The books Southern indie booksellers are recommending to readers everywhere!

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Ply by Hernan Diaz

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Ply by Hernan Diaz
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Set in a future that feels quite plausible, or in an alternative reality, Ply feels both close and very real to me. Diaz has a way with words that makes you see everything plainly in front of you. The prose is beautiful and lulls you throughout the book, like our protagonist at the beginning of this story. I think this book shows humanity at its core: the beauty and the destructive power of ourselves, the unavoidability of freedom alongside the need for structure. Absolutely gorgeous! It shook my soul the way only true art can.

Ply by Hernan Diaz, (List Price: $32, Riverhead Books, 9780593719541, September 2026)

Reviewed by Erika, Righton Books in St Simons Island, GA

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Small Talk by Acie Clark

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Small Talk by Acie Clark
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This is a beautiful, intimate collection deeply rooted in place. The poet illustrates the complicated relationship many queer people have with the South, and uses form to show how contradictions can exist alongside each other. It’s about grief and memories and love and change, and about finding language to talk about all of them.

Small Talk by Acie Clark, (List Price: $16.95, Hub City Press, 9798885740814, September 2026)

Reviewed by Becca, Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, NC

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Daphnis and Chloe by Colin McAdam

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Daphnis and Chloe by Colin McAdam
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A dark fable underlined by a glowing current, this slim novel is an incantation, a reminder of the human story we all already know in our bones. Sketched anew in stark contrast against the ocean, the land, and the car mechanic shop, this is a story of parentage, destined lovers, brutal bikers, and the underbelly of a city. Doesn’t daylight show us the contours of darkness itself, asks McAdam? In the words of the author: “It might not look like love, but it was.” Anyone with a romantic bone in their body will be enchanted by McAdam’s prose and the way this dark story will slide into your heart: sturdy, reliable, true in the old way.

Daphnis and Chloe by Colin McAdam, (List Price: $18.95, Biblioasis, 9781771967235, October 2026)

Reviewed by Julia, Pearl’s Books in Fayetteville, AR

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Penelope by Paul Bochner

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Penelope by Paul Bochner
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Paul Bochner fell completely in love with an injured, abandoned fawn that approached him at his home in Weschester County, New York. She was quite alone and he assumed her mother had run her off because of her injured foot. Thus began this love story with this caring, gentle man who began to nurture this fawn with apples and adoring words of comfort. He named her Penelope and set morning alarms to feed her, and she began to visit twice a day for companionship and pampering. The author felt that he and Penelope had common ground as the author had abandonment issues from neglect in his youth. Paul Bochner had been close to animals his whole life and had loved dogs and even raised a lamb from birth. Penelope began to thrive with his attention and pampering and take food from his hand as he offered. Paul would also protect her from any attacking deer and show his favoritism to her in front of any other deer. He encouraged her to enter his sunroom and feed if ever he couldn’t be there. Penelope had a foal he named Carol and both came to him for cooked chestnuts and fruits. The following year she gave birth to twins he named Iris and Cyrus. This charming tale is complete with pictures of this beautiful deer and the man with whom she clearly had a deep relationship. Readers will not be able to put the book down until the very last page of this memorable total love story.

Penelope by Paul Bochner, (List Price: $30, Crown, 9798217399413, October 2026)

Reviewed by Nancy, Bookmiser in Marietta, GA

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Kin by Tayari Jones

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Kin by Tayari Jones
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I couldn’t put this book down! Set against the backdrop of Atlanta and the Jim Crow South, Jones’s beautiful prose transported me into the world of Annie and Niecey, two motherless, “cradle friends,” searching for their place in the world. The novel confronts race, class, and womanhood with honesty and nuance, while never losing sight of the tenderness and complexity of its characters. Equal parts devastating, hopeful, and unexpectedly funny, this coming-of-age story explores the lengths we go to discover who we are, and the sacrifices we make to become who we think we should be.

Kin by Tayari Jones, (List Price: $32, Knopf, 9780525659181, February 2026)

Reviewed by Tyler, Wild Aster Books in Chamblee, Georgia

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The Calamity Club by Kathryn Stockett

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The Calamity Club by Kathryn Stockett
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This sweeping historical novel, set in 1930s Mississippi during the Great Depression and Prohibition, has the perfect title…what a calamity of circumstances for each of the female characters! You’ll be immersed in the plot of this both humorous and heartbreaking novel while also etching each of these women on your heart. It turns out that hard times can push ordinary people to take outrageous risks and I loved seeing how these women used all of the resources available to them, including their intelligence, wit, and hard work, to change their fate. I will be thinking about this book and these characters for a long time!

The Calamity Club by Kathryn Stockett, (List Price: $35, Spiegel & Grau, 9781954118812, May 2026)

Reviewed by Kandi, Wordsworth Books in Little Rock, Arkansas, MS

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Brawler by Lauren Groff

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Brawler by Lauren Groff
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An arresting collection of stories that meditates on different forms of power and how humans wield it against one another. The characters, settings, and time periods are diverse, but every story—and one full length novella—depicts a fundamental struggle between our better natures and the hard realities of life. These stories operate with an incredible economy of words, making the depth and forceful nature of the characters’ emotions all the more impressive. There’s not a single one I didn’t enjoy, and some that I had already read elsewhere, but “To Sunland” stood out to me because it’s based on a real place with a complicated history that’s still standing in my hometown, where the author currently resides. I can already tell that this will be one of my top reads of the year.

