E. Shaver, bookseller

Carrie Soto Is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid

, ,
Carrie Soto Is Backby Taylor Jenkins Reid
buy this book

Buy from your local indie.
Get the audiobook on Libro.fm

I’m pretty sure Taylor Jenkins Reid is some kind of literary witch. I started listening to the audiobook of this thinking it would be my work commute listen because I have two other books I need to read for book clubs. I got home picked up the physical ARC and didn’t stop reading till I was done. Reid writes such compelling characters and grabs you from the first paragraph. I loved that even though I wasn’t always sure I liked Carrie, I was always rooting for her, much like my favorite real life tennis stars. Another Slam for Taylor Jenkins Reid.

Carrie Soto Is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid (List Price: $28, Ballantine, 9780593158685, August 2022)

Reviewed by Melissa Taylor, E. Shaver bookseller in Savannah, Georgia

J.R. Silver Writes Her World by Melissa Dassori

, , ,
J.R. Silver Writes Her World by Melissa Dassori
buy this book

Buy from your local indie.

Take a Mary Poppins-esque teacher who definitely knows more than she’s letting on, her inherited collection of seemingly magical New Yorker covers that are supposed to inspire creative writing projects, and a pair of best friends whose friendship is changing as they start middle school and you’ve got J.R. Silver Writes Her World. I loved all the little nods in here to “From the Mixed-Up Files” and the Met.

J.R. Silver Writes Her World by Melissa Dassori, (List Price: 6.99, Christy Ottaviano Books, 9780316331456, July 2022)

Reviewed by Melissa Taylor, E. Shaver, Bookseller in Savannah, Georgia

The Crane Wife by CJ Hauser

, ,
The Crane Wife by CJ Hauser
buy this book

Buy from your local indie.

A July 2022 Read This Next! Title

This book! I loved it! Hauser made me feel less alone in the world, with her wit and frank yet conversational tone, she lets the reader know that life is messy and doesn’t always go as planned, and not only is that ok, it can be wonderful.

The Crane Wife by CJ Hauser, (List Price: $28, Doubleday, 9780385547079, July 2022)

Reviewed by Jessica Osborne, E. Shaver bookseller in Savannah, Georgia

Faithful and Virtuous Night by Louise Glück

, ,
Faithful and Virtuous Night by Louise Glück
buy this book

Buy from your local indie.

I don’t even know where to start with this one. Louise Gluck is just a master, and I kind of feel like that’s all there is to say about it. The technical precision and emotional brilliance she has in this collection is astounding. A poet truly deserving of the Nobel Prize in Literature. I recommend this book to anyone who is willing to put in the work required to appreciate it.

Faithful and Virtuous Night by Louise Glück, (List Price: $16, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 9780374535773,  September 2015)

Reviewed by Juliet Rosner from E. Shaver, bookseller in Savannah, Georgia

Felicity by Mary Oliver

, ,
Felicity by Mary Oliver
buy this book

Buy from your local indie.

I think this collection would make a great introduction to poetry for anybody. The work is simple and very readable but Mary Oliver does not sacrifice intellectual depth or technique for the sake of accessibility.

Felicity by Mary Oliver, (List Price: $17.95, Penguin Books, 9780143128762,  October 2017)

Reviewed by Juliet Rosner from E. Shaver, bookseller in Savannah, Georgia

The Wedding Veil by Harvey Kristy Woodson

,
The Wedding Veil by Kristy Harvey Woodson
buy this book

Buy from your local indie.

This book had me hooked from page 1. Every bookseller has their faults and mine is a certain snobbishness when it comes to “women’s fiction.” Perhaps it is a leftover reaction from male-dominated classrooms or simply a dislike of the marketing surrounding such novels. Either way, I find myself avoiding and dismissing women’s fiction as best I am able. When I was asked to read this novel and review it, I thought “why not? It’ll be a nice fluffy read over Christmas.” I was wrong. This multi-generational saga, written with compelling prose and an arresting tenderness for the female story, grabbed my heart from about the second chapter in. The female struggle of being defined by your usefulness but longing to be your own definition, soaks through every page of this novel and you leave the book asking yourself some very important questions. This one is going in my staff picks when it comes out! I cannot wait to share it with my favorite customers (and my grandmother!!) A resounding thank you to the author for taking me down a few pegs when it comes to my opinion on women’s fiction. I hope this book blows up the market.

The Wedding Veil by Kristy Harvey Woodson, (List Price: $16.95, Gallery Books, 9781982180713,  March 2022)

Reviewed by Annie Childress, E Shaver, bookseller in Savannah, Georgia

The Swimmers by Julie Otsuka

,
The Swimmers by Julie Otsuka
buy this book

Buy from your local indie.

So, this book made me cry on the airplane. An ode to swimming, routine, kindness, and what it is like to fall into dementia, to love someone with dementia, and to lose that person as they lose themselves. A beautifully written meditation on the difficulties of a mother/ daughter relationship.

The Swimmers by Julie Otsuka, (List Price: $23.00, Knopf, 9780593321331, February 2022)

Reviewed by Jessica Osborne, E. Shaver bookseller in Savannah, Georgia


Daughter of the Moon Goddess by Sue Lynn Tan

, ,
buy this book

Buy from your local indie.

