Main Street Books

Poetry Says It Better by Ellen Burstyn

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Poetry Says It Better by Ellen Burstyn
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A very personal and at the same time universal poetry collection tied together by insights from Burstyn’s life. Short introductions and afterthoughts provide context and glimpses into Burstyn’s life. This will be a great book for reluctant poetry readers and old hands open to finding new meanings.

Poetry Says It Better by Ellen Burstyn, (List Price: $26.99, HarperOne, 9780063387683, April 2026)

Reviewed by Jan, Main Street Books in Davidson, North Carolina

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Dandelion Is Dead by Rosie Storey

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Dandelion Is Dead by Rosie Storey
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Perfect for readers of Dolly Alderton’s Good Material. Wild story that is full of heart. I fell in love with Poppy, Jake AND Dandelion. Twisty family drama with themes of sisterhood, friendship, grief, and full of life-imploding moments. I can see this one on the big screen. I’ll be thinking about this one for a long time. Should be HUGE with the indies!

Dandelion Is Dead by Rosie Storey, (List Price: $30, Berkley, 9780593954348, January 2026)

Reviewed by Jessica Nock, Main Street Books in Davidson, North Carolina

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The List of Suspicious Things by Jennie Godfrey

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The List of Suspicious Things by Jennie Godfrey
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In the same way Joanna Cannon’s The Trouble with Sheep and Goats left me captivated and shaken to my core, this coming-of-age tale touched me deeply. While set around the Yorkshire murders in the late 1970s, it is a tale for our times. What two preteens find when they begin to observe carefully is a world more complex and frightening. Revealing the power of friendships and the hidden stories around us with spot-on emotional resonance, this is a book to be swept up in and to reflect on.

The List of Suspicious Things by Jennie Godfrey, (List Price: $17.99, Sourcebooks Landmark, 9781464249051, December 2025)

Reviewed by Jan Blodgett, Main Street Books in Davidson, North Carolina

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A Danger to the Minds of Young Girls by Adam Morgan

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A Danger to the Minds of Young Girls by Adam Morgan
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An intriguing look at the world of little magazines, censorship, and the literary whirlpool of change during the 1920s and 1930s. Margaret Anderson was a likely candidate for being a literary catalyst, but a catalyst and adventurer she was. A woman who lived life on her own terms, taking lovers and all the risks of publishing James Joyce’s Ulysses. For anyone interested in women’s history, publishing history, or looking at cultural changes.

A Danger to the Minds of Young Girls by Adam Morgan, (List Price: $29, Atria / One Signal Publishers, 9781668053645, December 2025)

Reviewed by Jan Blodgett, Main Street Books in Davidson, North Carolina

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Joyride by Susan Orlean

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Joyride by Susan Orlean
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Aptly titled, this is a shimmering cruise through the ups and downs of Orlean’s writing career. Her love of writing shines through even in the cautionary tales. The appendix with several of her early pieces is a delightful bonus. If you love the behind-the-scenes world of writers, this is one for you.

Joyride by Susan Orlean, (List Price: $32, Avid Reader Press, Simon & Schuster, 9781982135164, October 2025)

Reviewed by Jan Blodgett, Main Street Books in Davidson, North Carolina

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Written in the Waters by Tara Roberts

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Written in the Waters by Tara Roberts
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A compelling tale of the power and pain of reclaiming history. Discovering the world of Black underwater archeologists determined to uncover and teach about slave ships forces Roberts to confront her family’s traumatic legacies. It also guides her to reclaim the strength and joy in her family history. A National Geographic explorer, her story reads well with fellow Explorer Rae Wynn-Grant’s Wild Life.

Written in the Waters by Tara Roberts, (List Price: $30, National Geographic, 9781426223754, January 2025)

Reviewed by Jan Blodgett, Main Street Books in Davidson, North Carolina

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Food for Thought by Alton Brown

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Food for Thought by Alton Brown
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You don’t have to be familiar with any food programs to have great fun reading these essays. Funny, quirky, and honest, they are as much about life as food, or even food as life.

Food for Thought by Alton Brown, (List Price: $28.99, Gallery Books, 9781668064214, February 2025)

Reviewed by Jan Blodgett, Main Street Books in Davidson, North Carolina

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The Story of My Anger by Jasminne Mendez

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The Story of My Anger by Jasminne Mendez
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Jasminne Mendez teaches an important tale of standing up for what you believe in and against those who seek to bring you down. The heroine, Yuliete Lopez, holds a strong sense of justice, thanks in part to the activism efforts of her older brother. She and her friends work diligently to raise awareness about the discrimination she has faced in theater, and protest the banning of books at the school.

