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Country People by Daniel Mason

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Country People by Daniel Mason
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Who would expect a novel with interludes from John Milton and scenes from Tolstoy to be such a good time? It’s a feat that it feels as if only Daniel Mason can pull off. I loved following the many misadventures of Miles Krzelewski, a disappointing husband, pretty good dad, and extremely distracted academic who would rather tag along with the “country people” of Vermont than sit down and finish his dissertation. This is an utterly entertaining read and also a meditation on nature, storytelling, the fine line between fact and fiction, and the human quest for paradise, which might just be deep in the forest of your own backyard.

Country People by Daniel Mason, (List Price: $30, Random House, 9798217197453, July 2026)

Reviewed by Lady, The Snail on the Wall in Huntsville, AL

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Habits of the Sea by Shea Ernshaw

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Habits of the Sea by Shea Ernshaw
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John Donne said “No man is an island,” and Clay Lockhart said, “Hold my beer.” This story is a feast for the imagination! Shea Earnshaw’s writing and description of setting are so remarkably visceral I always felt like I was there on the island watching Clay and Ellie live this extraordinary life. It’s one of the most unique stories I’ve ever read, and the atmosphere was so immersive and consuming, even when the story took darker turns, I couldn’t step away for long before I needed to pick this back up and spend time with these two characters surviving in such a wide array of circumstances. There’s such a realistic balance of both the light and dark aspects of life in Habits of the Sea. This story takes such an honest look at living and the world in which we do our living, and the ways we are hurting it and what it gives back to and takes away from us. It left me spellbound and confronted and grateful for the natural world and for humanity. I feel like I’ve really been told a story, down to its bones, in the best possible way.

Habits of the Sea by Shea Ernshaw, (List Price: $28, Atria Books, 9781668097731, July 2026)

Reviewed by Savannah, The Country Bookshop in Southern Pines, NC

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School Bus Graveyard, Volume 1 by Red

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School Bus Graveyard, Volume 1 by Red
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I loved this cursed Savannah field trip!! Six main characters? No way they could all be interesting and given time to develop– but they are! Reclusive and independent Ashlyn is forced to bond quickly with her new high school classmates when they wake up each night in a shared nightmare world. With lively art and scary monsters, this Webtoon is wonderfully translated into graphic novel form. And very funny!

School Bus Graveyard, Volume 1 by Red, (List Price: $18.99, Ink Pop, 9798217122868, June 2026)

Reviewed by Ross, E. Shaver, Booksellers in Savannah, Georgia

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Sneaks by Amy Tern

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Sneaks by Amy Tern
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A street-smart, sticky-fingered Valory teams up with piano-prodigy, agoraphobic Rook to solve the mystery of the empty apartment across the alley, which is suddenly filled with mysterious music and eerie doll parts. It’s Only Murders in the Building for tweens about how friendship can bring out the best parts of you.

Sneaks by Amy Tern, (List Price: $18.99, Holiday House, 9780823461622, July 2026)

Reviewed by Candice, The Haunted Book Shop (C) in Mobile, Alabama

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Habits of the Sea by Shea Ernshaw

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Habits of the Sea by Shea Ernshaw
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Love, loss, magic, and connection. This is a moving story of who we think we are and who we can become.

Habits of the Sea by Shea Ernshaw, (List Price: $28, Atria Books, 9781668097731, July 2026)

Reviewed by Susan, M Judson Booksellers in Greenville, SC

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Country People by Daniel Mason

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Country People by Daniel Mason
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In Mason’s engaging and amusing story, Miles moves with his wife and children from California to rural Vermont, where his curiosity and willingness to suspend disbelief leads to unexpected community. This big-hearted novel offers a balm for our times and perhaps some good lessons for all of us.

Country People by Daniel Mason, (List Price: $30, Random House, 9798217197453, July 2026)

Reviewed by Lia, Wordsworth Books in Little Rock, AR

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Our Knives Will Save Us by Nephi Craig

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Our Knives Will Save Us by Nephi Craig
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Nephi Craig’s memoir takes the reader deep into his life, exploring substance abuse, the passion for cooking, and the power of food. Craig’s dedication to sharing the history of Indigenous food with restaurants around the world and his choice to return home to serve the community on his reservation make this such a compelling read. Highly recommended for readers who enjoy food memoirs but also stories of decolonization and healing.

Our Knives Will Save Us by Nephi Craig, (List Price: $32, Penguin Press, 9780593831908, July 2026)

Reviewed by Beth, Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, NC

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The Missed Connection by Tia Williams

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The Missed Connection by Tia Williams
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Man, Tia Williams knows how to write a stellar romance! After a chance encounter on a flight, guarded — but delightful — Sasha enlists the help of former detective turned BBQ-ist Wes to help her find her missed connection. I loved the banter between the two main characters and found their predicaments so entertaining and unique. Truly, I’ve never read anything like this before! If you’re feeling burnt out on romance, you can always turn to Tia Williams, who will never disappoint.

