North Carolina Bookstores

Dreaming Home by Lucian Childs

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Dreaming Home by Lucian Childs
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An absorbing tale that begins with a single, terrible act of violence a father unleashes upon his son before tracing the ripple of that act as it courses over many lives across decades. Structurally, the novel is quite unique; nearly every named character in the novel, all of them affected in some way by this act of violence, have their perspectives shared with us. Childs’s precise writing makes their anguish and their frustration feel so real despite the short time we spend viewing the story through each character’s eyes. A queer coming-of-age story for the ages.

Dreaming Home by Lucian Childs, (List Price: 16.95, Biblioasis, 9781771965491, June 2023)

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

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Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez

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Yours Truly by Abby Jimenezf
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Is there such a thing as a meet-ugly? Out of an utterly disastrous first "meeting" (they didn’t actually even meet, just started jumping to wrong conclusions) grew a ten-tissue romance for the ages. I also was delighted that the town of Wakan, the actual seemingly "inanimate" objects in the vaguely magical town, such a huge silent character in Part of Your World, got a bit role in Yours Truly. No one does foreshadowing like Abby Jimenez.

Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez, (List Price: 16.99, Forever, 9781538704394, April 2023)

Reviewed by Lisa Yee Swope, Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, North Carolina

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In the Lives of Puppets by TJ Klune

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In the Lives of Puppets by TJ Klune
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An old man and brilliant inventor finds a run down cottage in a forest and decides to live there, far away from the rest of the world. One day he is surprised when a distraught couple who seem to be on the run leave a young boy in his care and ask him to raise the child. Two decades later, the tender-hearted, shy, and brilliant boy finds a broken AI robot and decides to repair it. Shortly after, the world descends upon his family in their forest idyll, forcing the young man to leave on a quest to the world beyond. A place of great danger and risk; but he is accompanied by a small crew of fiercely loyal friends who are determined to help him find what they are looking for. This novel holds all the beautiful, tender sentimentality, found family dynamics, loving humor, and self-discovery that I’ve come to expect from TJ Klune. I absolutely fell in love with every character in this motley crew of creatures. I laughed out loud frequently at the antics of Nurse Ratched and Rambo. I cried when things got tough and painful. I feared for the sweet young man who is trying to find his way. It has all the best parts of a huggable book for me.

In the Lives of Puppets by TJ Klune, (List Price: 28.99, Tor Books, 9781250217448, April 2023)

Reviewed by Elizabeth DeWandeler, A Novel Escape in Franklin, North Carolina

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Thirst for Salt by Madelaine Lucas

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Thirst for Salt by Madelaine Lucas
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This gorgeous coming-of-age book swept me away to southern Australia. Not a single word is wasted in Madelaine Lucas’s debut novel; she writes with such precision and beauty. It took me days to read it not because I wasn’t enthralled but because I wanted to savor every perfect word. Lucas captures the thrills and tiny devastations of a first love affair so perfectly, remembered through the eyes of an older and wiser narrator.

Thirst for Salt by Madelaine Lucas, (List Price: 16.95, Tin House Books, 9781953534651, March 2023)

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

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Carmilla: The First Vampire by Amy Chu

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Carmilla: The First Vampire by Amy Chu
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Before the most well-known vampire novel of all time, Dracula, was written, there was Carmilla, a queer female vampire from the 1800s. In Carmilla: The First Vampire, Carmilla gets a retelling. It’s the 90s in New York City, and the murders of homeless, queer and trans women have been ignored by cops and uncaring civilians. Though the murderer appears to be monstrous, society and structural inequality are as much to blame. Empathetic, flawed Athena is determined to solve the murders and keep other young women safe when she meets the beguiling, disastrous Violet. Spooky, sexy, and suspenseful, the lesbian vampires of the original Carmilla are blended seamlessly with traditional Chinese lore to create a rich, intense story about geungsi, monster hunters, and murder. The art is stunning, the monsters are terrifying, the vampires are lesbian. What more could you want? It’s sucking fangtastic.

Carmilla: The First Vampire by Amy Chu, (List Price: 19.99, Berger Books, 9781506734644, February 2023)

Reviewed by Julia Hirschfield, Epilogue Books Chocolate Brews in Chapel Hill, North Carolina

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Always the Almost by Edward Underhill

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Always the Almost by Edward Underhill
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I wish I could put this book in a time machine and send it back to my high school youth orchestra friends in the 2000s! I’m so glad that books like this exist for teens to read now. Edward Underhill’s passion for the piano and classical music shines on every page of this book and his trans protagonist Miles who is figuring out who he is and what he stands for as he prepares to enter a big competition will capture your heart. I also loved that this book is set in Wisconsin, a state I don’t know very much about!

Always the Almost by Edward Underhill, (List Price: $18.99, Wednesday Books, 9781250835208, February 2023)

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

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The New Guys by Meredith Bagby

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The New Guys by Meredith Bagby
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An incredible book that includes exclusive interviews with former astronauts and new pictures from NASA’s archive! More importantly, Meredith Bagby tells the story of the first class of space shuttle astronauts incredibly compellingly; this book is accessible and distills an amazing amount of historical and scientific information into a highly readable narrative. It includes in-depth coverage of the Challenger disaster, which makes for difficult but worthwhile reading.

