There have never been more sources to turn to for book recommendations, but one of the most reliable is asking indie booksellers. These are passionate experts in the field who make a point of keeping on top of the most exciting and interesting new releases coming out every month. That’s what makes the Indie Next List so interesting! Every month, the American Booksellers Association puts together a list of their picks for the best recent book releases.
This is a mix of new books out in November and books that came out at the end of October. The full Indie Next List has 25 new titles, plus six Now In Paperback picks. Below, I’ve selected nine of those Indie Next List books to feature, most of which are also recommended on Book Riot.
Lost and Lassoed by Lyla Sage
This is the #1 pick of the November Indie Next List!
“This book was so much fun. This is the couple I’ve waited to read about ever since I picked up Done and Dusted! The tension, the banter, the spice, everything was exactly as I hoped it would be. I definitely recommend this book!”
—Kaitlyn Craig, Joseph-Beth Booksellers, Cincinnati, OH
The Teller of Small Fortunes by Julie Leong
For fantasy fans looking for a cozy novel to read during the colder weather, there’s this debut! It’s about a wandering immigrant fortune teller, Tao, who travels with her mule, telling small fortunes. Small as in: when the bread will rise and who the barmaid will kiss. Never a big fortune—never again. But when she is asked to aid in the search for a lost child, she gains the company of a ragtag crew and a magical cat, and she must decide if she can trust people again. — Liberty Hardy
The Blue Hour by Paula Hawkins
Paula Hawkins thrillers are a good time, and this one takes place 20 years ago, on the isolated Scottish Eris island, in one house. The same house where an artist’s cheating husband disappeared. Now, it’s home to the solitary Grace, who gets a visit after a discovery is made in London. —Erica Ezeifedi
Masquerade by Mike Fu
Between Shanghai and New York, a curious story involving an artist and a bartender takes place. Let’s start with Meadow Liu, who is newly single, the aforementioned bartender, and house-sitting for his artist friend Selma. When he stumbles upon a book titled The Masquerade, about a masked ball that took place in Shanghai in the ’30s, suddenly all these weird things start happening. For one, the author’s name is the same as Meadow’s in Chinese (Liu Tian), and over the summer, Meadow encounters strangers speaking riddles, a potentially haunted apartment, and other strange happenings. Then Selma goes missing from her artist residency, and Meadow’s understanding of reality starts to feel like it’s giving way. —Erica Ezeifedi
Blood Over Bright Haven by M.L. Wang
M.L. Wang tends writes epic, magical stories full of violence and conflict that are reminiscent of R.F. Kuang’s. If you like the academic and magical conflicts of Babel, you’ll probably enjoy Blood Over Bright Haven. —Rey Rowland
Vanishing Treasures: A Bestiary of Extraordinary Endangered Creatures by Katherine Rundell
The American wood frog freezes solid every winter, and the male seahorse carries its young. These are just two of the 23 endangered animals highlighted in Vanishing Treasures, which is a must-read for any animal lover. And with its beautiful illustrations, this book also makes for a lovely gift. — Kendra Winchester
This Will Be Fun by E. B. Asher
Saving the kingdom from villainy absolutely ruined the lives of all adventurers involved. Galwell the Great, his sister Elowen, her best friend Beatrice, and the ex-bandit Clare became heroes, but no one thought Galwell would sacrifice himself to save the world. A decade later, Elowen lives alone in a nightmare forest, Beatrice is recently divorced, Clare is the kingdom’s hero, and former villain Vandra works for the Queen. But, when they receive the Queen’s wedding invite—and a subsequent quest to save the Queen’s husband—they cannot say no. Even though they might not be the heroes they once were, they might just be able to find love—and glory—along the way. — R. Nassor
How Does That Make You Feel, Magda Eklund? by Anna Montague
It’s comforting to imagine our therapists as people who have it all together, but that’s not entirely realistic. When therapist Magda’s best friend Sara dies, some cracks start to show in her facade. Sara had planned for the two of them to take a road trip for Magda’s seventieth birthday, so Magda decides to follow her itinerary, urn in tow. Along the way, she gets into all kinds of adventures—and confronts truths about her sexuality and her relationship with Sara that she’s been repressing all this time. —Danika Ellis
Forest of Noise: Poems by Mosab Abu Toha
“Mosab Abu Toha, a poet from Gaza, here delves into the indignities, injustices, the utter cruelties he and his fellow Palestinians have been subjected to. In and through the sheer horror there is a most human spirit, a celebration of joy in the cracks where it might be found.” —Rick Simonson, The Elliott Bay Book Company, Seattle, WA
For the full list, visit Indiebound.
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