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Every month, the American Booksellers Association put together a list of the top 25 new book releases of the upcoming month as their Indie Next List Preview. These are books that were nominated by booksellers at independent bookstores across the country, and they cover all genres and categories. Each book has a quote from a bookseller about why they recommend this book, and these recommendations can be printed out as “shelf-talkers” to display in store.
What better way to get book recommendations than from independent booksellers? These are passionate readers who have their finger on the pulse of the buzziest books of the moment—the ones they’re eager to get into readers’ hands. So, here are ten of the best books of November, according to indie booksellers. Many of these we also recommend on Book Riot, so I’ve quoted our relevant recs when available. Be sure to click through to the ABA website for the full list, including six Indie Next Picks that are now out in paperback.
Note: the Indie Picks selections for November have publication dates that run from mid-October to mid-November.
Wreck by Catherine Newman
This is the #1 Indie Next Pick for November, from the author of Sandwich. Here’s the bookseller recommendation:
“Catherine Newman might just be the funniest fiction writer working today. If you fell hard for Rocky and her family in Sandwich, then prepare yourself for yet another rollicking, rich literary meal.”
—Rosamond Kreshak-Hayden, Broadside Bookshop, Northampton, MA
Black-Owned: The Revolutionary Life of the Black Bookstore by Char Adams
“Black-Owned is a timely and essential work that feels deeply personal to me as a Black bookstore owner. A must-read for anyone interested in entrepreneurship, history, or the vital role of independent bookstores in our communities.”
—Natalie Pipkin, Black Worldschoolers Mobile Bookstore, Indianapolis, IN
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Cursed Daughters by Oyinkan Braithwaite
From the moment Eniiyi was born, so much about her life and identity had already been decided. Eniyii was born the same day her mother Ebun buried their cousin Monife. Everyone believes Eniiyi is the reincarnation of Monife’s spirit, and therefore, she’s fated to live a life of tragedy. What’s more, Eniiyi is haunted by a family curse that claims, “No man will call your house his home. And if they try, they will not have peace…” So when Eniiyi falls in love, is it doomed from the start? Or can she finally break a pattern of abandonment that has followed her family for generations? —Emily Martin
Bad Bad Girl by Gish Jen
In this autobiographical fiction novel (sometimes referred to as “autofiction”), author Gish Jen explores her mother’s experiences being raised in a wealthy Shanghai family in the 1920s before leaving for a PhD in the United States on the eve of the Communist Revolution in China. But despite her mother’s own experiences being seen—and referred to—as a “bad bad girl” by her parents, Aggie soon begins saying the same about her own strong-willed daughter. It’s a portrait of double standards, intergenerational trauma, and generations of headstrong women tangled together by love, misunderstandings, and DNA. —Rachel Brittain
The Isle in the Silver Sea by Tasha Suri
Here’s a new sapphic fantasy from the award-winning author of the Burning Kingdoms series! A witch and a knight fated to fall in love and be torn apart over and over must find a way to halt the cycle of their story. Meanwhile, a mysterious assassin is on the prowl, looking to permanently destroy anyone with a story like theirs. — Liberty Hardy
The Everlasting by Alix E. Harrow
For Alix E. Harrow’s fourth novel, she’s taking readers—and one of her characters—back in time to a secondary world. Charlie is a timid historian fascinated with the story of the legendary knight Sir Una. When he is sent back in time, he will work with Una to help her rewrite her story, one she has been retelling over and over. — Liberty Hardy
Brigands & Breadknives by Travis Baldree
This funny fantasy is a follow-up to Bookshops & Bonedust, featuring everyone’s favorite foul-mouthed talking rat, Fern. After decades of selling books in Murk, Fern decides to move to Thune, where her friend Viv has a coffee shop. But as she travels toward Thune, Fern encounters all kinds of new friends and foes. (More f-words!) —Liberty Hardy
Girl Dinner by Olivie Blake
The phrase “girl dinner” had a cute little moment a while back, and here, Blake applies it to what sounds like a deliciously dark academia novel. At the center of the story is The House, a very exclusive sorority at a cutthroat University. Sophomore Nina Kaur is accepted into The House, which she thinks will protect her. Then there’s Dr. Sloane Hartley, whose return to work after maternity leave involves a demotion and an emotionally absent partner. When Dr. Hartley is offered the position of academic liaison for The House, she sees it as the perfect opportunity to achieve the relative ease and perfection that the alumnae all seem to have. What both women eventually find out is that the sisterhood they’re so eager to join is paid for in blood. —Erica Ezeifedi
The Devil She Knows by Alexandria Bellefleur
Demons are a gradually rising microgenre within paranormal, and they’re all a little different! In this romcommy demon deal romance, Daphne is just one soul away from the 100 souls she needs to free herself. When she meets Samantha, down on her luck and desperate for a change, she offers her six wishes. Samantha just wants her girlfriend back, but the time she and Daphne spend together leads to both of them considering their priorities. —Jessica Pryde
An Academic Affair by Jodi McAlister
I read Jodi McAlister’s Marry Me, Juliet books breathlessly, so I’m especially eager for her newest book. It’s got one of the best premises for a fake relationship I’ve come across. In academia, it’s not uncommon for a university to conjure up a job for a spouse in order to woo a candidate. Enter Sadie and Jonah, who’ve known each other since their undergrad days. They covet the same job opening, so they hatch a plan. If they simply marry each other, the university will have to hire them both! And while these two may have book smarts, they haven’t thought through that marriage part. —Isabelle Popp
Read the full list of 25 books plus six paperback releases at the ABA website.
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