The September 2022 Indie Next List Preview

Here are the 25 Indie Next List and 6 Now in Paperback picks on the September 2022 Indie Next List flier.

The September 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 about ABA’s recent refresh for the Indie Next List program 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 August Indie Next List picks are available as a flier, along with past lists, on the Indie Next List page on BookWeb.org.                               

The 25 September Indie Next List Picks 

#1 Pick: Love on the Brain: A Novel
By Ali Hazelwood
(Berkley, 9780593336847, $17, paperback, Aug. 23, Romance)
“Ali Hazelwood has done it again! This is NOT a novel that you can read a few pages here, a few pages there — it demands one sitting. With expert pacing, witty humor, and loveable characters, Love on the Brain is this fall’s hot romantic comedy!”
—Stefanie Lynn, The Kennett Bookhouse, Kennett Square, PA

Carrie Soto Is Back: A Novel
By Taylor Jenkins Reid
(Ballantine Books, 9780593158685, $28, Aug. 30, Fiction)
“This might be Reid’s best yet! Carrie Soto was so fierce. It was fun to see her cope with aging and realize there is more to life than winning. Reid delivers yet another strong, unconventional female lead. Just like Carrie, this is a winner!”
—Kathy Clemmons, Sundog Books, Santa Rosa Beach, FL

Babel: Or the Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators’ Revolution
By R. F. Kuang
(Harper Voyager, 9780063021426, $27.99, Aug. 23, Fantasy)
“Finishing a book like this is equal parts pleasure and pain: pleasure in reading something so striking and beautiful juxtaposed by the pain of it ending. Few books have brought tears to my eyes; Kuang’s Babel is now numbered among them.”
—Maxwell Leaning, Paragraphs Bookstore, Mount Vernon, OH

The Marriage Portrait: A Novel
By Maggie O’Farrell
(Knopf, 9780593320624, $28, Sept. 6, Fiction)
“Lucrezia de’ Medici’s brief spark of a life is granted lush, compassionate detail in The Marriage Portrait. The frills and deceits of medieval court society come alive as our dear protagonist fights to survive them. An outstanding read!”
—Celina Muñoz, Brick & Mortar Books, Redmond, WA

If I Survive You
By Jonathan Escoffery
(MCD, 9780374605988, $27, Sept. 6, Short Stories)
“A story collection that reads like a loose novel; Escoffery is a literary master. Images from this book have come unbidden to me long after reading, as though these are people who told me their stories themselves. This is a knockout debut!”
—Julie Wernersbach, P&T Knitwear Bookstore, New York, NY

Nona the Ninth (The Locked Tomb Series #3)
By Tamsyn Muir
(Tordotcom, 9781250854117, $28.99, Sept. 13, Science Fiction)
“Every book in this series somehow surpasses the last in writing, plot, character development, and sheer off-the-wall entertainment. Without spoilers, I’ll just say that you are going to love Nona as much as Nona loves you (and Noodle).”
—Brooke Williams, Bookends & Beginnings, Evanston, IL

Daisy Darker: A Novel
By Alice Feeney
(Flatiron Books, 9781250843937, $28.99, Aug. 30, Thriller)
“Daisy Darker headed in a direction I didn’t expect, and I was torn between rereading all I just read or going forward to see what was next! A dark and twisty tale — from the moment we arrive at Seaglass with the waves pounding until the very end.”
—Nona Camuel, CoffeeTree Books, Morehead, KY

Other Birds: A Novel
By Sarah Addison Allen
(St. Martin’s Press, 9781250019868, $27.99, Aug. 30, Fiction)
“It has been over a week since I finished Other Birds and I am still enchanted. A beautiful story with an eclectic bunch of characters in a dreamy southern town with a touch of mystery, love, and loss.”
—Elisa McIntosh, The Bookstore Plus Music & Art, Lake Placid, NY

Solito: A Memoir
By Javier Zamora
(Hogarth, 9780593498064, $28, Sept. 6, Memoir)
“Man, what a brave and brilliant memoir. It’s hard to imagine what Javiercito endured in his quest to be reunited with his parents, not to mention the mental and physical journey north to La USA. I’ll be putting this in readers’ hands for a long time. Essential.”
—Javier Ramirez, Exile in Bookville, Chicago, IL

