The Indie Next List

How to Read a Book

A Novel

By: Monica Wood
Narrated by: Eileen Stevens
Length: 10 hours 18 minutes

""The perfect pick to really light a fire under my book club, and yours....A reminder that goodness, and books, can still win in this world."" —New York Times Book Review""A beautiful, big-hearted treasure of a novel."" —Lily KingNational Bestseller * From the award-winning author of The One-in-a-Million Boy comes a heartfelt, uplifting novel... Read more

James

A Novel

By: Percival Everett
Narrated by: Dominic Hoffman
Length: 7 hours 48 minutes

“It is rare to find a book that is a retelling of a known story and wholly original, but Percival Everett is able to do that with James. By shifting the narrator from Huckleberry Finn to James (known previously only as 'Jim') Everett doesn't only refocus the point of view of the events, but he is able to refocus the reader's attention away from... Read more

Expiration Dates

A Novel

By: Rebecca Serle
Narrated by: Julia Whelan
Length: 7 hours 6 minutes

“I’ll be honest… I’ve not had the best success with Rebecca Searle. Her last one was a DNF for me. Having Julia Whelan as the narrator definitely helped me finish this one. I loved the magical realism concept, and how it unfolded. I loved the LA setting and thought Searle captured the food, culture, and scene of the city quite well. I continued... Read more

The Husbands: A Read with Jenna Pick

A Novel

By: Holly Gramazio
Narrated by: Miranda Raison
Length: 10 hours 30 minutes

“Laugh-out-loud funny and thought provoking at the same time. If your attic produced a never ending stream of husbands that you could exchange the moment they got on your nerves, what would you do? When would your life be enough for you to settle down and stop looking for the next best thing? I enjoyed this book, the narration was great, and I... Read more

A Short Walk Through a Wide World

A Novel

By: Douglas Westerbeke
Narrated by: Saskia Maarleveld
Length: 11 hours 3 minutes

“A Short Walk Through a Wide World is an epic novel charting the adventurous journey of one woman trying to outrun a mysterious curse. Douglas Westerbeke’s debut captures the imagination. A dazzling read! Read more

Clear

A Novel

By: Carys Davies
Narrated by: Russ Bain
Length: 3 hours 6 minutes

“Wonderful audio and the ending! Read more

The Familiar

A Novel

By: Leigh Bardugo
Narrated by: Lauren Fortgang
Length: 12 hours 57 minutes

“Two words: Entertaining and propulsive! Set during the inquisition in 16th century Spain, it’s a political thriller and historical fiction with a dose of magic. Full of secret agendas, pain, fear and desire, you won't want to stop listening to this story. Read more

Worry

A Novel

By: Alexandra Tanner
Narrated by: Helen Laser
Length: 7 hours 13 minutes

“Worry is brilliant. Jules and Poppy's characters could be your sister, your friend, or even, you. The storyline time placement is genius. All Jules and Poppy appear to want is to move their lives forward – together and apart. But with setting this story a year before the pandemic, the reader knows it really doesn't matter what they are planning.... Read more

Rainbow Black

A Novel

By: Maggie Thrash
Narrated by: Hope Newhouse
Length: 12 hours 53 minutes

“The setting: 1980s New Hampshire, a society roiled by suppressed memories. The characters: two young teens, parents convicted of child abuse arising from these memories. Maggie Thrash does not shy away in this compelling story. Read more

Annie Bot

A Novel

By: Sierra Greer
Narrated by: Jennifer Jill Araya
Length: 9 hours 31 minutes

“The way Annie, a very expensive robot set to 'Cuddle Bunny' mode, perceives and interprets her owner’s behavior is eerily identical to the way we humans read and respond to each other. Listening to this story from Annie’s point of view was fascinating. Read more

The Emperor and the Endless Palace

By: Justinian Huang
Narrated by: Dylan J. Locke, Will Dao & Telly Leung
Length: 9 hours 52 minutes

