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There Are Rivers in the Sky by Elif Shafak

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There Are Rivers in the Sky by Elif Shafak
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Oh my. There Are Rivers in the Sky is just wonderful. Stretching from ancient Mesopotamia to modern day London, via the River Tigris and the River Thames, Elif Shafak has woven a beautiful, multi-layered tale, in which three seemingly disparate narratives are revealed to be intrinsically linked. Impeccably researched and gorgeously written, blending poetry and history, There Are Rivers in the Sky will stay with me for a long time.

There Are Rivers in the Sky by Elif Shafak, (List Price: $30, Knopf, 9780593801710, August 2024)

Reviewed by Jude Burke-Lewis, Square Books in Oxford, Mississippi

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Slow Dance by Rainbow Rowell

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Slow Dance by Rainbow Rowell
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Slow Dance is a beautiful tale of humans being human. It’s funny and poignant and heartbreaking, sometimes all at once. It gave me the same emotions I get from watching old home movies…a weird mixture of joy and sadness all wrapped up in nostalgia and a clear, sharp feeling of how much things have changed while also nothing has really changed at all. If you like seeing the flaws of humanity and having faith in them anyway, this book is for you.

Slow Dance by Rainbow Rowell, (List Price: $28, William Morrow, 9780063380196, August 2024)

Reviewed by Victoria Herrmann, Cavalier House Books in Denham Springs, Louisiana

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The Wedding People by Alison Espach

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The Wedding People by Alison Espach
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A big-hearted, smart story about figuring out who you want to be when you grow up when you are already a grown-up! Phoebe, queen of the sad girls, arrives at a posh wedding by mistake to the irritation of the micromanaging bride, and things take off from there. A deep and charming story of family drama, wedding guest gossip, and how women can support each other in surprising ways.

The Wedding People by Alison Espach, (List Price: $28.99, Henry Holt and Co., 9781250899576, August 2024)

Reviewed by Susan Williams, M. Judson Booksellers in Greenville, South Carolina

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The Dead Cat Tail Assassins by P. Djèlí Clark

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The Dead Cat Tail Assassins by P. Djèlí Clark
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The Dead Cat Tail Assassins leads you astray, trips your feet out from under you, and then dunks your head underwater, all in the span of one night. This novella is an action-packed romp through a gloriously rich and well-defined world. Clark crafts a succinct and enthralling story that carries you through until the last page, offering a wide cast of vivid characters (mostly assassins) who capture your attention and your heart. On top of all of that, there lies a time paradox to challenge and twist your perception of the world itself.

The Dead Cat Tail Assassins by P. Djèlí Clark, (List Price: $20.99, Tordotcom, 9781250767042, August 2024)

Reviewed by Faith Skowronnek, Epilogue: Books Chocolate Brews in Chapel Hill, North Carolina

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The Striker and the Clock by Georgia Cloepfil

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The Striker and the Clock by Georgia Cloepfil
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It is hard to explain the exact mixture of nostalgia, joy, and melancholy this book wrung out of me in its short but powerful pages. It is hard to explain the feeling of being an athlete in memory, in learned movements and redirected passion, in stories and instincts and past-tense, but Georgia Cloepfil put into words what bangs around in my heart when I think of soccer. A lyrical and poignant tribute to the beautiful game and the people it turns into players, into teams, into champions, and eventually back into people. Like the game, the ticking clock of turning pages was leading me to an ending I wasn’t sure I wanted to reach yet. Give me one more minute, one more chapter in the environment of the game, in the feeling. But the clock winds down.

The Striker and the Clock by Georgia Cloepfil, (List Price: $27, Riverhead Books, 9780593714881, July 2024)

Reviewed by Morgan Holub, E. Shaver Bookseller in Savannah, Georgia

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In Time by Marina Ruiz

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In Time by Marina Ruiz
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In Time perfectly describes the different ways the passage of time is experienced: From the young — slow and never moving; From the old — fast and never enough. The illustrations will have you looking over each page again and again before turning to the next. By the end, you’ll be reminded what it felt like to view time as a child, but ultimately, you’ll be left with the understanding of why time takes time.

In Time by Marina Ruiz, (List Price: $18.99, Frances Lincoln Children’s Books, 9780711285200, July 2024)

Reviewed by Jenny Gilroy, E. Shaver Bookseller in Savannah, Georgia

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The Secret Dead Club by Karen Strong

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The Secret Dead Club by Karen Strong
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While Karen Strong’s previous two middle-grade books have had ghosty elements, The Secret Dead Club is a full-fledged haunted ghost story. After Wednesday Thomas moves back to her mom’s hometown in Georgia she realizes she’s not the only middle school girl who sees ghosts. This exciting mystery uses themes of friendship and grief to help the reader know themselves better. This story masterfully includes (what can be seen as) delicate topics such as getting your period or how emotions can manifest physically in your body to create an extremely relatable and readable book.?

The Secret Dead Club by Karen Strong, (List Price: $17.99, Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers, 9781665904506, August 2024)

Reviewed by Rachel Watkins, Avid Bookshop in Athens, Georgia

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Ready or Not by Andi Porretta

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Ready or Not by Andi Porretta
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This is one of those graphic novels that I think everyone can relate to! Ready or Not follows a group of high school graduates as they are trying to spend one last summer together before their next journey’s begin whether it’s together or apart. It also touches on intense anxiety about the future and the pressures that young adults face with deciding what to do after they graduate school.

