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In the week after 9/11, three vastly different people set sail on a cruise to Bermuda that was already planned, and have mixed emotions about the trip and their lives. This extremely compelling story sucked me right into the narrative and didn’t let me go until we docked back in Boston! I immediately felt immersed in the lives of these characters, eager to know what was going to happen next. Highly recommend!

All the World Can Hold by Jung Yun, (List Price: $30, 37 Ink, 9781668200599, March 2026)

Reviewed by Jennifer Jones, Bookmiser in Marietta, Georgia

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Vernice and Annie, best friends and loyal companions since infancy, leave their hometown of Honeysuckle, Louisiana, on very different life trajectories. Jones vividly describes their journeys, allowing the reader to feel deeply each of the bumps along the road as Vernice attends Spelman College in Atlanta and Annie desperately seeks to establish a relationship with her birth mother in Memphis. The powerful bond these friends maintain across the miles and the years reminds us that we don’t have to be biologically related in order to be “kin.”

Kin by Tayari Jones, (List Price: $32, Knopf, 9780525659181, February 2026)

Reviewed by Burch, Righton Books in St Simons Island, Georgia

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I loveeee an emotionally stunted man and a stubborn woman….. Especially when they start to fall for each other and end up being a powerhouse couple. For sure looking forward to whatever Maggie puts out next!

Fire Line by Maggie Gates, (List Price: $19, Berkley, 9780593955963, March 2026)

Reviewed by Fiona, Givens Books & Little Dickens in Lynchburg, Virginia

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There is nothing better than people who love movies writing about why they love movies and how those movies impacted them!!! While I don’t have a huge connection to Night of the Living Dead I was still totally taken by this book. As a cinephile and filmmaker, I’m uber impacted by films, and seeing such a raw passion and love for a film on paper is really special. Educational and passionate, this is a great recommendation to horror/sci-fi film fans!

Partially Devoured by Daniel Kraus, (List Price: $28, Counterpoint, 9781640097155, March 2026)

Reviewed by Lily, E. Shaver, Booksellers in Savannah, Georgia

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I gobbled up this heartfelt, hilarious memoir about getting out of town and getting some perspective. I cannot wait to shove this into people’s hands. I think this whole country could use a good laugh through tears, and there is nobody more talented at facilitating that than Lindy West.

Adult Braces by Lindy West, (List Price: $29, Grand Central Publishing, 9780306831836, March 2026)

Reviewed by Chelsea Bauer, Union Avenue Books in Knoxville, Tennessee

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Between the World and Me” is an honest, raw love letter from Ta-Nehisi Coates to his fifteen-year-old son, Samori. The six-chapter letter was conceived after Coates watched his son’s heartache at the announcement that there would be no charges filed against Darren Wilson, the police officer who killed unarmed teenager Michael Brown. Coates reveals his own fears for his son and his frustrations with the world the boy is growing up in. He writes about the many senseless murders of black men; men who would still be alive if it weren’t for their black bodies. Coates tells his son, “You have every right to be you. And no one should deter you from being you. You have to be you. And you can never be afraid to be you.” Except the last sentence contradicts the world in which we live. Because Coates is afraid, both for his son and himself, but also of the world in which they live. The word body is repeated excessively in his letter. It is an insightful and persuasive argument that, first and foremost, we are a body. We are a body before any other distinguishing markers or features, and they embody a state of blackness. While this revelation isn’t new, the way Coates strings together his argument so elegantly causes one to pause and contemplate. His contrasts between human ideals and the stark realities of life rooted in racism are raw and painful. I found myself comparing this letter to Isabel Wilkerson’s masterpiece, Caste. While Coates points out the ways black bodies have been mistreated, his letter doesn’t provide the depth of contemplation and assessment that Wilkerson’s excellent work did.

Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates, (List Price: $20, One World, 9780812983814, June 2025)

Reviewed by Nichole, Bodacious Bookstore and Cafe in Pensacola, Florida

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Gregson’s final book in the Above the Black series is an incredibly satisfying ending. There’s tension, fighting, betrayals, scary creatures, and even a smidge of romance. Downfall is everything you would want in a sci-fi adventure! Conrad’s uncle, the king, has sent him down to the Below. He says it’s to conquer the colonies there, but Conrad knows it’s a suicide mission. Now it’s his plan to not only survive, but to thrive and eventually take down his uncle.

Downfall by Marc J. Gregson, (List Price: $22.99, Peachtree Teen, 9781682637081, March 2026)

Reviewed by Jennifer, Bookmiser in Marietta, Georgia

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If the Isle of Forever put you on the edge of your seat, just wait until you read Jen Calonita’s The Curse Breaker. Be sure to sit comfortably in your chair and hold on!

The Curse Breaker by Jen Calonita, (List Price: $16.99, Sourcebooks Young Readers, 9781728277066, March 2026)

Reviewed by Judith, Octavia Books in New Orleans, Louisiana

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The Free Verse Society gave me everything I want in a YA book and a romance. Flawed characters trying to figure out who they are, real stakes, and a slow-burning, sweet romance. Jae moves in with her uncle and starts attending a new school to make a fresh start after giving up her baby for adoption. Derek is still struggling with his family’s fall from wealth after his father’s death. The way these two characters struggle, make mistakes, write poetry, and find each other is beautiful and heart-rending.

The Free Verse Society by Delali Adjoa, (List Price: $19.99, Peachtree Teen, 9781682638408, March 2026)

Reviewed by Fisher, Carmichael’s Bookstore in Louisville, Kentucky