The post What Should I Read Next? Indie Book Recommendations Based on Your Mood appeared first on Independent Book Review.
]]>by Nick Gardner
Answering the inevitable question.
I used to have a stack of about twenty books beside my reading chair, but last year I graduated to an entire to-be-read bookshelf. Now that shelf is two titles deep and I still find myself wondering, what should I read next?
The problem isn’t so much that I don’t have time to read all of the books I’ve collected—I’m not overwhelmed—but rather that sometimes I visit a new bookstore and a fresh plot catches my eye. Or I read a blurb or review and think, “This is the book that fits my mood!”
Even though I have a backlog of what I’m sure are perfectly wonderful titles, oftentimes it’s not the quality of the book as much as my mood that decides which author’s world I will lose myself to in that moment.
When a book fits my mood, it takes me where I want to go. My wanderlust overpowers me, so I read a travelogue or adventure story or my disgust with a certain contemporary event drives me to horror. Maybe I just want to see words used in sentences that are beautiful concoctions of sound and motion, so I read something lyrical, musical.
Though there are many reasons to read any book, if an author can drop me smack-dab into the middle of a place I’ve been yearning for, then their book rises to the top of my stack.
Below, I’ve arranged several books I’ve come to love based on moods, or, more specifically, where my mood drives me to get lost. Because if you’re going to lose yourself, you may as well know what you’re losing yourself to. And bonus points
—they’re all indie books!
Here are some book recommendations to answer the inevitable question, “What should I read next?”
(Book lists on Independent Book Review are chosen by very picky people. As affiliates, we earn a commission on books you purchase through our links.)
What should I read next if I want to get lost On a journey?
Oregon, Montana, Vermont, Kevin Maloney’s protagonist finds himself slumming it in some of my favorite cities and wild lands.
Joe Walters, in his review at Independent Book Review, calls The Red-Headed Pilgrim “escapist fiction. You can’t convince me otherwise. It’s not a fantasy, a sci-fi, any other mystical land to travel to (unless you count Portland). It’s just a break from this wild real life, a visit to a funny world, an entrance into someone else’s reality.”
And it’s weird, even though that “someone else’s reality” is not necessarily the “lap of luxury,” it is meaningful enough to wander the streets of Burlington, broke, with a cowboy hat and a corncob pipe, pretending to be some preposterous other. It’s somehow enough to know that you’re somewhere else.
Amaranthine Chevrolet
Another book filled with similar wanderlust, Amaranthine Chevrolet by Dennis E. Bolen, follows fifteen-year-old Robin, who takes off in his boss’s field truck on a thousand-mile trek across Western Canada. The book is based in 1967, so it plays doubly on my transportation in both space and time. Sometimes it’s enough to just mentally trek across North America and meet the strangers who live there in order to get you lost.
What should I read next if I want to get lost In nostalgia?
It’s nice to think back on the past—a car ride through the country with a long-lost lover, the joy of a high school soccer game. Nostalgia is everything you’ve physically lost but still carry with you.
Issa Quincy’s Absence is the story of a poem that follows the narrator from his childhood bedroom where his mother first read it to him. Over the years, the poem pops up time and again to remind him of his past, of his mother, a memory he will carry with him forever.
Amy Brozio-Andrews calls Issa Quincy’s Absence, “A tender and thoughtful novel that illuminates the power of memory and how it shapes us.”
Bonus nostalgia recommendation: Andrew Bertaina’s long essay, Ethan Hawke & Me: The Before Trilogy, tracks how the Ethan Hawke films shaped him as a man, a thinker, and a writer.
What should I read next if I want to get lost In language?
There are plenty of wonderful books out there written in simple language. A perfect plot or intriguing character is often enough to make a book worth reading. But then there are those writers who really lean into the rhythms of speech, the flow of their language. They may use beautiful imagery, some rhyme, some esoteric words, but the words themselves have the tendency to sweep you up and take you away.
Whitney Collins’ prose has wowed me since I read Ricky and Other Love Stories earlier this year. A collection of love stories that aren’t always only love stories, Collins is a smooth talker, throwing humor and wit into her prose. Shark attacks, sperm banks, a Ham Depot, Collins’ stories are always a heartfelt, if sometimes weird, wild ride.
Bonus recommendation in this mood: Claire Hopple’s Echo Chamber is bizarre and beautiful, sure to take you to unexpected places.
What should I read next if I want to get lost In the grotesque?
I’m late to the indie horror game, but thanks to David Simmons, I’ve found myself enjoying the description of a Dobson Fly eating its way through Jada’s insides. Simmons’ latest novel, The Eradicator features a twenty-four-year-old NICU nurse who likes parties, drugs, sex, and sometimes murder. As her own body deteriorates and lashes back at her, she takes her discomfort and her hatred of the world out on strangers around her in vicious ways.
Simmons describes the most disgusting parts of bodies in a manner that makes me cringe but also want to read on. It’s a mystery, in a way. It makes you wonder what is actually wrong with this person, with people.
Bonus recommendation in this mood: While David Ohle’s The Death of a Character is a vastly different story, the obsession with breaking-down bodies, with the strangeness of bodies is also there and also incredibly fascinating to read.
What should I read next if I want to get lost In the West?
I love a good Western. Boundless land to ride through, heroic escapes, a clear sense of good and evil, white hats versus black hats. The Western is, in many ways, a simplified world with clear laws about humanity.
Kendall Roberts’ Gunslingers is a story about cowboys in the wild plains of the West defining their own personal brand of justice in a dangerous world. Of course Gunslingers features shoot-outs and bar brawls, posses, and long rides through the desert, but Roberts’ take on the Western goes beyond the thrill of dead-eye gunmen and near escapes.
With deft prose, Roberts paints a fictional landscape spotted with fictional towns that comment on traditional views of the American Frontier while also showing its natural beauty. It’s wonderful to get lost in the plains.
What should I read next if I want to get lost In the mind?
Sometimes a mental landscape can be just as interesting as a physical landscape, even if the mind you’re reading is filled with small anxieties and paranoia. As an anxious person myself, it actually feels nice to lose myself to someone else’s paranoia. Or, rather, to see the anxieties of another character and laugh at how similar they are to my own. It’s healthy to laugh at yourself, and easy to do when you see your same follies in others.
Bennett Sims Other Minds and Other Stories is a collection of quiet, intellectual stories, often taking place over no more than a couple hours of the character’s life in which very little action actually occurs. However, as the characters spiral, the tension grips tighter. As suspicions snowball into certainties and questions mushroom into conspiracies, the simple process of writing an essay or reading a book turns into a question of life and death.
What should I read next if I want to get lost For a short amount of time?
I read on the metro sometimes, or in stolen moments before and after work. Maybe on an airplane, which is where I powered through Michael Bible’s powerful, moving, heartbreaking book about a tortoise, Little Lazarus (Clash Books). The book shows the world through the eyes of a turtle who cares very deeply for everyone around him. It’s a quiet book, but a short read, taking up not much more than an afternoon.
I’ve talked with several readers of Bible’s novella who have cried at the end. I also teared up. The prose is fantastic, but the heart is what drives this hundred-or-so-page novella.
Bonus recommendation in this mood: Ryan Rivas’ Lizard People is another short book with a lot of heart that’s definitely worth sitting with for a couple hours some afternoon.
No matter what your mood, there’s a book to match it because writers, like readers, often change. Whether you want to transport yourself to outer space or into the subconscious depths of your mind, there’s a book made for you.
About the Author
Nick Gardner is a writer, teacher, and critic who has worked as a winemaker, chef, painter, shoe salesman, and addiction counselor. His latest collection of stories from the Rust Belt, Delinquents And Other Escape Attempts, is out now from Madrona Books. He lives in Ohio and Washington, DC and works as a beer and wine monger in Maryland.
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The post What Should I Read Next? Indie Book Recommendations Based on Your Mood appeared first on Independent Book Review.
]]>The post The Must-Read Books from the First Half of 2024 appeared first on Independent Book Review.
]]>Chosen by the IBR Staff
What constitutes a must-read book?
Book recommendations are undeniably personal. Each reader is different and comes to each book with their own set of experiences and reading histories. One person could think a book is the best thing they’ve ever read, and their best friend could say, “Meh.”
So there’s got to be a way to differentiate, right? This isn’t just a good book. This is a YOU-HAVE-TO-READ-THIS-RIGHT-NOW book. This is a must-read book.
These things can be thrillers, thought-provoking literary tomes, escapist fantasy adventures, time-travel romances, self-help books, you name it. What matters most is that someone you trust read this thing, loved it, and thinks (if you like books similar to this), you HAVE to check it out.
Replete with genres all over the map, this collaborative list from the experts at IBR is populated by brand new indie books that so many readers are going to love. Some may call it some of the best books from the first half of 2024. We wouldn’t disagree.
Here are our 15 must-read books from the first half of 2024.
1. Mother Doll
A brilliantly layered novel of connection and disconnection, of life and afterlife
Author: Katya Apekina
Genre: Literary Fiction / Family Life
Print Length: 320 pages
Publisher: Harry N. Abrams
Recommended by: Toni Woodruff
What it’s about:
Enter, the novel’s opening line: “It was ironic that Zhenia and Ben would come home from spending time with people who had kids and be so giddy with relief and self-righteousness over their decision not to have any that it would make them want to fuck.”
And then Zhenia gets pregnant. Mother Doll is a breathtaking dual-timeline story of motherhood, daughterhood, grandmotherhood, and the links of past and future. It’s a funny and deeply moving story about generations and the things we do that shape us and our bloodlines.
Is this her grandmother reincarnated in her womb? Is it the prospect of a future with this child the thing she’s been missing, or is it the past that she couldn’t do without? Something has made her like this. It couldn’t just be her.
Paul, a journalist medium who receives a message from Zhenia’s great-grandmother, is the one who breaks this story open. The ghost of Irina (her great-grandmother, who abandoned her beloved grandmother) needs to tell Zhenia the story of her surprising, wild, revolutionary life. Mother Doll intricately weaves three stories into one funny, unforgettable novel.
Why you should read it:
How do you follow up a novel as good as The Deeper the Water the Uglier the Fish? That novel broke me, stitched me up, left me in satisfied pieces. So I had high hopes for Mother Doll. And usually that spells a fumble.
But not for Katya Apekina.
Mother Doll is so spectacularly different from her first novel, and yet it’s just as memorable, textured, and surprising. I didn’t know Apekina had such humor in her repertoire! But here comes one of the funniest books I’ve read this year. And in such a tragic package.
Irina and Zhenia make Mother Doll the hit it is, but it’s the connection of the past, present, and future that brings its deepest satisfaction. Irina’s story of Russian revolution is unpredictable and vast, while Zhenia’s story is unpredictable and slight. I loved them both.
This is a masterclass of a sophomore novel.
–Toni Woodruff
2. Marco Polo Mother & Son
Exceptional writing [steeped in] missed opportunities
Author: Thoreau Lovell
Genre: Literary Fiction / Family Life
Print Length: 232 pages
Publisher: Wet Cement Press
Recommended by: Lauren Hayataka
What it’s about:
Thoreau Lovell’s Marco Polo Mother & Son is a poignant exploration of the intricate relationship between the recently deceased Georgiana and her grieving son George.
On the surface, Georgiana and George appear as different as chalk and cheese and have a distant relationship. Georgiana is a realist—pragmatic, proud, and private—who acknowledges that she is dying from congestive heart failure. Georgiana’s dream is to pass peacefully away in her sleep in her home in Fresno. In contrast, George is a dreamer whose mind is perpetually occupied with thoughts of abandoning his partner Paula and their daughter Lily to focus on his writing. Only the one that understands George the most is the one that he thinks understands him the least: his mother.
Why you should read it:
Lovell crafts a masterful portrayal of an intimate yet distant relationship between mother and son, one filled with unspoken words and unshared memories. Georgiana and George resemble trains on parallel tracks, journeying together yet never intersecting, despite the reader’s yearning for their connection.
His exploration of grief is raw, realistic, and simultaneously ugly, shameful, and beautiful. The portrayal exudes a profound sense of understanding. Every scene and every word serve a purpose, and as the reader experiences the loss alongside George, who surrounds himself with his mother’s belongings, the realization dawns that he never truly knew her at all.
