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Memorial Days by Geraldine Brooks

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Memorial Days by Geraldine Brooks
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Geraldine Brooks’s memoir of her life with writer Tony Horwitz and the aftermath of his sudden death in 2019 is an intimate, gut-wrenching, funny, and inspiring tribute to their life together and to his writing. It will take its place alongside other powerful memoirs of love and loss, like Joan Didion’s Year of Magical Thinking (about which the two of them strikingly disagreed). With her well-honed journalistic skills, Brooks describes the brutally bureaucratic way America handles sudden death alongside her own journey through grief’s landscape while capturing Horwitz’s exuberant personality and adventurous spirit. Having read and loved most of her work, I now can’t wait to read his.

Memorial Days by Geraldine Brooks, (List Price: $28, Viking, 9780593653982, February 2025)

Reviewed by Sarah Goddin, McIntyre’s Books in Pittsboro, North Carolina

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Victorian Psycho by Virginia Feito

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Victorian Psycho by Virginia Feito
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I’ve been trying to think of words to describe Virginia Feito’s Victorian Psycho, and I’ve come up with: propulsive, visceral, disorienting, and riveting. The writing barrels you toward an ending that I was prepared to find shocking, but still managed to surprise me. I was amazed at how funny Feito is in the midst of the absolute chaos on the page and how big of a punch she managed to pack into a novella. You know exactly what you are getting into from page one: Virginia Feito grabs you by the neck (with her teeth) and does not relent until long after you’ve finished the book. Winifred Notty will haunt you, and since she can’t kill you, she will have to settle for that.

Victorian Psycho by Virginia Feito, (List Price: $24.99, Liveright, 9781631498633, February 2025)

Reviewed by Chelsea Bauer, Union Avenue Books in Knoxville, Tennessee

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Witchcraft for Wayward Girls by Grady Hendrix

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Witchcraft for Wayward Girls by Grady Hendrix
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Wow. If there’s one thing Grady Hendrix is going to do, it’s researching a topic thoroughly. This is a beautifully haunting thought-provoking story about societal views and motherhood while also dabbling with witchcraft. There are moments where you laugh, feel scared, and even cry. That’s the beauty of this book, everything comes with a price.

Witchcraft for Wayward Girls by Grady Hendrix, (List Price: $30, Berkley, 9780593548981, January 2025)

Reviewed by Caylee Wilson, Midtown Reader in Tallahassee, Florida

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Victor, the Wolf with Worries by Catherine Rayner

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Victor, the Wolf with Worries by Catherine Rayner
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Victor, The Wolf With Worries, immediately stole my anxious heart. A beautifully illustrated book with an important message. Having the courage to share our worries can make us feel braver, and bigger, and fiercer. With a few great tools to help keep worries away, and the bigger message of realizing that everyone worries, this book is sure to help some littles, and their parents, feel much more wolfish.

Victor, the Wolf with Worries by Catherine Rayner, (List Price: $18.99, Boxer Books, 9781915801838, January 2025)

Reviewed by Mary Salazar, The Country Bookshop in Southern Pines, North Carolina

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All the Blues in the Sky by Renée Watson

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All the Blues in the Sky by Renée Watson
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Turning thirteen is a milestone filled with exciting possibilities: movies, treats, all-night giggles, and the promise of teenage adventures. For Sage, however, this time is overshadowed by the profound loss of her best friend. The friend who knew all her secrets, shared dreams for the future, and was an irreplaceable part of her life is now gone, leaving Sage to navigate a complex web of emotions. Grief is a deeply personal journey, and for a young teen like Sage, it can be especially confusing and overwhelming. How do you acknowledge Your Feelings? Everyone processes loss differently. She seeks counseling groups, a safe space to share feelings and hear from others who have experienced similar losses. Creating a Memory Box of her and her best friend. Grieving the loss of a best friend is an incredibly challenging experience, especially for someone as young as Sage. However, by acknowledging her feelings, seeking support, practicing self-care, and finding ways to memorialize her friend, Sage can navigate her grief while continuing to grow and learn. Remember, grief is not about forgetting the loved one but learning to live with the loss in a way that honors their memory while moving forward with life.

All the Blues in the Sky by Renée Watson, (List Price: $17.99, Bloomsbury Children’s Books, 9781547605897, February 2025)

Reviewed by VaLinda Payne-Miller, Turning Page Bookshop in Goose Greek, South Carolina

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Toto by Hyewon Yum

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Toto by Hyewon Yum
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I adore Toto: the book as well as the birthmark that bears the name! It’s lovely to encounter a story that focuses on learning to embrace what makes you different without hitting you over the head in case you’d otherwise miss the moral of the story. Yum’s evocative, warm illustrations and gentle prose deserve a place on your shelf.

Toto by Hyewon Yum, (List Price: $18.99, Neal Porter Books, 9780823453894, January 2025)

Reviewed by Janet Geddis, Avid Bookshop in Athens, Georgia

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Blob by Maggie Su

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Blob by Maggie Su
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Built on the premise of Build-a-Bear gone funhouse mirror build-a-boyfriend, Blob really is a love story, but maybe not in the way that you expect. Sure, Vi finds a sentient blob outside of a drag show in her Midwest college town, and sure she tries to turn that blob into the perfect boyfriend through the power of cereal, television, and wishful thinking, but at the core Blob is about falling back in love with the parts of yourself that you’ve thought you lost forever.

