Fall 2023 Reading Group Indie Next List
Dazzling Debuts
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“In their childhood home riddled with memories and spirits, Rufina strikes a bet with her grief-stricken brother, Rafa. What follows is a mesmeric, incantatory story as two siblings attempt to grapple with the profound complexities of loss.”
— Serena Morales, Books Are Magic, Brooklyn, NY
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“A small novel that explores the misogynistic landscapes of everyday Japanese publishing through a collection of surreal scenes of sapling skin, forests, and monsters. Quietly powerful.”
— Iris Tobin, A Room Of One's Own Bookstore, Madison, WI
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“This beautifully-crafted novel manages to weave past and present together in a meditation on choice, free will, and how our own actions — and the actions of those before us — affect entire generations. A must-read.”
— Debra Ginsberg, DIESEL, A Bookstore, Santa Monica, CA
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“I could feel the seasons of small town Maine pass as I read. I could also feel the weight — and the beauty — of the way individual people, with their complicated and private hearts, act on one another in a community.”
— Nora Sternlof, R.J. Julia Booksellers, Madison, CT
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“A story of agency, obsession, art, and love, this novel sings. Warrell builds a steady rhythm of women’s voices around Circus, hitting the right notes and some of the sour ones, as these women learn to lead in their own lives.”
— Miranda Sanchez, Epilogue: Books Chocolate Brews, Chapel Hill, NC
Family & Coming of Age
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“This slim, beautifully written novel (or is it a memoir?) takes place in London as the writer/narrator copes with the death of her mother. It is about so much — bereavement, disability, writing, relationships — and is always engaging.”
— Nancy Felton, Broadside Bookshop, Northampton, MA
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“I can’t get enough of Kevin Wilson’s books, and Now is Not the Time to Panic gifts us two endearingly awkward misfits and their accidental foray into art’s subculture as they come of age in a small town.”
— Bari Dulberg, The Astoria Bookshop, Astoria, NY
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“A boy and his mother, a Chinese American poet, are torn apart by PACT: the Preserving American Culture and Traditions Act. Our Missing Hearts is a powerful testament to the bond between mother and child and the radical forms resistance can take.”
— Megan Bell, Underground Books, Carrollton, GA
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“Tell Me I’m an Artist goes through the mind of an artist who is struggling to fit in and pull away from family that is no longer loving. This reads like your personal diary and makes for a true coming of age story. Incredible and gut wrenching.”
— Ollie Mendez, Skylight Books, Los Angeles, CA
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“I adored They’re Going to Love You so much that a part of me is convinced that Meg Howrey wrote it for me, specifically. This is a gorgeous novel about being an artist in the modern world, the sacrifices we make, and the people we hurt.”
— Lindsay Lynch, Parnassus Books, Nashville, TN
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“The Work Wife is worthy of every accolade! An absolute page-turner with an intricate plot that spins tighter and tighter as you move through the three points of view. Get this onto your book club calendar — there is a lot to talk about!”
— Mary O'Malley, Skylark Bookshop, Columbia, MO
Historical Fiction
By R. F. Kuang
Harper Voyager
“Dark academia that addresses race, class, and the role language plays in imperialism, Babel will blow you away. Kuang gives us a stunning work of historical fantasy and a fascinating take on translation and language.”
— Olivia Marchese, Author's Note, Medina, NY
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“Carrie Soto easily joins the ranks of Nina, Evelyn, and Daisy Jones! She is unapologetic to the point of ruthlessness, but readers will love her all the same! Each tennis match was intense and vividly described. TJR truly outdid herself.”
— Vina Castillo, Kew & Willow Books, Kew Gardens, NY
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“A heartwrenching take on the short life of Lucrezia de’ Medici. O’Farrell’s writing is full of humanity, emotion, and the subtleties of interaction — Lucrezia shines. If you loved Hamnet, you’ll be right at home in The Marriage Portrait.”
— Eric Judy, Paper Boat Booksellers, Seattle, WA
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“Based on the lives of the aristocratic Mitford sisters, this is an utterly engaging glance at the rise of fascism in Britain leading up to WWII and one sister’s infatuation with Hitler. A thought-provoking glipse at how ideologies can be dangerous.”
