North Carolina Bookstores

Everything’s Fine by Cecilia Rabess

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Everything's Fine by Cecilia Rabess
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This one’s complicated. I picked it up with the expectation that I’d read just enough to confirm my guess that it’d be too cringey to stomach – because it’s about a liberal Black woman and a moderate-to-conservative white man who fall in love. But I quickly found that this book is NOT a romance, at least not in any genre sense. There’s romance in it, and certainly some heady chemistry, but it’s way more nuanced than that. Through the lens of this problematic relationship (which will spike your blood pressure and keep it high, I promise), Rabess interrogates identity–both individual and in-group–in a really brilliant, intensely readable, morally complex way.

The big question here is: can someone’s care for you as an individual outweigh their lack of understanding/care for you as a member of an identity group? How does complicity in systems of power–the main character works in finance–play a role in that determination? It’s extremely tangled, and Rabess doesn’t provide answers. Just really adept storytelling.

Everything’s Fine by Cecilia Rabess, (List Price: 27.99, Simon & Schuster, 9781982187705, June 2023)

Reviewed by Talia Smart, Flyleaf Books in Chapel Hill, North Carolina

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Oh No, the Aunts Are Here by Adam Rex

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Oh No, the Aunts Are Here by Adam Rex
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A really fun, whimsical picture book capturing the joys (and stresses) of getting a visit from extended family. Vivid illustrations give it extra energy!

Oh No, the Aunts Are Here by Adam Rex, (List Price: 16.99, Chronicle Books, 9781797207940, May 2023)

Reviewed by Talia Smart, Flyleaf Books in Chapel Hill, North Carolina

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Rogue Justice by Stacey Abrams

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Rogue Justice by Stacey Abrams
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Stacey Abrams does it again with another scintillating page-turner. Rogue Justice picks up right where While Justice Sleeps left off, and this time Avery is thrown into a plot involving hacking, cryptocurrency, and energy grids. I definitely learn something every time I read a book by Stacey Abrams!

Rogue Justice by Stacey Abrams, (List Price: 29, Doubleday, 9780385548328, May 2023)

Reviewed by Kate Storhoff, Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, North Carolina

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Lost in Taiwan (A Graphic Novel) by Mark Crilley

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Lost in Taiwan (A Graphic Novel) by Mark Crilley
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Imagine being in a country you know nothing about without your phone to guide you. You might be amazed at what you find, discover about an unknown place or even about yourself. This book takes you on journey through Taiwan and immerses you in the culture. I really loved the adventure of it all and the amazing graphics.

Lost in Taiwan (A Graphic Novel) by Mark Crilley, (List Price: 24.99, Little, Brown Ink, 9781368040884, May 2023)

Reviewed by Keeshia Jacklitch, Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, North Carolina

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Summer Is for Cousins by Rajani LaRocca

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They Hate Each Other by Amanda Woody
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I still fondly remember the summers spent with my cousins; playing at the beach, board games, sharing secrets under the covers, and of course the ice cream. Growing up my favorite person in the entire world was my older cousin Michael. And I always worried that the next time we saw each other, he would have forgotten me and all the memories I treasured. But just like Michael and I, Dhruv and Ravi understand each other. This book wonderfully captures the whimsy of childhood summers, the distance that comes from being apart, and the moments that matter.

Summer Is for Cousins by Rajani LaRocca, (List Price: 17.99, Abrams Books for Young Readers, 9781419757334, May 2023)

Reviewed by Jamie Kovacs, Flyleaf Books in Chapel Hill, North Carolina

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The Adult by Bronwyn Fischer

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The Adult by Bronwyn Fischer
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I love when queer women make bad choices. Natalie is eighteen, freshly independent, and painfully naive when she starts an all-consuming relationship with Nora, an older woman who is connected to her own life in surprising ways. Fischer perfectly captures that enraptured feeling of first love, especially with someone older and more experienced. There are parts of this book that are also deeply melancholy; bits and pieces that made me exhale and set the book aside for a minute or two. A little bit heart-wrenching, this one will be perfect for Sally Rooney fans and sad gay people alike.

The Adult by Bronwyn Fischer, (List Price: 27, Algonquin Books, 9781643752723, May 2023)

Reviewed by Gaby Iori, Epilogue Books Chocolate Brews in Chapel Hill, North Carolina

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Simon and the Better Bone by Corey R. Tabor

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Simon and the Better Bone by Corey R. Tabor
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Just like Tabor’s wonderful Mel Fell, his newest picture book Simon and the Better Bone is a delight that plays with the very format of a book itself. A whimsical retelling of an Aesop fable, Simon gets into an argument with his reflection and soon learns where jealousy can lead. Vibrantly illustrated and simply told, Simon and the Better Bone is a perfect read-a-loud book!

Simon and the Better Bone by Corey R. Tabor, (List Price: 19.99, Balzer + Bray, 9780063275553, May 2023)

Reviewed by Caleb Masters, Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, North Carolina

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The Collected Regrets of Clover by Mikki Brammer

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The Collected Regrets of Clover by Mikki Brammer
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Clover our main character is already a bit of a loner when she experiences her first death at an early age when her teacher dies suddenly while reading Peter Rabbit. She also experiences the death of her parents and is moved to a new city to live with her grandpa who raises her. Shunned by others, because of our societies fear of death and the fact that no one ever speaks about it Clover becomes even more of a loner. She finds that her job makes it hard for her to meet and keep friends as speaking of death makes people extremely uncomfortable. This book definitely had me thinking and reflecting on my life, made me cry, and I walked away loving the characters and rooting for Clover feeling very happy with the way the book ended. I really enjoyed the originality of our main characters job as a death doula it very much intrigued me and peaked my curiosity to pick this book up definitely would recommend.

