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  <title><![CDATA[Historical Fiction]]></title>

  <description><![CDATA[<p>The Indie Next List, drawn from bookseller-recommended favorite handsells, epitomizes the heart and soul of passionate bookselling. Independent booksellers are and have always been discoverers of the next big thing, the next great read, the next bestseller, and the next undiscovered gem.</p>
]]></description>

  <link><![CDATA[https://www.indiebound.org/]]></link>

  <language><![CDATA[en-us]]></language>

  <item>
  <title><![CDATA[Clear: A Novel]]></title>
  <link>http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781668030677</link>
  <description><![CDATA["Forced to find a way to earn money after departing from his former post, Reverend John Ferguson leaves his new wife Mary behind as he journeys to a remote island. He's been engaged by the land owner to evict the island's sole occupant, Ivar.  This is a beautiful story of three people — John, Mary, and Ivar — who must find a way to overcome potentially tragic circumstances." -- Camille Kovach, Completely Booked, Murrysville, PA]]></description>
  <dc:title><![CDATA[Clear: A Novel]]></dc:title>
  <dc:creator><![CDATA[Carys Davies]]></dc:creator>
  <dc:publisher><![CDATA[Scribner]]></dc:publisher>
  <dc:identifier><![CDATA[9781668030677]]></dc:identifier>
  <dc:description><![CDATA[Forced to find a way to earn money after departing from his former post, Reverend John Ferguson leaves his new wife Mary behind as he journeys to a remote island. He's been engaged by the land owner to evict the island's sole occupant, Ivar.  This is a beautiful story of three people — John, Mary, and Ivar — who must find a way to overcome potentially tragic circumstances.]]></dc:description>
  <dc:contributor><![CDATA[Camille Kovach, Completely Booked, Murrysville, PA]]></dc:contributor>
  <bsbl:rank><![CDATA[1]]></bsbl:rank>
  <dc:format><![CDATA[Paperback]]></dc:format>
  <dc:date>2025-03-04T00:00:00-05:00</dc:date>
  </item>

  <item>
  <title><![CDATA[The Great Divide: A Novel]]></title>
  <link>http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780063291331</link>
  <description><![CDATA["This is a gorgeously written epic historical novel that draws you into the heart of the communities affected by the building of the Panama Canal. Written in a way that weaves the lives of all the characters together into a complex narrative, you feel deeply connected to their circumstances. I highly recommend losing yourself in this and thinking deeply about how progress by some changes landscapes forever." -- Shannon Krug, Serendipity Books, Chelsea, MI]]></description>
  <dc:title><![CDATA[The Great Divide: A Novel]]></dc:title>
  <dc:creator><![CDATA[Cristina Henriquez]]></dc:creator>
  <dc:publisher><![CDATA[Ecco]]></dc:publisher>
  <dc:identifier><![CDATA[9780063291331]]></dc:identifier>
  <dc:description><![CDATA[This is a gorgeously written epic historical novel that draws you into the heart of the communities affected by the building of the Panama Canal. Written in a way that weaves the lives of all the characters together into a complex narrative, you feel deeply connected to their circumstances. I highly recommend losing yourself in this and thinking deeply about how progress by some changes landscapes forever.]]></dc:description>
  <dc:contributor><![CDATA[Shannon Krug, Serendipity Books, Chelsea, MI]]></dc:contributor>
  <bsbl:rank><![CDATA[2]]></bsbl:rank>
  <dc:format><![CDATA[Paperback]]></dc:format>
  <dc:date>2025-05-27T00:00:00-04:00</dc:date>
  </item>

  <item>
  <title><![CDATA[The Heart in Winter: A Novel]]></title>
  <link>http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780593687383</link>
  <description><![CDATA["There’s a magnificent haziness to Kevin Barry's work — his characters obscured as though through snow or steam or smoke — and his first novel set in America is no different. Two lovers find each other just when they shouldn't and skip town under cover of darkness, but danger's never far behind. I’d follow Kevin Barry anywhere, whether I could see the road ahead of me or not." -- Laurel Rhame, Phoenix Books Essex, Essex Junction, VT]]></description>
  <dc:title><![CDATA[The Heart in Winter: A Novel]]></dc:title>
  <dc:creator><![CDATA[Kevin Barry]]></dc:creator>
  <dc:publisher><![CDATA[Vintage]]></dc:publisher>
  <dc:identifier><![CDATA[9780593687383]]></dc:identifier>
  <dc:description><![CDATA[There’s a magnificent haziness to Kevin Barry's work — his characters obscured as though through snow or steam or smoke — and his first novel set in America is no different. Two lovers find each other just when they shouldn't and skip town under cover of darkness, but danger's never far behind. I’d follow Kevin Barry anywhere, whether I could see the road ahead of me or not.]]></dc:description>
  <dc:contributor><![CDATA[Laurel Rhame, Phoenix Books Essex, Essex Junction, VT]]></dc:contributor>
  <bsbl:rank><![CDATA[3]]></bsbl:rank>
  <dc:format><![CDATA[Paperback]]></dc:format>
  <dc:date>2025-06-24T00:00:00-04:00</dc:date>
  </item>

