I am still buzzing as I write this. This book is tapped so hard into my subconscious that it feels magical. Bethany Peters is a hero our times need and are still waiting for.
Public Access Afterworld by Jane Schoenbrun, (List Price: $33, Hogarth, 9780593978382, October 2026)
Reviewed by Zack, novel. in Memphis, Tennessee
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This book was excellent! It tied together a lot of complex themes and concepts that affect successful resistance in a very comprehensive yet understandable way by analyzing nine different moments of rebellion and/or resistance in the history of the United States from before the American Revolution up to the Reconstruction Era, and walks the reader through the flaws, strengths, successes, and outcomes of each one. Certainly a must-read for anyone frustrated with the state of our nation, or for anyone looking for some context as to how we ended up where we are now!
A Resistance History of the United States by Tad Stoermer, (List Price: $19.95, Steerforth, 9781586424367, June 2026)
Reviewed by Iris, E. Shaver, Booksellers in Savannah, Georgia
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Etna is one of those rare books that quietly sneaks into your heart and stays there. Told through the eyes of a war dog searching for home after unimaginable loss, this novel is both devastating and deeply hopeful. Paul Yoon’s writing is spare, lyrical, and so beautifully observant that every page feels like poetry. I laughed, I cried, and more than once I had to stop reading just to sit with a particularly stunning line. Etna’s journey is ultimately about belonging, resilience, and finding light after darkness. If you’re drawn to character-driven stories that leave a lasting mark, keep tissues nearby and make room on your shelf for this unforgettable novel.
Etna by Paul Yoon, (List Price: $28, Scribner, 9781668020821, August 2026)
Reviewed by Stephanie, Story Hollow in Madisonville, Tennessee
A girl cryogenically frozen with her family after a dictator takes over the country wakes early to a world in chaos. She and her brother risk everything to get back to each other and rewrite history in this propulsive dystopian thriller..
The Season of Light and Darkness by Jillian Cantor, (List Price: $21.99, Simon Pulse, 9798347107285, August 2026)
Reviewed by Rae Ann, Parnassus Books in Nashville, TN
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With each new story, Natasha Pulley outdoes herself with her imaginative storylines, unique characters, and her ability to immerse the reader in all of it. Avelyn Brocken, a Jesuit priest, has been sent home to Hreodwater to investigate a strange occurrence on behalf of the Vatican. Hreodwater is known for its salt mine and also the abbey in the salt mine that attracts dozens of pilgrims each year. Home is at once familiar and strange for Avelyn, and now with the added complication of the doctor at the abbey lodge, Jericho. As Avelyn struggles with his conflicting feelings about Jericho and being back in Hreodwater there are strange things happening at salt mines around the world. Faith, belief, desire, salt mines, humor, wit, and a fascinating matriarchal community. A less capable author would not have been able to weave together such seemingly disparate elements into a coherent story. I loved every page and can’t wait to convince more people to read this incredible book.
The Salt King by Natasha Pulley, (List Price: $29.99, Bloomsbury Publishing, 9781639737291, August 2026)
Reviewed by Holly, The Country Bookshop in Southern Pines, NC
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A bittersweet twist on the Death taking human form trope. This Death takes in the world in all its glory and ugliness, observing with a gentle, benign eye. Nothing hurts until he lets down his guard and comes to care deeply for a mother and daughter. This is a read to savor with graceful writing and carefully crafted characters.
Everything Was Beautiful and Nothing Hurt by Ben Reeves, (List Price: $18, Avid Reader Press, Simon & Schuster, 9781668216361, July 2026)
Reviewed by Jan, Main Street Books in Davidson, NC
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Oh, Etna! I didn’t know what to expect going into this book but fell in love almost instantly. What an odyssey! From the horrors of war to the horrors of its aftermath to the persistent, stubborn, damning hopefulness of both dog and human spirit, I felt as if I walked with Etna step-for-four-legged-step across this unnamed, war-shattered land in an attempt to find home. Each character stole my heart – Hong, Soojin, Semeru, the old dog – and proved that home is not so much a place as it is the pack that follows you and fights for you, even into and against the unknown. This is one that will stick with me for quite some time.
Etna by Paul Yoon, (List Price: $28, Scribner, 9781668020821, August 2026)
Reviewed by Mackenzie, Thank You Books in Birmingham, AL
As the world grows more and more deranged, I find myself seeking the most bizarre, oppressive, incomprehensible horror available. But there’s something strangely comforting about horror like Amparo Dávila’s. Stories that seem mostly normal, albeit odd, until something twists at the last moment and you’re left wondering. Seeing things in the corner of your vision, shadows on the walls, yawning eye sockets. Dávila’s writing makes the terrifying feel quiet, almost intimate.
Behind the Gate by Amparo Davila, (List Price: $16.95, New Directions, 9780811240581, October 2026)
Reviewed by Charlie, Fountain Bookstore in Richmond, VA
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Happy Women in Translation Month! This long-awaited cult classic novel is finally available in English, thanks to the incredible Jonathan Woollen. Superstars is an intimate portrait of a life in the 90s Parisian techno subculture. In three words: French, lesbian, DJs.