The Collected Regrets of Clover by Mikki Brammer, (List Price: 28, St. Martin’s Press, 9781250284396, May 2023)

Reviewed by Angela Hudson, A Novel Escape in Franklin, North Carolina

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Yellowface by R. F. Kuang

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Yellowface by R. F. Kuang
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A May 2023 Read This Next! Title

A dark, satirical mindfuck of discourse and cancellation. Yellowface is cutting and incisive, and Kuang did an excellent job of establishing a contemptible main character (in first person POV, no less) who you still hoped, sickeningly, would find her way out of the situation she put herself in. The last 15% or so bordered on psychological horror, and I found myself genuinely freaked by some of Kuang’s imagery. A doomed, twisted ride.

Yellowface by R. F. Kuang, (List Price: 30, William Morrow, 9780063250833, May 2023)

Reviewed by Gaby Iori, Epilogue Books Chocolate Brews in Chapel Hill, North Carolina

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Blood Debts by Terry J. Benton-Walker

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Blood Debts by Terry J. Benton-Walker
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Set in NOLA, this book is full of intrigue, magic, messy family drama and mystery. This book tackles, homophobia, white supremacy, and race in a way I’ve never seen before. I love seeing Chris and Clem’s character development as they find themselves and step into their power. I enjoyed every twist and turn and it kept me on the edge of my seat. Loved it!

Blood Debts by Terry J. Benton-Walker, (List Price: 18.99, Tor Teen, 9781250825926, April 2023)

Reviewed by Keeshia Jacklitch, Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, North Carolina

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Womb by Leah Hazard

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Womb by Leah Hazard
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This book is FASCINATING — I kept reading things out loud to my husband and saying "DID YOU KNOW THAT??" Despite being packed with information and descriptions of scientific studies, this book is such an easy read. I think part of this is that the author is a podcaster, so she knows how to explain things in a conversational manner. I am continually flabbergasted by how little work we’ve done to study uteruses. What a magical organ!

Womb by Leah Hazard, (List Price: 29.99, Ecco, 9780063157620, March 2023)

Reviewed by Kate Storhoff, Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, North Carolina

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Short Film Starring My Beloved’s Red Bronco by K. Iver

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Short Film Starring My Beloved’s Red Bronco by K. Iver
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This is a collection about grief, a persistent grief so steady, so patient, that it grows dear. Iver’s words are cinematic, their poems traceable stories by themselves that resonate and interact with each poem that follows it. I think A Medium Performs Your Visit and Who Is This Grief For? are the highlights of the collection. "My acupuncturist says/ you enjoy this, don’t you./ She’s talking about my grief. I say who else will."

Short Film Starring My Beloved’s Red Bronco by K. Iver, (List Price: 16, Milkweed Editions, 9781639550609, January 2023)

Reviewed by Sam Edge, Epilogue Books Chocolate Brews in Chapel Hill, North Carolina

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The Only Daughter by A.B. Yehoshua

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The Only Daughter by A.B. Yehoshua
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To me, Rachele’s journey feels as if it has no defined end, and that’s a good thing. It starts as she leaves class for Christmas holidays, but every new interaction feels like a new adventure. Yet, those adventures are all short, ending within our gaze. Combined, they display life as Rachele is experiencing it as a young, well-off, Jewish girl in post-WWII Italy. The journeys that others are on will continue, but not within the understanding of our protagonist. A quick, introspective read that dives into the consciousness of a child in an unfamiliar time and place.

The Only Daughter by A.B. Yehoshua, (List Price: 26.99, HarperVia, 9780358670445, April 2023)

Reviewed by Jamie Kovacs, Flyleaf Books in Chapel Hill, North Carolina

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Special Delivery by Polly Faber

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Special Delivery by Polly Faber
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A delightful and vibrantly illustrated book about how your favorite books travel around the world to get to your doorstep and all the dozens of hands who handle it along the way. A fun read aloud with lots of interesting facts at the back. Who knew learning about the supply chain could be so charming?!?

Special Delivery by Polly Faber, (List Price: 17.99, Candlewick Press, 9781536229851, April 2023)

Reviewed by Caleb Masters, Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, North Carolina

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Earth Angel by Madeline Cash

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Earth Angel by Madeline Cash
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Describing this as “the paperback that swallowed the phone” makes sense because reading this with no comprehension of the current state of existence of being Online for people age 21 to 30 would be like reading the late-night musings of a particularly nihilist alien. Cash manages to satirize the seemingly non-satirical by pinpointing the weirdness of current existence and just rolling with it. Destroying your sister’s leg to give her a better choice at a beauty competition? Yea sounds right. A terrorist org getting an image makeover by advertising that they’re body positive? Sure why not. The other day I saw a tiktok where the ai voices of Biden and Obama were arguing foreign policy while playing Overwatch. Nothing is real!

Earth Angel by Madeline Cash, (List Price: 16.95, CLASH Books, 9781955904698, April 2023)

Reviewed by Ndobe Foletia, Epilogue Books Chocolate Brews in Chapel Hill, North Carolina

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