Only an exceptional writer could immerse readers in such profound pain, leaving them reluctant to accept the conclusion of the story. Lovell’s novel adds layers of authenticity and devastation that are undeniably worth cherishing. In creating Marco Polo Mother & Son, Lovell has crafted something extraordinary.
–Lauren Hayataka (Full Review)
3. Bad Foundations
A working-class White Noise, a story about family, crap jobs, paranoia, and an uncertain future
Author: Brian Allen Carr
Genre: Literary Fiction / Absurdism
Print Length: 256 pages
Publisher: Clash Books
Recommended by: Nick Rees Gardner
What it’s about:
Cook works in crawl spaces, inspecting them for rot, but even when he emerges from the claustrophobic confines, driving across Indiana to the next client, the crawl follows him. The damp basement smell of his coveralls permeates his Prius as his daughter argues that his sales slump is due to a curse. And basement walls crumble around him, a metaphor for his depression and his predicament-prone misadventures in Ohio, Indiana, and beyond.
However, as Cook’s family life, work-life, and mental health erode, rather than turning to Jack Gladney’s preference for academia and, eventually, revenge, Cook fries his brain on legal weed and finds his answers in strange and surprising working class strangers. While the petty arguments and slightly askew realities Cook faces are reminiscent of White Noise, Carr’s characters turn away from academia, from teachers and students. With all of its banter, wit, and pure, unabashed heart, Bad Foundations is a hilarious and fresh drama about the crumbling crawlspaces Cook has built his life on and how he can scramble out of the rubble.
Why you should read it:
The writer of Motherfucking Sharks, Opioid Indiana, and several other surreal and unabashed books, Carr is at his best in Bad Foundations. The dialogue, often occurring as petty arguments that span subjects from Taylor Swift, to telepathy, to the earth being a computer program, is vibrant and often revealing of the contemporary worlds’ real life predicaments.
Carr’s characters are self-acknowledged “white trash,” day-drinking and discussing flat-earth theories with over-educated coworkers, trying to drum up a living in an inhospitable corporate social structure. While the ideas discussed in the book are intelligent, there is nothing too high-brow about Bad Foundations. The immaculate prose is fortified with excerpts from text message threads, drawings, and illustrations. While Bad Foundations reaches for depth and clarity in the midst of personal and social collapse, the prose is easily accessible for readers of all backgrounds and reading levels. It is a book that even a nonreader would enjoy.
From the canon of working-class literature and literary family stories comes Bad Foundations, an unputdownable dive into the crawlspace sludge of a working man’s life and the inevitable rebirth that comes when he emerges to see his family in a not-so-blindingly-fluorescent light.
-Nick Rees Gardner (Full Review)
It’s almost your birthday! What are you asking for? Tell your people to get you these gifts for book lovers!
4. No Good Deed
One man’s act of kindness triggers an explosive sequence of events that threatens everything and everyone he loves.
Author: Jack Wallace
Genre: Mystery, Thriller & Suspense / Crime
Print Length: 268 pages
Publisher: Atmosphere Press
Recommended by: Peggy Kurkowski
What it’s about:
Inspired by true events, Wallace’s impressive sophomore novel No Good Deed examines the seedy criminal underworld of sex trafficking in the American South. It’s a compulsive story of everyday people selflessly sacrificing to help those in need among us.
Christopher Jones is a divorced father working two jobs to make ends meet in Nashville, Tennessee, when his headlights shine across the huddled frame of a young Korean woman in a darkened business doorway along his morning newspaper route. Offering her a ride, he soon realizes that the woman, Kim, is running from trouble. Big trouble. Little does he know his “one good deed” to help a stranger will soon ripple into concentric rings of violence for himself, Kim, and those they care about.
Wallace thoughtfully transitions between Christopher’s and Kim’s backstories—both marked by loss, betrayal, loneliness, but also a stubborn hope for a better future.
Why you should read it:
Wallace’s pacing is pitch perfect as Christopher begins to take back his power in protecting Kim…The thrills are explosive and the cat-and-mouse game increasingly personal.
Wallace effectively teases out the moral complexities of fighting fire with fire. His protagonists are good people facing unspeakable brutality and evil; they are ordinary people thrust into becoming the heroes they never knew they were.
No Good Deed is a superbly written and propulsive story with an unforgettable climax, a novel with a soul that entertains as it educates about sex trafficking and the individuals sucked into its diabolical orbit. Do not miss this one.
-Peggy Kurkowski (Full Review)
5. Still Alive
The mesmerizing life journey of a woman just trying to find peace
Author: L.J. Pemberton
Genre: Literary Fiction / LGBTQ
Print Length: 290 pages
Publisher: Malarkey Books
Recommended by: Erica Ball
What it’s about:
Always reckoning with the consequences of her formative years, V experiments with different ways of living: trying out different buildings, neighborhoods, and even cities. She falls in love with different partners, some men, some women, and, ultimately, with her beloved Lex, and they try multiple times to see if now is the time they can make it work.
Because of her many moves, and, because she has so much to work through, V consistently flashes back to her family’s dysfunction and how that was passed along to her. As such, the narrative jumps from the Portland of her childhood in the 1980s to New York City in the 2010s to the beaches of Los Angeles and onward.
V is actively rejecting the life so many others seem to want with a wry and sarcastic take on the hypocrisies and phoniness she sees around her. Instead, she is seeking the real, the gritty, and the true. She looks for novel and especially sensory experiences, whether through underground punk shows, time spent in the depths of the woods, or falling head-over-heels in love at first sight.
Why you should read it:
Poetic and philosophical, she dips into and out of these different lived experiences, at times throwing herself into them, and other times watching society from a distance.
V is a fascinating and complex character who doesn’t seek to overly define her relationships or sexuality. With its beautiful prose and applicable commentary, Still Alive has broad appeal. It will be especially effective for fans of coming-of-age stories, underground culture and art communities, bisexual or pan-sexual relationships, and lesbian or sapphic fiction.
It’s a coming of age story, and there’s some love in there as well, but in the end, it’s really a story of self-love, a story of craving freedom and finding it within instead of without, and a story of coming home to yourself.
-Erica Ball (Full Review)
6. Changes In the Land
An enthralling piece of fiction that seamlessly blends horror and mystery in an enigmatic, earthy New Hampshire setting
Author: Matthew Cheney
Genre: Horror / Dark Fantasy
Print Length: 90 pages
Publisher: Lethe Press
Recommended by: Melissa Suggitt
What it’s about:
Adams Park: one family’s curse, another family’s burden.
Elias Thornton, along with his children Josiah and Drusilla, carry the weight of responsibility for their family’s purpose. Passed down from generation to generation, they are the caretakers and the protectors of the nature preserve known as Adams Park. Its thousands of acres of land, its animals, its estate’s human inhabitant (Valeria Adams), and its secrets.
The heiress of the estate, Valeria, is somehow ageless, and she believes she knows all the secrets of her family’s curse; it has been bestowed upon her decades ago when she came across a strange cave and it changed her life forever. She is a viper in sheep’s clothing. The further we delve into her history, the more vile she becomes, however justified she believes she is in the actions of her past.
Dr. Steven A. Baird is a history professor, collecting research on the history of Adams Park and of its owners’ genealogy. As he’s drawn closer to the heart of the mystery and begins to unravel the truth of his connection to Valeria, the greater the peril he faces.
As these three characters, their families, and their destinies intertwine, a gruesome and wholly terrifying prophecy is set in motion.
Why you should read it:
Author Matthew Cheney delivers a hauntingly powerful tale with Changes in the Land. This book offers a potent lesson in karma and a stark reminder of the importance of respecting our land and each other.
The background of Adams Park and the heinous events that took place on its land over generations is an aspect of the narrative that helps create an atmosphere of palpable tension building tantalizingly through the story. Cheney weaves a compelling supernatural element and adeptly explores the way our actions leave an imprint on the earth—whether ethereal or concrete. You’ll find yourself almost rooting for the land to take its revenge on the Adams family by the end of this.
Cheney has crafted a succinct and efficient plot in a short amount of pages, leaving just enough room for mystery and well-rounded character development. Who knew nature could be so terrifying? Horror fans with a healthy respect for our environment are going to love this novella.
–Melissa Suggitt (Full Review)
7. Time Is Heartless
A profound adventure exploring the limits of AI and the possibilities of post-climate-collapse technology
Author: Sarah Lahey
Genre: Science Fiction / Romance
Print Length: 348 pages
Recommended by: Andrea Marks-Joseph
What it’s about:
Readers are placed on a ship with Quinn, who is not happy to be there. She feels trapped at sea, where she is parenting her toddler without her husband Tig. Quinn loves Tig, but he keeps disappearing on secret missions for much longer than he ever stays.
Quinn is lonely: unheard and unfulfilled. She’s married to a cyborg who won’t take his mood-regulating medication, and she’s missing her friend who disappeared from her cryo-sleeping tank.
There is so much at stake at all times in this novel; action, plot-twists, and reveals come from every angle. But there is also so much joy in the way Lahey tells this story. These characters feel so real. The novel captures the stress, the worry, and the pain of being human—but also the ridiculousness of everyday life.
Why you should read it:
Author Sarah Lahey and her eclectic ensemble of characters found their way into my heart, keeping me spellbound and energized with a constantly surprising narrative—In fact, I read this book in one sitting, twice.
Readers who follow the advancements of future tech and are confronting the ethics of artificial intelligence in our everyday lives (but who also love a great love story and mystery) should run, not walk, to pick up this near-future sci-fi novel.
If the topic of what the world will look like post-climate-collapse—biologically, reproductively, technologically, politically, and even fashionably—intrigues you, know that what this book delivers is nothing you expect and everything you want.
Equal parts thought-provoking and riotously joyful, Time is Heartless is a book I’ll be thinking about for months—maybe years.
–Andrea Marks-Joseph (Full Review)
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8. Fire Exit
A quiet and original novel about an outcast, a loner, who clings to hope even when the world is pitted against him
Author: Morgan Talty
Genre: Literary Fiction / Native American & Aboriginal
Print Length: 256 pages
Publisher: Tin House Books
Recommended by: Nick Rees Gardner
What it’s about:
Lamosway’s is a story about blood quantum, the controversial measure of how much “Indian blood” a body contains as a way to determine whether or not someone belongs as a member of their tribe. Because of blood quantum, Lamosway is booted off the Penobscot Reservation when he turns 18, and now, as a middle-aged man, he watches his estranged daughter Elizabeth who is being raised by a Penobscot stepfather and her mother across the river.
Charles observes the life he almost had unfolding across the river, wondering which parts of himself flow through his daughter’s veins, knowing what she doesn’t: that his blood is not legally native, that according to blood quantum, she doesn’t belong. When, as an adult, Elizabeth returns to her parents’ reservation home, Charles considers whether now is the right time to tell her the truth.
Lamosway, as a protagonist, isn’t necessarily driven by anything. He feels the need to tell his biological daughter the truth but is prohibited from doing so by his daughter’s mother. He wants to belong to the tribal community but is prohibited by arbitrary laws. He wants to drink, but he knows his tendency toward alcoholism and refrains. While Lamosway holds down a job “clearing the land,” all of his drive has been tempered by forces outside of his control. But as the family and community he surrounds himself with struggles and falls apart, he does his best to hold the world around him together.
Why you should read it:
Creating quiet stories requires exceptional talent. In order to pull a novel like this off, the writer needs a memorable protagonist too: a Jay Gatsby or Anna Karenina or Ignatious J. Reily type who lodges in the reader’s mind like an old friend. Think Dennis Johnson’s “Fuckhead,” from Jesus’ Son, a character who readers would recognize from any Iowa dive bar, but whose depth, whose insights about life, ask the reader to reconsider what they know.
Now we can add Charles Lamosway to this list.
Lamosway’s character growth, though minimal, is depicted quite brilliantly; each shift in personality, each flash of irrational anger sloshes out of a deep well. And Talty uses this backstory of injustice as a rising tension; to read Fire Exit is to wait either for Lamosway to get a break or for him to be broken.
While Talty’s narrative is already irresistible, especially for readers who enjoyed Night of the Living Rez, it is also filled with Charles Lamosway’s wisdom, a philosophical depth that lingers beyond the page…Fire Exit is one of those books that will become more meaningful with the days, weeks, and months after closing the cover.
