Georgia Bookstores

The Book of (More) Delights by Ross Gay

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The Book of (More) Delights by Ross Gay
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Ross Gay is an ambassador of pure joy—not the sugar-coated, roll-your-eyes kind of happiness, but the subversive, wink-and-nod kind of delectation. Whether he is comparing clusters of harvested sweet potatoes to snuggled bunnies or finding beauty at his aunt’s funeral, Gay’s eye for the oft-overlooked wonders of life is unrivaled, and his conversational, familiar delivery is perfection. Each tiny essay in this beautiful book digresses again and again, which, no surprise, makes it all the more delightful. Do we need a book of more delights? Yes, yes, yes. This book is a ray of sunshine, a juicy peach, a warm hug, a sunflower growing out of a crack in the sidewalk.

The Book of (More) Delights by Ross Gay, (List Price: $28, Algonquin Books, 9781643753096, September 2023)

Reviewed by Hannah DeCamp, Avid Bookshop in Athens, Georgia

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Kiss Me in the Coral Lounge by Helen Ellis

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Kiss Me in the Coral Lounge by Helen Ellis
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A June 2023 Read This Next! Title

Helen Ellis is back with a collection of essays about my marriage…sorry about her marriage. These hit so close to home on so many levels: snoring…yep my husband does that and I have threatened his life, grudges…yeah I will cut people out of my life for being slightly rude to my husband or my friends, ridiculous letter to the person caring for my pets…check. Hilarious and touching, this is a great portrait of a marriage

Kiss Me in the Coral Lounge by Helen Ellis, (List Price: 26, Doubleday, 9780385548205, June 2023)

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

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My Special One, Vol. 2 by Momoko Koda

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My Special One, Vol. 2 by Momoko Koda
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How heartwarming!! I love how this manga doesn’t use melodrama and shallow angst to delay the characters from finally dating. These two are people with their own quirks and problems that slowly come to understand what they want and how they feel for one another, and it is so so cute.

My Special One, Vol. 2 by Momoko Koda, (List Price: 9.99, VIZ Media LLC, 9781974736911, May 2023)

Reviewed by Lana Repic, E. Shaver, bookseller in Savanna, Georgia

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The Eyes and the Impossible by Dave Eggers

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The Eyes and the Impossible by Dave Eggers
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This is the story of Johannes, a wild dog who lives in the park. He runs his round because he is the Eyes for the keeper of the Equilibrium. He decides one day to gain a greater purpose and free his friends the bison. Though for children, I think this story would be enjoyed by anyone who has ever run and felt faster than the sun. Johannes is absolutely endearing, arrogant, feral, and free. Above all else, he’s free and wonderful. I found myself elated with every triumph and breathless with every close call. I loved it and was in tears by the beauty of the writing at the end. I absolutely cannot wait to recommend this to everyone I know. "To be alive is to go forth. So we go forth." Don’t let Johannes slip by you! He’s faster than light, so it might be hard.

The Eyes and the Impossible by Dave Eggers, (List Price: $18.99, Knopf Books for Young Readers, 9781524764203, May 2023)

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

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Alone in the Great Unknown by Caroll Simpson

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Alone in the Great Unknown by Caroll Simpson
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Caroll Simpson and her husband David totally fell in love with a remote fly-in/boat-in fishing lodge named Ookpik Wilderness Lodge on Babine Lake in British Columbia and decided to buy it. With unbelievable beauty and natural wildlife, some of their life was a magical dream. They lived totally off-grid for two years until tragedy struck and David died. Would Caroll be able to live and maintain the lodge solo? She had amazing parents—her father, “a strong and powerful force in my life,” and her mother, “was the current that moved the river.” Besides having to fight off grizzlies and vicious pine martens, this awe-inspiring woman had to deal with logging issues and shattering deforestation in her watershed. She spent years battling loggers and proposed mining operations. This is a love story—a love of the wilderness and the astonishing natural beauty and the love of her dogs and being able to survive alone with only her own grit and determination. What an astonishing woman and what an amazing book! Unforgettable.

Alone in the Great Unknown by Caroll Simpson, (List Price: 22.95, Harbour Publishing, 9781550179941, April 2023)

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

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City of Orange by David Yoon

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City of Orange by David Yoon
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I’ve had a hard time trying to decide what to say about this book. I don’t want to say anything about the plot because I don’t want to give anything away. This is a post-apocalyptic novel unlike any I have read. David’s writing is beautiful and propulsive though the story is kind of a slow burn. Like most of my favorite books, this one left me both heartbroken and hopeful.

City of Orange by David Yoon, (List Price: 18, G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 9780593422182, May 2023)

Reviewed by Gaby Iori, E. Shaver, Bookseller in Savannah, Georgia

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Abortion by Pauline Harmange

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Pieces of Blue by Holly Goldberg Sloan
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This is exactly what we need more of in the ongoing discussion around abortion; nuanced personal accounts of abortions. While Harmange makes no apologies for her decision to terminate her pregnancy, she does describe in clear detail the grief that accompanied her decision and the shame she experienced. The decision to end a pregnancy is never made lightly even when it is absolutely the right choice and it should not be an experience filled with shame that goes untalked about.

Abortion by Pauline Harmange, (List Price: 16, Scribe US, 9781957363295, May 2023)

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

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No Perfect Places by Steven Salvatore

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No Perfect Places by Steven Salvatore
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Another new book by Salvatore and another five-star read. They’re three for three with this reader! Twins Alex and Olly lost a lot when their father went to prison. Their mom works all the time at three jobs, and most of their friends abandoned them. But they’re keeping together. At least, until their dad dies. Suddenly Alex is spiraling and Olly doesn’t know how to help her. Add in the complication of a half-brother they knew nothing about and it’s a recipe for disaster. Can they pull themselves out of this mess before one or all of them self-destruct?

