August 2025 Indie Next List
When the Cranes Fly South: A Novel
Lisa Ridzén, Alice Menzies (Vintage)
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“(Indies Introduce) This honest, beautiful journey to the end of a life is the most affective piece of literature I’ve read in a long time. I haven't gone a day without thinking of this book, these characters, and this author since I closed it.”
— Casey Gerken, Innisfree Bookshop, Meredith, NH
August 2025 Indie Next List
Inspired Recommendations from Indie Booksellers
By Xenobe Purvis
Henry Holt and Co.
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“(Indies Introduce) The Hounding is a chilling, defiant tale that dares to expose a brutal truth: sometimes, the world is safer for anything but a woman. What if survival means becoming something untamed, something with teeth, something to be feared?”
— Maris Herrington, McLean & Eakin Booksellers, Petoskey, MI
By Chuck Tingle
Tor Nightfire
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“This is such a funky, beautiful horror novel. With luck and the meaninglessness of the universe as the villain and true-to-life queer characters, what's not to love? You’ll feel lucky to read this…maybe too lucky.”
— Lillie Reimer, Literati Bookstore, Ann Arbor, MI
By Annalee Newitz
Tordotcom
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“Short yet as complex and beautiful as life, this is a hopeful novella of bots, noodles, and found family, perfect for anyone who has been ‘othered’ in life. A new cozy SFF novella with lots to say about society.”
— Valeria Salas Ibarra, Front Street Books, Alpine, TX
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“It's not every day that a victim gets to solve their own murder. The clock is ticking for Jet, but no matter the outcome of her investigation…she’s a dead woman walking.”
— Maxwell Leaning, Paragraphs Bookstore, Mount Vernon, OH
By Sangu Mandanna
Berkley
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“A charming tale of a not-so-magical witch, a defensive magical historian, a cunning fox (who's really a cursed witch), and the inn’s myriad guests. A perfectly written, cozy up with your tea, fantastic and romantic comedy.”
— Amanda Nurse, The Doylestown & Lahaska Bookshops, Doylestown, PA
By Mazey Eddings
St. Martin's Griffin
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“Well, Actually is a true masterpiece full of humor, romance, bickering, and hot dogs. In this forced proximity, second chance romance, we follow Eva and Riley as they go from viral social media bickering to manufactured dating to something real.”
— Brenna Cade, A Novel Romance, Louisville, KY
By J.B. Hwang
Bloomsbury Publishing
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“A thoughtful meditation on friendship, grief, and new ways forward. The suicide of her closest friend shatters 33-year-old Miriam’s religious faith and sends her into despair. She finds unlikely succor working for the postal service.”
— Jan Blodgett, Main Street Books (NC), Davidson, NC
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“A pop star rehabilitates her reputation while connecting with her Native American roots on her grandmother’s horse farm. She spends time with one of the ranch hands, who teaches her more about her culture. A forbidden, steamy love.”
— Juliana Reyes, Bookmarks, Winston-Salem, NC
By Cassandra Khaw
Tor Nightfire
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“Visceral, violent, and disturbing, The Library at Hellebore is an ode to anyone who’s ever felt different. The students are calamities made flesh, the teachers ominous and hungry. A fever dream full of emotion.”
— Paley Goldberg, Merritt Bookstore, Millbrook, NY
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“A lovably clumsy magician of the royal court finds inventive ways to do the right thing despite enormous risks! A rambling story of adventure, wits, potions, and love faked, lost, and — found again.”
— Jackson Tejeda, Christopher's Books, San Francisco, CA
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“A thief and illegal practitioner of magic, an academy for wielders of said magic, a grumpy but gorgeous department head and a plan to outmaneuver his royal family…what could go wrong? A fantastical adventure!”
— Stephanie Staton, CoffeeTree Books, Morehead, KY
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“Humor, drama, and spice are perfectly balanced in Zomromcom. Edie and Max are richly characterized with delicious banter, and I easily fell into their post-zombie apocalypse world. Crossing my fingers for a sequel!”
