February 2023 Indie Next List
How to Sell a Haunted House
Grady Hendrix (Berkley)
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“Imagine returning to the hometown you couldn’t wait to leave, then staying in a haunted house while you’re there. Now imagine horror, humor, and entirely believable characters. Grady Hendrix does it best. I’m crazy about this book!”
— Robert Hawthorn, Gallery Bookshop & Bookwinkle's Children's Books, Mendocino, CA
February 2023 Indie Next List
Inspired Recommendations from Indie Booksellers
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“Big Swiss is an I-can’t-stop-thinking-about-this kind of book. When I first read the concept, I was shocked, but intrigued. Now that I’ve read the book, I want everyone else to share in my cringing, laughing, and heart palpitations.”
— Lily Sadighmehr, Third Place Books, Lake Forest Park, WA
By Jane Harper
Flatiron Books
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“What do you look for in a mystery? I look for Jane Harper’s name under the title. Detective Aaron Falk returns in Exiles, set in lush Australian wine country; despite his ‘clues,’ you’ll not guess the ending!”
— Mary Hembree, House of Books, Kent, CT
By Stephen Graham Jones
Gallery / Saga Press
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“Not just a worthy sequel to My Heart is a Chainsaw, but one that, after you’ve read it, you can’t imagine the first book without. Jones has a true gift — he can make you shudder in horror and tear up in the same sentence.”
— Olivia Morris, Harvard Book Store, Cambridge, MA
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“Get ready to dive into a new favorite book! Chaos meets order and grumpy meets sunshine in this adorable romcom full of steamy scenes, mental health rep, secret love letters, and the occasional petty crime. Secretly Yours is a delight!”
— Bridey Morris, R.J. Julia Booksellers, Madison, CT
By Susan Stokes-Chapman
Harper Perennial
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“Pandora is the best kind of historical novel, filled with mystery, a cursed artifact, dashing academics, and a hint of romance. This novel will appeal equally to readers of myth and mystery.”
— Keith Glaeske, East City Bookshop, Washington, DC
By Kate Clayborn
Kensington
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“Kate Clayborn always delivers, and Georgie, All Along is no different. The writing is engrossing and diverting and it’s impossible not to love Georgie as she finds herself and her way. This is an excellent winter read to curl up with.”
— Preet Singh, Eagle Eye Book Shop, Decatur, GA
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“In her outstanding debut, Dizz Tate has created a searing look at a group of young friends, the Brutes, who move as one and disrupt as they go. Set in Florida and traveling across time, Brutes illustrates childhood devoid of innocence.”
— Caitlin Baker, Island Books (WA), Mercer Island, WA
By Jessica George
St. Martin's Press
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“Maame is a deeply moving story about growing up, moving on, grief, and tradition. Jessica George has created a deeply funny and tragic protagonist, and perfectly conveys the challenges of a twenty-five-year-old navigating modern life.”
— Kyle Churman, Werner Books, Erie, PA
By Martin Riker
Grove Press, Black Cat
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“Riker’s smart and offbeat story takes place over one night, as a newly-unemployed economics professor mulls over a lecture she’s about to give and explores her consciousness as though wandering through her own house. Funny and unique.”
— Erika VanDam, RoscoeBooks, Chicago, IL
By Christie Tate
Avid Reader Press / Simon & Schuster
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“Tate’s honesty leaves me in awe of her. In B.F.F., she writes about her struggle to form and maintain close female friendships and the work she does to fix it. In this memoir, she brings the reader in to see all the darkest parts of herself.”
— Mallory Melton, BookPeople, Austin, TX
By Katee Robert
Sourcebooks Casablanca
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“The Dark Olympus series is a must read! I loved every moment of Radiant Sin, and read until the wee hours because I NEEDED to know how it would end; what an ending it was. High romance, intrigue, and fun — this is one of my favorites in the series!”
— Alexis Sky, Book House of Stuyvesant Plaza, Albany, NY
By Kayla Olson
Atria Books
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“Liv and Ransom were co-stars on one of the most successful teen shows ever. When they reunite for a reunion special, they must face the past and being in love both on and off set. A warm blanket of a book that will make you smile.”