Blob by Maggie Su, (List Price: $26.99, Harper, 9780063358645, January 2025)

Reviewed by Mikey LaFave, Avid Bookshop in Athens, Georgia

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We Could Be Rats by Emily Austin

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We Could Be Rats by Emily Austin
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Emily Austin has the ability to make those of us that think differently feel seen. She tackles tough subjects in this novel–complex family dynamics, being an outsider in your community and battling mental illness. She does it with care, humor and wit! You’ll grow to care for Sigrid and Margit so quickly. You’ll want to be a rat at the fair with this novel as the prize!

We Could Be Rats by Emily Austin, (List Price: $27.99, Atria Books, 9781668058145, January 2025)

Reviewed by Kelley Barnes, Page 158 Books in Wake Forest, North Carolina

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To See an Owl by Matthew Cordell

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To See an Owl by Matthew Cordell
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I love a story about a young girl’s perseverance. Young Janie is singularly minded and deeply passionate about owls; all she wants is to see one and witness “magic” that is real, here, and accessible. I loved seeing how supportive her mother was trying to bring this reality; I loved her teacher, who saw all her work and effort and encouraged her not to stop.

To See an Owl by Matthew Cordell, (List Price: $18.99, Random House Studio, 9780593649893, January 2025)

Reviewed by Morgan DePerno, Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, North Carolina

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The Otherwhere Post by Emily J. Taylor

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The Otherwhere Post by Emily J. Taylor
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You’ll want to get your little ink-stained hands on this one as soon as possible! Maeve is getting by in her world by never staying in one place for long and changing her name with every move. See, her father was a known murderer and everyone thinks Maeve is dead. But when she received a letter from seven years ago from an anonymous “friend” claiming that her father is innocent, she must find out the truth. To do this, she’ll have to take on a new identity and apprentice with the Otherwhere Post: the only people who can cross words now (supposedly thanks to her father) to deliver messages. But can she find out the truth before she’s found out herself?

The Otherwhere Post by Emily J. Taylor, (List Price: $20.99, G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers, 9780593404546, February 2025)

Reviewed by Jennifer Jones, Bookmiser in Marietta, Georgia

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The Harder I Fight the More I Love You by Neko Case

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The Harder I Fight the More I Love You by Neko Case
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As far as music memoirs go, the supremely talented Neko Case brings a new and often mind-blowing perspective to an often paint-by-numbers genre. Mostly centered around her harrowing childhood and teen years and her fraught relationships with her parents, there’s loads to unpack, with shocks and trauma you will not believe. And the music! Her influences, how she got her start, and the joy and sorrow of the life on the road. Highly recommended!

The Harder I Fight the More I Love You by Neko Case, (List Price: $30, Grand Central Publishing, 9781538710500, January 2025)

Reviewed by Seth Tucker, Carmichael’s Bookstore in Louisville, Kentucky

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Good Dirt by Charmaine Wilkerson

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Good Dirt by Charmaine Wilkerson
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I loved the way this book explored the ideas of trauma, PTSD, and loss, as well as how resilience and strength can grow out of them. The changing timelines and character points of view kept me engaged and wanting to learn more about each new storyline and person that was introduced. The ending brought together the past and the present in a beautiful way and showed the power we all have to preserve and learn from our past traumas, whether they be our own or those of our ancestors.

Good Dirt by Charmaine Wilkerson, (List Price: $30, Ballantine Books, 9780593358368, January 2025)

Reviewed by Baldwin & Co. in New Orleans, Louisiana

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Blob by Maggie Su

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Blob by Maggie Su
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So weird and wonderful! A funny, moving look at what it means to be real, to grow, and to truly connect with yourself and others

Blob by Maggie Su, (List Price: $26.99, Harper, 9780063358645, January 2025)

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

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Woo Woo by Ella Baxter

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Woo Woo by Ella Baxter
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Ella Baxter‘s novel Woo Woo joins a handful of brilliant 2024 books featuring female creatives (All Fours by Miranda July, Colored Television by Danzy Senna, Exhibit by R. L. Kwon). The daily struggle and balancing act of being a productive artist is examined here as conceptual artist Sabine preps for a huge solo exhibition. She is trying desperately to be seen while also hiding from a stalker. She wants to use social media rather than be used by it and all the while her marriage feels off-kilter. Woo Woo gives us insights into a woman trying to come into her own while forces want to make her smaller.

Woo Woo by Ella Baxter, (List Price: $27, Catapult, 9781646222551, December 2024)

Reviewed by Rachel Watkins, Avid Bookshop in Athens, Georgia

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Booked for Murder by P. J. Nelson

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Booked for Murder by P. J. Nelson
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Given how full the cozy mystery world is, new series need extra sparks to stand out. This one has puzzles plenty and instead of silly, quirky characters, there’s added maturity and emotional depth. This may be a small town story with a bookstore at its center, but it offers a new and enjoyable touch.

Booked for Murder by P. J. Nelson, (List Price: $28, Minotaur Books, 9781250909954, December 2024)

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

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