The March 2025 Indie Next List Preview

Here are the 25 Indie Next List and 6 Now in Paperback picks on the March 2025 Indie Next List flier.

The March title list is also viewable as a collection on Edelweiss and on the Indie Next List page as an Excel file alongside PDFs for the month’s flier and shelf-talker templates. Learn more and visit Matchbook Marketing’s program page to sign up to send the free Indie Next List e-newsletter to customers.

Additionally, to mark the start of the new month, the February Indie Next List picks are available as a flier, along with past lists, on the Indie Next List page on BookWeb.org.      

The 25 March Indie Next List Picks

#1 Pick: Wild Dark Shore: A Novel
By Charlotte McConaghy
(Flatiron Books, 9781250827951, $28.99, Mar. 4, Fiction)
“An achingly beautiful novel, a page-turning thriller, and an ode to the landscapes disappearing before our eyes. It so perfectly captures the deep heartbreak of loving a place in your very bones and knowing there is nothing you can do to save it. Still, the book was full of hope.”
—Nina Lundstrom, Maria’s Bookshop, Durango, CO

The Unworthy: A Novel
By Agustina Bazterrica, Sarah Moses (Transl.)
(Scribner, 9781668063705, $28.99, Hardcover; 9781668051887, $18.99, Paperback, Mar. 4, Fiction)
“In a world broken by climate disaster, a young woman is a low-level member of a cult cloistered in a convent. Control and abuse maintain order, but at least she is fed and safe. As she tries to piece her past together, we experience the horrors outside and inside, past and present.”
—Alana Haley, Schuler Books, Grand Rapids, MI

The River Has Roots
By Amal El-Mohtar
(Tordotcom, 9781250341082, $24.99, Mar. 4, Fantasy)
“This is a perfect little jewel of a book. It reads like a fairy tale I’d somehow missed as a child, but told in prose that weaves and shimmers and feels to always have a meaning just at the edges of my reach. Sapphics stay winning.”
—Becca Title, Meet Cute Romance Bookshop, San Diego, CA

Deep Cuts: A Novel (Indies Introduce)
By Holly Brickley
(Crown, 9780593799086, $28, Feb. 25, Fiction)
“This book is a love song. It’s a love letter to music, to connection, to friendship and romance and collaboration and connection and talent and pain. I wish I could have written this book. I’m jealous of people who haven’t read this book yet.”
—Jamie Thomas, Women & Children First, Chicago, IL

The Antidote: A Novel
By Karen Russell
(Knopf, 9780593802250, $30, Mar. 11, Historical Fiction)
“I was blown away (pun intended) by The Antidote! Such a wonderful book. A dust bowl novel with elements of magical realism intrigued me and Russell did not disappoint. It reminded me of The Giver, but for adults.”
—Hunter Gillum, Beaverdale Books, Des Moines, IA

Broken Country: A Novel
By Clare Leslie Hall
(Simon & Schuster, 9781668078181, $28.99, Mar. 4, Fiction)
“Broken Country is a novel filled with love and broken hearts. Told in three timelines, each filled with so much love and loss. I forced myself to slow down and enjoy every sentence. The mystery kept me riveted to my chair, within reach of a box of tissues.”
—Leslie Jennings, Brewster Book Store, Brewster, MA

Count My Lies: A Novel
By Sophie Stava
(Gallery/Scout Press, 9781668079348, $28.99, Mar. 4, Thriller)
“Count My Lies is an absolute thrill ride! A woman lies her way into the lives of a couple and their young daughter. But is she the only one keeping secrets? Order some take-out and settle in. Once you start reading, it’s impossible to stop!”
—Mary O'Malley, Skylark Bookshop, Columbia, MO

One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This
By Omar El Akkad
(Knopf, 9780593804148, $28, Feb. 25, Memoir)
“In my life as a bookseller, there have been only a handful of books that I feel are absolutely necessary. This is one of those books. El Akkad’s analysis and fury stand as beacons that will illuminate our path forward. I urge you to read and find a place in your heart for this book.”
—Paul Yamazaki, City Lights Books, San Francisco, CA

The Café with No Name: A Novel
By Robert Seethaler, Katy Derbyshire (Transl.)
(Europa Editions, 9798889660644, $25, Feb. 25, Fiction)
“Seethaler perfectly captures the essence of community — the importance, the beauty, the pitfalls. The characters are flawed, just like any assortment of people you’d find at a café. It’s the small moments in life that matter so much.”
—Susan Reckers, Rakestraw Books, Danville, CA