The New Guys by Meredith Bagby, (List Price: $40, William Morrow, 9780063141971, February 2023)

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

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All Rise: The Story of Ketanji Brown Jackson by Carole Boston Weatherford

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All Rise: The Story of Ketanji Brown Jackson by Carole Boston Weatherford
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A beautiful new picture book from the perennial bestseller, Carole Boston Weatherford. An important and necessary addition to libraries and history books everywhere about the nation’s first Black woman to serve on the Supreme Court.

All Rise: The Story of Ketanji Brown Jackson by Carole Boston Weatherford, (List Price: $18.99, Crown Books for Young Readers, 9780593650165, February 2023)

Reviewed by Jamie Southern, Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, North Carolina

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Love at Six Thousand Degrees by Maki Kashimada

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Love at Six Thousand Degrees by Maki Kashimada
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If there’s one thing you should know about me – it’s that I adore a book about an unhappy housewife, not because I like seeing women unhappy, but because I love to support women fighting wrongs. Seeing how a woman reclaims her space, life, and situation – even if she goes about it in questionable ways, is a ride I want to be on. Kashimada’s novel is a prime example of all these elements, with the perfect blend of sparse, deeply impactful prose that explore themes of religion, tragedy, identity, and isolation.

Love at Six Thousand Degrees by Maki Kashimada, (List Price: $17, Europa, 9781609458195, March 2023)

Reviewed by Elizabeth Findley, Epilogue Books Chocolate Brews in Chapel Hill, North Carolina

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Refuge by Bill Campbell

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Refuge by Bill Campbell
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A gritty and tragic tale of a group of Black Seminoles attempting to settle in the territory of Oklahoma. Some within the community see Refuge as just that–a refuge from the violence of white pursuers. Others see marketable potential in Refuge, and have ambitions to expand and put the wealth into the pockets of the oppressed, for once, and create more lasting change for their people. But when a ragtag group of Buffalo soldiers come to town, choosing sides becomes more complicated. Refuge is a bit of a counter-narrative western with a slow-burn, tension-filled story that pays off in an action-packed conclusion.

Refuge by Bill Campbell, (List Price: $19.95, Rosarium Publishing, 9780578391533, February 2023)

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

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100 Mighty Dragons All Named Broccoli by David LaRochelle

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100 Mighty Dragons All Named Broccoli by David LaRochelle
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This book made me laugh out loud, and North Carolina gets a shout out, so I’m sold! A very fun book that combines math and searching pictures to count how many dragons (all named Broccoli) are wearing tutus. Totally adorable! The final few pages alone provide plenty of entertainment. The kind of picture book where you’ll notice something new each time you read it.

100 Mighty Dragons All Named Broccoli by David LaRochelle, (List Price: $19.99, Dial Books, 9780525555445, April 2023)

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

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Ramen for Everyone by Patricia Tanumihardja

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Ramen for Everyone by Patricia Tanumihardja
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A March 2023 Read This Next! Title

Ramen for Everyone beautifully depicts the bond food represents to Hiro and his family. Hiro learns that perfect isn’t always the same for everyone, and that what he can cook is just as wonderful as his dad’s recipe.

Ramen for Everyone by Patricia Tanumihardja, (List Price: $18.99, Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 9781665904353, February 2023)

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

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The Sun Walks Down by Fiona McFarlane

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The Sun Walks Down by Fiona McFarlane
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I love nothing more than a place-driven, character-driven novel, so this book was right up my alley. Fiona McFarlane explores colonial Australia through the eyes of many of the inhabitants of a small farm town on the edge of the desert as they react to the disappearance of a young boy. McFarlane does not shy away from exploring the brutal history of European colonialism and the effects it had on this country. Her prose is captivating and her characters are multifaceted. I’m sure Cissy, the headstrong older sister of the missing boy, will be a favorite of many readers. Fans of Michele de Kretser and Maggie Shipstead will enjoy this book.

The Sun Walks Down by Fiona McFarlane, (List Price: $28, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 9780374606237, February 2023)

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

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Ramen for Everyone by Patricia Tanumihardja

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Ramen for Everyone by Patricia Tanumihardja
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A March 2023 Read This Next! Title

From the title and cover alone this book attracted everyone in my friend’s family — they homeschool and we were looking at a stack of kidlit over bubble tea. The verbs-with-images pages reminded me of superhero graphics, but instead of "pow" "bang" "zoom" and the like, dad cooking "steeps" "shreds" "stews", ending up with joy and anime eyes! I love the family in the kitchen story, and that it goes disastrously when Hiro first tries for himself, but knowing what individuals uniquely love allows him to tailor the perfect ramen for each in a way someone out of the household never could.

Ramen for Everyone by Patricia Tanumihardja, (List Price: $18.99, Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 9781665904353, February 2023)

Reviewed by Lisa Yee Swope, Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, North Carolina

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When You Wish Upon a Lantern by Gloria Chao

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When You Wish Upon a Lantern by Gloria Chao
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I thoroughly enjoyed this book! It is a story about grief, community, family and love. Chao’s writing invites you into a community that is rich in Chinese culture and traditions that you can see, smell, taste and hear. Throughout the story you get to see Kai and Liya grow as individuals and find their way back to each other in the most heartwarming way. This beautiful story is sure to tug on your heartstrings!

When You Wish Upon a Lantern by Gloria Chao, (List Price: $18.99, Viking Books for Young Readers, 9780593464359, February 2023)

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

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