–Nick Rees Gardner (Full Review)
9. Next Time
A time-travel novel exceptionally worthy of a binge-read
Author: Randy Brown
Genre: Time Travel / Romance
Print Length: 332 pages
Recommended by: Kristine Eckart
What it’s about:
When William extends a helping hand to Miriam, who seems to have appeared from nowhere, he gets more than he bargained for. But Miriam’s ignorance of the current date, modern culture, and her surroundings raise some red flags. That’s when she reveals her secret: she can travel through time. Working on his master’s degree in history, William is intrigued and offers to be a resource for the next time Miriam appears. But as William continues his life, studying and spending time with his girlfriend, he still can’t get Miriam out of his mind.
Miriam appears more in William’s life over the years, and their relationship turns from friendship to romance. They must navigate the complexities of dating while existing in different dimensions of time. However, as the police start to take a particular interest in tracking down and questioning Miriam and William’s struggles with Miriam’s absence, complications arise. They must figure out how to deal with the investigations and how far they’re willing to go to save their relationship.
Why you should read it:
Of the many time-travel novels I’ve read, this is undeniably among my favorites. The novel’s pacing is spot-on, never spending too much time in between Miriam’s appearances and always keeping the plot moving with action sequences of police interrogations and disagreements between family and friends. These scenes keep the reader invested, especially when one of the main characters is missing. Traversing through its spot-on pacing and the scenes that don’t miss, you too will be fervently flipping pages to find the answer of Miriam and William’s fate.
I also appreciated the balance of realism and escapism present throughout the novel. Time-travel books can often feel like they create a world that’s completely different from our own, which provides plenty of entertainment and an escape from the worries we face on a daily basis.
If you love time-travel stories complete with action and romance, Next Time would be the best choice you’ve made in a while.
–Kristine Eckart
10. Everywhere I Look
A riveting look at the impact of dark family secrets
Author: Ona Gritz
Genre: Memoir / Family
Print Length: 250 pages
Publisher: Apprentice House Press
Recommended by: Elizabeth Reiser
What it’s about:
When Ona’s adopted older sister Angie disappears during Ona’s visit to San Francisco, she finds herself conflicted between being concerned and feeling indifferent. Ona is no stranger to Angie’s disappearing acts, so she is hesitant to worry.
This all changes when her brother-in-law’s body is discovered, shot execution-style. Soon after, a pregnant Angie and her infant son are found murdered as well. Ona finds herself struggling with grief, but in some ways Angie’s terrible end is not ultimately shocking. As Ona explores her feelings surrounding the loss of her sister, she realizes how many aspects of Angie’s life she misunderstood and is led on a long journey of uncovering secrets she chose to ignore.
Why you should read it:
There are a number of fascinating twists and turns in this story, but nothing is salacious. At its core, this is more of a reflection on a misunderstood life than a true crime story, and it is clear how important it is to Ona that she respects her sister’s memory.
Ona is also refreshingly honest about herself and does not sugarcoat her actions growing up. Rather than falling into the trap of portraying herself as the put-upon “good” sister, she instead shows how her flaws were simply more easily forgiven by her family. The guilt she feels over being the favored and nurtured child is palpable; it’s a heartbreaking realization the author goes through as she comes to terms with her culpability in Angie’s feelings of being unwanted.
At its core, Everywhere I Look is a gut-wrenching, heartbreaking, and wildly fascinating story about families and the secrets that destroy them. It is sure to stick with you.
-Elizabeth Reiser (Full Review)
11. Overthink
Successfully transform your overwhelming thoughts with this valuable self-help book.
Author: Lyndsey Getty
Genre: Self-Help
Print Length: 150 pages
Recommended by: Lisa Parker Hayreh, PhD
What it’s about:
This book asks the reader to identify their thinking difficulties and to apply the most effective techniques to consistently improve them. It walks you through the basics of becoming more aware of your thoughts and how to accurately label unhelpful thinking as it occurs.
The author’s detailed and well-articulated guidance helps us distinguish between unproductive and productive thoughts. The principles of productive thinking are discussed in detail for readers to try in real time, and detailed worksheets are given to help each person track their progress and build success.
Moved to help others find relief quicker than she did, Getty has shared a vital and practical manual that blends psychological wisdom, proven strategies, and personal triumph.
Why you should read it:
Part memoir, part straight-talking guidebook, this resource can help create lasting positive change. Overthink is like having a highly trained expert by your side, guiding you to stop negative self-talk and think productively.
Overthink shines the way forward out of mental torment. Lyndsey Getty maintains a compassionate understanding of the daunting anguish connected to unproductive thinking. She encourages us to become our best selves and shares her own truths & agonies to show us it’s okay to have them.
I have been geeking out a bit in response to Lyndsey Getty’s Overthink. It is utterly remarkable that a lay person wrote such a technically sound and effective self-help book while also appropriately sharing her own struggles and successes. I hold a really high standard for self-help books so my praise in this area is hard won. Overthink sidesteps the technical jargon dominating the mental health/self-help fields. She has created an impeccably streamlined guide that can be applied broadly to a whole host of unproductive thinking difficulties.
–Lisa Parker Hayreh, PhD (Full Review)
12. Tap Dancing on Everest
A riveting memoir about the travails of growing up, the trauma of mountain climbing, and the elation of being in the great outdoors
Author: Mimi Zieman
Genre: Memoir / Adventure
Print Length: 244 pages
Recommended by: Warren Maxwell
What it’s about:
Beginning at the dramatic climax of a years-in-the-making expedition to climb Everest’s east face without oxygen for the first time, Zieman’s memoir doubles back to trace the bumpy path that led her to become the team medical officer as a twenty-five year old medical school student.
What materializes is a deep portrait of Mimi’s youth and milieu in New York as the ambitious daughter of two Holocaust survivors. Her father’s entire family was killed in Latvia while her maternal grandmother fled Germany for Palestine with her young daughter, Mimi’s mother. Living with the legacy of such a brutal and incomprehensible past reverberates in Zieman, triggering eating disorders, an unrequited love of dance, and an ultimate turn toward medicine.
While plagued by her family’s expectations and rules, mountains and trekking become an early source of independence. Through a series of split decisions and journeys, Zieman ends up alone in the Nepali Himalayas, hiking for weeks on end and forging relationships with fellow hikers that take her all the way to the feet of Everest.
Why you should read it:
The overall quality of the writing in this book is exceptional. The memoir’s many large and small vignettes, its minor characters and central ones all leap into focus. Whether Zieman’s haunted, psychotherapist father or a braggadocios boy that she rescues in a climbing accident, personality and life abound.
One of the things that’s wonderful about this uncommon approach to writing the mountain climbing narrative—the very fact that Zieman is present as a doctor, not a climber, and doesn’t herself climb Everest—is that we see a different side to the climbing story…This is a tale about the experience of living on mountains, beside mountains, under mountains, and hoping that the people climbing them will survive. The depth of psychology and detail that go into Zieman’s descriptions are mesmerizing.
In short, this memoir travels widely. It brings a large swath of territory into its purview that, while seemingly diffuse, builds to a triumphant peak. It is a beautiful, wrenching story about the trials that we endure and the rewards we reap.
–Warren Maxwell
13. Nola Face
A memoir that explores the contradictions of language with boldness, nuance, and playfulness.
Author: Brooke Champagne
Genre: Memoir / Essays
Print Length: 192 pages
Publisher: University of Georgia Press
Recommended by: Elizabeth Reiser
What it’s about:
The essays in Nola Face recount Brooke Champagne’s upbringing in an Ecuadorian family in New Orleans, her marriage and motherhood, and her path as a writer. But narrating a memory is, we soon learn, never as easy as putting facts on the page.
Instead, the essays in the collection play cleverly with the fallibility of writing itself, never letting the reader forget the way language mediates the relationship between the author penning each essay and the author who lives as a character on the page.
Why you should read it:
A memoir as thoughtful as it is creative, Nola Face would be an excellent choice for readers in love with the craft of writing.
These essays let the reader behind the curtain, reflecting explicitly on the impossibility of describing an event precisely as it happened without the distorting force of language.
Champagne is a master of the art of the opening sentence…These deft opening lines draw the reader in to each new essay, in search of elaboration, explanation, and another thrilling turn of phrase.
It’s not only the opening lines that delight in this collection. Long, complex sentences stuffed with recollections and reconsiderations abound in Nola Face…. At their best, they read like pirouettes, swinging the reader through a remarkable range of images, ideas, and linguistic moves to land with grace.
–Elena Bellaart
Bookify your phones & tablets with these gotta-have-it book apps.
14. Secrets Ever Green
The exquisite, emotional adventure of a young woman pushing through grief to uncover magical secrets
Author: Sara Knightly
Genre: Young Adult / Fantasy
Print Length: 268 pages
Recommended by: Andrea Marks-Joseph
What it’s about:
Ivy Rune is not the natural Arborist talent everyone believes she is. Every year, in the town of Windermere, students are allocated a career and, in Ivy’s case, permanent accommodation, depending on their results in the final practical exam.
If Ivy fails her final exams, she will not have a job in the industry she’s trained for, and most importantly, she won’t be able to live in her childhood home, which holds her final memories of her father and has been left empty waiting for her in the decade since his presumed death.
A mysterious man approaches Ivy with instructions (ostensibly from her father, ten years ago, specifically for Ivy) that lead her to discover a magic underworld hiding in plain sight, unlocking the secrets to where her father spent his time before he disappeared. Suddenly, in the middle of the most crucial week of her life, where studying in the library will secure her future, Ivy is exploring the forest, following handwritten clues from her dead father.
Why you should read it:
Author Sara Knightly has created a wondrous and charming hometown for Ivy. Windermere is filled with lore and whispered, near-forgotten myths so naturally woven into the story that it felt as though I had grown up in the community with Ivy and her best friend York, understanding their fears, ambitions, and curiosity on a cellular level.
This natural, almost effortless sense of being surrounded by Secrets Ever Green’s world applies to its characters, too: I felt the complexity of Ivy wanting guidance and support from the adults in her life, and I felt in my veins the betrayal and shame she experienced when they treated her in a way that made it clear, through unintentional twists in their phrasing, that she was not loved unconditionally, nor was she theirs to care for indefinitely.
The way grief is written into Ivy’s story is remarkable. Often it’s just one line that hits at the heart of her pain, and then the story continues. Knightly has mastered the art of pulling back the protagonist’s layers to their most vulnerable truth and then moving the story along in light of that knowledge. Ivy has tangled herself up in grief, moving forward because it’s all she knows, but the story is weighed down by her heartache. In fact, even in Ivy’s darkest moments, though we are barely holding back tears in sympathy, we feel the story surge forward because what could possibly happen next?!
–Andrea Marks-Joseph (Full Review)
15. Terra Solaris (Gods & Monsters)
A formidable tale of power and creation
Author: Jaiden Baynes
Genre: Young Adult / Fantasy / Myth
Print Length: 374 pages
Publisher: BayMar Publishing
Recommended by: Audrey Davis
What it’s about:
In a very distant past, but a universe quite similar to our own, Gods, Titans, and Monsters roam the planets amongst the humans.
When the human Typhon’s greed and desire for power overtakes him, he aims to conquer the Kosmos and all its inhabitants, leaving a scarred, torn world in his wake. The goddess Terra, in an effort to restore stability, agrees to help her brother Jupiter rise to power to defeat Typhon and re-unite the planets.
Unfortunately, it does not last. As Jupiter is swept into his own corruption, Terra is left to grapple with her own thoughts and feelings while finding the strength to do so and seeks to restore a balance to the universe once more.
Why you should read it:
Jaiden Baynes’ newest young adult fantasy series Gods and Monsters gives a fresh face to creationism and ancient Greek mythos as we commonly know them. The same names remain, but their bearers and stories are very different. This story captivates as Baynes gives readers a new set of rules to play with for these characters, including new beasts and horrible foes, miraculous unseen powers, gods and new universes, and even a little bit of romance.
If you enjoyed the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, this story would be great for you. I would happily recommend this series to fellow action/adventure and fantasy fans. Readers will appreciate the dry humor and well-paced action as they follow new and powerful characters through their trials in saving the universe from capture and ruin.
–Audrey Davis (Full Review)
What are your must read books of 2024 so far? Let us know in the comments!