The Fortunes of Jaded Women: A Novel
By Carolyn Huynh
(Atria Books, 9781982188733, $27, Sept. 6, Fiction)
“A story about the pushes and pulls of first-generation Americans, of grandmothers, mothers, sisters, and daughters. There is love, accomplishment, community, and it’s laugh out loud funny. Give yourself the gift of reading this book.”
—Holly Hendricks, Sunriver Books & Music, Sunriver, OR

One Hundred Saturdays: Stella Levi and the Search for a Lost World
By Michael Frank, Maira Kalman (Illus.)
(Avid Reader Press/Simon & Schuster, 9781982167226, $28, Sept. 6, Biography)
“Saturday after Saturday, Stella Levi’s story forms the lively, tragic tale that is One Hundred Saturdays. This is the best book I’ve read all year, and with Maira Kalman’s brilliant illustrations it may be the best book of the decade.”
—Angie Tally, The Country Bookshop, Southern Pines, NC

The Lost Girls of Willowbrook: A Novel
By Ellen Marie Wiseman
(Kensington, 9781496715883, $16.95, paperback, Aug. 30, Historical Fiction)
“Based on the horrible truth of the Willowbrook State School, Wiseman tells a powerful story of sisters and the true strength of family. An emotional ride that speaks to real historic events and the cruelty in institutions like Willowbrook.”
—Mia D’Alessandro, Thunder Road Books, Spring Lake, NJ

The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches: A Novel
By Sangu Mandanna
(Berkley, 9780593439357, $17, paperback, Aug. 23, Fantasy)
“I chose this book because of the wonderful title. I stayed through the end because of Mika Moon, our ridiculously charming reluctant heroine. We should all have a friend like Mika. Magic, family, romance, home — this book has it all!”
—Lisa Reid, Lucy's Books, Astoria, OR

A Taste of Gold and Iron
By Alexandra Rowland
(Tordotcom, 9781250800381, $27.99, Aug. 30, Fantasy)
“A sizzling romance that had me on the edge of my seat! Kadou and Evemer are compelling and their world is full of delightful intrigue. Themes of fealty, forgiveness, and the true value of things make this an unforgettable adventure.”
—Katie Elms, Bookbug, Kalamazoo, MI

Fox Creek: A Novel (Cork O’Connor Mystery Series #19)
By William Kent Krueger
(Atria Books, 9781982128715, $28, Aug. 23, Mystery)
“Fox Creek continues the saga of Cork O’Connor who is now a licensed private investigator. Krueger’s concern for the Native people of Northern Minnesota is very evident in this tense and dramatic mystery with many unexpected twists.”
—Carolyn Statler, Three Sisters Books & Gifts, Shelbyville, IN

Didn’t Nobody Give a Shit What Happened to Carlotta: A Novel
By James Hannaham
(Little, Brown and Company, 9780316285278, $28, Aug. 30, Fiction)
“Carlotta, a trans woman, is released home to Brooklyn after 22 years in a male prison. As she adjusts to life outside, she faces one injustice after another. Through so many inequities, Carlotta maintains her optimism, humor, and hope.”
—Mary Kay Burnett, Buttonwood Books and Toys, Cohasset, MA

People Person: A Novel
By Candice Carty-Williams
(Gallery/Scout Press, 9781501196041, $27.99, Sept. 13, Fiction)
“Meet the Penningtons: Five siblings from four mothers, raised in London with no support from their father and with vastly different backgrounds. Somehow, they mesh. People Person makes their growing bond a hilarious triumph of family.”
—Myles Mickle, Village Square Booksellers, Bellows Falls, VT

The American Roommate Experiment: A Novel
By Elena Armas
(Atria Books, 9781668002773, $18, paperback, Sept. 6, Romance)
“The American Roommate Experiment is a fun friends-to-lovers, forced-proximity, fake-dating romance! Read it as a stand-alone or an exciting follow up to The Spanish Love Deception with guest appearances of its beloved characters.”
—Katie Harveson, Rediscovered Books, Boise, ID

The Two Lives of Sara: A Novel
By Catherine Adel West
(Park Row, 9780778333227, $27.99, Sept. 6, Fiction)
“A beautifully written, complex story of motherhood, found family, grief, reinvention, and redemption. West captures the challenges of fleeing a difficult past and explores profound questions about racial justice in the Jim Crow South.”
—Alyssa Raymond, Copper Dog Books, Beverly, MA