Superstars by Ann Scott, (List Price: $22, Astra House, 9781662603471, April 2026)
Reviewed by Abigail, Parnassus Books in Nashville, TN
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Richard Russo has written many memorable novels, and Under the Falls is again a study into the minds of characters as they exist with the people they know best. Tyler Sinclair, at 36, is a successful frontman for the band Stone Mountain, and he is returning to his hometown after leaving abruptly eighteen years earlier. The band is coming to Stone Mountain for a benefit for Doc, who is in a wheelchair because of an accident that Tyler may have caused. Tyler also sees his childhood best friend Curt, who is married to Tyler’s former lover Freddi. The concert is interrupted by jeering audience members, and the night ends with a tragic incident causing deaths. Many questions are raised… why did Curt leave Stone Mountain at age 18? What caused the deaths on the mountain after the concert? And what is happening with drug running under the nose of the Chief of Police? The secrets and betrayals will keep the pages turning as readers get a glimpse into life in this small town.
Under the Falls by Richard Russo, (List Price: $30, Knopf, 9780593805107, August 2026)
Reviewed by Nancy, Bookmiser in Marietta, GA
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Taking its title from the Haitian Kreyòl word for mourning, Dèy is a life-affirming novel about not only the fragility of existence, but also the value of love and family. After escaping unscathed from a mass shooting at her local mall, Haitian American real estate agent Magnolia chooses not to tell anyone about her traumatic experience. Instead, she reflects on her relationships with those closest to her – her daughter, her estranged partner, and her aging and increasingly unwell parents – while becoming ever more fixated on news of the shooting and its victims. Understated and quietly powerful, Dèy is a profoundly moving reminder to cherish life, family and home.
Dèy by Edwidge Danticat, (List Price: $30, Knopf, 9780593803523, August 20265)
Reviewed by Jude, Square Books in Oxford, MS
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A unique take on a coming-of-age narrative, Sakura weaves through complex family dynamics and the ways only time can change perspective, while using the childhood family pet as an anchor of innocence. Kauro returns to his childhood home and is flooded with memories of growing up with his siblings, of all the good times and the bad times- all the memories of becoming an adult, and being forced to grow up too soon, and of realizing how limited a young perspective can be. But through it all, the whole family benefits from the simple joy of having a loving pet that keeps them grounded. It’s a really lovely and relatable take on perspective, family, aging, and the pure innocent love of a pet.
Sakura by Kanako Nishi, (List Price: $26.99, HarperVia, 9780063389946, March 2026)
Reviewed by Jenny, Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, NC
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This is a book about humanity. About what it means to be human even when you aren’t even sure you’re human yourself. The unnamed narrator is as uncertain of her origin as she is of her destiny, but she still hopes, she still wants, she still grows. There is a hefty amount of ambiguity, but its purpose to the novel and its characters is more important. I’d argue it’s what makes the book so impactful. If I could give this book a thousand stars—no, a million—I would. It’s one of those books I tell everyone about, and one that I think about all the time.
I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman, (List Price: $16.95, Transit Books, 9781945492600, May 2022)
Reviewed by Tamara, M. Judson Booksellers in Greenville, South Carolina
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This story deepens into itself; it spreads into the darkest corners and sinks into the dirt beneath your feet. An eerily original portrait of 1600s Denmark, plagued by witch trials and the doom that follows thick paranoia and cursed accusations. It’s told in a way I’ve never quite witnessed before: from the perspective of a tiny wax doll whose maker was just accused. It feels as though these pages have been waiting for a reader for hundreds of years…just aging, fuming, materializing until now. A perfect, pleading horror story.
The Wax Child by Olga Ravn, (List Price: $19.95, New Directions, 9780811238830, September 2025)
Reviewed by Emma, Flyleaf Books in Chapel Hill, NC
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Is there any better feeling than falling immediately into the familiar cadence and rhythm of a book from an author you love? I have read and loved Mieko Kawakami’s work for many years now, and her ability to delve into the minds of her narrators and shift through human emotion, insecurity, quiet joy, and the small moments of life continues to captivate me. But she does not do all the work for the reader. Her gift is crafting dialogue, both internal and external, that allows the reader to dig deeper. Sisters in Yellow delivers on all of these fronts. Hana, our young narrator whose anxiety surrounding her financial instability and drive for security permeates the novel, is one of my favorites of Kawakami’s leads yet. Kawakami probes poverty, vulnerability, and the deep longing to belong to a family and community. The action really ramps up in the second half of the book where the stakes are raised, and I couldn’t stop turning the pages. Fans of Kawakami will not be disappointed, and this book will be a great entry point for new readers!
Sisters in Yellow by Mieko Kawakami, (List Price: $30, Knopf, 9780593537732, March 2026)
Reviewed by Kelsey, Tombolo Books in St. Petersburg, FL
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