About the IBR Staff
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]]>by Toni Woodruff & the IBR Staff
How do you pick which books to read for your book club?
Every book club is different. When you Google “book club books,” you’re hit with a ton of options. Buzzworthy new releases. Popular “it” books of the season. Literary fiction, romance, mystery, the list goes on. While they may be wide-ranging, they all have on goal in common: to get your members talking.
Are you looking for something new for your next book club meeting?
Sometimes the best way to have a conversation is to broaden the conversation with unexpected book club books. That’s where indies come in!
Indie presses and indie authors publish amazing books for book clubs every year, but you may not hear about them. They don’t have the same marketing opportunities (budget especially). When you go into your local bookstore, you’re seeing mostly the books from the same five publishers or their imprints.
So let’s step outside the big five business model, shall we?
For your next book club meeting, read indie!
Support an indie author by having everyone in your book club buy a copy or request it from your library. Because these indie authors aren’t usually inundated with Good Morning America requests, I’d say there’s a pretty good chance you could have a Zoom meeting with the author too, if that’s your thing.
It’s important to pick a well-balanced reading diet for your book club books. Because of this, I’ve separated this post into my 5 favorite genres to read in with book clubs: Romance, literary fiction, nonfiction, mystery thrillers, and historical fiction. Pick one, pick multiple, pick them all. You’ll have a plethora of book club questions to discuss with this all-indie book list.
Now introducing: the best book club books you’ll read this year!
1. These Wicked Deeds
The spicy one
Author: Sophia Luxe
Genre: Romance / Billionaire
ISBN: 9798394839719
Print Length: 285
I can think of no better place to start than the sexiest book on this list. I don’t know you and your group, but I know mine. And we LOVE the sexy ones. There’s something so fun about being able to talk about stuff like this in person. This romance will go over well with those who liked 50 Shades: a rich guy who gets kinky.
In her STARRED review, IBR’s Melissa Suggitt calls it, “A wickedly sensual and tantalizing tale of danger, destruction, domination, and desire.”
2. Mid-Flight
The one that feels real
Author: Lisa Wilkes
Genre: Science Fiction / Romance
ISBN: 9781487436506
Print Length: 286 pages
Publisher: Extasy Books
Looking for something with a ton of great discussion topics AND a realistic romance?
Mid-Flight is set in the near future, shortly after a meteor landed and brought a dangerous pathogen. The president is going power-crazy and catering to antidote-resistant citizens, and it’s all enraging.
In her STARRED review, Andrea Marks-Joseph says, “These are difficult topics, but Wilkes handles them with grace and wisdom, and a visceral, true understanding of human nature.
“And the romance is top notch! Lexi and Jason’s relationship is one of my all-time favorites. It doesn’t feel made up for pure daydream fiction (though I am a huge fan of that type of love story, too!), but instead reads like a real, living romance. They feel like a couple I know and would love taking down the establishment with.”
3. Lady August
The steamy Regency one
Author: Becky Michaels
Genre: Historical / Romance
Print Length: 310 pages
ISBN: 9781735140131
Are you & your members still swooning over Bridgerton season one? Lady August brings back all the sexy feels you missed in season two (
).
“[Becky Michaels] throws August and Brooks into the titillating misunderstandings and blunders of first love, taking us on a ride of many ups and downs. Michaels knows why we’ve come, and she doesn’t disappoint.” – Madeline Barbush, Independent Book Review.
4. The Sweet Shrub Inn
The sweet one
Author: Hilah Roscoe
Genre: Romance / Southern
ISBN: 9781639882045
Print Length: 312 pages
Publisher: Atmosphere Press
“The Sweet Shrub Inn is the kind of story every Hallmark fan could get into,” starts Alexandria Ducksworth’s glowing review of this charming small-town romance.
Our female lead returns home, takes over her father’s inn, and who shows up? Her old crush! A sweet Southern setting, a wholesome romance: “Readers who follow Debbie Macomber and Susan Mallery should get to know Hilah Roscoe.”
5. Native Love Jams
The foodie one
Author: Tashia Hart
Genre: Romance / Multicultural
ISBN: 9781735345307
Print Length: 155 pages
This short enemies-to-lovers romance is great for groups who like talking about love and pairing their discussion with food. Lighthearted, spicy, AND sweet! It’s a delectable treat that takes place around a first Indigenous Food Days festival.
6. Pearls on a String
The heartwarming one
Author: Jane Merling
Genre: Historical / Romance
ISBN: 9781778088780
Print Length: 266 pages
Publisher: BayMar Press
Voted as the best book she read in 2022, IBR reviewer Tomi Alo calls Pearls on a String, “a sweet and exciting historical fiction filled with love, strength, courage, tragedy, and humor.” It features a romance, but it also does a great job of immersing us in the progressive 1980s and talking about family.
7. The Song of the Fae
The fantasy one
Author: E.H. Jahr
Genre: Fantasy / Romance
ISBN: 9781952897313
Print Length: 278 pages
It really is important to keep your book club members on their toes. That’s why I like switching up genres and expanding horizons. One way to do that? With “a sizzling love story with a shocking secret” in a fantasy world! – Lisa Parker Hayreh, Independent Book Review
What’s the key to a great book club meeting? Ask the best book club questions!
8. The Deeper The Water The Uglier the Fish
“The best one I’ve ever read.”
Author: Katya Apekina
Genre: Literary / Family Fiction
ISBN: 9781937512750
Print Length: 353 pages
Publisher: Two Dollar Radio
Literary fiction books are the ones that show you the world and make you think. From small intimate stories to wide-sweeping global ones, they offer excellent fodder for book club conversations. And what better place to start than this absolute STUNNER?
“I have never read a book better than The Deeper the Water the Uglier the Fish. My head was in a tizzy from the fast-paced, snippet style of storytelling and the whirlwind of a story surrounding a manipulative father and the sisters and mother wrapped up in his toxic magnetic field.” – Joe Walters, Independent Book Review
9. You’ll Be Fine
The drama one
Author: Jen Michalski
Genre: Contemporary / LGBTQ
ISBN: 9781648903106
Print Length: 344 pages
Publisher: NineStar Press
Family stories make for such great talk! There are so many opportunities for group members to step into the shoes of the characters and live a different life for a while. This “gay dramedy” is “amusing and heartwarming, and while the characters might be failures, their redeeming qualities shine bright and loud. The reader leaves the novel loving them all, and genuinely wishing the best for them.” – Alexandra Barbush, Independent Book Review
10. Hashtag Good Guy With a Gun
The hot-topic one
Author: Jeff Chon
Genre: Literary / Political
ISBN: 9781952386022
Print Length: 258 pages
Publisher: Sagging Meniscus Press
Is your group ready to talk about gun violence in America? You’ve got options, but none quite as mindbending as this one. It tackles conspiracy theories, masculinity, the news cycle, and it does it with humor and rapid-fire storytelling. If your group is political and down to talk about the 2016 election (again), take a chance on this hauntingly real fever-dream of a story. More from our STARRED REVIEW.
11. I Will Die in a Foreign Land
The one about Ukraine & Russia
Author: Kalani Pickhart
Genre: Literary / War
ISBN: 9781953387301
Print Length: 320 pages
Publisher: Two Dollar Radio
When people gather, they talk about what’s going on in their lives, in the world, on the news, and the internet. But the news can only cover so much. Immerse yourself in this “raw and emotional” novel about the Ukraine-Russia conflict in 2014, and you’ll have fodder for conversation about the impacts of today.
“Pickhart does what the media couldn’t: she puts names and faces to the stories of violent conflict. She reminds the reader that every journalist who disappeared is your friend who loudly states their opinion, that every mother is a woman with a backstory of love and life and pain before she moved into her new role.” – Alexandra Barbush, Independent Book Review
12. What Storm, What Thunder
The one with the beautiful prose
Author: Myriam J.A. Chancy
Genre: Literary / Natural Disaster
Print Length: 336 pages
ISBN: 9781953534385
Publisher: Tin House Books
Call me a nerd, but I’m an absolute sucker for beautiful sentences. And this one has it in droves! If your group also loves the little intricacies of storytelling, What Storm, What Thunder is an awesome choice. It’s about a very real (& recent) earthquake in Haiti, and IBR founder Joe Walters chose it as one of the best books he read in 2021.
13. Mothers of Pine Way
The gossipy one
Author: Corrine Ardoin
Genre: Contemporary / Small Town
Print Length: 230 pages
ISBN: 9781684336838
Publisher: Black Rose Writing
“Reading Corrine Ardoin’s work is like peering inside a box that’s been locked and hidden away: both curious and hesitant to learn what it might disclose.”
Book clubs and small town fiction go well together. There’s something so real in talking about the lives of more than one person. In this case, it’s a collection of mothers.
In this review, Samantha Hui says, “Sometimes feeling engagingly invasive, this novel is about gossip and family history told in the style of gossip and family history. Corrine Ardoin’s storytelling displays a complicated love for small towns, one that has us leaning in, anxious to hear more.”
14. Let’s Go Let’s Go Let’s Go
The one about the modern world
Author: Cleo Qian
Genre: Short Stories / Asian & Asian American
ISBN: 9781953534927
Print Length: 256 pages
Publisher: Tin House Books
Cleo Qian is a scintillating new voice in modern fiction. Let’s Go Let’s Go Let’s Go breaks through the digital void with surrealism and supernatural karaoke machines to spark an abundance of book club conversations that center around our world and its intriguing protagonists.
15. No God Like the Mother
The one about womanhood
Author: Kesha Ajọsẹ-Fisher
Genre: Short Stories / Black & African American
ISBN: 9781942436553
Print Length: 168 pages
Publisher: Forest Avenue Press
No God Like the Mother by Kesha Ajọsẹ-Fisher is a story collection that explores pivotal moments in the lives of women and girls. Though the settings and details of the stories vary widely, from naive young girls in Nigeria to grieving mothers in Portland, each one functions as a glimpse of the defining moment of a person’s life story.
In all, No God Like the Mother is a quietly devastating and frank look at the interplay between hope and grief that is experienced by someone whose body can produce life. It is also about the way others throughout the world have historically reacted to that ability with fear, desire, shame, or a combination of those and more.
-Erica Ball, Independent Book Review (STARRED)
16. Peach Pit
The unsavory one
Editors: Molly Llewellyn & Kristel Buckley
Genre: Short Stories / Women
ISBN: 9781942436553
Print Length: 168 pages
Publisher: Dzanc Books
This short story anthology is about badass women doing badass things, and it offers a number of great conversations about being a woman in the world, from a variety of perspectives. You’ll be hard-pressed to find book club members who didn’t have a strong visceral reaction to multiple stories.
Hey, wait! Have you seen our list of great book club gifts yet?
17. The Unfurling Frond
The one about becoming
Author: Rebecca Beardsall
Genre: Memoir
ISBN: 9781639889556
Print Length: 254 pages
Publisher: Atmosphere Press
Sometimes real-life stories require some inventive structuring. The Unfurling Frond is “composed of essays, vignettes, poems, photographs, and other experimental forms. It explores a central theme of seeking (for someone, something, somewhere)…”
In her STARRED review, Erin Britton says, “Rich in love for both people and place, The Unfurling Frond is an insightful exploration of the self, with Beardsall elucidating both the formation of her own self and the impacts she has had on the selves of others. Whether describing major events or minor details, she does so with verse and insight, ultimately forming a memoir of unusual format and exceptional impact.”
18. The Reluctant RV Wife
The traveling one
Author: Gerri Almand
Genre: Memoir / Travel
ISBN: 9781620061473
Print Length: 244 pages
Publisher: Brown Posey Press (Sunbury Press)
Get ready to hit the road with laughter and a charming wife for two years of reluctant RV travel. Gerri Almand’s excited husband has been looking forward to spending their retirement on the road, while she’d rather tend to her garden at home. And yet…
I love this book club book for the humor and relatable nature alone. I dare you to get out of this book club meeting without laughing at your own spouses and feeling inspired to travel more.
19. Unsinkable
The inspirational one
Author: Alan Corcoran
ISBN: 9781838365028
Print Length: 316 pages
Sometimes we need a reminder that we can do amazing things. After losing his father to cancer, Alan Corcoran raises money for charity by swimming the length of Ireland. Unsinkable is a funny, inspirational, and uplifting book club book for anyone struggling with grief or just looking for a pick-me-up after reading a few sad stories in a row.