“A love letter to queer Asian men and the legend of the cut-sleeve Chinese emperor. A steamy examination of hedonism and the cost of pleasure and codependency. Read more

The Prospects

A Novel

By: KT Hoffman
Narrated by: Shaan Dasani & KT Hoffman
Length: 11 hours 34 minutes

“I had so much fun reading this book! The first openly trans player in minor league baseball, Gene has to contend with his former teammate and present rival, Luis, being traded to his team. This book encapsulates the joys of playing a team sport and unfolds a beautifully tender romance between its two lovable main characters. Highly recommend! Read more

Just for the Summer

By: Melody Carlson
Narrated by: Stephanie Cozart
Length: 8 hours 52 minutes

If you lived in a different place and had a different job, couldn't you have a different life?

Ginny Masters manages a popular boutique hotel in Seattle and manages it with aplomb. But the daily challenges and irritations of a fast-paced job and a demanding boss are starting to get to her.

Jacqueline Potter manages her grandfather’s fishing lodge... Read more

I Cheerfully Refuse

By: Leif Enger
Narrated by: David Aaron Baker
Length: 11 hours 54 minutes

“Haunting yet hopeful, this futuristic tale will hit close to home with its honesty and pertinent observation of what it is to be human. I Cheerfully Refuse is proof of the power of a well-told story to ask the reader to live and feel deeply. Read more

The Age of Magical Overthinking

Notes on Modern Irrationality

By: Amanda Montell
Narrated by: Amanda Montell
Length: 6 hours 5 minutes

“Amanda Montell has a great way of burrowing into topics in unexpected ways, in a fashion that is akin to documentary maker David Farrier. This book examines a range of cognitive biases - such as the halo effect, sunk cost fallacy, confirmation bias, and more - and the various effects they have on our culture and society. It blends this research... Read more

The Cemetery of Untold Stories

By: Julia Alvarez
Narrated by: Alma Cuervo
Length: 8 hours 56 minutes

“Author Julia Alvarez takes us into a magical world where a writer's untold stories are entombed in a cemetery, but still have voices. A profound examination of the creative mind, a peek into the culture of the Dominican Republic, and a heartfelt look at familial bonds, The Cemetery of Untold Stories breaks new ground. Perfect for anyone who... Read more

Memory Piece

A Novel

By: Lisa Ko
Narrated by: Eunice Wong
Length: 9 hours 38 minutes

“Get ready Memory Piece starts out slow and personal and then takes a whirlwind turn into the intense. Centered around three childhood friends spanning 40 years, Ko weaves together a connection through art, technology advancement, and what society considers valuable. For fans of stories that center around the near distant future, coming-of-age,... Read more

There's Always This Year

On Basketball and Ascension

By: Hanif Abdurraqib
Narrated by: Hanif Abdurraqib
Length: 8 hours 40 minutes

“Hanif has truly one of the most beautiful minds of any writer. This reflection on community, family (found and for-real), the places we are from and what it means to be of them, and being someone who leaves and returns will stick with you forever. Using LeBron James and the conceit of basketball, it charts departures and returns as a form of... Read more

Table for Two

Fictions

By: Amor Towles
Narrated by: Edoardo Ballerini & J. Smith-Cameron
Length: 13 hours 23 minutes

“I love this whole collection, six short stories, and one novella. It has a little bit of everything. It was very entertaining and thought-provoking. I had so much fun reading them!! From Russia, New York and Los Angeles each story was captivating, and unique. I enjoyed going from life to life. The Novella that follows Evelyn Ross (Rules of... Read more

Women! In! Peril!

By: Jessie Ren Marshall
Narrated by: Rachel Noe Nishizawa
Length: 7 hours 59 minutes

“Women! In! Peril! is a sharply written, eclectically bizarre collection that starts with a bang and ends in tender tears, and everything in-between. A fantastic debut from an author to watch out for! Read more