Carmichael’s Bookstore

The Ritz of the Bayou by Nancy Lemann

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The Ritz of the Bayou by Nancy Lemann
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Move over, Hunter S Thompson: Here’s gonzo- journalism even more glorious in its excess! Written 40 years ago, Lemann’s reportage was groundbreaking at the time and today the story reads as bonkers and nutty as when she first wrote it. This is a side of New Orleans that is even wilder than you can imagine. As fun as the fresh new lush packaging suggests.

The Ritz of the Bayou by Nancy Lemann, (List Price: $24, Hub City Press, 9798885740708, April 2026)

Reviewed by Johanna, Carmichael’s Bookstore in Louisville, KY

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My Kentucky Moonlight School by Kim Michele Richardson

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My Kentucky Moonlight School by Kim Michele Richardson
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An exciting addition to the history of literacy and Appalachian history. The illustrations beautifully reflect a moonlit environment. This picture book tells the story of the first classes geared towards remedying the high illiteracy rate in Appalachia in the early 20th century.

My Kentucky Moonlight School by Kim Michele Richardson, (List Price: $18.99, Norton Young Readers, 9781324054085, August 2026)

Reviewed by Frankie, Carmichael’s Bookstore in Louisville, KY

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A Plagued Sea by Kim Bo-Young

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A Plagued Sea by Kim Bo-Young
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If you’ve enjoyed contemporary Lovecraftian stories like The Ballad of Black Tom by Victor LaValle, N.K. Jemesin’s The City We Became, Ring Shout by P. Djeli Clark, or Hiron Ennes’ Leech, then Kim Bo-Young’s A Plagued Sea should tickle your cosmic horror fancy with its Korean cultural take on oceanic terrors, and smart twists on classic tropes of the subgenre.

A Plagued Sea by Kim Bo-Young, (List Price: $24.99, Tor Nightfire, 9781250380753, August 2026)

Reviewed by Jonathan, Carmichael’s Bookstore in Louisville, KY

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Communion by bell hooks

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Communion by bell hooks
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hooks asks her audience, what does it mean to love and what does it mean to be free? What preconceived notions about love do we bring into our friendships, relationships, and families? How has feminism changed women’s lives, and in what ways have we been left behind? This book is revolutionary!

Communion by bell hooks, (List Price: $17.99, William Morrow, 9780060938291, December 2002)

Reviewed by Meredith, Carmichael’s Bookstore in Louisville, KY

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Until We Meet Again by Lily Kim Qian

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Until We Meet Again by Lily Kim Qian
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A gorgeous and moving meditation on childhood, mental illness, and finding your roots when you spent your childhood moving from place to place. The language is poetic and spare, the art is beautiful, and the story is a unique one, a perfect recommendation for any kid who has a parent with mental illness.

Until We Meet Again by Lily Kim Qian, (List Price: $17.99, First Second, 9781250884220, April 2026)

Reviewed by Fisher Nash, Carmichael’s Bookstore in Louisville, KY

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Swirl & Vortex: Collected Poems by Larry Levi

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Swirl & Vortex: Collected Poems by Larry Levi
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Somehow Larry Levis slipped under my reading radar all these years, but when I saw how cool he looked on the cover of this collection and its fantastic title, I pretty much knew I’d love his stuff. Turns out he studied with one of my favorites—Philip Levine—and suffuses their shared linguistic precision with the kind of probing creativity my heart just can’t get enough of.

Swirl & Vortex: Collected Poems by Larry Levi, (List Price: $35, Graywolf Press, 9781644453711, February 2026)

Reviewed by Mark, Carmichael’s Bookstore in Louisville, KY

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The Free Verse Society by Delali Adjoa

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The Free Verse Society by Delali Adjoa
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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

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Ramin Abbas Has MAJOR Questions by Ahmad Saber

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Ramin Abbas Has MAJOR Questions by Ahmad Saber
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Ramin is a Pakistani-Canadian boy who just wants to get through his senior year at his Muslim high school without anyone finding out that he’s gay. Is it possible for him to love Allah and also boys? When he has to join the soccer team to make up for a missing gym credit, he makes an unexpected friend and starts to question his assumptions about faith, family, and queerness. Ramin’s sincerity, questions, and earnest attempts to find a path that honored all parts of himself captured my heart.