20. Forgiveness
The loving one
Author: M. Lori Torok
Genre: Self-Help / Spirituality
Print Length: 274 pages
ISBN: 9798988105701
I love talking about stories in book clubs, but I love intermixing self-help and practical nonfiction even more. What’s more relatable than the topic of forgiveness? I haven’t yet met a person who is always willing to forgive. Get talking about real issues and real solutions with M. Lori Torok’s Forgiveness.
“It can take years to heal and grow from their emotional & spiritual wounds. Forgiveness is one of those books that put newfound knowledge and strategies to the test with exercises. With action, the real healing process begins.” – Alexandria Ducksworth, Independent Book Review
21. Wife | Daughter | Self
The artful one
Author: Beth Kephart
Genre: Essays / Women
Print Length: 274 pages
ISBN: 9781942436447
Publisher: Forest Avenue Press
I flew through this artful memoir in a matter of days. Kephart uses such lovely language and is precise and evocative when she talks about the various stages of womanhood. Chosen as one of our Impressive Indie Press Books of 2021!
22. The Comfort of Crows
The nature one
Author: Margaret Renkl
Genre: Essays / Nature
Print Length: 288 pages
ISBN: 9781954118461
Publisher: Spiegel & Grau
If you haven’t read Margaret Renkl’s nature writing yet, don’t even read the rest of this description. Buy this book!
I was blown away by Late Migrations, one of her previous indie bestsellers. She tells intimate, engaging little stories (often only a couple pages long) about the nature around her and us in such poetic, personal ways. My favorite parts about that book surrounded the wildlife in her backyard (especially birds!), so imagine my excitement when I first saw this cover & subtitle.
Her brother even does the art & illustrations, so there’s another topic of conversation right there: how incredible is this brother-sister duo!?
Give your members an activity with this book! Tell them to sit outside to read it. (In the right season of course!) Reading this would be an excellent way for all of you to develop a deeper connection with the world around you together.
23. Dreaming in Chinese
The one about resilience
Author: William Tsung
Genre: Asian & Asian American / Prison
Print Length: 248 pages
ISBN: 9798987452707
For those book clubs drawn to conversations about social justice, Dreaming in Chinese is a real conversation starter. There is a LOT to talk about with this book.
Read about a Taiwanese prison and “challenge [your] understanding of fair punishment [in a ] corrupt system that benefits from prisoners’ forced labor… It’s a condemnation of a system designed to see and even benefit from under-resourced people failing.” – Samantha Hui, Independent Book Review (STARRED)
24. Laugh Cry Rewind
The funny, sad one
Author: Judy Haveson
Genre: Memoir / Family Life
Print Length: 298 pages
ISBN: 9798986624914
Break out the tissues! This one’s a heartbreaker. But it’s also overflowing with love, humor, and family. The author loses her sister to cancer at just 19, and you feel every bit of the emotion of the loss, but surprisingly, the author leans more toward uplifting than miserable. It’s fascinating to see Haveson’s ability to tell a sad story with such poignant care.
“I haven’t read a memoir that explores existence in quite the same way as this one… The Havesons are the type of people who would be inspiring simply by being themselves.” – Joelene Pynnonen, Independent Book Review
Have too many books and not enough space? Check out these cheap bookshelves and small bookshelves!
25. What Happens In…
The sexy one
Author: Steffanie Moyers
Genre: Thriller / Serial Killer
Print Length: 274 pages
ISBN: 9798433557956
Not all sexy books belong in the romance section!
This white-hot thriller is on the trail of a serial killer in seedy Las Vegas. It features multiple lust-interests, an abundance of hot sex scenes, and so many thrills. Get ready to blush and feel goosebumps in that order, because What Happens In… is “one of the best books I have read in a while.” – Jaylynn Korrell, Independent Book Review
26. Like & Subscribe for Murder
The one on vacation
Author: Elle Kleos
Genre: Detective Fiction / LGBTQ+
Print Length: 356 pages
ISBN: 9798422173631
Andrea Marks-Joseph, in her Best Books of 2022 round-up, says, “Imagine HBO’s The White Lotus as more focused on the murder, just as horny but way more queer, heavier on the ‘eat the rich’ energy, and depicting actual solidarity with its local hotel staff…Elle Kleos nails the absurdity of wealth and the traditions of the rich, alongside the ridiculously serious business of an influencer’s lifestyle.”
Take a trip to a beautiful location with a book club book like this one. And maybe watch White Lotus as a companion piece (I vote season two!).
27. With One Stone
The debut one
Author: Mark Jenkins
Genre: Thriller / Psychological
Print Length: 324 pages
ISBN: 9798391809234
Nina Travers was once a bestselling author of psychological thrillers. Now she finds herself living in one. When her competitors start succumbing to “accidental” deaths, Nina begins to worry that she is to blame…or that she is next.
Lindsay Crandall of IBR calls this, “A fantastic debut…[Jenkins’] attention to detail is remarkable.” There are so many secrets to unfold in this book that your members’ heads will be spinning by the time they get to your house.
28. Echo from a Bayou
The what-would-you-do one
Author: J. Luke Bennecke
Genre: Thriller / Paranormal
Print Length: 418 pages
ISBN: 9780965771559
I love putting my book club members in the shoes of the protagonist! And this one is a little paranormal, super fun, and amazingly paced. It’s not every day you get a second chance to live AND a first chance to catch the person who killed you.
In her STARRED review, Joelene Pynnonen calls it, “Thoroughly entertaining! Murder, mayhem, adventure, and another chance at stolen love. Echo From a Bayou starts with a bang and doesn’t let up. There are a number of unanswered questions introduced right from the outset, and from there, the pages just breeze by.”
29. Witch Window
The snowy one
Author: Phil Bayly
Genre: Murder Mystery
Print Length: 336 pages
ISBN: 9781605716343
We’ve already been to the beach. Why not hit the slopes?
Witch Window is “a gripping mystery set in a stunning Vermont landscape.” Murder mysteries are always a big hit as book club books, and this one keeps shifting focus when you think have the mystery solved. Lindsay Crandall highly recommends Witch Window to any nature-loving mystery enthusiast in her review.
30. Ghosts of You
The inventive one
Author: Cathy Ulrich
Genre: Short Stories / Crime
Print Length: 200 pages
ISBN: 9781733244107
Publisher: Okay Donkey Books
I couldn’t get out of this section without mentioning Ghosts of You! This book flips crime fiction on its head and investigates the murder mystery genre by starting each story in the collection with a variation of, ““The thing about being the murdered [woman] is you set the plot in motion.” The word “woman” here is substituted with the nickname that you might find as the headline on your local newspaper: “The Murdered Lover,” “The Murdered Homecoming Queen,” “The Murdered Detective.”
But they don’t ever mention the killer! Each story belongs to the murdered woman. It’s about life, not death. And it’s beautiful! In his review, Joe Walters says, “fans of literary fiction and murder mysteries have met their match.”
31. The Living Is Easy
The one with the antihero
Author: Dorothy West
Genre: Historical / Black & African American
Print Length: 368 pages
ISBN: 9781936932979
Publisher: Feminist Press
The Living is Easy is an intimate, witty account of a shockingly unlikeable protagonist, Cleo, and her very lovable but victimized family. Cleo is a stunning, egotistical young woman who grew up in the countryside, but is sent to Boston when she is old enough because her mother worries her voraciousness is too much for the countryside. Cleo plots and plans until she can get all her sisters and their children, without their husbands, living under her roof.
Cleo is a fascinating character study and a gateway to talk about our own shortcomings, privileges, and interactions with the world. She’s an unforgettable antihero in 1940s Boston, and although we don’t have to like her, we still should try to understand her.
-Rosa Kumar, Independent Book Review
32. 1836: A Year of Escape
The adventurous one
Author: Rose Osterman Kleidon
Genre: Historical Fiction / Family
Print Length: 308 pages
ISBN: 9781632996107
Publisher: River Grove Books (Greenleaf Book Group)
While an entertaining adventure all in its own right, 1836 is also inspired by the author’s very own genealogical research into her own family. Talk about a good excuse to get your ancestry DNA done while reading a damn good book!
“It describes the Kästner family’s travels from Prussia to the Port of New Orleans [and] includes everything you could want in historical fiction—engaging characters, brisk action, compelling drama, and historical facts that are totally integrated into the narrative.” – Kathy L. Brown, Independent Book Review
33. Signed, a Paddy
The Irish one
Author: Lisa Boyle
Genre: Historical / Women’s
ISBN: 9781736607718
Print Length: 410 pages
After surviving the potato famine in Ireland, Rosaleen MacNamara leaves for the United States to start a new life. In addition to utilizing real events and historical figures from the mid-1800s, author Lisa Boyle tells this moving tale in a modern light.
Having experienced injustice in her own country, she follows her burning desire to make a change; this change, she believes, is in The Land of the Free. But soon, she finds out America has its own injustices, and, after becoming quite close to one woman of color in particular, she decides she has to take action to fight against what she knows to be unjust.
-Madeline Barbush, Independent Book Review
34. The Boy in the Rain
The English one
Author: Stephanie Cowell
Genre: Historical / LGBTQ
ISBN: 9781646033492
Print Length: 310 pages
Publisher: Regal House Publishing
From the English countryside to a vivid London art world, this historically rich LGBTQ novel tells a captivating story set in the Edwardian era, where homosexual acts get men sent to prison. But Robbie and Anton keep getting closer…
35. Gathering Storm
The moonshining one
Author: Sherilyn Decter
Genre: Women’s Fiction / Crime
ISBN: 9781777127718
Print Length: 432 pages
This series is so good! This first book follows an incredible leading lady who, after the death of her moonshine-king husband, takes up the family business by traveling down to Florida to start her own speakeasy.
“This is not just a story of prohibition in America, it’s a story of womanhood and strength. The feeling one is left with when closing A Gathering Storm is one of steely determination and hope. Those who are looking for a female-led historical fiction with a backbone of steel, this book is for you.” – Steph Huddleston, Independent Book Review
Which books have sparked the best discussions for your group? Let me know in the comments!
Thank you for reading Toni Woodruff’s 35 of the Best Book Club Books You’ll Read This Year! If you liked what you read, please spend some more time with us at the links below.
The post 35 of the Best Book Club Books You’ll Read This Year appeared first on Independent Book Review.
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The Undiscovered Country
by Diane Meyer Lowman
Genre: Nonfiction / Memoir
ISBN: 9781639889143
Print Length: 130 pages
Publisher: Atmosphere Press
Reviewed by Joelene Pynnonen
Philosophy and the deeply personal collide in this memoir about running away from your life and finding yourself.
When her mother passes away, Diane Meyer Lowman finds herself cast adrift. Her two sons are on the cusp of adulthood, navigating their burgeoning lives on their own. Diane is left with no one left to look after her and no one for her to look after either. Her mother’s penultimate words stick with her though; “I wish you would start your life.” As a grown woman, Diane feels she has a life. She’s college educated, had a business career; she just swapped it for motherhood.
But her life so far has been spent fulfilling the dreams of others. So Diane returns to an old love, one that she had never been able to fully pursue before: Shakespeare. Packing up her life in Connecticut, she enrolls in an M.A. program at the Shakespeare Institute in the Bard’s birthplace, Stratford Upon Avon. Alone in a foreign country, she discovers that even as an adult, there’s so much more she can learn about herself.
The Undiscovered Country is a short memoir about following Shakespeare, but it’s also an overview of her life and the events that shaped it. Lowman has a unique, yet relatable way of writing that can catch you unaware.
“Sometimes I would keep researching because it meant I didn’t have to start writing. Mounds of notes accrued, like grocery bags full of ingredients heaped on the counter, waiting to become a gourmet meal with nary a cookbook or recipe in sight.”
Passages like the one above abound. Rich and lush in description, but so thoroughly applicable to most people’s lives. Much like her time studying, Diane pours 100% of herself into this memoir. She delves into music, theater, philosophers, writers, and history to paint a complete picture of who she is and how she thinks.
There’s a strong philosophical element to The Undiscovered Country. Diane questions her actions and circumstances, often turning to writers or her past for answers. One of the most interesting questions she asks is, why work? She’s already done her time at college, as a mother, in a career. She could rest. Instead, she throws herself into the challenge of studying the most famous literary figure in the world. Pouring over the primary texts, refining a thesis, researching, writing.