Ready or Not by Andi Porretta, (List Price: $14.99, Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 9781665907026, July 2024)

Reviewed by Juliana Reyes, Bookmarks in Savannah, North Carolina

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Millie Fleur’s Poison Garden by Christy Mandin

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Millie Fleur's Poison Garden by Christy Mandin
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Perfect lawns with their manicured grass and neat hedges are SO 2020. Wilding is IN and every neighborhood needs a weird wild little garden like Mille Fleur’s. Share this delightful little gem with the weirdest and wildest kid in your world.

Millie Fleur’s Poison Garden by Christy Mandin, (List Price: $18.99, Cartwheel Books, 9781339023274, July 2024)

Reviewed by Angie Tally, The Country Bookshop in Southern Pines, North Carolina

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Tiny Jenny by Briony May Smith

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Tiny Jenny by Briony May Smith
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Tiny Jenny is a wingless fairy born in a nest of wrens. She goes in search of her fairy family and hopes to earn her wings. After a surprising journey, she finds where she truly belongs in this beautifully illustrated picture book.

Tiny Jenny by Briony May Smith, (List Price: $18.99, Anne Schwartz Books, 9780593650479, August 2024)

Reviewed by Rae Ann Parker, Parnassus Books in Nashville, Tennessee

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The Coin by Yasmin Zaher

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The Coin by Yasmin Zaher
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Yasmin Zaher’s stellar debut never lets the reader get quite comfortable in its prose, and it is in that discomfort The Coin finds its brilliance. New York feels, at times, surreal through the eyes of the narrator, who slips further and further into what I can only describe as a justifiable madness. As the narrator stumbles through a life forced upon her in America, she becomes increasingly more untethered to her life. Her homeland, Palestine, is out of reach, and in flashbacks to her childhood, we can glimpse the parts of herself she left there. Zaher ruminates on statelessness, nature, opulence, and beauty in the narrator’s slow spiral. The Coin is an incredible debut!

The Coin by Yasmin Zaher, (List Price: $27, Catapult, 9781646222100, July 2024)

Reviewed by Kelsey Jagneaux, Tombolo Books in St. Petersburg, Florida

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Beneath These Cursed Stars by Lexi Ryan

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Beneath These Cursed Stars by Lexi Ryan
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Lexi Ryan knows how to ramp up the tension and keep you guessing. I absolutely loved being back in the Fae world from These Hollow Vows again! (Which I do recommend reading before diving into this book. Not that you have to, but it does offer insights that otherwise might get missed or feel confusing while reading this book). Beneath These Cursed Stars centers around Brie’s sister Jas (Jasalyn) and a new character, Felicity (who took me a little longer to feel invested in, but now I’m hooked). It took no time at all for me to jump right back into this world, and I was thrilled to experience it from a whole new perspective. Jasalyn’s story is heartbreaking and traumatizing; the loss of hope and representation of PTSD throughout was done well and had me either holding my breath or crying at certain parts. I will say this book really took off right at the very end. That CLIFFHANGER! My word. Lexi Ryan what are you doing to us?! But now, I obviously can’t wait to read the next book.

Beneath These Cursed Stars by Lexi Ryan, (List Price: $19.99, HarperTeen, 9780063311909, July 2024)

Reviewed by Brianne Wik, Main Street Books in , North Carolina

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Smothermoss by Alisa Alering

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Smothermoss by Alisa Alering
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A hauntingly eerie tale about two sisters, Shelia and Angie, set in the 1980s Appalachia. When two hikers turn up brutally murdered, Shelia and Angie get roped into hunting the killer. The imagery in this novel is raw and creepy. I haven’t looked at rabbits the same since finishing this book. Angie draws creepy tarot cards with images you would see in your worst nightmare. This is a weird novel but a fun one, trust me!

Smothermoss by Alisa Alering, (List Price: $17.95, Tin House Books, 9781959030584, July 2024)

Reviewed by Anna Anabseh, Underground Books in Carrollton, Georgia

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Tell It to Me Singing by Tita Ramirez

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Tell It to Me Singing by Tita Ramirez
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A family drama that centers on a mother’s secret, this novel is honeyed with warmth, truth, and the secrets that–once revealed–eventually bring us closer together. Author Tita Ramirez weaves back and forth between a mother’s and daughter’s voices, illustrating each of the characters’ deep hunger for a meaningful life. This book flew by for me, my heart racing along with Monica’s as she figured out what it meant to choose herself, even if it made the people around her uncomfortable or unhappy. A beautiful book about finding happiness, no matter our paths.

Tell It to Me Singing by Tita Ramirez, (List Price: $28.99, S&S / Marysue Rucci Books, 9781982157319, July 2024)

Reviewed by Julia Paganelli Marin, Pearl’s Books in Fayetteville, Arkansas

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The Lost Story by Meg Shaffer

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The Lost Story by Meg Shaffer
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Reading The Lost Story reminded me of being a kid, and of the many hours I spent immersed in magical faraway worlds. Inspired by the classic Narnia novels, Meg Shaffer’s second novel is both a fairytale for grown-ups and a love story. As teenagers, Jeremy and Rafe vanished for six months in the forests of West Virginia. As adults, enlisted by Emilie to search for her missing sister, they return to the scene of their disappearance: a tree that opens onto Shenandoah, a fantastical realm where they are greeted as long-lost royalty, and where Rafe must grapple with the demons of his past in order to reclaim his future. Recommended reading for anyone seeking to reawaken a sense of wonder.

The Lost Story by Meg Shaffer, (List Price: $29, Ballantine Books, 9780593598870, July 2024)

Reviewed by Jude Burke-Lewis, Square Books in , Mississippi

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