami has given us an incredibly engaging, hilarious, and relatable narrator in Mizuki as she navigates the fault lines in her marriage, in her past, and within herself.”
— Danielle Raub, Itinerant Literate Books, Charleston, SC
By Honoree Fanonne Jeffers
Harper
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“This is the best book I’ve read this year. An ambitious debut novel tracing the history of one family against the backdrop of American history and showing the stories that are remembered and the ones that are forgotten.”
— Benedict Tanter, Main Point Books, Wayne, PA
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“A wonderful collection of short stories that span the Chinese and Chinese American diaspora through time and place. These women, strong yet powerless, find their own meaning of hao (good).”
— Audrey Huang, Belmont Books, Belmont, MA
By Shruti Swamy
Algonquin Books
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“The Archer is the story of a young Indian woman who longs to be a classical dancer — to feel that rhythm, to have that as her life focus — yet is continually buffeted by her choices and those made for her.”
— Becky Milner, Vintage Books, Vancouver, WA
Now in Paperback
Indie Next List Selections Come to Paperback