The consistently recurring theme through Undiscovered Country is finding a place in the community when one’s circumstances have changed. In this case, it’s not the bildungsroman of youth, looking to embark on a fresh new journey into the world. It’s the more disquieting situation of someone who has lived through one part of their life and found themselves stranded at the end of it. No parents to look after and children now grown. There’s a delicate, underlying grief in this memoir. Not so strong that it chokes you, more a pervasive sense of being lost.
The Undiscovered Country is wonderfully written in general, but at times it feels sparse. Certain ideas aren’t unpacked, some people aren’t properly introduced, and some words or acronyms aren’t explained. Occasionally, there’s the feeling of being dropped into a section mid-scene where the much-needed set-up is missing. Most of this can be understood in the context of the narrative or by reading further, but it does create a feeling of confusion at the time.
The Undiscovered Country is a fascinating look at the experiences of an older student in a foreign country and the social landscape of a divorced mother of adult children. For such a short piece, it packs several punches. Both the writing and the thoughts behind it are crisp and often beautifully expressive. Whether you’re a Shakespeare afficionado or not, this is a worthy read.
Thank you for reading Joelene Pynnonen’s book review of The Undiscovered Country by Diane Meyer Lowman! If you liked what you read, please spend some more time with us at the links below.
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The Loneliest Places
by Keith Edward Vaughn
Genre: Mystery, Thriller & Suspense / Crime
ISBN: 9798986531908
Print Length: 290 pages
Reviewed by Erin Britton
Los Angeles has never been more alluring or deadly.
With despicable crimes, shameless corruption, eclectic characters, and the beating heart of the city at its center, Keith Edward Vaughn’s debut novel The Loneliest Places offers an atmospheric slice of LA noir in a similar vein to the work of James Ellroy or Michael Connelly. In highlighting the darker side of the City of Angels, he evocatively shines a light on the evil that lurks in the shadows caused by even the brightest sunshine.
Ellis Dunaway prefers cruising LA in his Porsche, looking to score some coke, and maybe even dedicating a bit of time to pursuing his dead-end screenwriting career. He does not want to work for the private detective agency he inherited from his father. But when a former associate of his old man (and his own current coke dealer) asks for a professional favor, he finds that he’s in no position to refuse.
Club owner Terry Montero explains that he agreed to let a friend named Douglas—who is subsequently downgraded to a colleague, and then to an associate, which explains his lack of a surname—stay at his Malibu cottage for a couple of days until a domestic dispute blew over. That was three weeks ago and Montero hasn’t heard from Douglas since, meaning he doesn’t know if the guy ever made it to the cottage or if he is still there.
Montero wants Ellis to drive out to Malibu and check on the situation with Douglas: “this is your area of expertise. It’s what you do—drive around and spy on people and stuff.” Given that Douglas has lots of drugs and money, as well as a reputation for hanging out with all the leading porn stars, Ellis immediately suspects that there is murky business afoot, but he owes Montero and so agrees to take the case.
Still, for all his trepidation, Ellis has no real idea what he’s getting himself into.
It quickly emerges that Douglas, in addition to being inexplicably missing, has links to the Black Fist, “a South American drug cartel that’s been operating in Los Angeles since the seventies.” The cartel started out with drugs and prostitution and then expanded to nearly every black market in California—“drugs, guns, babies, body parts, bootleg DVDs, you name it”—and they’re definitely not to be messed with.
As Ellis crisscrosses Los Angles and neighboring areas in his inherited Porsche while searching for Douglas, the levels of danger and deception that he encounters continually increase. His attempts to unravel the tangled mess associated with Douglas’s disappearance take him to some dangerous places and introduce him to some depraved characters, and every new lead he uncovers seems to draw him closer to a secret from his own past.
Keith Edward Vaughn brings the city of Los Angeles and its environs vividly to life in The Loneliest Places, so much so that LA becomes a key character in its own right. From the glitz and sleaze of Hollywood to the glamour and depravity of organized crime, Vaughn highlights the dichotomies that abound in La-La Land. There’s plenty of money and influence on display, but also plenty of subservience and poverty, both literal and moral.
As an established, if rather reluctant, private detective who previously enjoyed a brief career writing for a network television show, Ellis has a foot in both the showbiz camp and the criminal underworld of Los Angeles. What’s more, through his late father’s connections with the LAPD, he has access to information and resources that provide him with an even clearer picture of all the nefarious things going on in the city.
Ellis might be a pretty good detective—when he sobers up for long enough to start putting things together, that is—but he’s also a pretty lousy person, particularly in terms of his dealings with former flames and current employees. The failure of his Hollywood career has left him bitter, while the success of former friends has left him envious, and he can’t seem to pull himself together for long enough to make any improvements.
However, agreeing to investigate Douglas’s disappearance forces Ellis out of his established malaise and into precarious action, and Vaughn provides the perfect background soundtrack for him doing so. Indeed, music is very important both to Ellis and to the atmosphere of the novel as a whole, and the featured tracks help set the tone and drive the pace of the story.
So too does the mystery behind Montero and pretty much everyone else being “ghosted” by the elusive Douglas. There are plenty of twists and turns to the case, as well as a fair number of suspicious characters and distracting red herrings, and Ellis pursues his investigation in true Philip Marlow style: grudgingly and in a drug- and booze-fueled haze. Still, he surprises himself with how good of a detective he actually is, even if the odds of getting to the bottom of everything are very much stacked against him.
The Loneliest Places is a modern slice of hardboiled noir set in a version of LA that is both familiarly terrible and unexpectedly uplifting. The crime is a tough one to crack, and, as the focal detective, Ellis Dunaway proves to be a surprisingly tenacious and insightful investigator. As the case proceeds, there’s violence and sleaze aplenty, and it all makes for an action-packed story.
Thank you for reading Erin Britton’s book review of The Loneliest Places by Keith Edward Vaughn! If you liked what you read, please spend some more time with us at the links below.
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]]>The post Upcoming Book Releases We’re Excited About | Fall 2023 appeared first on Independent Book Review.
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Put your trust in indie books in Fall 2023.
You won’t regret it.
We received pitches for thousands of indie books this year. Our inbox is overflowing with creativity and uniqueness and bold steps taken away from those by the big five publishers.
National Book Award finalists like Mónica Ojeda stride alongside debut indie authors in this list of exciting books coming out in Fall 2023. It’s not the name that matters to us, the publishing house, the publicity; it’s the book.
What genres are you looking for? We review them all. This list includes literary fiction, speculative fiction, thrillers, middle grade books, and beyond. So get that pre-order finger ready. I think this season looks awesome.
Here are 23 upcoming book releases that we’re excited about in Fall 2023.
1. Nefando
Available October 2023
Author: Mónica Ojeda
Genre: Thriller / Horror
ISBN: 9781566896894
Print Length: 184 pages
Publisher: Coffee House Press
Mónica Ojeda’s last book, Jawbone, was impressive. Good psychological thrillers can rile you up and make you think at the same time, and Ojeda is so damn good at both. This follow-up novel is a techno-horror story about artists and video games, and it might be just as explosive.
2. The Glassman
Available September 2023
Author: Multimind
Genre: Dark Fantasy
ISBN: 9781952860102
Print Length: 151 pages
A lead singer survives a devastating accident only to discover that he can now control and create glass. What would you even do with this power? How could it help? Or could it only hurt? The Glassman is a dark fantasy that sings.
3. The Liberators
Available November 2023
Author: E.J. Koh
Genre: Literary / Asian & Asian American
ISBN: 9781959030157
Print Length: 304 pages
Publisher: Tin House Books
Don’t even get me started on this cover. (Okay, do. It’s incredible.) But it’s the generational family story that pulls me deeper into this one. If you’re fascinated in the ways the past influences the present, check out this debut novel that Tayari Jones (An American Marriage), called, “Spare, beautiful and richly layered.”
4. Landscapes
Available September 2023
Author: Christine Lai
Genre: Literary / Dystopian
ISBN: 9781953387387
Print Length: 230 pages
Publisher: Two Dollar Radio
Lai captures the intersectionality of art, feminism, and environmentalism in this moving debut novel
A major focus of this novel is destruction and what it means to create anew; destruction often is not the end but a site for rebirth. Though Penelope has devoted so much of her life to the preservation of [an art archive], in its demolition, she is able to transition into a new future…Landscapes is beautiful, provocative, and accessible. It will remind you that destruction is rarely the end and that we all must continue forward.
– Samantha Hui, Independent Book Review
5. Peach Pit
Available September 2023
Editors: Molly Llewellyn & Kristel Buckley
Genre: Short Fiction / Women
ISBN: 9781950539871
Publisher: Dzanc Books
Deesha Philyaw. Lauren Groff. Sarah Rose Etter. Should I just keep listing the badass women authors in this book? This star-studded story anthology is filled with monstrous female characters who are tired of being told to play nice.
6. Somewhere in the Gray Area
Available October 2023
Author: Jeffrey K. Davenport
Genre: Thriller / LGBTQ
Print Length: 328 pages
ISBN: 9798218192211
An overconfident character in over their head? Sign me up. And make it dangerous while you’re at it. This thriller features a programming intern who gets caught up in a police coverup that takes the lives of his boss and the rest of the program’s interns. Naturally, he joins up with a team of operatives, led by a team leader with an eye only for his work. For now.
7. The River, The Town
Available June 2023
Author: Farah Ali
Genre: Literary / Family
ISBN: 9781950539888
Print Length: 216 pages
Publisher: Dzanc Books
A deep and powerful work of literary climate fiction
The River, The Town follows Baadal, his wife Meena, and his mother Raheela over a lifetime from their rural landscape to the faraway dream of the City, as they try and fail and try again to love each other. As the title suggests, the Town depends on the river, a relationship just as fraught as the relationships between the humans that the river feeds.
With straightforward prose and a roving point of view, Ali traces the echoes between water and thirst, person and place, in this meditation on regionalism, poverty, and family trauma.
– Nick Rees Gardner, Independent Book Review
8. Veil of Doubt
Available October 2023
Author: Sharon Virts
Genre: Historical Fiction / Thriller
ISBN: 9781959411253
Print Length: 362 pages
Publisher: Girl Friday Books
A scintillating retelling of a true crime story from Reconstruction-era Virginia! One mother is accused of killing her husband, children, and aunt. Obviously you’re wondering if she did it. Just wait until you see the ending.
9. Wild Geese
Available September 2023
Author: Soula Emmanuel
Genre: Literary / LGBTQ
ISBN: 9781558610132
Print Length: 240
Publisher: The Feminist Press
Three years into her transition, Phoebe is finally setted in her new life in Copenhagen. Then her ex-girlfriend comes back, bringing all of what Phoebe tried to leave behind with her. A tale of dislocations and relocations, of migrating like the majestic honking birds in the sky. Julián Delgado Lopera (Fiebre Tropical) calls it, “A terrific read that looks at a trans experience unflinchingly….Sassy, cataclysmic, and full of life.”
10. Soul Jar
Available October 2023
Editor: Annie Carl
Genre: Sci-Fi & Fantasy / Short Fiction
ISBN: 9781942436577
Print Length: 400 pages
Publisher: Forest Avenue Press
Where are all the people with disabilities in fantasy fiction? Shapeshifter, demons, Mars! This imaginative anthology is a vibrant one. It’s even edited by a bookseller, Annie Carl, owner of The Neverending Bookshop in Edmonds, WA. I love this whole project.
11. The Strange Beautiful
Available September 2023
Author: Carla Crujido
Genre: Short Stories / Historical
Print Length: 202 pages
ISBN: 9781634050531
Publisher: Chin Music Press
A glimpse into the lives of ten tenants in one apartment complex in Spokane, WA over a period of 100 years. This linked story collection offers so much, from the Spanish flu to a mannequin protagonist. Jane Wong (Meet Me Tonight in Atlantic City) says: “Full of surreal wonder, each story moves us forward in time with visceral, inventive, and intimate language – replete with winged women and oceanic Fugu poison.”
