Georgia Bookstores

Jack of Hearts (and other parts) by L. C. Rosen

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Jack of Hearts (and other parts) by L. C. Rosen
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Jack Rothman is 17 years old. He likes to wear eyeliner, wear fantastic clothes, and have sex with boys. A LOT of sex. He’s gossiped about a lot in his high school, but when his friend Jenna starts drumming up interest for a new column Jack will be writing for her website, he starts getting little pink notes in his locker. The first one is short and sweet. But they get creepy really fast, and he has no idea who it is that is now stalking him. This is absolutely a very frank, sex-positive book for queer teen boys. It’s not going to be for everyone. But just like Jack helps the readers of his column, this book has real answers to problems that aren’t going to be covered in your high school sex ed class. I enjoyed that MANY of the adults in this book were positive in regards to Jack’s sexuality, but there were some who were not, and that’s a very real fear.

Jack of Hearts (and other parts) by L. C. Rosen, (List Price: $17.99, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 9780316480512, October 2018)

Reviewed by Jennifer Jones, Bookmiser in Marietta, Georgia

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The Prince & The Apocalypse by Kara McDowell

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The Prince & The Apocalypse by Kara McDowell
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McDowell hits it out of the park with her new novel about an American stranded in London and the crown prince on the run from his family…all while a massive comet is about to land on earth, destroying everyone in 10 short days! The action is non stop, the banter is witty, and the prince is swoony. You won’t be disappointed in this one!

The Prince & The Apocalypse by Kara McDowell, (List Price: 12, Wednesday Books, 9781250873064, July 2023)

Reviewed by Jennifer Jones, Bookmiser in Marietta, Georgia

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Behold the Monster by Jillian Lauren

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Behold the Monster by Jillian Lauren
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Beautifully written and heartfelt while stark and horrifying, Behold the Monster is an absolute triumph. Jillian Lauren is masterful with her pen and you can tell the struggle she feels internally and externally when dealing with such stark evil. Her internal conflicts are relevant without being distracting and she lends heart to the important part of Samuel Little’s story, the victims. I usually do not enjoy nonfiction, because I find it either too dry or too emotional. This is a perfect balance of both and I recommend it to anyone who feels compelled to read the stories of those who were forgotten.

Behold the Monster by Jillian Lauren, (List Price: $27.99, Sourcebooks, 9781728267753, July 2023)

Reviewed by Katlin Kerrison, Story on the Square in McDonough, Georgia

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America the Beautiful? by Blythe Roberson

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America the Beautiful? by Blythe Roberson
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Blythe Roberson is a 28 year old writer and comedian who quits her job to take The Great American Road Trip alone beginning in the spring of 2019. In a borrowed Prius, she drives cross-country to National Parks to earn Junior Ranger Badges and to share her experiences with her Instagram followers and readers of this book. Along the road with Blythe, all readers experience the beauty of the natural parks, her humor about life and love, and her despair with Trump politics and devastating climate change. We hear her questions about her future and the future of this country and the world. While writing about Emerson, Dickinson and Thoreau, many thoughts are shared about traveling while being a solo woman with fears and loneliness and feeling horny. Riding each mile with this humorous and thoughtful woman, all readers will reflect about the meaning of life and our freedoms. Are we all living our lives to the fullest? Surely this book will linger in the minds of all readers as we decide how to spend our minutes of our days….do you need a solo road trip?

America the Beautiful? by Blythe Roberson, (List Price: 30, Harper, 9780063273405, July 2023)

Reviewed by Nancy Pierce, Bookmiser, Inc. in Marietta, Georgia

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Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas

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Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas
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MY. FAVORITE. BOOK. OF. ALL. TIME!!!!! Aiden Thomas is an incredibly talented author, and this book- from start to finish- had me absolutely captivated. The book centers around the magic and cultural importance of the Mexican holiday, Día de los Muertos. It brings the holiday to life and emphasizes the value and complexities of family. It also both honors and challenges tradition by incorporating a transgender main character. The characters’ journeys of acceptance, identity, friendship, mystery, and romance are profound and impactful. I went from crying on the floor, to begging my sister to spoil the ending before I finished, to crying again, to finishing the book and needing to take a few weeks to fully recover- in the best way. I couldn’t more highly recommend this beautiful masterpiece of a book!!

Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas, (List Price: 17.99, Swoon Reads, 9781250250469, September 2020)

Reviewed by Finn Fletcher, E. Shaver Bookseller in Savannah, Georgia

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Stars, Hide Your Fires by Jessica Best

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Stars, Hide Your Fires by Jessica Best
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Best’s debut novel brings the action and the intrigue and I am hooked! Cass is barely getting by, running cons on her dusty planet while taking care of her ailing father. But when she finds out about the ball being held to announce the emperor’s heir, she knows it’s her chance to score big and maybe get them off planet to somewhere healthier for her father. But things don’t go as planned when she finds herself in the middle of a murder investigation…as the prime suspect.

Stars, Hide Your Fires by Jessica Best, (List Price: 18.99, Quirk Books, 9781683693512, July 2023)

Reviewed by Jennifer Jones, Bookmiser in Marietta, Georgia

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Gunhild, Volume 1 by Fred Tornager

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Gunhild, Volume 1 by Fred Tornager
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A fresh, creative, and colorful reimagining of Norse mythology. This story has heart and the motivation Gunhild has to become a God is inspiring! I hope to see much more of this world and these characters!