— Annette Steinmetz, The Well-Read Moose, Coeur d'Alene, ID
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“Set at sea and on a desolate island off the western coast of Australia, The Night Ship is the well-woven parallel tale of youngsters Mayken in 1629 and Gil in 1989. A tale of disrupted youth replete with friendship, tenacity, sorrow, and love.”
— Susan Posch, The Book Shoppe (IA), Boone, IA
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“Sister Stardust is a 1960s blast. An impressionable young girl’s chance encounter in London whisks her to Marrakesh, into a world full of rock stars, artists, fashion designers, socialites, and unimaginable wealth. A wild ride.”
— Damita Nocton, The Country Bookshop, Southern Pines, NC
Nonfiction & Memoir
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“Also a Poet is simultaneously a moving and nuanced portrait of a complicated father-daughter relationship and a fascinating biography of Frank O'Hara, told with care and rigor.”
— Lesley Rains, City of Asylum Bookstore, Pittsburgh, PA
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“In Dirtbag, Massachusetts Fitzgerald unapologetically grapples with body image, trauma, drugs, and alcohol. Reading it felt like swapping stories with a dear friend.”
— Audrey Beatty, River Bend Bookshop, Glastonbury, CT
By Michael Frank, Maira Kalman
Avid Reader Press / Simon & Schuster
“Frank elicits Stella Levi’s moving story of the centuries-old Jewish community Juderia of Rhodes and their brutal deportation by the Nazis to Auschwitz in 1943. Frank’s loving portrait is luminescent.”
— Dale Szczeblowski, Porter Square Books, Cambridge, MA
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“This is a call to action. Zamora is the embodiment of resilience and provides heartrending storytelling. We should all strive for a world where no child has to overcome these odds to pursue their dreams. This is urgent and impossible to forget.”
— Destinee Hodge, East City Bookshop, Washington, DC
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“Crane faces her divorce head on with wit and grace. Each vignette builds on the last into something strangely beautiful. For those who enjoy a little Summertime (reading) Sadness.”
— Audrey Kohler, BookWoman, Austin, TX
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“This is a unique look at the inner life of a prolific cold case investigator, told in his words as he walks us through some of California’s most notorious cases. Highly recommend for anyone interested in true crime and criminal justice.”
— Kelsey Frazier, Napa Bookmine, Napa, CA
Small Bites
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“Contemporary Chinese American fiction is in good hands. Ling Ma is a master at blending the surreal and all-too-real, and these eight stories are full proof of her prowess.”
— Michelle Zhang, BookPeople, Austin, TX
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“Dead-End Memories highlights the universal and passive spirits that uplift us despite life’s hardships. Yoshimoto gives us, the reader, permission to cherish the tender, vulnerable parts of ourselves in this wondrous book. A treasure trove!”
— Thu Doan, East Bay Booksellers, Oakland, CA
By Margaret Renkl
Milkweed Editions
“Graceland, At Last goes beyond stereotypes and caricatures of the American South to reveal the real people, plants, and animals that live there, and how they band together during dark times. These columns illuminate all manner of hidden things.”
— Ellie Ray, Content Bookstore, Northfield, MN
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“Agustina Bazterrica is so good at making my skin crawl with her writing, so naturally I had to read her short story collection. These nineteen stories will make you feel unsettled and question everything.”
— Lotte Dunnell, Bookends & Beginnings, Evanston, IL
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“Fofana’s immersive novel-in-stories brings a vivid humanity to the plight of gentrification. Full of life and sprinkled with humor, he reveals the personal and cultural consequences capitalism can have on a diverse, struggling community.”
— Alden Zeff, Water Street Bookstore, Exeter, NH
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“Time is a Mother is without a doubt one of the best things I've ever read in my life. While reading this collection, I felt as if I could breathe underwater. I could feel time slow down, allowing me to be present in the ephemeral stillness of grief and memory. I know I will return to these poems often.”
— Christine Bollow, Loyalty Bookstores, Washington, DC
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
- September 2023 Indie Next List
- September/October 2023 Kids Indie Next List