Independent booksellers from across the country highlight eight independently published books they're excited to sell this fall.
Andrew Pineda, co-owner, 27th Letter Books, Detroit
Good Dress
Brittany Rogers. Tin House, Oct. 15 ($16.95 trade paper, ISBN 978-1-959030-83-6)
“I am so excited to share this collection of poetry with our community. It’s an exuberant celebration of Black abundance that plumbs the depths of intimacy in all of its forms: what are we moved by and what do we reach for? There’s nary a reader that will read Brittany’s poetry and remain untouched.”
Laurel Rhame, book buyer, Phoenix Books, three locations in northern Vermont
The Notebook: A History of Thinking on Paper
Roland Allen. Biblioasis, Sept. 10 ($19.95 trade paper, ISBN 978-1-77196-628-3)
“I love obscure, strange, or hyper-focused histories, and this is the first history of the notebook—a tool that completely changed humanity. I can already tell this is going to be my big gift book for the holiday season. It’s perfect for the writers, artists, or engineers in your life. And of course for the history buffs.”
Sarah Brown, store manager, Zenith Bookstore, Duluth, Minn.
Season of the Swamp
Yuri Herrera, trans. by Lisa Dillman. Graywolf, Oct. 1 ($26, ISBN 978-1-644453-07-0)
“Full disclosure: I will read anything Yuri Herrera writes. His writing feels like a fever dream, and yet everything is also somehow familiar—the perfect person to write about New Orleans in the 19th century, and a little-known time in the life of Mexican president Benito Juarez: his period of exile there. This is a strange, wonderful novel of a strange, wonderful city with a dark side. Music and revelry exist side by side with slavery and oppression. Herrera writes about the soul of America more deeply and cannily than most American authors.”
Kaitlyn Mahoney, owner, Under the Umbrella Bookstore, Salt Lake City, Utah
Trans Femme Futures: An Abolitionist Ethic for Transfeminist Worlds
Nat Raha and Mijke van der Drift. Pluto, Nov. 20 ($22.95 trade paper, ISBN 978-0-7453-4940-4)
“Imagining any future as a trans person is an act of resistance. Trans Femme Futures is an act of radical revolution, helping us imagine an abolitionist, liberated queer future.”
Laura Hughes, co-owner, Basket Books & Art, Houston, Tex.
My Lesbian Novel
Renee Gladman. Dorothy, Sept. 17 ($16.95 trade paper, ISBN 978-1-948980-23-4)
“Gladman’s precise and incisive writing makes me feel like I’m right alongside her investigating the limits of literature. It’s an adventure into the avant-garde. Also, I will read anything that comes from Dorothy!”
Cris Siqueira and Shelly McClone Carriere, co-owners, Lion’s Tooth, Milwaukee, Wis.
Palestine
Joe Sacco. Fantagraphics, Sept. 3 ($34.99, ISBN 979-8-8750-0000-3)
“It is a brutally sad fact that Joe Sacco’s reporting on the First Intifada is still urgently relevant almost 30 years after it was collected into this book. This updated edition provides much needed historical context, along with grim and personal portraits of struggling Palestinians. Sacco’s detailed landscapes and expressionistic drawing style capture the horror and desperation of the occupation, made even more poignant in light of the ongoing genocide in Gaza.”
Ashley Marie Mireles-Guerrero, owner, Judging by the Cover: A Bookstore, Fresno, Calif.
The Civilization
K.M. McKenzie. Iskanchi, Oct. 11 ($20 trade paper, ISBN 978-1-957810-12-6)
“I’ve been following Iskanchi Press ever since they were shortlisted for the Independent Book Publishers Association’s Innovative Voices program last year. Their mission to bring authentic African perspectives to the U.S. book market is truly inspiring. The Civilization blends African folklore with a thrilling adventure. This captivating YA fantasy offers a tapestry of coming-of-age themes, a touch of romance, and a classic hero’s journey. With mystical magic and a battle between dark and light, there’s something for everyone to enjoy.”
Candace Rivera, owner, Book & Nook, Warwick, N.Y.
Danica dela Torre, Certified Sleuth
Mikaela Lucido, illus. by Joanna Cacao. Annick, Sept. 24, ages 8–12 ($19.99, ISBN 978-1-77321-896-0)
“This paranormal mystery featuring a Filipino family is perfect for middle graders looking for a new spooky series.”
