The American Booksellers Association’s Indie Gift Guide for Genre Lovers will be available both in print and as a free e-newsletter delivered to customers by email via Matchbook Marketing. Print editions of the guide will be included in the September box mailings. On October 16, the e-newsletter will be sent to customers of stores that have signed up to send the Indie Next for Reading Groups lists.
This guide includes the following categories: Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy, Mystery/Thriller, Graphic Works, and Poetry. The tiles are also available as an Edelweiss collection.
The titles appearing in the Indie Gift Guide are:
Romance
Crash Test: A Novel
By Amy James
(Avon, 9780063399051, $18.99, July 1)
“Buckle up for an emotional ride with Crash Test, a queer Formula 1 romance that's perfect for lovers of angst. Devastating and hopeful, this book will tear open your heart and then stitch it right back up!”
—Laynie Rose Rizer, East City Bookshop, Washington, DC
The Devil She Knows
By Alexandria Bellefleur
(Berkley, 9780593952504, $19, Oct. 21)
“When a marriage proposal turns sour, a meet-cute in an elevator with a demon turns Samantha Cooper’s entire life upside down. With a handful of wishes and a hot demon to help her, Sam will get her girlfriend back even if she has to use every wish to make it so.”
—Coco Zephir, The Flying Pig Bookstore, Shelburne, VT
The Entanglement of Rival Wizards (Magic and Romance)
By Sara Raasch
(Bramble, 9781250333230, $19.99, Aug. 26)
“In this Dungeons and Dragons inspired fantasy rom-com, two bitter graduate school rivals are forced to work together on their wizarding research or face academic failure. If you like your romance a little sweet, a little sad, and a little spicy, this is the perfect book for you.”
—Annabel Dwight, Mysterious Galaxy Books, San Diego, CA
Her Soul for a Crown (Deluxe Edition)
By Alysha Rameera
(Sourcebooks Casablanca, 9781464231797, $18.99, Aug. 12)
“A new mythology-inspired queen is here to claim her crown! Steeped in poison and yearning, Her Soul for a Crown is everything readers want with magic woven into historical myths, burning hot romantic tension, and a fierce female lead willing to barter her very soul to claim her revenge.”
—Dani Terrell, Best of Books, Edmond, OK
Son of the Morning: A Novel (Deluxe Limited Edition)
By Akwaeke Emezi
(Avon, 9780063323186, $32, Nov. 4)
“Son of the Morning offers up a strong, lovely protagonist with a fiercely protective and mysterious family embarking on her first adventure away from home. This decadent love story features demons, archangels, and the pull of the forbidden. A brilliant romantasy steeped in Biblical lore and lush prose.”
—Emily Hall Schroen, Main Street Books, St. Charles, MO
Worth Fighting For (Meant To Be)
By Jesse Q. Sutanto
(Hyperion Avenue, 9781368112802, $26.99, Hardcover; 9781368112819, $15.99, Paperback, June 3)
"Mulan meets cowboy/office romance and I could not have asked for anything more. Hilarious, emotional, and full of subverted traditional Chinese gender norms, this book is impossible to put down.
—Ava Miller, Blacksburg Books, Blacksburg, VA
Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Archive of Unknown Universes: A Novel
By Ruben Reyes Jr.
(Mariner Books, 9780063336315, $28, July 1)
“An application of the success and failure of a nation’s revolution to the romance genre’s ‘sliding doors’ trope puts Archive into a genre league of its own. Both scenarios are given equal parts bittersweet and syrupbleak treatment, a great combo for those looking for a lump of hope with their cup of misery.”
—Ian McCord, Avid Bookshop, Athens, GA
The Book of Lost Hours: A Novel
By Hayley Gelfuso
(Atria Books, 9781668076347, $29.99, Aug. 26)
“Gelfuso’s prose possesses a haunting temporality — inhabiting multiple moments simultaneously, much like her characters. Her narrative voice achieves a delicate balance between historical precision and ethereal wonder.”
—Natasha Birham, 192 Books, New York, NY
Conform: A Novel (Thousand Voices)
By Ariel Sullivan
(Ballantine Books, 9798217090990, $30, Oct. 14)
“This book asks: what if the government picked your soulmate based on your DNA and mandatory procreation quotas? And what if your options were a terrifyingly perfect man from the ruling elite or the chaotic rebel trying to burn it all down? Welcome to Conform. Come for the dystopian panic, stay for the bisexual yearning and seething political rage.”
—Julia Young, Four Seasons Books, Shepherdstown, WV
Exiles
By Mason Coile
(G.P. Putnam's Sons, 9780593851630, $28, Sept. 16)
“There aren't enough adjectives to describe this book: gripping, intense, suspenseful, incredible, surprising…in a word: unputdownable. Seriously good science fiction. (Also: don't mess with the bots. Just don't.)”