No Perfect Places by Steven Salvatore, (List Price: 19.99, Bloomsbury YA, 9781547611072, May 2023)

Reviewed by Jennifer Jones, Bookmiser in Marietta, Georgia

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Good Men by Arnon Grunberg

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Good Men by Arnon Grunberg
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For a book that claims to “chart the downfall” of its protagonist, I knew the ride I was potentially in for. However, the end of the book seems to kick the reader down a notch as well. The trainwreck rubbernecker in me really loved the first 3/4ths of this one: just-a-guy, content with his simple job, generic work friends, paint-by-most-numbers marriage and run-of-the-offbrand-mill child(ren), marking off each on his failure checklist. These tragedies are handled in such off kilter ways, laced with a stealthy wit, to keep the story fresh and engaging without the need to step it up to a fast pace. And though I didn’t NOT like the final quarter, where people are just plain disgusting (the reader just as lackadaisically unobservant as our “hero” to the clues displayed throughout), the final lap just felt like the author rubbing your face in the filth of life. But then again, the book’s a self-proclaimed downfall chart. Please watch your feet as you exit the ride.

Good Men by Arnon Grunberg, (List Price: 18.95, Open Letter, 9781948830652, May 2023)

Reviewed by Ian McCord, Avid Bookshop in Athens, Georgia

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Cousins by Aurora Venturini

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Cousins by Aurora Venturini
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My kinda fare: a colorful palette of characters reminiscent of school days when you mush all the cafeteria food together on the tray then dare your neighbor to eat it. Blushworthy moments galore, like being shot from an early-oeuvre John Waters canon, to land in a Leonora Carrington net. A gourmet gag-fest, even more chokingly delicious in hindsight.

Cousins by Aurora Venturini, (List Price: 17.95, Soft Skull, 9781593767297, May 2023)

Reviewed by Ian McCord, Avid Bookshop in Athens, Georgia

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The Princess and the Grilled Cheese Sandwich (A Graphic Novel) by Deya Muniz

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The Princess and the Grilled Cheese Sandwich by Deya Muniz
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Actual chills at the ending of this novel. ACTUAL. CHILLS. Cam and Brie are the absolute cutest in this story. Cam cannot inherit as a girl, so she happily becomes Count Cam and moves to where she’ll only ever be known as a boy after her father dies. But of course she falls in love with the princess herself! After much fashion and adorable hijinks, we have an exciting happy story. This is perfect for fans of The Prince and the Dressmaker, Heartstopper, and the classic Nimona. Don’t miss out on this darling tale that’s a mix of Victorian and modern age and beautiful artwork.

The Princess and the Grilled Cheese Sandwich (A Graphic Novel) by Deya Muniz, (List Price: 17.99, Little, Brown Ink, 9780316538725, May 2023)

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

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Planta Sapiens by Paco Calvo

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Planta Sapiens by Paco Calvo
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In Planta Sapiens, author Paco Calvo invites readers to challenge the notion of plants as static, reactionary organisms devoid of any agency or cognition. Through a mix of historical context, narrative, and research, Paco investigates the microscopic chemical reactions that drive plant biology and behavior – processes that he and a small contingent of his fellows believe may actually point to plant sentience.While the research findings are thought-provoking, I found myself more interested in the personal journey taken by Calvo to shift his own perspective on plant biology, as well as the significant pushback his thinking has received from the greater scientific community. Overall, I found this book entertaining, though I suspect that it may only find an audience with those who are already interested in the subject matter.

Planta Sapiens by Paco Calvo, (List Price: 28.95, W. W. Norton & Company, 9780393881080, March 2023)

Reviewed by Elliot Ambrose, E. Shaver, Bookseller in Savannah, Georgia

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Diana: My Graphic Obsession by Sivan Piatigorsky-Roth

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Diana: My Graphic Obsession by Sivan Piatigorsky-Roth
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A unique perspective on Princess Diana’s journey and the fine line between idolizing a person for all the good they did and what could have been and honoring their life by remembering that they too were a human. Also, a very interesting insider’s look at how special interests can be for neurodivergent people.

Diana: My Graphic Obsession by Sivan Piatigorsky-Roth, (List Price: 19.99, Street Noise Books 9781951491222, June 2023)

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

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The Wonder Paradox by Jennifer Michael Hecht

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The Wonder Paradox by Jennifer Michael Hecht
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In this warm and wise invitation to a poetry-enriched life, atheist poet and historian Jennifer Michael Hecht shows us how to gather our own collection of poems for daily practices, holidays, celebrations, and even emergencies, all through exploring how world religions, art, and science address the subject of each chapter, introducing a relevant poem, and offering a poetry lesson—from alliteration to Japanese list poems to Romanticism and beyond.

The Wonder Paradox by Jennifer Michael Hecht, (List Price: 30, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 9780374292744, March 2023)

Reviewed by Megan Bell, Underground Books in Carrollton, Georgia

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Sunbeams in the Sky, Vol. 1 by Monika Kaname

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Sunbeams in the Sky, Vol. 1 by Monika Kaname
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A cute romance with a slight twist! I like that there’s some light suspense mixed in. The main character’s trauma feels very natural and I wonder how they’ll sort out the incident in later volumes.

Sunbeams in the Sky, Vol. 1 by Monika Kaname, (List Price: 13, Yen Press, 9781975352318, April 2023)

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

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