This book is a celebration of creativity when the narrator imagines what life would be like as a dog. It’s a delightful romp as well as a display of acceptance of other ideas.
If We Were Dogs by Sophie Blackall, (List Price: $18.99, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 9780316581721, September 2025)
Reviewed by Rae Ann Parker, Parnassus Books in Nashville, Tennessee
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A magical bookshop, a whodunnit, and a morally grey heroine wrapped in rich lore. This story is pure fantasy perfection. It’s so immersive, it doesn’t feel like reading at all… just magic.The characters feel alive, the mystery keeps you turning pages, and before you know it, ‘one more chapter’ becomes four hours later, and worth every second! You’ll miss the bookshop the moment you close the cover.
The Bookshop Below by Georgia Summers, (List Price: $29, Redhook, 9780316561839, November 2025)
Reviewed by Erika Patoni, Righton Books in Saint Simons Island, Georgia
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Honey, the land!” No spoilers, but Simone St. James has really outdone herself with this twisty supernatural mystery/thriller. Every overturned stone along the plot’s path is captivating, and I never wanted to put it down. I love the sibling dynamics as they return to their haunted childhood home in search of answers regarding their little brother, who went missing at just 6 years old. The Broken Girls may still be my favorite, but this is a very close second.
A Box Full of Darkness by Simone St. James, (List Price: $30, Berkley, 9780593200414, January 2026)
Reviewed by Jenny Ford, Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, North Carolina
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Greek mythology inspires this debut romantasy, featuring a richly constructed magical world filled with political intrigue, spymasters, banished royalty, forbidden romance, trauma, and epic friendships. The author does an amazing job bringing both the story and its characters to life. We follow Aella, the female lead, whose point of view drives the narrative. Once a princess, she is disowned and cast into a guild of spymasters called The Aviary. After seven years of grueling work to prove herself, her first major assignment requires her to pretend to be a princess once more and entice a ruthless prince. Aella’s journey is deeply emotional and often painful, making her story incredibly compelling. The ending absolutely demands more.
Songbird of the Sorrows by Braidee Otto, (List Price: $30, The Dial Press, 9798217153824, February 2026)
Reviewed by Sandra Pinkney, Hills and Hamlets Bookshop in Chattahoochee Hills, Georgia
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Self Portrait is a sweet and introspective story that follows a teen’s gender exploration. Told from the internal monologue of Jip, Ludwig portrays teenage thoughts, potentially from a neurodivergent lens, in an endearing way. The story also does a good job of initially not placing too much emphasis on gender identity at all, which evolves as the protagonist realizes that he is trans. This novella would be a great choice for any YA readers looking for a queer coming of age.
Self Portrait by Ludwig Volbeda, (List Price: $19.99, Levine Querido, 9781646145775, November 2025)
Reviewed by Aidan Walker, The Snail on the Wall in Huntsville, Alabama
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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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Eleanor loves the wild outdoors. When she invites the wild inside, she spins and leaps like the animals outside. This beautiful picture book inspires imagination.
The Wildest Thing by Emily Winfield Martin, (List Price: $19.99, Random House Books for Young Readers, 9798217023981, January 2026)
Reviewed by Rae Ann Parker, Parnassus Books in Nashville, Tennessee
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Dusapin’s novel depicts the heavy silence that has fallen between two sisters who love and understand each other but who can no longer connect. The characters struggle to find peace with their life choices and roles in one another’s lives. The Old Fire questions how an individual is defined by place, family, loss, and abandonment and how those definitions can impede growth and happiness. A quiet novel whose impact on the reader is anything but quiet.
The Old Fire by Elisa Shua Dusapin, (List Price: $27, S&S/Summit Books, 9781668212219, January 2026)
Reviewed by Lera Shawver, Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, North Carolina
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I studied trees for my senior project in undergrad, and I remember the looks I would get when I tried to explain how magical these living beings are. My work explored plant autonomy and the ways humans interpret nature’s agency, but When Trees Testify deepens that understanding in ways I could have never imagined. The book’s poetic assertion that the breath of loved ones can remain alive through scientific processes is an astounding observation. It redefines the boundaries between the human and the natural. It reminds us that our actions are linked to the lives of the ecosystems we shape. When Trees Testify presents trees not as passive organisms, but as active participants—beings with resilience and a shared history.
When Trees Testify by Beronda L. Montgomery, (List Price: $27.99, Henry Holt and Co., 9781250335166, January 2026)
Reviewed by Chloe Strong, Epilogue: Books Chocolate Brews in Chapel Hill, North Carolina
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This delightful little book serves up some sweet life lessons through the use of magical candy. Each customer finds themselves at the Amberglow Candy Store at a critical point in their lives. Kogetsu, the mysterious proprietor is there to sell sweets that produce unexpected in the customers’ lives. A nice cozy read tied together with a final chapter that, like wagashi of the book, offers a surprising change in perspective.
The Amberglow Candy Store by Hiyoko Kurisu, (List Price: $28, G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 9780593854921, November 2025)
Reviewed by Alex Schulz, Carmichael’s Bookstore in Louisville, Kentucky
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A traipse through time and the relationship of a movie star and his best friend/lover/partner. Set in the glamor and depravity of Hollywood, Rothery turns modern feelings of appearances and sex, phones and art, love and grief into a timeless and impressionistic drama. With each unexpected turn and change of form, you’ll relate to each character more intrinsically. I couldn’t put this down!!!
Television by Lauren Rothery, (List Price: $28, Ecco, 9780063443327, December 2025)
Reviewed by Ross Ramirez, E. Shaver, Booksellers in Savannah, Georgia
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Timeloops, dragon descendants, and complex relationships! I typically struggle with time travel themes, but I swear Baker has this way of writing that just immediately settles readers into her stories. You may not always know what’s going on, but by the end of the book you will–you just have to trust her as she leads you deeper into her labyrinths. With the woven history of Japanese and Korean myths, this standalone YA fantasy is as clever as it is thrilling, and a return to the exciting stories I remember getting lost in when I was a teenager–but also not restrictive to that age bracket, especially for those who love a rollercoaster of a story from start to finish, magic, and a good ol’ “save the world” plot.
I’ll Find You Where the Timeline Ends by Kylie Lee Baker, (List Price: $19.99, Feiwel & Friends, 9781250381989, November 2025)
Reviewed by Tamara Browning, M. Judson Booksellers in Greenville, South Carolina
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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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This groundbreaking young adult thriller follows Daunis Fontaine, a biracial Ojibwe girl caught between two cultures, two identities, and two different paths for her future. But when tragedy strikes too close to home, Daunis finds herself thrust into the crosshairs of a criminal investigation that threatens to tear her whole community apart. I was completely enveloped by this incredible debut, and if I could put a copy into every single customer’s hands, I absolutely would.
Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley, (List Price: $14.99, Square Fish, 9781250866035, April 2023)
Reviewed by Rebecca Speas, One More Page Books in Arlington, Virginia
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Queen Esther is the new historical novel by one of America’s most beloved authors, John Irving. The story takes the reader on a journey from New England to Europe and Jerusalem through the backdrop of World War II, the Vietnam War era, and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Much of the focus of this novel is on the role that history plays in shaping lives and identities. Queen Esther is a sweeping, multigenerational and multicultural novel full if memorable characters.
Queen Esther by John Irving, (List Price: $30, Simon & Schuster, 9781501189449, November 2025)
Reviewed by Karen Dugger, Righton Books in Saint Simons Island, Georgia
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