February's Indie Next

Vigil

A Novel

By: George Saunders
Narrated by: Judy Greer, Stephen Root, MacLeod Andrews, Kimberly Farr, Mark Bramhall, Barrett Leddy, Eric Jason Martin, Karissa Vacker, Sunil Malhotra, Cassandra Campbell, Kimberly M. Wetherell, Aaron Goodson, Maggi-Meg Reed & Full Cast
Length: 5 hours 32 minutes

“A thoughtful reflection on whether we are due absolution for our misdeeds in life, delivered in Saunders’ classic voice, with humor, twists, and a deeper look at the impact of corporate greed on our world. Read more

When the Museum is Closed

By: Emi Yagi
Narrated by: Kae Alexander
Length: 3 hours 48 minutes

Brought to you by Penguin.

A quirky, joyful queer love story about a lonely museum worker who falls in love with a statue of Venus

Rika Horauchi’s new part-time job is to converse with a statue of Venus – in Latin – every Monday, when the museum is closed.

Initially reluctant, Rika starts to enjoy her strange new job. Recommended by her old... Read more about When the Museum is Closed

The Future Saints

A Novel

By: Ashley Winstead
Narrated by: Ali Andre Ali, Brittany Pressley, Vikas Adam & Tyla Collier
Length: 11 hours 11 minutes

“Who knew a book about a bratty, party animal band could be so wholesome? The slow burn to loving each individual character is intensely intimate and wonderfully done; each overflowing with grief and loss as they navigate the world within the music industry. Read more

George Falls Through Time

A Novel

By: Ryan Collett
Narrated by: Samuel Barnett
Length: 8 hours 52 minutes

“At first, you’ll expect this book to be a fun time-travel adventure, and it is, but it is also brutally human. George’s modern anxiety transposed into the Middle Ages makes a stunning portrait of the human heart. Read more

This Is Not About Us

Fiction

By: Allegra Goodman
Narrated by: Kimberly Farr
Length: 12 hours 11 minutes

“In this compelling series of related stories, Allegra Goodman brilliantly takes on family life in moments tender, troubled, torrid and traumatic. Told with humor and insight, we empathize with the Rubensteins as they take on birth, death, divorce, feuds and love in the best – and sometimes worst – ways they know how. Anyone with a family will... Read more

My Husband's Wife

A Novel

By: Alice Feeney
Narrated by: Bel Powley, Henry Rowley & Richard Armitage
Length: 8 hours 58 minutes

“Feeney’s best and newest book is going to keep you guessing until the very end! Read more

It's Not Her

By: Mary Kubica
Narrated by: Jennifer Jill Araya, Brittany Pressley & Gary Tiedemann
Length: 11 hours 2 minutes

“A summer vacation in Wisconsin turns into a nightmare that will leave you totally speechless as you learn not only what happened to Courtney’s family but also what happened to Kylie 5 years earlier. I do not think I have ever listened to a book where I was this surprised by what happened and then surprised even more by the ending. Read more

Every Happiness

A Novel

By: Reena Shah
Narrated by: Deepa Samuel
Length: 11 hours 37 minutes

“(Indies Introduce) Stunning and unflinching! In its luminescent prose, you will find complex characters you can’t help but root for and themes that come alive. The longing in Reena Shah’s every word blurs the line between reader and character. Read more

Keeper of Lost Children

By: Sadeqa Johnson
Narrated by: Ariel Blake, Karen Chilton, Adam Lazarre-White & Sadeqa Johnson
Length: 14 hours 7 minutes

“A well-written historical fiction that informs you of an obvious side effect of war and the struggles of real people to minimize its impact. The narrative weaves the story from three main characters from different times into one historically based plot. Read more

Murder Bimbo

A Novel

By: Rebecca Novack
Narrated by: Jennifer Pickens
Length: 7 hours 20 minutes

“Hell yeah, brother. Murder Bimbo gave me just what I needed - a messy, unreliable narrator, a political-ish point of view that's long on wit and style, and a Rashomon-style form that propelled the plot through to its final resting place (maybe?). Everyone is comparing it to Gone Girl, but I think it's more One Battle After Another if Perfidia... Read more

Operation Bounce House

By: Matt Dinniman
Narrated by: Travis Baldree & Jeff Hays
Length: 10 hours 48 minutes