Ramin Abbas Has MAJOR Questions by Ahmad Saber, (List Price: $21.99, Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy Books, 9781665960694, March 2026)

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

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The Amberglow Candy Store by Hiyoko Kurisu

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The Amberglow Candy Store by Hiyoko Kurisu
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This delightful little book serves up some sweet life lessons through the use of magical candy. Each customer finds themselves at the Amberglow Candy Store at a critical point in their lives. Kogetsu, the mysterious proprietor is there to sell sweets that produce unexpected in the customers’ lives. A nice cozy read tied together with a final chapter that, like wagashi of the book, offers a surprising change in perspective.

The Amberglow Candy Store by Hiyoko Kurisu, (List Price: $28, G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 9780593854921, November 2025)

Reviewed by Alex Schulz, Carmichael’s Bookstore in Louisville, Kentucky

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Anzuelo by Emma Rios

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Anzuelo by Emma Rios
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>Anzuelo plunges readers into a dreamy world of risen oceans and mythic creatures as a trio of young people try to understand the epic metamorphosis that engulfs them. Emma Rios’ beautiful graphic novel turns the apocalypse inside out, finding poetry in nature’s awesome power, and humankind’s ability to survive.

Anzuelo by Emma Rios, (List Price: $19.99, Image Comics, 9781534330160, December 2025)

Reviewed by Jonathan Hawpe, Carmichael’s Bookstore in Louisville, Kentucky

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How to Know a Person: The Art of Seeing Others Deeply and Being Deeply Seen by David Brooks

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How to Know a Person: The Art of Seeing Others Deeply and Being Deeply Seen by David Brooks
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A fascinating treatise on the art of communication, deeply researched but easy to read with its emphasis on the stories of real people. If you’ve ever wondered how to connect with others on a deeper level, or really understand your spouse or your friends, read this book!

How to Know a Person: The Art of Seeing Others Deeply and Being Deeply Seen by David Brooks, (List Price: $20, Random House Trade Paperbacks, 9780593230077, October 2025)

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

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All These Ghosts by Silas House

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All These Ghosts by Silas House
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So glad that the former Kentucky Poet Laureate has a poetry collection at last! As with his fiction, House’s work resonates most deeply the closer he stays to his Appalachian roots. With poems like “Double Creek Girl” and “Lunchlady” he transports the reader to a hardscrabble start that was tough but also suffused with the joy of family ties and the beauty of nature. Poems about queerness, protest, timesickness and soup beans all exist side by side in this collection, as in life.

All These Ghosts by Silas House, (List Price: $22.95, Blair, 9781958888698, September 2025)

Reviewed by Sam Miller, Carmichael’s Bookstore in Louisville, Kentucky

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Buff Soul by Moa Romanova

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Buff Soul by Moa Romanova
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A super fun sisters-in-arms rock tour misadventure, as three pals from Europe rock their way from California to Austin, with guest stars, sex, drugs, and friend conflict galore as the past, tensions, and secrets fester. With eye-popping and completely original art, this makes for a wild, enjoyable, and surprisingly touching graphic novel.

Buff Soul by Moa Romanova, (List Price: $29.99, Fantagraphics, 9798875000683, August 2025)

Reviewed by Seth Tucker, Carmichael’s Bookstore in Louisville, Kentucky

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The Knives: A Criminal Book by Ed Brubaker

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The Knives: A Criminal Book by Ed Brubaker
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Brubaker and Phillips, the best crime/noir team in comics, return with another stellar graphic novel in their acclaimed Criminal series. Do you need to read the previous 11 (all great) books in this series first? No! Interweaving tales of crime, regret, and failure collide, pulp fiction-style, in gritty, personal, and shocking tales unfold, the most interesting of which parallels a bit of the Hollywood runaround Brubaker himself experienced as a creator pushing against the system. As always, The Best!

The Knives: A Criminal Book by Ed Brubaker, (List Price: $29.99, Image Comics, 9781534355590, September 2025)

Reviewed by Seth Tucker, Carmichael’s Bookstore in Louisville, Kentucky

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Startlement by Ada Limón

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Startlement by Ada Limón
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Pulled from her previous six collections and spanning her 20-year career as a poet, Startlement will do just that with its precise beauty, lush and generous language, its wisdom about what it is to be living in this world. If you only buy one book of poetry this year, you’ll be glad it’s this!

Startlement by Ada Limón, (List Price: $28, Milkweed Editions, 9781639550517, September 2025)

Reviewed by Johanna Hynes, Carmichael’s Bookstore in Louisville, Kentucky

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