—Melissa Fox, Watermark Books & Cafe, Wichita, KS
The Poppy Fields: A Novel (Deluxe Limited Edition)
By Nikki Erlick
(William Morrow, 9780063349339, $32, June 17)
“A clever idea, written with deep insight into the human experience. The story is terrific and moves along nicely. The underlying concepts will stick with you long after the last page is turned and will challenge your ideas about our relationship to grief.”
—Sarah Badger, Bright Side Bookshop, Flagstaff, AZ
Red City (The New Alchemists #1)
By Marie Lu
(Tor Books, 9781250885678, $29.99, Oct. 14)
“The balance Lu crafted between Sam and Ari is pure perfection…you could even say it's alchemical. I should have prepared myself for how entranced I would be by this world, but I was taken off guard in the best way. A fresh fantasy that I can’t stop thinking about.”
—Sarah Hudson, M. Judson Booksellers & Storytellers, Greenville, SC
Mystery & Thriller
The Dentist: A DS George Cross Mystery
By Tim Sullivan
(Atlantic Crime, 9780802167095, $17, Oct. 21)
“For DS George Cross, Asperger's syndrome is a detriment in some ways but essential to solving crime. Nothing escapes his scrupulous eye for detail and dispassionate approach to murder. The Dentist will charm you as it already has for thousands of readers in the UK.”
—Kelly Barth, Raven Book Store, Lawrence, KS
History Lessons
By Zoe B. Wallbrook
(Soho Crime, 9781641295529, $25.95, July 1)
“Mystery, romance, academic power struggles, and family money all come together in this dynamic debut! Daphne is a specialist in French colonial history, but she has to learn to specialize in current events faster than she expected.”
—Emma Aprile, Carmichael's Bookstore, Louisville, KY
Hollow Spaces: A Novel
By Victor Suthammanont
(Counterpoint, 9781640097117, $28, Aug. 5)
“Hollow Spaces presents itself as a mystery. But at its heart, it's really a book about complicated family relationships, between siblings and between parents and children. Told in dual timelines, the book centers around a family after a man is acquitted of murdering his girlfriend, and how the fallout affects his wife and kids.”
—Audrey I-Wei Huang, Belmont Books, Belmont, MA
The Ghostwriter: A Novel
By Julie Clark
(Sourcebooks Landmark, 9781464221286, $27.99, June 3)
“Clark has penned a page-turning mystery with the best kind of family tangles right at its core. Olivia, the estranged daughter of a famous and infamous writer, is tasked with ghostwriting his memoir. In doing so, she may unravel the unanswered questions surrounding the murders of his two siblings while they were teens.”
—Linda McLoughlin Figel, pages: a bookstore, Manhattan Beach, CA
Murder at the Black Cat Café (Detective Kindaichi Mysteries)
By Seishi Yokomizo, Bryan Karetnyk (Transl.)
(Pushkin Vertigo, 9781805335511, $17.95, Sept. 9)
“Seishi Yokomizo mysteries are so intriguing that I read almost every one of them in one sitting — I simply cannot wait to know what happens next. Every clue, every line, I try to figure out what happened. I know that whatever twist comes out of it, I’m not ready for!”
—Thomas Wilkerson, BookPeople, Austin, TX
Welcome to Murder Week: A Novel
By Karen Dukess
(Gallery/Scout Press, 9781668079775, $28.99, June 10)
“A witty, sweet, and unique whodunit with a lovely romance thrown in. Cath goes to England on a trip given to her by her recently-deceased mother, which includes a murder mystery week. Along the way, she unexpectedly forges friendships with her quirky roommates, and meets a distiller who just might become a significant love interest.”
—Camille Kovach, Completely Booked, Murrysville, PA
Graphic Works
Ew, It's Beautiful: A False Knees Comic Collection
By Joshua Barkman
(Andrews McMeel Publishing, 9781524897642, $16.99, July 15)
“Joshua Barkman is hilarious, and I adore these comics. I could read 100 pages more. The art is really good too, which is even more impressive.”
—Amber Brown, Quail Ridge Books, Raleigh, NC
It Rhymes With Takei
By George Takei, Steven Scott, Justin Eisinger, Harmony Becker (Illus.)
(Top Shelf Productions, 9781603095747, $29.99, June 10)
“George Takei is an icon and an idol to so many people in the world, and this graphic novel, a biography of his life from the lens of his sexuality, really shows the world why. He's been at the forefront of some of the biggest movements in our country, and he's done it all being true to himself.”