“When they’re trying to bounce you from your home, you gotta fight back. Matt Dinniman creates another harrowing situation with a relatable protagonist, quirky AI, and a cast of characters that doesn’t disappoint. Read more

Crux

A Novel

By: Gabriel Tallent
Narrated by: Elaine Wang
Length: 12 hours 40 minutes

“Insanely big-hearted.” —The Washington Post

“Electric.” —The New York Times

“Tender, immersive, and thrilling." —Gabrielle Zevin, author of Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow

"One of the best novels I’ve ever read about friendship.” —Stephen King, #1 bestselling author

In this story of intense friendship and grit, two down-and-out teens escape... Read more about Crux

How to Commit a Postcolonial Murder

A Novel

By: Nina McConigley
Narrated by: Reena Dutt
Length: 5 hours 18 minutes

“A poignant, compelling, and original paean against the long reach of capitalism, colonialism, whiteness, and the patriarchy — and a moving coming of age story about a murdered uncle, a pair of guilty sisters, and Cosmo quizzes. Read more

Eradication

A Fable

By: Jonathan Miles
Narrated by: Tom Alexander
Length: 3 hours 56 minutes

“Fantastic - pretty dark - I don't want to say much about it since it's short and needs the discovery and surprise you feel as you read, but as it follows a man who's come to an uninhabited island to do a job, you realize pretty quickly that he is not equipped to do it. Often hilarious, but also thought-provoking in the end. You will wonder... Read more

Good People

A Novel

By: Patmeena Sabit
Narrated by: Full Cast
Length: 10 hours 7 minutes

“A masterfully crafted family drama with the pulse and pace of a thriller at the intersection of immigrant dreams and deep-seated cultural values. A complex look at the fragile balance of assimilation, identity, and independence. Read more

This Book Made Me Think of You

By: Libby Page
Narrated by: Zadeiah Campbell-Davies
Length: 10 hours 26 minutes

“This book was a total love letter to book lovers everywhere. Through Tilly’s grief, she rediscovers herself and her love of books. I was completely drawn in by the premise of Tilly’s late husband gifting her a year of books. It was so romantic and thoughtful. I was constantly in a cycle of tearing up and smiling while reading. It’s so hard to... Read more

Heap Earth Upon It

By: Chloe Michelle Howarth
Narrated by: Máiréad Tyers, Phillippa Dunne, various narrators, Peter Claffey & Chris Walley
Length: TBA

Chloe Michelle Howarth of the bestselling novel Sunburn offers a new take on sapphic obsession, for fans of All Our Wives Under the Sea, Mrs. S, Biography of X, and Organ Meats.In this follow-up to the award-winning Sunburn, a claustrophobic tale of obsession, family, and identity …In January, 1965, the growing town of Ballycrea has four new... Read more about Heap Earth Upon It

A Beast Slinks Towards Beijing

A Novel

By: Alice Evelyn Yang
Narrated by: Carolyn Kang
Length: 12 hours 59 minutes

A dark, magical realist debut family saga that moves through the Japanese occupation of Manchuria, the Cultural Revolution, and the present day to explore the effects of intergenerational trauma, the legacy of colonialism, and the inescapability of fate.Qianze has not seen her father in eleven years, since he walked out of her life the night of... Read more about A Beast Slinks Towards Beijing

Two Women Living Together

The Bestselling Korean Memoir

By: Kim Hana & Hwang Sunwoo
Narrated by: Sofia Jin & Jessica Lee
Length: 5 hours 27 minutes

The big-hearted, bestselling South Korean memoir co-written by two best friends flouting gender norms and societal expectations with their decision to grow old together under one roof. When most of their peers were moving in with romantic partners and having children, Kim Hana and Hwang Sunwoo chose independence—savoring solitude, quiet... Read more about Two Women Living Together

Women of a Promiscuous Nature

By: Donna Everhart
Narrated by: Lisa Larsen
Length: 14 hours 44 minutes

“ Women of a Promiscuous Nature by Donna Everhart is a tough read. Like The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead, it is the story of the institutionalization of people with terrifying and debilitating consequences. The novel is based on the true story of The American Plan of the early twentieth century, whose goal was to prevent the spread of... Read more