The Story of My Anger by Jasminne Mendez, (List Price: $19.99, Dial Books, 9780593531877, September 2025)

Reviewed by Molly Reinhardt, Main Street Books in Davidson, North Carolina

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The Call of the Honeyguide by Rob Dunn

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The Call of the Honeyguide by Rob Dunn
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A challenging new take on responding to climate change. Dunn asks readers to learn about how humans have interacted with other beings (animals, plants, insects) and how we might act in the future to the benefit of all. He offers plenty of examples, differing opinions, and humor to balance the data. Definitely one to put on your climate change shelf.

The Call of the Honeyguide by Rob Dunn, (List Price: $32, Basic Books, 9781541605732, August 2025)

Reviewed by Jan Blodgett, Main Street Books in Davidson, North Carolina

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The Club by Jennifer Dasal

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The Club by Jennifer Dasal
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Between 1870 and 1914, hundreds of young American women sought artistic training in Paris, and many found a special residence that fostered their training. The building became known as the American Girl’s Club. Dasal provides a breezy account of the club by way of individual women who left accounts of their time. An intriguing addition to the history of women artists in Europe and America.

The Club by Jennifer Dasal, (List Price: $29.99, Bloomsbury Publishing, 9781639731305, July 2025)

Reviewed by Jan Blodgett, Main Street Books in Davidson, North Carolina

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Mother of Sharks by Melissa Cristina Márquez

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Mother of Sharks by Melissa Cristina Márquez
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Magical and imaginative, this autobiographical picture book follows a young girl’s explorations under the sea as she observes marine life and our critical need for marine conservation. I loved that Mother of Sharks features a Hispanic woman in STEM!

Mother of Sharks by Melissa Cristina Márquez, (List Price: $19.99, Penguin Workshop, 9780593523582, May 2023)

Reviewed by Jessica Nock, Main Street Books in Davidson, North Carolina

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The Phoenix Pencil Company by Allison King

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The Phoenix Pencil Company by Allison King
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As a retired archivist, the questions at the heart of this story: whose stories get told, privacy rights, the always incompleteness of memories–along with skilled writing made this a fascinating and thought-provoking read. There is magic in the story and in the reading of it.

The Phoenix Pencil Company by Allison King, (List Price: $28.99, William Morrow, 9780063446236, June 2025)

Reviewed by Jan Blodgett, Main Street Books in Davidson, North Carolina

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You Can Never Die by Harry Bliss

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You Can Never Die by Harry Bliss
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Emotionally prepare yourself before reading this graphic memoir of a man and his beloved dog. Heartfelt and funny, cartoonist Harry Bliss takes us through his day-to-day musings about daily life alongside his trusty, four-legged sidekick.

You Can Never Die by Harry Bliss, (List Price: $32, Celadon Books, 9781250883681, April 2025)

Reviewed by Jessica Nock, Main Street Books in Davidson, North Carolina

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The Wish Switch by Lynn Painter

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The Wish Switch by Lynn Painter
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The Wish Switch is a sweet transition by Lynn Painter into books meant for a younger audience than her popular YA novels. The story follows Emma Rockford and her friends as they rely on her late grandmother’s instructions to gain four wishes, while following her very specific instructions. However, something happens to make Emma’s wish become seemingly switched with her brother’s best friend’s, leading them to form an alliance to figure out what had happened. A sweet tale that will entertain young readers for a pleasant afternoon.

The Wish Switch by Lynn Painter, (List Price: $18.99, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 9780316578585, May 2025)

Reviewed by Molly Reinhardt, Main Street Books in Davidson, North Carolina

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Foreign Fruit: A Personal History of the Orange by Katie Goh

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Foreign Fruit: A Personal History of the Orange by Katie Goh
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The very ordinariness of oranges hides a complex history, a tool of colonialism spanning the globe and leaving a trail of losses and some gains. Goh thoughtfully interweaves her own complex family history into that of oranges, creating a compelling hybrid of science, history, and memoir. Her blend is much more satisfying than the juice in supermarket stores.

Foreign Fruit: A Personal History of the Orange by Katie Goh, (List Price: $27.99, Tin House, 9781963108231, May 2025)

Reviewed by Jan Blodgett, Main Street Books in Davidson, North Carolina

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