Kate & Frida: A Novel of Friendship, Food, and Books
By Kim Fay
(G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 9780593852385, $28, Mar. 11, Fiction)
“Learning to be an adult in the world is hard, but it is far easier with a good friend, even if it’s one who can only support you from afar. Heartwarming, humorous, and ultimately hopeful, this novel perfectly captures the power of friendship.”
—Leslie Logemann, Highland Books, Brevard, NC

I Got Abducted by Aliens and Now I’m Trapped in a Rom-Com
By Kimberly Lemming
(Berkley, 9780593818633, $19, Paperback, Feb. 18, Romance)
“Hilarious and adventurous in Kimberly Lemming’s signature style! The characters and story are so imaginative, from the dinosaurs, to talking owl-like creatures, to flamethrowing sexy aliens with hooves and horns. Such a fun read!”
—Vanessa Nicolle, Femme Fire Books, Jacksonville, FL

Red Dog Farm: A Novel
By Nathaniel Ian Miller
(Little, Brown and Company, 9780316575140, $28, Mar. 4, Fiction)
“A moving and well-crafted story of a young man’s return to his family’s struggling cattle farm in western Iceland. Told with wit, insight, and a keen eye for the landscape of the human heart.”
—Ann Woodbeck, Excelsior Bay Books, Excelsior, MN

Dream State: A Novel
By Eric Puchner
(Doubleday, 9780385550666, $28, Feb. 18, Fiction)
“Dream State is a wide-ranging, richly textured novel that defies any simple description. Starting in a familiar past, old college pals prepare for a wedding in Montana and end up decades ahead in an uncomfortably plausible near future.”
—Stan Hynds, Northshire Bookstore, Manchester Center, VT

The Jackal’s Mistress: A Novel
By Chris Bohjalian
(Doubleday, 9780385547642, $29, Mar. 11, Historical Fiction)
“Set during the Civil War, The Jackal’s Mistress is a gripping tale. The true story of a Southern woman who harbored a gravely injured Union soldier and nursed him back to health grappling with the ethics of her actions and her developing feelings for the soldier.”
—Caroline Buchta, Andover Bookstore, Andover, MA

Swordheart
By T. Kingfisher
(Bramble, 9781250400222, $28.99, Feb. 25, Fantasy/Romance)
“Swordheart chronicles the travels of Halla and Sarkis with Kingfisher’s quick wit and charm. A hard-won adventure with a blossoming relationship — equally awkward and delightful — that captures what it means to find love where you least expect it.”
—Tori Finklea, Union Avenue Books, Knoxville, TN

Go Luck Yourself: A Royals and Romance Novel
By Sara Raasch
(Bramble, 9781250333216, $19.99, Paperback, Mar. 11, Fantasy/Romance)
“Go Luck Yourself is absolutely everything I could have hoped for in a sequel to The Nightmare Before Kissmas. I was delighted to see Kris’ inner workings and his quest for his own happily ever after, and I adored Lochlann and his sisters.”
—Emily Hall Schroen, Main Street Books, St. Charles, MO

Stag Dance: A Novel & Stories
By Torrey Peters
(Random House, 9780593595640, $28, Mar. 11, Fiction)
“Filled to the brim with visceral and liberatory queer writing. I found two of these stories years ago and they molded me into the reader I am today. To say I’m over the moon that people will finally read these stories is an understatement. Flawless!”
—Grace Sullivan, Fountain Bookstore, Richmond, VA

Raising Hare: A Memoir
By Chloe Dalton
(Pantheon, 9780593701843, $27, Mar. 4, Memoir)
“Dalton’s prose is as light and quick-footed as the hare who lives with her. She captures everything I love about good nature writing: observations that leave you with a new sense of astonishment and appreciation for the small lives interwoven with our own.”
—Shannon Guinn-Collins, Bookworks, Albuquerque, NM

33 Place Brugmann: A Novel (Indies Introduce)
By Alice Austen
(Grove Press, 9780802164087, $28, Mar. 11, Fiction)
“Set in Brussels as the storm clouds of WWII amass over Europe, the residents of an apartment building are forced to make difficult choices that will forever change their lives. Fans of The Postcard and All the Light We Cannot See, this is your next great read.”
—Cody Morrison, Square Books, Oxford, MS

The Women on Platform Two: A Novel
By Laura Anthony
(Gallery Books, 9781668047385, $28.99, Mar. 11, Fiction)
“I was riveted to this fictionalized account of women in 1970s Ireland — a time when women had no rights to their bodies, their future, and their voice. From each woman’s story to their effect on history, this book hits all the right notes.”
—Terry Gilman, Creating Conversations, Redondo Beach, CA