Brawler by Lauren Groff, (List Price: $29, Riverhead Books, 9780593418420, February 2026)

Reviewed by Morgan, Auburn Oil Co. Booksellers in Auburn, Alabama

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Fancy Dogs by Tini Malina

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Fancy Dogs by Tini Malina
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For the dog lovers in your life, no matter the age. This book will put a smile on your face and make you nod in agreement. The pictures are cute and the rhymes are silly. I loved the book Selma: The Story of a Stellar Spider, and Tini Malina is showing how versatile an artist she is: from a simple story full of meaning and open to multiple interpretations to something that will put a smile on your face. I can’t wait to read more from this author!

Fancy Dogs by Tini Malina, (List Price: $19.95, NorthSouth Books, 9780735846272, October 2026)

Reviewed by Erika, Righton Books in St Simons Island, GA

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Dog Days of Planet Earth by Theresa Shea

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Dog Days of Planet Earth by Theresa Shea
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Theresa Shea writes quite the stirring tale along with establishing her beliefs about environmental hazards with crop dusting and strong convictions about animal testing. Trevor Westmore is just a great guy who was a former veterinarian released from prison after serving twenty-five years for murder. When I say he is a great guy, I want to clarify that he tried to save his best friend’s girlfriend when she threatened suicide. Readers will continue to root for Trevor when he is released from prison and is gifted a puppy named Libby and ready to begin a new life away from prison life. He meets and falls in love with a local veterinarian, Laura Fenway. With his strong loves and beliefs, will he be able to continue with his new start in life with his new kennel and new love?

Dog Days of Planet Earth by Theresa Shea, (List Price: $19.95, ECW Press, 9781770418622, September 2026)

Reviewed by Nancy, Bookmiser in Marietta, GA

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The Rally by Carla Vass

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The Rally by Carla Vass
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This book is like a Bravo TV reality show on paper!

The Rally has it all- travel, food, fashion, cancel culture, champagne- all the requirements of a really fun read. Well written and timely, this is one of those books you will sit down with in the morning (preferably by a pool with a fun cocktail in hand) and finish with the last rays of sunset. What a great escape!

The Rally by Carla Vass, (List Price: $29, Union Square & Co., 9781454967309, 2026-09-29)

Reviewed by Jamie Anderson, Duck’s Cottage Coffee & Books in Duck, NC

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Mobu’s Diary by Kathy Lam

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Mobu's Diary by Kathy Lam
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I want to live in Kathy Lam’s world, with her charming art style and expressive animal characters that can occasionally communicate with humans, loaf, apply for jobs, and accessorize. This collection of comics that chronicles Mobu’s gentle days working at a cat café makes everything feel cozier and more whimsical.

Mobu’s Diary by Kathy Lam, (List Price: $19.99, Andrews McMeel Publishing, 9798881610456, September 2026)

Reviewed by Julie, Hub City Bookshop in Spartanburg, SC

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Last First Kiss by Julian Winters

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Last First Kiss by Julian Winters
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A swoony romance with a perfect touch of self acceptance!

Last First Kiss by Julian Winters, (List Price: $19, St. Martin’s Griffin, 9781250326263, January 2026)

Reviewed by Cameron, Quail Ridge Books in Raleigh, NC

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Last First Kiss by Julian Winters

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Last First Kiss by Julian Winters
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Julian Winters writes another romance that is as funny as it is tender and sweet. I really enjoyed I Think They Love You, so I was really excited to read this, and it did not disappoint. With all of the same heart as the first book, we dive right back into this family that is, while nosy and opinionated, loving in their own way. Jordan and Jaime are a couple you will have you yelling at the pages sometimes, but only because you are rooting for them so hard. A second chance romance with more heat than the first book, this is a great read to enjoy as the weather warms up too.

Last First Kiss by Julian Winters, (List Price: $19, St. Martin’s Griffin, 9781250326263, January 20267)

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

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Last First Kiss by Julian Winters

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Last First Kiss by Julian Winters
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Once again, Julian Winters gets right to the heart of learning to love and be loved exactly as you are. I also love seeing such beautiful demisexual representation on page in a romance novel and appreciate the care with which Julian wrote Jordan’s journey with his sexuality. This story was an absolute delight and I can’t wait to recommend it to everyone that I can!

Last First Kiss by Julian, (List Price: $19, St. Martin’s Griffin, 9781250326263, January 2026)

Reviewed by Jonlyn Scrogham, A Novel Romance in Louisville, KY

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Feeling Like an ADHD Alien: A Graphic Novel by Pina Varnel

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Feeling Like an ADHD Alien: A Graphic Novel by Pina Varnel
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I have read so many books on ADHD, and this sweet graphic novel absolutely made me feel more seen than any of them. This so perfectly depicts what it is like to be INSIDE of the ADHD experience and how alienating it feels to not know why everyone around you seems so much more capable. Capable of things everyone expects to be automated levels of easy. Honestly, every single person who loves a person with ADHD needs to read this. And to my fellow ADHDers, I hope this helps heal your inner child. It’s truly perfect.

Feeling Like an ADHD Alien: A Graphic Novel by Pina Varnel, (List Price: $17.99, Rocky Pond Books, 9780593325568, September 2026)

Reviewed by Jenny, Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, NC

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