The year 2020 has been a difficult one for independent bookstores. We know we’ve missed getting to spend hours amongst the shelves at our favorite bookstores. Thankfully, readers and bibliophiles everywhere have taken up the call to #shopindie to support their local bookstores. Indie bookstores will continue to need that love into the new year. So, check out what books these incredible independent bookshops are looking forward to in 2021.
Buchhandlung Luders
Located: Hamburg, Germany
Instagram: @buchhandlunglueders
For 2021, their team is excited to read:
Identitti by Mithu Sanyal
Sorrow and Bliss by Meg Mason
Talk to Me by T.C. Boyle
Death in Her Hands by Ottessa Moshfegh
Bleak House Books
Located: San Po Kong, Hong Kong
Instagram: @bleakhousebookshk
In 2021, Owner Albert Wan is looking forward to:
Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro
Monkey King: Journey to the West by Wu Cheng’en, Julia Lovell (tr)
Tono Monogatari by Shigeru Mizuki
First Person Singular by Haruki Murakami, trans. by Philip Gabriel
Land of Big Numbers: Stories by Te-Ping Chen
Books on the Hill
Located: St Albans, Hertfordshire, UK
Instagram: @booksonthehillstalbans
Their team is looking forward to:
The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah
Published February 2nd, 2021
Synopsis: The Four Winds is a deeply moving, powerful story about the strength and resilience of women and the bond between mother and daughter. Fearful of the future, when Elsa wakes to find her husband has fled, she is forced to make the most agonizing decision of her life. Fight for the land she loves or take her beloved children, Loreda and Ant, west to California in search of a better life. Will it be the land of milk and honey? Or will their experience challenge every ounce of strength they possess? From the overriding love of a mother for her child, the value of female friendship, and the ability to love again – against all odds, Elsa’s incredible journey is a story of survival, hope, and what we do for the ones we love.
Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro
Published March 2nd, 2021
Synopsis: A beautiful and empathetic novel told from the viewpoint of an Artificial Friend named Klara. From her place in a shop window, Klara observes the people who come into the store and those who walk by it every day as she waits patiently for someone to take her home.
Cincy Book Bus
Located: Cincinnati, Ohio
Instagram: @cincybookbus
In 2021 Cincy Book Bus owner Melanie Moore says she’s looking forward to some new books by her favorite authors, including:
Tales from Hinterland by Melissa Albert
The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah
When The Stars Go Dark by Paula McClain
Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
Bluestockings Bookstore
Located: Lower East Side, Manhattan, New York
Instagram: @bluestockingsnyc
We spoke with Shulokhana, a book buyer on the Bluestockings team, about what books she was looking forward to:
Jade Legacy by Fonda Lee
Why she’s excited: I am breathlessly awaiting the final installment of Fonda Lee’s cinematically rendered masterpiece, The Green Bone Saga. I read Jade City and Jade War back to back in two weeks (with many breathers in between so I can lay prone on my floor and calm down a bit before diving back in). This fantasy jumps off the page with its vivid descriptions of the world, the politics, the magic, and the battles. Lee’s fight scenes are amazing – you can practically see them in 3-D. If you want to give urban fantasy a try but are sick of the North American and European set books with cop/private detective male protagonists, then give this epic family drama a shot – it will open your eyes to what urban fantasy can be!