A Dumb Birds Field Guide to the Worst Birds Ever
By Matt Kracht
(Chronicle Books, 9781797232751, $15.95, Paperback, Mar. 11, Humor)
“I love this series and cannot wait for the next installment! People squeal with delight when they find it and know exactly who to gift it to. If you can’t get enough ‘weird legs’ and ‘egotistical jackasses’ of the bird world, this book is for you!”
—Meghan Hayden, River Bend Bookshop, Glastonbury, CT

The Garden: A Novel
By Nick Newman
(G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 9780593717738, $29, Feb. 18, Science Fiction)
“This book is creepy. It has a ton of twists and turns. What is actually happening and what comes from the mother’s twisted imagination? Should the sisters keep going the way they always have, or take a look at the outside?”
—Andrea Iriarte, Molly’s Bookstore, Melrose, MA

Optional Practical Training: A Novel
By Shubha Sunder
(Graywolf Press, 9781644453247, $17, Paperback, Mar. 4, Fiction)
“Elegantly written, Optional Practical Training chronicles coming of age as a young immigrant with nuance and wit. Through intimate glimpses of a very specific point in Pavitra’s life, this book sharply investigates larger questions of agency and self.”
—Kazumi Fish, Yu & Me Books, New York, NY

Fundamentally: A Novel (Indies Introduce)
By Nussaibah Younis
(Tiny Reparations Books, 9780593851388, $28, Feb. 25, Fiction)
“Nussaibah Younis’ witty debut novel fetches a relevant focus on today’s societal views of women and what they are capable of. Read it through and embrace the character arc — you won’t put this book down until the very last page.”
—Desirae Wilkerson, Paper Boat Booksellers, Seattle, WA

The Passenger Seat (Indies Introduce)
By Vijay Khurana
(Biblioasis, 9781771966306, $17.95, Paperback, Mar. 4, Fiction)
“Join two teen boys in a joyride to nowhere as they light out for the territories with Chekhov’s gun behind the front seat. Khurana’s debut novel rumbles like a ‘67 Impala; readers will long for their seatbelts as it peels off toward its inevitable conclusion.”
—Austin Carter, Pocket Books Shop, Lancaster, PA

The 6 Now in Paperback Titles

After Annie: A Novel
By Anna Quindlen
(Random House Trade Paperbacks, 9780593229828, $19, Feb. 25, Fiction)
“Anna Quindlen returns with a poignant novel of grief, friendship, and fortitude. Anyone who has experienced the death of a loved one will appreciate After Annie and the hope it delivers. Read it for yourself, give it as a gift, share it.”
—Pamela Klinger-Horn, Valley Bookseller, Stillwater, MN

Clear: A Novel
By Carys Davies
(Scribner, 9781668030677, $17.99, Mar. 4, Fiction)
“Insightful and memorable, Clear is an elemental portrayal of loneliness, language, and unlikely companionship. Set on a harsh and unforgiving isle in northern Scotland, Davies elegantly shares how regular daily moments can be profound.”
—Miriam Roskam, Mountain Shire: Books & Gifts, Winter Park, CO

Funny Story
By Emily Henry
(Berkley, 9780593441213, $19, Feb. 25, Romance)
“If Emily Henry has thousands of fans, I am one of them. If Emily Henry has one fan, I am that one. If Emily Henry has no fans, I am dead. Daphne and Miles are the comfortable reliability of your dinnertime game show & the warmest quilt of eccentricities. A beautiful friends-to-lovers story.”
—Nyawira Nyota, Page 158 Books, Wake Forest, NC

The Fury: A Novel
By Alex Michaelides
(Celadon Books, 9781250758996, $17.99, Mar. 4, Thriller)
“The Fury is a perfectly paced, charming, devious mystery novel to fall in love with. On a small, private, Greek island, mythology, history, and personal baggage put our small cast to the test. Intense, captivating, and satisfying.”
—Becky Doherty, Northshire Bookstore, Saratoga Springs, NY

The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder
By David Grann
(Vintage, 9780307742490, $21, Feb. 25, History)
“The Wager is filled with the most questionable aspects of human nature, but is also a nod to the strength of spirit as it pertains to survival. This book is dramatic, well-researched, and perfect nonfiction that reads like fiction.”
—Stuart McCommon, Novel., Memphis, TN

Wandering Stars: A Novel
By Tommy Orange
(Vintage, 9780593311448, $18, Feb. 18, Fiction)
“Wandering Stars is an epic tale grounded in truth and elevated by Tommy Orange’s phenomenal storytelling. He brings a gruesome slice of US history to life and gives voice to a generation of Native people who live its legacy.”
—Claire Benedict, Bear Pond Books, Montpelier, VT