— Cara Dyne-Gores, The Bookshelf (OH), Cincinnati, OH
By Heather Marshall
Atria Books
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“The life-changing choices faced by the women in Looking for Jane could not be more relevant. Stretching across five decades and three generations, this powerful novel is for anyone who cares about a woman’s right to decide her future.”
— Beth Stroh, Viewpoint Books, Columbus, IN
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“Stone Blind offers Medusa deserved sympathy, and asks: What makes a monster, and on whose authority? What does it mean to to have your authority stripped? And what does it look like when old stories get reclaimed through a little empathy?”
— Ebony Purks, Nowhere Bookshop, San Antonio, TX
By Marie Benedict
Sourcebooks Landmark
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“Larger than life, the six Mitford sisters provide a page-turning historical fiction. Bound by family, torn by treason, and astoundingly controversial, this glamorous family makes for an epic story. The Mitford Affair is a sizzler.”
— Pamela Klinger-Horn, Valley Bookseller, Stillwater, MN
By Mariana Enriquez, Megan McDowell, Pablo Gerardo Camacho
Hogarth
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“A vibrantly translated epic of family and mystery, friendship and sexual awakenings, history and monsters, full of images I won’t forget: golden nails on a clawed hand, a boy watching two men embrace, and the scariest door-close ever.”
— Drew Broussard, The Golden Notebook, Woodstock, NY
By Nazlı Koca
Grove Press
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“Leyla’s life swallowed me whole. As she waits for a decision about her visa, she’s torn between countries, dreams, and selves. This book speaks to the working class, to millennials, to anyone who’s been lost between a dream and a harsh reality.”
— Laura Kendall, Second Flight Books, Lafayette, IN
By Monica Heisey
William Morrow
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“This book follows a woman’s first year of singledom after her brief marriage unceremoniously falls apart. Depression, delusion, and self-pity all star here, but the author handles it all with tenderness and a dash of humor.”
— Tracy Affonso, Wellesley Books, Wellesley, MA
By Sadeqa Johnson
Simon & Schuster
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“The House of Eve follows two young Black women in the 1950’s as they struggle with racism, colorism, and the many paths to motherhood. It will break your heart and make you realize everyone is fighting their own battle. Incredible.”
— Andrea Richardson, Fountain Bookstore, Richmond, VA
By De'Shawn Charles Winslow
Bloomsbury Publishing
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“Decent People captures what a horrific crime can do to a small rural community. You’ll want to cheer for the characters, and you know that someone is responsible for a triple murder. How many secrets can someone hold before they break?”
— Shane Mullen, Left Bank Books, St. Louis, MO
By Benjamin Stevenson
Mariner Books
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“This is the best mystery I’ve read. The narrator understood that just because he was telling the story, it didn’t make the story about him. Every member of this family was given a story arc that also directly connected to the whole! So good!”
— Hannah Oxley, Mystery to Me, Madison, WI
By Kathryn Ma
Counterpoint
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“Having suffered the profound loss of his mother during childhood, Shelley is his father’s last hope and is sent to San Francisco to achieve the American Dream. Nothing in America is as he thought. This is a funny, sweet, delightful book.”
— Rachel Watkins, Avid Bookshop, Athens, GA
By Keiran Goddard
Europa Editions
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“Hourglass is a psalm for anyone who’s ever loved and lost and loved again. Messy, darkly funny, and gut-wrenching, this poem-meets-novella will remind you just how fragile a heart can be. I will come back to it time and time again.”
— Holly Voorsanger, Bookshop Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA
By Maylis De Kerangal, Jessica Moore
Archipelago
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“An emotional thriller in miniature, this slim, brisk book had me on the edge of my seat and emotionally invested in these characters until the very end. The poetic language is the work of a singular and transfixing talent.”
— David Vogel, Literati Bookstore, Ann Arbor, MI
Now in Paperback
Indie Next List Selections Come to Paperback