—Rifka Lichtig, McNally Jackson Books, New York, NY
Little Visitor & Other Abductions
By Adam Szym
(Oni Press, 9781637157961, $24.99, Sept. 23)
“Creepy, engrossing, and thought-provoking! Like listening to an old-time radio show while driving a lonely stretch of highway at night. If you're a fan of The Twilight Zone or Black Mirror and don’t mind reading with a pervasive sense of dread, this collection of stories is for you!”
—Brynn Artley, Content Bookstore, Northfield, MN
Nocturnos
By Laura Pérez, Andrea Rosenberg (Transl.)
(Fantagraphics, 9798875001260, $29.99, Oct. 21)
“This is one to mull over in the dark. A fantastic wandering and wondering through the night whose structure and illustrations feel as dreamlike as the content. The connections between otherwise disconnected segments of the book are done masterfully and a delight to follow.”
—Lauren Pronger, Chapterhouse Books, Amarillo, TX
Smoke Gets in Your Eyes
By Anaïs Flogny
(Abrams ComicArts, 9781419785696, $25.99, Oct. 7)
“This is a fantastic rags-to-riches rise to mafia boss story with a tragic and dark queer romance and stunning artwork — need I say more? Adding this to my graphic novel collection immediately. I recommend you do as well.”
—Jacey Anderson, Rediscovered Books, Boise, ID
Talking to My Father's Ghost: An Almost True Story
By Alex Krokus
(Chronicle Books, 9781797228181, $22.95, Aug. 5)
“In the deeply resonant graphic memoir, Alex Krokus gives us both a guide to navigating grief and redemption for all those things we wish we’d said, but never quite did. This memoir is whimsical and poignant — a little Bechdel, a little BoJack, and a little something new.”
—Rafe Posey, Third Place Books, Ravenna, WA
Poetry
Crohnic
By Jason Purcell
(Arsenal Pulp Press, 9781834050102, $16.95, Sept. 9)
“This was everything I hoped it would be: a tender ecopoetic deep-dive into the Saskatchewan River Valley, an unflinching study on the body during chronic illness, and an excavation of the loneliness that often coincides with illness, due to the way capitalism and imperialism alienate and isolate the chronically disabled, the sick, and the suffering.”
—Charlie Jones, A Room Of One's Own Bookstore, Madison, WI
How About Now: Poems
By Kate Baer
(Harper Perennial, 9780063454095, $27.99, Hardcover; 9780063306080, $18, Paperback, Nov. 4)
“Sometimes I think reading Kate Baer's poetry is as good as therapy. She examines womanhood at various stages of life, laying bare the complex struggles and emotions that come with each. Baer encourages readers to grab hold of their desire and hunger for life and take a triumphant bite.”
—Becca Naylor, Bookmarks, Winston-Salem, NC
Joy Is My Middle Name: Poems
By Sasha Debevec-McKenney
(W. W. Norton & Company, 9781324110675, $26.99, Aug. 5)
“Debevec-McKenney’s voice is like talking to a friend with years of laughter and wisdom under her belt, without leaving you feeling like something went over your head. A kaleidoscope of a collection, the intro alone had me tearing through the pages for more.”
—Grace Sullivan, Fountain Bookstore, Richmond, VA
The People's Project: Poems, Essays, and Art for Looking Forward
By Saeed Jones, Maggie Smith
(Washington Square Press, 9781668207024, $22, Sept. 9)
“This is an anthology that acknowledges the pain and fear of now while simultaneously insisting that we persist, because we must. These are not writings of despair, they are writings that encourage hope as an act of resistance, and emphasize just how essential that resistance is.”
—Lucy Lawrence, Serendipity Books, Chelsea, MI
Regaining Unconsciousness: Poems
By Harryette Mullen
(Graywolf Press, 9781644453490, $18, Aug. 5)
“Harryette Mullen’s brilliant return to poetry is positively spellbinding. Laying out a not-so-speculative and terrifying trajectory for humankind, this collection opens the deep veins of bigotry and capitalist greed which push us ever closer to the edge of our existence. Regaining Unconsciousness reminds us that change is a constant choice.”
—Wroxanna Work, Literati Bookstore, Ann Arbor, MI
Startlement: New and Selected Poems
By Ada Limón
(Milkweed Editions, 9781639550517, $28, Sept. 30)
“Limón has an exceptional talent for shining light upon the mysteries of life and the misunderstood, the passage of time and the deep-seated human fear of death, the curiosity of nature and the expansiveness of the universe, and the human condition and will to flourish. These poems offer us space to slow down, reassess ourselves, our values and motives, think critically, and pay attention to wonder.”
—Sarah Goldstein, Old Town Books, Alexandria, VA