20 new books to buy from your local indie (instead of you know where).
You, dear reader of this site, obviously know how important it is to support indie bookstores and shop locally. But apparently we’re currently in the Prime Day stretch, so for the skeptics, we’re just going to say: Hugh Grant will never love you if you buy your books on Amaz*n. (See: Notting Hill.) Ergo, please find these lovely new books at your local bookshop.
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Brandon Taylor, Filthy Animals
(Riverhead)
“Taylor’s language sparks with the tension of beauty and cruelty, conveying a sense of desire and the pleasures of food and sex complicated by capricious behavior. The author has an impressive range.”
–Publishers Weekly
Joshua Cohen, The Netanyahus
(New York Review of Books)
“The Netanyahus is Cohen’s sixth novel, his most conventional and his best to date. It is a tour de force: compact, laugh-out-loud funny, the best new novel I’ve read this year.”
–The Times
Mariana Leky, tr. Tess Lewis, What You Can See From Here
(FSG)
“This is a generous and funny novel, though Leky doesn’t shy away from the ache of separation and the painful aftermath of loss.”
–Kirkus
Mariana Oliver, tr. Julia Sanches, Migratory Birds
(Transit)
“Essayist Oliver debuts with a thoughtful, roving meditation on migration, language, and home.”
–Publishers Weekly
Laura Lippman, Dream Girl
(William Morrow)
“Dream Girl shimmers with suspense, surprises, wry humor, and an ever-present stream of appreciations for the pleasures, frustrations, and oddities inherent in the life of a writer.”
–The Boston Globe
Mike Rothschild, The Storm Is Upon Us
(Melville House)
“Given the odds that someone you know buys into QAnon doctrine, Rothschild’s rabbit-hole dive is a valuable guide.”
–Kirkus
Elias Rodriques, All the Water I’ve Seen Is Running
(W.W. Norton)
“The complex layering of class, race, gender, and sexuality within the group reminds us that all is at play in relationships. Rodriques’ striking debut expands the geography of regional literature and convincingly demands acknowledgment of under-explored perspectives.”
–Booklist
Marina Jarre, tr. Ann Goldstein, Distant Fathers
(New Vessel Press)
“Connoisseurs of literary memoir will enjoy Jarre’s precise way of capturing emotional experiences.”
–Kirkus
Alex DiFrancesco, Transmutation
(Seven Stories Press)
“DiFrancesco’s eclectic, absorbing first collection captures moments of in-betweenness (often fraught, sometimes magical) that may be especially familiar to transgender people who are not legible, temporarily or purposefully, to others or themselves.”
–The New York Times Book Review
Kelsey McKinney, God Spare the Girls
(William Morrow)
“This stirring debut about faith, secrets, and familial bonds will keep readers turning the pages.”
–Publishers Weekly
Weng Pixin, Let’s Not Talk Anymore
(Drawn & Quarterly)
“In this vibrant graphic novel, Weng Pixin journeys through five generations of her family’s women, all when they were aged 15 years, as she reflects on family, trauma, silence and connection.”
–Ms. Magazine
Emma Dabiri, What White People Can Do Next
(Harper Perennial)
“A must-read for anyone seeking to be an agent of much-needed societal change.”
–Kirkus
Hebe Uhart, tr. Robert Croll, Animals
(Archipelago)
“Animals is at once tender, bemused, informative, and deeply fun . . . It asks, through sweet, respectful attention, how we might best relate to animals; how we humans, so accustomed to seeing ourselves as nature’s rulers, might adjust our attitudes.”
–NPR
Emma Brodie, Songs in Ursa Major
(Knopf)
“Moving from New York to Los Angeles to Greece to the Grammys, then always back home to the island, Brodie’s debut is a furious page-turner, meditating on the glittering beast of fame.”
–Booklist
Rajiv Mohabir, Antiman
(Restless Books)
“A shattering and heartfelt journey from heartache and hesitancy to confidence, self-acceptance, and joy.”
–Kirkus
David A. Price, Geniuses at War
(Knopf)
“Much of this will be familiar to WWII history buffs, but those looking for an entertaining introduction to Bletchley Park and the era’s technological innovations would do well to start here.”
–Publishers Weekly
Sarah Stewart Taylor, A Distant Grave
(Minotaur Books)
“Taylor’s adept at balancing plot and plausible characterizations.”
–Publishers Weekly
Joe R. Landsdale, Moon Lake
(Mulholland Books)
” As usual with this author, the Texas dialect is pitch-perfect, though some explanatory dialogue can be a bit didactic. Lansdale effectively dramatizes racial and economic conflict in this searing gothic tale.”
–Publishers Weekly
Owen Hatherley, Clean Living Under Difficult Circumstances
(Verso)
“The clear-sighted vision, analysis and optimism of a writer like Hatherley shines through when we need it most.”
–Wallpaper
Joe Coulombe, Becoming Trader Joe
(HarperCollins)
“Sure to be required reading in business school—and for fans of Coulombe’s creation as well.”
–Kirkus