12. Sea Glass Memories
Available October 2023
Author: Anne Marie Bennett
Genre: Women’s Fiction
ISBN: 9798986050348
Print Length: 205 pages
A cozy novel with the charm of small-town life and the reassurance that we are resilient and capable of love
Anne Marie Bennett’s Sea Glass Memories explores the strength it takes to move beyond grief. Readers will follow the emotional growth of the main character and become encouraged to take their lives back into their own hands. This novel reminds us that to grieve is to love and to love is to carry on.
– Samantha Hui, Independent Book Review (forthcoming)
13. Sister Golden Calf
Available September 2023
Author: Colleen Burner
Genre: Literary Fiction
ISBN: 9781952897313
Publisher: Split/Lip Press
Road trip fiction, but heavy on the weird? Yes please! A motorcycle gang, a taxidermied eight-legged calf, a ghost town. The characters are worth the price of admission alone in this novella.
14. Sanctuary Motel
Available October 2023
Author: Alan Orloff
Genre: Thriller
Print Length: 254 pages
ISBN: 9781685123970
Publisher: Level Best Books
You may have seen Orloff’s name before, like in The Best American Mystery Stories (2018) or one of his Agatha winning books. This time, he’s written about a proprietor who opens up his motel to the unfortunate, only to bring danger to his doors.
15. Weather and Beasts and Growing Things
Available September 2023
Author: Charlotte Suttee
Genre: Science Fiction / Dystopian
Print Length: 208 pages
Publisher: Lethe Press
Imagine cultivating a garden atop a condemned apartment building in the year 2079. The city doesn’t want Stevven or their sentient plant, so they have to find a new home. But how do you find or make a home in a cyberpunk future riddled with oil cults and cannibals?
Feel like you don’t have time to read? Peep our 10 easy ways to read more.
16. Cursebreakers
Available September 2023
Author: Madeleine Nakamura
Genre: YA / Fantasy
ISBN: 9781939096128
Print Length: 284 pages
Publisher: Canis Major Books
Cursebreakers is nonstop action, pierced with so much heart and heightened emotion on both ends of the scale. These characters come alive off the page in a way that is rare and precious, and will no doubt fuel the rise of a powerful fandom.
The book follows Professor Adrien Desfourneaux, who finds himself entangled in the life-threatening position of preventing a magical coup linked to a rapidly increasing number of comatose victims—while he is experiencing a significant flare-up of his bipolar disorder symptoms.
– Andrea Marks-Joseph, Independent Book Review (STARRED)
17. The Confession of Hemingway Jones
Available September 2023
Author: Kathleen Hannon
Genre: Young Adult / Science Fiction
ISBN: 9780744302592
Print Length: 480 pages
Publisher: Camcat Books
A car accident claims his father’s life. But maybe it’s not the end of it? Hemingway Jones hijacks the lab in which he interns, a cryogenic preservation research center, and brings his father back to life. But now his skin is grey and he can’t be in 56 degree weather. He eats weird food too. So should he really do it again?
18. Facing the Beast Within
Available September 2023
Author: Mark Cheverton
Genre: Middle Grade / Fantasy
ISBN: 9781735878164
Print Length: 208 pages
An earnest reminder to be courageous and honest
Cameron Poole is anxious and is mocked daily. To make matters worse, supernatural creatures from a parallel dimension start appearing, and Cameron must defeat them to save their summer camp from the clutches of evil.
In addition to a fast-paced plot, Cheverton uses Cameron’s anxiety to demonstrate some tried-and-true coping methods from psychologists. This includes breathing exercises and many different mental distraction activities. I was pleased that the presence of these methods did not detract from the overall story; rather, including these in the book not only provides them as tools for kids and pre-teens to use in daily life, but it also offers visibility, inclusion, and normalization of these issues and coping methods.
– Audrey Davis, Independent Book Review (Forthcoming)
Speaking of reading for kids… Have you seen our gifts for kids who love to read?
19. The Boy from Nowhere
Available September 2023
Author: Richard Robison Jr.
Genre: Memoir / Historical
ISBN: 9798987007525
Print Length: 259 pages
Publisher: Blackwater Press
Moving around during 1960s America, Richard Robison Jr. knows about disconnection and loss, of hope and change. This personal story will resonate with readers interested in a vivid snapshot of the time period and the desire to know oneself when you keep moving.
20. Move Like Water
Available September 2023
Author: Hannah Stowe
Genre: Memoir / Oceans & Seas
ISBN: 9781959030102
Print Length: 288 pages
Publisher: Tin House Books
Not only do readers get to spend time sailing the North Sea, North Atlantic, Mediterranean, Celtic Sea, and the Caribbean in this memoir, but they are led by the rhythmic prose of a deeply invested and poetic marine biologist. Great for people who love marine animals too!
21. Attic of Dreams
Available September 2023
Author: Marilyn Webb Neagley
Genre: Memoir
ISBN: 9781578691319
Print Length: 284 pages
Publisher: Rootstock Publishing
This lyrical memoir is about protecting the outer world and the journey to wholeness. Julia Alvarez (In the Time of the Butterflies, Afterlife) says, “Neagley’s memoir addresses issues so critical now: how to take care of our natural world, of each other, of ourselves—we need magic attics of imagination and stories that inspire our activism.”
22. Dark Beds
Available October 2023
Author: Diana Whitney
ISBN: 9781735678375
Print Length: 102 pages
Publisher: June Road Press
A sensual, earthly collection of poetry centered around motherhood, marriage, and desire
Diana Whitney’s second collection of poems explores the double entendre of “dark beds,” referring both to garden beds and to the bedroom. The lines are rich with images of the natural world and delve into experiences of motherhood, sexuality, and even infidelity.
Whitney’s poems contain a kind of breathless tension that draws in the reader and compels them through each page, caught up in possibilities and what ifs. This is poetry of confession, ripe and ready to envelop the senses with its passion
– Genevieve Hartman, Independent Book Review (STARRED)
23. No Spare People
Available October 2023
Author: Erin Hoover
Print Length: 85 pages
ISBN: 9781625570598
Publisher: Black Lawrence Press
A sharp, decisive look at life on the margins. It rejects the “acceptable losses” stemming from inequalities of gender, race, and class. Whiting Award winner Cate Marvin (World’s Tallest Disaster), says, “NO SPARE PEOPLE recalls to me the sobering effect of encountering Adrienne Rich’s work in the late ’80s… This is a deeply intellectual and expertly wrought collection.”
Which upcoming book releases are you most excited about?
About the Curator
Joe Walters is the founder and editor-in-chief of Independent Book Review. When he’s not doing editorial, promoting, or reviewing work, he’s working on his novel or trusting the process. Find him @joewalters13 on Twitter.
Thank you for reading Joe Walters’s Upcoming Book Releases We’re Excited About | Fall 2023! If you liked what you read, please spend some more time with us at the links below.
The post Upcoming Book Releases We’re Excited About | Fall 2023 appeared first on Independent Book Review.
]]>The post 30+ Top-Notch Book Review Sites for Readers & Writers appeared first on Independent Book Review.
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Book reviews are for all of us.
Readers need to know whether books with the best covers are worth the time they’re about to put into it. They find it helpful (and fun!) to check out reviews after reading the books, too, so they can see what other real-life humans had to say about it.
Librarians & booksellers need to hear from trusted sources that the book they are about to buy for their collection has the capability to get picked up & to satisfy. Authors & publishers need to get and use book reviews to build buzz and credibility for their product.
Book review sites have transformed the book-recommending landscape.
We can write reviews on product pages, on social media apps, and some of us, for publications that have been around since before the internet. Book reviewing has changed. But maybe it also hasn’t.
What kind of book review sites are you looking for? Chances are, this list has you covered.
Here are 30+ book review sites to read, write, and bookmark.
Does this logo look familiar? (Hint: You’re sitting on it).
IBR, the website you’re on RIGHT NOW, is all about indie books. There are so many books in the world right now, but if you feel like you keep seeing the same ones recommended over and over, start reading indie!
Independent presses & self-published authors are doing some incredible work right now. IBR reviews books, curates lists, does indie bookstore round-ups, and uses starred reviews & best-of-the-year lists to show which books are going to blow your mind.
2. Book Marks
Lit Hub rules. You already knew this.
But do you know about Book Marks? They’re a branch of the Lit Hub network, and they are an excellent way for booksellers and librarians to get shorter recaps from multiple sources and voices.
Their staff peruses book review sites and shares pull-quotes from them in book lists & more. By reading all of these sites, they can give the book a rating based on the average: “Rave, Positive, Mixed, or Pan.”
My favorite book-buying platform, Bookshop, uses Book Marks’ scale for their books’ ratings, and I love getting access to that.
Publishers Weekly has been around since 1872. By now, they’re a review churning machine. They cover so much of the book industry in so many different ways, reviewing nearly 9,000 books per year and providing publication announcements, agency announcements, industry job listings, bestseller lists, industry stats, a self-publishing partner, and more.
Another one that’s been around since before the internet! 1933 to be exact. Kirkus is a widely recognized publication that book buyers & librarians follow carefully. I dare you to find a bookstore or library that doesn’t have multiple books with Kirkus Reviews plastered on their front and back covers.
5. Booklist
The American Library Association runs Booklist, a platform dedicated to helping libraries, educators, and booksellers choose books. They’ve got a magazine (since 1905!), book reviews, lists, awards, and one of my favorite bookish podcasts out there: Shelf Care.
6. Library Journal & School Library Journal
As you might be able to guess, Library Journal & School Library Journal focus on librarians too! They review a ton of books, and they write often about library-related news, collection management, technology, programs, and more. If you’re an author hoping to land your book in libraries, these are essential targets.
7. BookPage
You may have seen BookPage in your local library or bookstore. Some shops provide it for free so that patrons can look through it to find which books to buy in-store. Their website is clean and intriguing and always full of the most up-to-date releases and bestsellers.
Speaking of libraries! Have you seen our gifts for librarians?
8. Foreword
Foreword is such an enthusiastic and dedicated champion of indie books, and they’ve been doing it since the 90s! I love how much attention university presses get here too. Their reviews are well-written & thorough, in both print & digital, and I always find something to speed-purchase once the Foreword Indie winners come out.
9. LoveReading
LoveReading is a top book-recommendation website in the UK. They’ve got starred reviews, lists, staff picks, a LitFest, eBooks, and they even donate 25% of the cover price of their books to schools of your choice. It’s reader-friendly and apparent how much they appreciate the wonder of books.
10. Washington Independent Review of Books
What’s not to love about The Independent?
Back in 2011, a group of writers & editors were frustrated by newspapers dropping book review sections and decided to do something about it. The Washington Independent Review of Books is quite a lovely something! This nonprofit posts every day: from reviews to interviews to essays and podcasts. They host events too!
11. Book Riot
Try being a reader and not finding something you love on Book Riot. Book lists, podcasts, personalized recommendations, newsletters, book deals—this site is a haven.
It doesn’t post solo book reviews like other sites, but they do share mini-reviews in book lists and talk about reading in unique & passionate ways. The Book Riot Podcast is such a winner too! I love listening to Jeff & Rebecca laugh about the latest in books & reading.
12. Electric Lit
From novel excerpts to original short fiction & poetry, they might not only be a book review site, but they do offer a lot in the world of book recommendations. Their Recommended Reading lit mag features unique staff picks and short, insightful book reviews.
13. The Millions
The writing in The Millions is something to behold. They are an artful source for all things book reviews & recommendations. They write stunning essays about books & reading and long reviews of new and old books. They’ve got some of my favorite Most Anticipated lists too.
What are the biggest benefits of reading? 
14. Bookforum
Did you hear? Bookforum is back! This book review magazine announced in December 2022 that they were closing, and my heart sank a little bit. This company means so much to the publishing industry and has for 20+ years, so when I saw (last week!) that they are returning, I did more than a few jumps for joy.
Welcome back, Bookforum! Can’t wait to see what you’ve got coming for us in book world coverage.
15. BOMB
BOMB is in it for the art. Art, literature, film, music, theater, architecture, and dance. There are reviews and interviews, and the literature section is a real delight. The reviews are like poignant essays, and the author interviews are in-depth and feature some fascinating minds.
The only dedicated pan-Asian book review publication! It’s widely cited and features some of the best in Asian books and art, so booksellers and librarians have a source to trust to stock their collections with high-quality pan-Asian lit.
Have you seen our gifts for book lovers yet?