  <item>
  <title><![CDATA[Miss Morgan's Book Brigade: A Novel]]></title>
  <link>http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781668008997</link>
  <description><![CDATA["This was an excellent read. Taking place in two different times, the book will transport you back to 1918 France after World War I. Jessie Carson is helping rebuild communities through children's libraries. Then, in 1987, Wendy Peterson starts looking into the life of Jessie Carson. How will the two paths converge?" -- Ann Vogl, Dragon Tale Books, Menomonie, WI]]></description>
  <dc:title><![CDATA[Miss Morgan's Book Brigade: A Novel]]></dc:title>
  <dc:creator><![CDATA[Janet Skeslien Charles]]></dc:creator>
  <dc:publisher><![CDATA[Atria Books]]></dc:publisher>
  <dc:identifier><![CDATA[9781668008997]]></dc:identifier>
  <dc:description><![CDATA[This was an excellent read. Taking place in two different times, the book will transport you back to 1918 France after World War I. Jessie Carson is helping rebuild communities through children's libraries. Then, in 1987, Wendy Peterson starts looking into the life of Jessie Carson. How will the two paths converge?]]></dc:description>
  <dc:contributor><![CDATA[Ann Vogl, Dragon Tale Books, Menomonie, WI]]></dc:contributor>
  <bsbl:rank><![CDATA[4]]></bsbl:rank>
  <dc:format><![CDATA[Paperback]]></dc:format>
  <dc:date>2025-04-01T00:00:00-04:00</dc:date>
  </item>

  <item>
  <title><![CDATA[The Safekeep]]></title>
  <link>http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781668034354</link>
  <description><![CDATA["<em>The Safekeep</em> is a provocative book about possession and loss — of physical objects, of family, of love, of place. I expected a predictable historical novel and was very pleasantly surprised by the intricacy of the plot and themes. Here the stories of people dispossessed during World War II, those who survived genocide, and the ones who remained are explored while navigating family and class dynamics, paternalism, materialism, a mystery, and a steamy romance." -- Hillary Hoffman, Federal Street Books, Greenfield, MA]]></description>
  <dc:title><![CDATA[The Safekeep]]></dc:title>
  <dc:creator><![CDATA[Yael van der Wouden]]></dc:creator>
  <dc:publisher><![CDATA[Avid Reader Press / Simon & Schuster]]></dc:publisher>
  <dc:identifier><![CDATA[9781668034354]]></dc:identifier>
  <dc:description><![CDATA[<em>The Safekeep</em> is a provocative book about possession and loss — of physical objects, of family, of love, of place. I expected a predictable historical novel and was very pleasantly surprised by the intricacy of the plot and themes. Here the stories of people dispossessed during World War II, those who survived genocide, and the ones who remained are explored while navigating family and class dynamics, paternalism, materialism, a mystery, and a steamy romance.]]></dc:description>
  <dc:contributor><![CDATA[Hillary Hoffman, Federal Street Books, Greenfield, MA]]></dc:contributor>
  <bsbl:rank><![CDATA[5]]></bsbl:rank>
  <dc:format><![CDATA[Paperback]]></dc:format>
  <dc:date>2025-05-27T00:00:00-04:00</dc:date>
  </item>

  <item>
  <title><![CDATA[There Are Rivers in the Sky: A Novel]]></title>
  <link>http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780593687567</link>
  <description><![CDATA["Beginning with one small drop of water, Elif Shafak has woven an entrancing tale that carries readers from ancient Mesopotamia to contemporary England. Brimming with captivating characters who will entice readers to travel through time and place, Shafak’s beautiful and bittersweet narrative of memory and the human story is certain to be at the top of book lists!" -- Betsy Von Kerens, The Bookworm of Omaha, Omaha, NE]]></description>
  <dc:title><![CDATA[There Are Rivers in the Sky: A Novel]]></dc:title>
  <dc:creator><![CDATA[Elif Shafak]]></dc:creator>
  <dc:publisher><![CDATA[Vintage]]></dc:publisher>
  <dc:identifier><![CDATA[9780593687567]]></dc:identifier>
  <dc:description><![CDATA[Beginning with one small drop of water, Elif Shafak has woven an entrancing tale that carries readers from ancient Mesopotamia to contemporary England. Brimming with captivating characters who will entice readers to travel through time and place, Shafak’s beautiful and bittersweet narrative of memory and the human story is certain to be at the top of book lists!]]></dc:description>
  <dc:contributor><![CDATA[Betsy Von Kerens, The Bookworm of Omaha, Omaha, NE]]></dc:contributor>
  <bsbl:rank><![CDATA[6]]></bsbl:rank>
  <dc:format><![CDATA[Paperback]]></dc:format>
  <dc:date>2025-07-01T00:00:00-04:00</dc:date>
  </item>

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