Gunhild, Volume 1 by Fred Tornager, (List Price: 13.99, Rockport Publishers, 9780760381915, July 2023)

Reviewed by Lana Repic, E. Shaver, booksellers in Savannah, Georgia

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The Wren, the Wren by Anne Enright

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The Wren, the Wren by Anne Enright
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Anne Enright is known for her poetic passages, but The Wren, The Wren also is full of actual poems, ostensibly written by the patriarch of the McDaragh family. Enright explores three generations of this Irish clan, and pain, abuse, neglect echo through the years… but this book also shows breathaking beauty and hints of hope. Although the author has explored this territory before, this book is fresh and stunning, and may be her best yet.

The Wren, the Wren by Anne Enright, (List Price: 27.95, W. W. Norton & Company, 9781324005681, September 2023)

Reviewed by Anne Peck, Righton Books in St Simons Island, Georgia

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Wolfsong by TJ Klune

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Wolfsong by TJ Klune
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This is my first foray into TJ Klune (I know, I know, I’m behind the times) and I have to say, I loved Wolfsong! I had only read YA gay love stories and it was such an interesting change up reading a book written for gay men opposed to women attempting to write gay men. I loved Ox and how he developed his pack. I also loved that he was just a "What you see is what you get" kind of guy. Not everyone in the world is a deep thinker or an overthinker. And we need a balance. The only thing I didn’t care for was Ox being attracted to Joe when he was still a few months underage. I know that there wasn’t a power imbalance in their relationship, but I’ve seen a lot of hate groups accusing LGBT people of intentionally targeting young people, so I would be afraid for someone who has not read the story in its entirety to judge wrongly from that fact alone.

Wolfsong by TJ Klune, (List Price: $29.99, Tor Books, 9781250890313, July 2023)

Reviewed by Katlin Kerrison, Story On the Square in McDonough, Georgia

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Everything the Darkness Eats by Eric LaRocca

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Everything the Darkness Eats by Eric LaRocca
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Eric Larocca’s newest novel Everything the Darkness Eats weaves cosmic horror with small town prejudice into a tale of creeping dread. Larocca never shies away from the gruesome or the traumatic and weaves these darkest parts alongside love. This Connecticut town is neither cozy nor warm, and is instead full of mysterious and bizarre disappearances, unrestrained bigotry and the dark effects of its most powerful resident Mr. Crowley. Interweaving two resident’s attempts to uncover and stop the horror, Larocca forces his characters to reckon with what means the most to them and to what lengths they’ll go for closure, revenge, and love. Perfect for fans of Clive Barker and other cosmic horror.

Everything the Darkness Eats by Eric LaRocca, (List Price: 16.95, CLASH Books, 9781955904278, June 2023)

Reviewed by Mikey LaFave, Avid Bookshop in Athens, Georgia

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In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado

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In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado
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An engrossing and necessary work of memoir, queer perspective, and groundbreaking from examining a history of abuse through a series of prismatic episodes dissecting road trips, meetings with parents, Disney villains, and gaslighting. Stumbling through each new layer you delve deeper into the unshakeable, irrational hold of abuse. At times what seemed like romance transforms in the next page into folklore, raw emotion, queer theory, criticism, and horror. I am immensely grateful for the work Carmen Maria Machado has done in writing as generous a book as In the Dream House.

In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado, (List Price: $18, Graywolf Press, 9781644450383, December 2020)

Reviewed by Luis Correa, Avid Bookshop in Athens, Georgia

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Girls Like Girls by Hayley Kiyoko

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Girls Like Girls by Hayley Kiyoko
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Hayley Kiyoko adds author to her list of accomplishments with Girls Like Girls, based on her hit song and video of the same name. Coley has had to move away from her home in California to live with the father she barely remembers after her mother’s death. But things feel bleak for her as she tries to make new friends and deal with her father. She doesn’t want to be there and she’s convinced he doesn’t want her there either.

Girls Like Girls by Hayley Kiyoko, (List Price: 20, Wednesday Books, 9781250817631, May 2023)

Reviewed by Jennifer Jones, Bookmiser in Marietta, Georgia

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Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer

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Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer
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Through the eyes of precocious 9-year-old protagonist Oskar Schell, Foer grapples with questions like why do tragedies happen, how to handle loss and grief, and how to keep going. As he asks these impossible questions, he takes you through a kaleidoscope of a quest through points in history and through New York. It’s a tale of loss and searching, but also light and hope.

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer, (List Price: $16.99, Mariner Book Classics, 9780618711659, March 2006 2023)

Reviewed by Julia Jarema, Avid Bookshop in Athens, Georgia

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Some Desperate Glory by Emily Tesh

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Some Desperate Glory by Emily Tesh
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An exhilarating, edge-of-your-seat ride, a tender and triumphantly queer journey, and a groundbreaking masterwork of science fiction about fascism, deradicalization, war and peace…Some Desperate Glory is destined for not only the highest heights of Best Of lists and award nominations (or there is no justice in this reality or any other!), but fierce love from fans and frenzied recommendations from readers like this one.

Some Desperate Glory by Emily Tesh, (List Price: $28.99, Tordotcom, 9781250834980, April 2023)

Reviewed by Megan Bell, Underground Books in Carrollton, Georgia

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Night of the Ghoul by Scott Snyder

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Night of the Ghoul by Scott Snyder
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Wow! This was awesome! The illustrations with the limited color palette really helped tell the story and made for fantastic page compositions. The story was also great and really felt like it paid homage to all the classic horror movies and their monsters – I can absolutely see The Ghoul fitting right in next to them. I also very much enjoyed the split story telling between what was happening ‘in real time’ vs. showing parts of the film. Good stuff.

Night of the Ghoul by Scott Snyder, (List Price: 19.99, Dark Horse Books, 9781506728353, June 2023)

Reviewed by Olivia Stacey, E. Shaver, Bookseller in Savannah, Georgia

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