I love so much of what Chicago Review of Books does. They have a clean & sleek design that features some of the buzziest books as well as plenty of hidden gems from our favorite indie presses. I’m a particularly big fan of the spotlight they put on books in translation.
18. Rain Taxi
I love Rain Taxi’s style! They champion unique books, publish their own fiction, poetry, and nonfiction, and put a real emphasis on art for their magazine covers. It’s a beautiful print magazine to subscribe to, but they also share free online editions & digital archives. They even run the Rain Taxi Reading Series & Twin Cities Book Festival if you’re a real-lifer in Minnesota!
19. The Rumpus
Oh, The Rumpus! This mostly volunteer-run online magazine publishes reviews, interviews, essays, fiction, and poetry. The reviews are in-depth and personal and heart-melting, and in addition to the site, they’ve got cool perks like the Poetry Book Club and Letters in the Mail. The book club is where you get a pre-release book and meet the poet via Slack with other club members at the end of the month, and Letters in the Mail are actual postcards sent in the mail to you twice a month from your favorite authors.
20. Book Reporter
The selection in Book Reporter is carefully curated & enticing: hot new releases, forthcoming books, major presses, & indies. And there are plenty of unique ways to learn about them, like video interviews and monthly lists & picks. It launched in 1996 and is in The Book Report Network, which includes Reading Group Guides, a super useful resource for book clubs.
21. BookTrib.
BookTrib does such a great job of making their site browsable. The different ways you can enjoy what they offer—from book lists to giveaways to ebook deals—are difficult to keep your purchase finger off of.
23. Lit Reactor
Writers & readers—where bookish people meet! LitReactor’s book reviews are in the magazine portion of their website, and they’ve got plenty of them! Reviews, interviews, lists, introspectives, writing tips, and reading discussions. I’ve found some really unique content on Lit Reactor, like this ranking of literary parents. The website is a haven for writers especially, as there are workshops, writing blog posts, and even a forum to participate in.
Dark alleys. Stray bullets. Hard-boiled detectives. Runaway thrills. If you’re a mystery-thriller reader, you’ve got to know about Crime Fiction Lover. They’ve got a passionate group of readers and writers talking about the best books in the genre and the ones that are soon to come out too.
25. SF Book Reviews
Speculative fiction fans unite! SF Book Reviews has been reviewing sci-fi and fantasy books since 1999, and while they’re a relatively small staff, they publish regularly, feature books of the month, and work wonders for their fantastical community.
For all you historical fiction fans out there, the Historical Novel Society has reviewed more than 20,000 books in its twenty years. This one works like a membership for “writers and readers who love exploring the past.” You get a quarterly print magazine as a member, and if you’re a writer, you can join critique groups and ask for book reviews.
The Poetry Question writes about poetry published by indie presses and indie authors. They are a small passionate team dedicated to showing the world why indie presses continue to be a leading source for award-winning poetry.
28. Goodreads
Did you know that there are over 125 million members on Goodreads? When users review books, they can have conversations with fellow readers and follow reviewers too. If you’re looking for the biggest community, there’s no doubt Goodreads is the one. I like using sites like this because it helps you catalog books, one of my favorite ways to build a strong reading habit.
29. The Storygraph
A big community of active users that’s Amazon free! Come review books, use half & quarter stars (!), and complete reading challenges. You got this.
29. Bookwyrm
Bookwyrm is small (around 5,000 members at the time of this writing), but doesn’t that sound kind of nice? There are active members and a genuine collective goal in talking books. Grow with it. I think you’ll be comfy here. There are other communities within the Bookwyrm umbrella too, like Bookrastinating.
30. Reedsy Discovery
I hold a special place in my heart for book review sites dedicated to helping writers! I got into this business as a book marketer, and I experienced first-hand, through hundreds of books, how hard it was to get exposure & validation for small press and self-published authors.
Reedsy Discovery is a branch of Reedsy (the author resource company) that connects authors & reviewers so that people can read free books, sometimes receive tips for it, and authors can get more reviews in the process. Readers can choose from the latest books as well as the ones that are getting the best reviews.
31. Netgalley
Netgalley is a book review site for pre-released books. Reviewers sign up for a free account, request galleys from publishers and indie authors, and get to read them before they’re published so that they can leave reviews for the book, preferably on Amazon, Goodreads, or their blog. They also run Bookish, the editorial arm of Netgalley, which has book recommendations, interviews, and more.
32. Online Book Club
This review site combines a bunch of cool things! The 4-million member community gives me a lot of Goodreads vibes, especially with the Bookshelves app. But Online Book Club is a place for you to get eBook deals and talk about books in reviews and forums.
What are your favorite book review sites to follow? Let us know in the comments!
Thank you for reading “Top-Notch Book Review Sites for Readers & Writers!” If you liked what you read, please spend some more time with us at the links below.
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Surf the Seesaw
by Scott A. Davis
Genre: Nonfiction / Self-Help / Memoir
ISBN: 9798987500408
Print Length: 235 pages
Reviewed by Jadidsa Perez
A self-help style memoir with engaging personal stories and meaningful insight
A multi-industry success story, Scott Davis, explores relationships, parenting, work, and self-improvement in Surf the Seesaw.
How did we get so divided? How do we raise our children to become part of that symphony and guide them through it? And how can we better ourselves in ways that are manageable in this fast-paced world? Readers will find much commonality and synergy to guide them through some some of life’s most pressing concerns in Surf the Seesaw.
This memoiris exceptional in conveying its personable and fully-lived journey. From exposition to epilogue, Scott A. Davis writes for the mindful reader. When you scour this text, you’ll find each phrase carefully constructed and redolent. Careful reading is important with prose as sharp as this.
“This book requires something unusual in this hasty, overscheduled world: time.”
Davis includes prompts and journal opportunities at the end of each chapter, too. Don’t only reflect here; actually write down your answers. It creates a good routine to build upon. The journaling functions as a mirror for the reader to see themselves and begin to understand themselves more through Davis’s life experiences.
Surf the Seesaw also features some really incredible essays on how society functions. From smaller things like gift-giving to big ones like tyranny, each essay is unique and evocative. Rather than just ruminate, the book offers insight on worldly conflicts and spirituality and explains why self-improvement is essential. As the book says, we require constant and mindful self-reflection to understand who we are and what we want to improve. Surf the Seesaw gives us so much of what we’re looking for in a self-help style memoir, led most by its deeply engaging personal stories.
Out of all of the chapters, my favorite was “‘I Love You is Code.” It contains a lot of vulnerability from the author regarding his marriage and the way attraction works. I’ve never come across such a succinct yet simple way of explaining the sincerity behind an, “I love you.”
Surf the Seesaw might go down as one of my favorite memoirs ever. Even for sections that don’t pertain to me—like being a parent—I remained just as keyed in to its stories and momentum. Davis’s book is not just inspiration; it motivates readers to want to keep learning for the rest of their lives.
Thank you for reading Jadidsa Perez’s book review of Surf the Seesaw by Scott A. Davis! If you liked what you read, please spend some more time with us at the links below.
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]]>The post Book Review: Commendable Delusions appeared first on Independent Book Review.
]]>Reviewed by Joshua Ryan Bligh
At once entirely absurd and unsettlingly real
A.T. French’s Commendable Delusions provides a breadcrumb trail of ten magical realist stories, each nestled in some unique nook of dream-tinted reality far from the bustle of cities and quotidian life. Some resemble parables, others fairytales, and yet others more modern narratives. But through them all is a golden thread of meaning and humor that brings the disparate landscapes together into a unique collection that can capture a curious mind, tantalizing with glimpses of hidden pastures and worlds secreted behind the veil of shared reality.
Airplanes, arid planes, and farmlands; each tale takes its venue and gently warps it into something surreal, serving as wholly engaging vehicles for the author’s messages on perception, connection, and our place in a jumbled reality. Each story framed as being told by an attendant of Aux Folies, an esoteric inner sanctum of the narrator, the atmosphere ranges from comedic to macabre with ease. Corn spectacle and mania, crystal skulls hung from trees, sawdust skies over carnivorous hens, and visions of chocolate oligarchs. The rug of normality is ripped from beneath our feet, leaving the reader in a whirling free-fall of imagination that continues well past the final story’s close.
As with the best of magical realism, French’s stories use the unknown and unreal to provide better understanding of the world around the reader. Each story appears built around a message or moral, though never so bluntly as to feel it being said outright. Instead, the author weaves his meaning into corners of the text, ideas and philosophies given in minute glimpses that leave the reader to draw their own conclusions and make their own realizations, rewarding curiosity and attentiveness with a sense of personal discovery.
French does well to create his individual style and ambiance, but I can’t help but draw comparisons to Jorge Luis Borges or Haruki Murakami, only to better prepare the reader for the joy to come upon reading these stories. Borges for the sense of lurking esoterica and secret cabals, and Murakami for the unpredictability and grasping of hidden worlds. Though I stress this comparison only for its similarity to the final effect on the reader: a sense of whetting one’s sense inquiry and readiness for viewing the world with fresh eyes.
Commendable Delusions is one of those hidden gems, a read that I’m glad has intersected my path. In only ten pieces, it does what the best of stories do: it at once imparts wisdom, inspires the mind, and entertains with a sense of playful joy.
Genre: Short Story Collection / Magical Realism
Print Length: 308 pages
ISBN: 978-1737950011
Thank you for reading Joshua Ryan Bligh’s book review of Commendable Delusions by Aaron T. French! If you liked what you read, please spend some more time with us at the links below.
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]]>Reviewed by Samantha Hui
Experimental, daring, yet subtle, Inhabitant ponders the gravity of human existence through nearly alien eyes.
Inhabitant is energetic and eerily silent. This narrative poetry book by Charles Crittenden follows the story of a tired man trying to find a sense of belonging both internally and within the physical universe. This brilliant and sincere book will have readers considering what they take for granted on a daily basis.
“is this how dogs feel? With everything this slow. / they get one lifetime we get many. / do they see us moving at a snail’s pace wondering / why we won’t seize every last moment?”
The inhabitant, a man who once inhabited Earth, sets his sights on finding a new place to call home. Due to the toils of dangerous human action against their home, Earth has gone up in flames and rejected, and possibly ejected, every last person. The inhabitant ambles through the galaxy trying to find a home and companionship that, perhaps this time, he will not take for granted. In his quiet search for belonging, he contemplates existential issues involving loneliness, environmentalism, and whether or not the stars know that we exist.
“do they know what they’re a part of, / does the north star know we count on it?”
The speaker may be the “inhabitant,” but he is all but an inhabitant. He lacks a home to go or return to. Rather, he must learn to find a sense of home within himself or else he will fall into an insanity caused by longing for what can no longer be. Interestingly enough, the inhabitant also refers to himself as the “watcher.” He is the watcher because he has witnessed the wonders created by people as well as the destruction of the Earth caused by mankind. In being the inhabitant, he is someone both at home and lost from home; as watcher, he is both able to recognize the destruction of the Earth and is implicit in its destruction.
“earth had always been a self-sustaining world, / though what’s a planet without inhabitants? / what’s an inhabitant without a planet? / a planet can thrive, / but a drifting man can only truly exist on solid ground.”
What I love about this book is the sort of ebb and flow the rhythm takes on. The free form nature of the poems allows for the writing to rise and fall on the page and in context. The story represents a rebirth and rebuilding of both the earth and the speaker.
At the beginning of the book, the speaker dreams of the past and wishes to bring back that which once was: “too many planets out there for me / to wonder when this one will match my dreams.” However, toward the end of the book, the speaker comes to understand that misery lies in longing for what cannot exist again. So his dreams transform from hopes for the past into a hope for the future: “the rest of my life waits on the other side / the starts turn off one by one / as I disappear into my dreams, / into my future.”
Inhabitant covers the trials of humankind through the eyes of a human-made alien. The story reminds me of Italo Calvino’s collection of stories, Cosmicomics, that creates human stories from scientific facts. Sincere and human-focused, Inhabitant comes with an easy recommendation from me to those interested in the cross between poetry and science fiction.
Publisher: Atmosphere Press
Genre: Poetry / Science Fiction
Print Length: 132 pages
ISBN: 978-1639880492
Thank you for reading Samantha Hui’s book review of Inhabitant by Charles Crittenden! If you liked what you read, please spend some more time with us at the links below.
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