Independent booksellers from across the country highlight eight independently published books they're excited to sell this fall.
Andrew King, bookseller, Secret Garden Books, Seattle
The Cat at Night
Dahlov Ipcar. Tilbury House, Sept. 5, ages 4–8 ($18.95, ISBN 978-1-958394-22-9)
“This is a super neat picture book about a farm cat’s daily night adventures, contrasted by what we would see in the dark compared to a kitty’s stellar night vision! There are many things us humans can’t see at night like a curious cat can.”
Danni Mullen, owner, Semicolon Books & Gallery, Chicago
Dearborn
Ghassan Zeineddine. Tin House, Sept. 5 ($17.95 trade paper, ISBN 978-1-959030-29-4)
“I’ve become a huge fan of short stories since opening my store—go figure—and the stories in this one made me feel a bunch of things pretty quickly! There’s a depth to exploring the Arab American experience over time in the heartland, but this is also a reminder that one’s culture prevails, wherever we find ourselves.”
Zsamé Morgan, owner, Babycake’s Book Stack, Minneapolis–St. Paul, Minn.
Jayden’s Secret Ingredient
Mélina Mangal, illus. by Ken Daley. Strive, Aug. 1, ages 4–10 ($18.99, ISBN 978-1-63198-602-4)
“In Jayden’s Impossible Garden, we met Jayden, a young boy who grows a robust garden in the middle of an urban community. I am very excited for the next installment as Jayden continues growing the garden, friendships, community, and even himself as he embarks on an amazing new journey, the path to courage.”
Carrie Koepke, manager, Skylark Bookshop, Columbia, Mo.
Standing Heavy
Gauz, trans. by Frank Wynne. Biblioasis, Oct. 3 ($16.95 trade paper, ISBN 978-1-77196-600-9)
“This combines some of my favorite things: a solid one-sit read, an elegant translation, and an author willing to play with form. There is a reason this thoughtful and satirical take on Franco-African history was shortlisted for the 2023 International Booker Prize. I felt satisfied after reading it once, and yet it left me ready to dig in again.”
Emily Autenrieth, owner, A Seat at the Table, Elk Grove, Calif.
Company
Shannon Sanders. Graywolf, Oct. 3 ($27, ISBN 978-1-64445-251-6)
“This debut collection of interwoven short stories offers snapshots of human experience that are compelling on their own and when taken as a whole. The glimpses into each protagonist’s experience offer insight into individual lives, race and social class in America, and the complex dynamics of family.”
Janet Webster Jones and Alyson Jones Turner, co-owners, Source Booksellers, Detroit
Wild Girls: How the Outdoors Shaped the Women Who Challenged a Nation
Tiya Miles. Norton, Sept. 19 ($22, ISBN 978-1-324-02087-5)
Janet: “Tiya Miles, a historian, demonstrates how girls who found self-understanding in nature became women who changed America. We love all of Tiya’s books: Dawn of Detroit, All That She Carried, and this one as well.”
The White Stripes: Complete Lyrics 1997–2007
Jack White. Third Man, Oct. 3 ($55, ISBN 979-8986614526)
Alyson: “This American rock duo from Detroit is releasing their first complete lyric collection. We cannot wait to read the essays in this book written by music writer Hanif Abdurraqib; Ben Blackwell, the band’s historian; and Caroline Randall Williams, who has Detroit roots and is the delightful author of Lucy Negro Redux.
Charles Hannah, co-owner, Third Eye Books, Portland, Ore.
An Other World: The Fight for Freedom, Joy, and Belonging
Hanif Fazal. Page Two, Oct. 17 ($19.95 trade paper, ISBN 978-1-77458-331-9)
“Hanif Fazal has been a longtime fixture in the Portland, Ore., DEI community, with a proven track record of bringing diverse communities to the table, promoting anti-racism, and fighting the myth of ‘making it’ as it relates to the BIPOC experience in America. We need such a voice right now.”
Alexis Powell, bookseller, The King’s English Bookshop, Salt Lake City
The Missing Morningstar: And Other Stories
Stacie Shannon Denetsosie. Torrey House, Sept. 12 ($16.95 trade paper, ISBN 978-1-94881-485-0)
“Navajo author Denetsosie’s characters are written with the utmost heart, and I was invested in every single story. I couldn’t put this dazzling debut down.”
The byline to an earlier version of this compilation was incorrect and has been updated.