Definitely one of the most lyrical stories I’ve read in a while. The base of Chinese mythology provides a rich world full of color and hidden gems of dragons, demons, and powerful immortals, and the author uses all of them with so much fun and grace. I’m surprised to see this is a debut novel with just how much is here, and with how well developed the protagonist–Xingyin–is. Her journey is handled with care and her growth feels natural and genuine, and I appreciate the fact that she never puts down others to make herself feel better, even when it comes to her romantic interest. I’m absolutely hooked on this story and world, and I’m thrilled to see this is the first book in a duology. I’m definitely keeping my eyes open for the sequel!

Daughter of the Moon Goddess by Sue Lynn Tan, (List Price: $27.99, Harper Voyager, 9780063031302, January 2022)

Reviewed by Lia Moore, E. Shaver bookseller in Savannah, Georgia

Olga by Bernhard Schlink

,
Olga
buy this book

Buy from your local indie.

Olga is a brilliant meditation on living through the great moments of history. We now know what it is to live through a moment in history having (hopefully) rounded the corner with this global pandemic. Olga is one of the few characters in WWII fiction that is aware of the moment as she lives it. But she is also caught in the reality of living day-to-day life in that moment of history. I fell into this book on a rainy day with a warm cup of tea and that’s exactly how this beautifully melancholy book should be enjoyed.

Olga by Bernhard Schlink, (List Price: 27.99, HarperVia, 9780063112926, September, 2021)

Reviewed by Annie Childress, E. Shaver bookseller in Savannah, Georgia

The Stranger in the Lifeboat by Mitch Albom

, , ,
The Stranger in the Lifeboat by Mitch Albom
buy this book

Buy from your local indie.

Wow. I loved this book. This is my first time reading something by Mitch Albom, though I’ve shelved him more times than I can count over the years. I initially picked up this because I loved the size. But within three sentences I was fully hooked. What was intended to be a 2 hour beach visit turned into a 5 hour beach stay and I didn’t pack enough sun screen so I got a little burnt. Thanks Mitch. This book is an interesting mixture of lite religious philosophy and thriller novel? Thriller is the wrong word but you cannot put the book down because you have to understand. For anyone who grew up religious and has moved away this will be a compelling book that speaks to longing that many humans have for a god. It will also leave you thinking about the nature of that god for many many weeks after you read it… Ugh. What a great book. I can’t wait to make people read it!


The Stranger in the Lifeboat by Mitch Albom, (List Price: 23.99, Harper, 9780062888341, November 2021)

Reviewed by Annie Childress, E. Shaver bookseller in Savannah, Georgia


All of the Marvels by Douglas Wolk

, ,
Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan
buy this book

Buy from your local indie.

Review courtesy of my husband, Tim! In this book, Douglas Wolk does something very few would attempt, much less complete: read literally all the marvels. At the beginning, the book seems to be presented as a tour that recaps the last 60 years and a way for new readers to jump in. I don’t think it worked. I think you need to be pretty well versed with at least the characters if not the events to enjoy this tour. But as an insightful look at the various neighborhoods of the marvelverse, it is brilliant! It provides some history for sure, but Wolk finds the heart of what makes each team, family, and character work in storytelling. The only downsides to me were the sometimes incomprehensible jumping around the timeline. Not unlike some marvel stories. And the lack of pictures to go along with his description of the artwork.

All of the Marvels by Douglas Wolk, (List Price: 28, Penguin Press, 9780735222168, October 2021)

Reviewed by Melissa Taylor, E. Shaver, bookseller in Savannah, Georgia


The Last Bookshop in London by Madeline Martin

, ,
The Last Bookshop in London
buy this book

Buy from your local indie.

Well, this was beyond lovely. I thoroughly enjoyed this story with it’s loveable cast of characters and the SIDE LOVE STORY. How refreshing that the love story, though present and beautiful, was mentioned, I think, about five times? Even so, I’m still swooning over George. SWOONING. Booksellers will adore this novel of a reader discovering her passion for books. Readers will love this novel for the tender descriptions of loving a book. And I love this novel for it’s honest, harsh descriptions of life during war. The losses great and small (which are often the ones that discourage most.) I can’t wait to shove this book into the hands of my customers. I cannot wait!

The Last Bookshop in London by Madeline Martin (List Price: $16.99, Hanover Square Press, 9781335284808, 4/6/2021)

Reviewed by Annie Childress, E. Shaver, bookseller in Savannah, Georgia

Broken (in the best possible way) by Jenny Lawson

, , ,
Broken in the best possible way
buy this book

Buy from your local indie.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, Jenny Lawson is a genius. She can make me sob uncontrollably from both laughter and the heartbreakingly honest way she talks about mental illness. She takes the worst things in life and finds a way to laugh through them. Her ability to bring people together in a celebration of human awkwardness is just beautiful. This book provided much needed relief and escape from the divisiveness of the world.

Broken (in the best possible way) by Jenny Lawson (List Price: $27.99, Henry Holt and Co., 9781250077035, 4/6/2021)

Reviewed by Melissa Taylor, E. Shaver, bookseller in Savannah, Georgia

Black, White, and The Grey by Mashama Bailey & John O. Morisano

, ,
buy this book

Buy from your local indie.

Living in Savannah and being a huge fan of The Grey, I was really excited for this book. I’m so glad its presented with both Mashama and John O.’s perspectives. I found Mashama’s parts especially to be very reflective and an important contribution to the discussion of race in this country and, specifically, in the south. The recipes are an excellent addition.

Black, White, and The Grey by Mashama Bailey & John O. Morisano (List Price: $28.00, Lorena Jones Books, 9781984856203, January, 2021)

Reviewed by Melissa Taylor, E. Shaver, bookseller in Savannah, Georgia

Scroll to Top