Witches: A Novel
By Brenda Lozano, Heather Cleary (Transl.)
(Catapult, 9781646220687, $26, Aug. 16, Fiction)
“Witches features the most distinctive voice I’ve come across in fiction this year. Feliciana’s life as an indigenous healer — or curandera — is hypnotic. Her story combines with Zoe’s to highlight women striving to find their own voices.”
—Jude Burke-Lewis, Square Books, Oxford, MS

Bliss Montage: Stories
By Ling Ma
(Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 9780374293512, $26, Sept. 13, Short Stories)
“A stunning, haunting collection. In these stories, the mundane meets the fantastic in a web of intrigue, walking the line between thriller and horror in a genre of Ma’s own. A must read for fans of dystopian sci-fi and magical realism.”
—Meghana Kandlur, Seminary Co-Op Bookstores, Chicago, IL

Ithaca 
By Claire North
(Redhook, 9780316422963, $28, Sept. 6, Historical Fiction)
“Rich with detail and compelling characters, this gorgeously written novel left me brimming with warmth and courage. The often-misunderstood Hera provides a perfect lens for a faithful, unique, and satisfying retelling of a beloved story.”
—Julie Goodrich, Beaverdale Books, Des Moines, IA

Run Time: A Novel
By Catherine Ryan Howard
(Blackstone Publishing, 9781982694685, $25.99, Aug. 16, Thriller)
“Now THIS is what I love about Catherine Ryan Howard — plots that defy trends, characters dangling over the abyss. Run Time had me exactly where I love to be: teetering on a high wire, completely off balance, and loving every minute of it.”
—Tarin Paradise, Naughty Dog Books, Nashville, IN

The Deceptions: A Novel
By Jill Bialosky
(Counterpoint, 9781640090248, $26, Sept. 6, Fiction)
“The Deceptions is a wonder. A story of love, family, aspiration, and betrayal through a kaleidoscope of history and myth, we follow a middle-aged poet among the statues of the Met. Bialosky packs an impactful story in a dreamlike package.”
—Luisa Smith, Book Passage, Corte Madera, CA

The Ski Jumpers: A Novel
By Peter Geye
(University of Minnesota Press, 9781517913496, $25.95, Sept. 13, Fiction)
“This book is about so much more than ski jumping. A stunning story of family, trauma, secrets, and forgiveness, of finding peace as we grow older. You will grow attached to every single character in this storytelling masterpiece.”
—Kristen Sandstrom, Apostle Islands Booksellers, Bayfield, WI

The 6 Now in Paperback Titles

Daughter of the Moon Goddess: A Novel
By Sue Lynn Tan
(Harper Voyager, 9780063031319, $17.99, September 6, Fantasy)
“Glimmering with lavish imagery and ethereal world-building, Daughter of the Moon Goddess is a hero’s journey where love is essential to coming of age. A remarkable debut filled with monsters, magic, power, and my favorite — dragons.”
—Briana Fields, Left Bank Books, St. Louis, MO

Fault Lines: A Novel
By Emily Itami
(Mariner Books, 9780063099814, $17.99, September 6, Fiction)
“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

A History of Wild Places: A Novel
By Shea Ernshaw
(Atria Books, 9781982164812, $17.99, August 30, Thriller)
“This twisty thriller gave me similar vibes to The Village and absolutely kept me on my toes! Shea Ernshaw really hit it out of the park with this brilliant adult debut.”
—Kassie Weeks, The Oxford Exchange, Tampa, FL

Matrix: A Novel
By Lauren Groff
(Riverhead Books, 9781594634505, $18, September 6, Fiction)
“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

No Gods, No Monsters: A Novel
By Cadwell Turnbull
(Blackstone Publishing, 9798200834419, $18.99, September 6, Fantasy)
“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

Our Country Friends: A Novel
By Gary Shteyngart
(Random House Trade Paperbacks, 9781984855145, $18.99, September 6, Fiction)
“Extraordinary. I love every word Shteyngart’s ever written, and this is his best novel by an upstate country mile. I said I never wanted to read a 2020 pandemic novel, but I was wrong. I needed to read one — this one.”
—Chris Lee, Boswell Book Company, Milwaukee, WI