— Cierra Cook, Spoke + Word Books, Milwaukie, OR
By Chloe Caldwell
Graywolf Press
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“Trying is at first obsessive — a claustrophobia familiar to anyone who has tried and failed to conceive a child — then unconventional and lovely in its freedom. A perfect portrait of a woman living fully, unapologetically, herself.”
— Jill Yeomans, White Whale Bookstore, Pittsburgh, PA
By Zhang Yueran, Jeremy Tiang
Riverhead Books
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“Riveting, smart, funny, and introspective, Women, Seated paints a portrait of a family's fall from grace from the inside. This book will leave you questioning your sense of freedom, desire, and security.”
— Sophia Abuabara, Seminary Co-Op Bookstores, Chicago, IL
By Kate Price
Gallery Books
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“Price gets comparisons to Jeannette Walls and Tara Westover, and they are deserved! An unflinching tale of overcoming repressed childhood trauma and breaking cycles of abuse. Her story of growth will inspire you.”
— Andi Richardson, Fountain Bookstore, Richmond, VA
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“Jason Mott grapples with America, gun violence, fatherhood, and what it means to have a safe space to call your home. The novel is original, shape-shifting, funny and rollicking, with unforgettable and returning characters.”
— Keith Vient, Politics and Prose Bookstore, Washington, DC
By Rachel Eve Moulton
G.P. Putnam's Sons
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“Maternity horror at its most gruesome. Thea’s newborn daughter, Lucia, grows at an unnatural rate and develops a thirst for blood. Thea must summon every ounce of strength within to save her daughter from a monstrous fate.”
— Anna Anabseh, Underground Books (GA), Carrollton, GA
By Megan Miranda
S&S/ Marysue Rucci Books
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“Megan Miranda delivers a fast-paced thriller set on a small college campus in the mountains of Virginia. Ghosts and memories of the past eerily surface in this suspenseful, tension-filled novel!”
— Caroline Buchta, Andover Bookstore, Andover, MA
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“Narrated by Hal, a member of the high school boys wrestling team, Dogs is about tight male friendships, trauma, and one night in which everything explodes. C. Mallon is a new voice steeped in the West to watch.”
— Caitlin Baker, Island Books (WA), Mercer Island, WA
By Josephine Rowe
Transit Books
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“Is a saint a victim, an exercise in wishful thinking, an exculpation of someone else’s sins, or truly something miraculous? Poetic and transcendent, yet very much of this plane, Little World is its own miracle.”
— Jennifer Ray, Powell's Books, Portland, OR
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“I’m obsessed with this book and the way the tension builds deliciously; watching Alex and King fall in love with each other was a delight. Carter knows how to write a captivating romance and I was enthralled the whole time.”
— Mallory Melton, BookPeople, Austin, TX
By Brian Buckbee, Carol Ann Fitzgerald
Tin House Books
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“Buckbee’s memoir is so raw and introspective, it’s as if he performed open-heart surgery on himself. We Should All Be Birds is proof that an epic natural adventure can play out on a landscape as humble as a patch of lawn.”
— James Crossley, Leviathan Bookstore, St. Louis, MO
By Kathleen Kaufman
Kensington
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“This book said, ‘What if spiritualism, feminine rage, and the Gothic asylum aesthetic had a seance?’ I said, ‘Take my money.’ Kaufman weaves a darkly mesmerizing tale perfect for fans of Sarah Penner and Alice Hoffman.”
— Julia Young, Four Seasons Books, Shepherdstown, WV
By YASUHIKO NISHIZAWA, Jesse Kirkwood
Pushkin Vertigo
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“What could be worse than spending New Year's with your dysfunctional family? Getting stuck in a nine-day time-loop. Oh, and your grandfather who is planning to announce the sole benefactor of the family inheritance dies each day.”
— Jenny Gilroy, E. Shaver, Bookseller, Savannah, GA
Now in Paperback
Indie Next List Selections Come to Paperback