The Missed Connection by Tia Williams, (List Price: $29, Grand Central Publishing, 9781538770269, June 2026)

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

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Skin Contact by Elisa Faison

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Skin Contact by Elisa Faison
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Really loved this book! I couldn’t get enough of it. Elisa Faison has such a good eye for meaningful details that deepen the understanding of her characters. It’s a story about a couple navigating non-monogamy, but it covers so much of the human experience: love, loss, sensual pleasure, pandemic loneliness, etc. This is literary fiction at its best. The characters don’t take themselves too seriously (healthy doses of humor throughout), yet there is always another level to explore beyond the surface.

Skin Contact by Elisa Faison, (List Price: $29, Cardinal, 9781538776018, June 2026)

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

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Dad, Love, Me by Matthew Quick

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Dad, Love, Me by Matthew Quick
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It turns out everything Matthew Quick has written up to this point- all nine best-selling novels- have been prequels to this memoir; a book that should be considered his masterpiece, defining much of his work thus far. Powerful, painful, heart-wrenching, and heart-lifting, Matthew bravely lays bare his heart, soul, and most of all his relationship with his difficult father. Throughout this ‘letter’ to his Dad, the reader watches over and over the inexplicable trauma one man inflicts upon his son and sees the many ways in which it would mold him. Sobriety and analysis team up to help him break the cycle and as Alzheimer’s strips his father of so much, Matthew returns to walk this last journey by his side with love and dignity. If we could all forgive as Matthew has forgiven his father, Michael, the world would be an entirely different place.

Dad, Love, Me by Matthew Quick, (List Price: $30, Avid Reader Press, Simon & Schuster, 9781668091753, July 2026)

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

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Toad on the Go by Jashar Awan

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Toad on the Go by Jashar Awan
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I loved the colorful pictures of Toad on the Go, a book about making mistakes and realizing that it’s okay and that all of us make them. Simple story that can help kids admit their mistakes and feel safe… a useful skill in this day and age.

Toad on the Go by Jashar Awan, (List Price: $18.99, Tundra Books, 9781774883501, June 2026)

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

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Stranded in the Future by Robyn Hitchcock

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Stranded in the Future by Robyn Hitchcock
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Reading Stranded in the Future is like being dropped into a casual conversation with the long-time rocker, surrealist, and memoirist Robyn Hitchcock. With shades of Monty Python, but also the Marx Brothers and especially Fry & Laurie’s love of wordplay, this is an exquisitely English self-referential memoir. Hitchcock sure has a way with words (“His singing voice was light blue”), and while it took me a minute to get used to the sardonic, whimsical style, I was soon luxuriating in evocative, descriptive gems such as: “We are greeted by the classic Smoke Age pub gig odours: stale beer, stale tobacco, stale urine, and fresh disinfectant…” or that punk: “galvanizes what, until last year, has been a fairly cosy generation of kids, grazing peacefully in the mid-1970s, sitting cross-legged on the floor at concerts. But not any more: now they have to stand and spit…” A slice of 60s/70s rock and roll life, especially enjoyable with a Soft Boys playlist playing in the background.

Stranded in the Future by Robyn Hitchcock, (List Price: $24.95, Akashic Books, Ltd., 9781636142999, July 2026)

Reviewed by Doron, Octavia Books in New Orleans, LA

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Father Material by Alexis Hall

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Father Material by Alexis Hall
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Hall’s hilarious dialogue is front and center in his newest addition to the London Calling series and you won’t be able to put this one down! Luc and Oliver have been through it in Boyfriend Material and the Husband Material. But you know, “first comes love, then comes marriage” so you know what’s next! That’s right, an adorable rescue dog that looks like a big potato! And maybe if they can get dog parenting down, they might be ready for more?

Father Material by Alexis Hall, (List Price: $18.99, Sourcebooks Casablanca, 9781728264295, June 2026)

Reviewed by Jennifer, Bookmiser in Marietta, GA

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Country People by Daniel Mason

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Country People by Daniel Mason
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Come to this book with your sorrows, malaise, and dread, and leave revitalized, renewed, reborn! I just can’t think of another writer who understands so well the profundity of true delight, its ability to transport and transform a reader. Country People gives us back the wonder that many of us lost in childhood, that feeling of being lost in a book, and yet is so narratively sophisticated that I feel my brain has grown in size. To say nothing of my heart! Peak Vermont weirdness, family pathos, rollicking side-quests, and a perfect dog named Guiseppe–Daniel Mason, you’re a special kind of genius.

Country People by Daniel Mason, (List Price: $30, Random House, 9798217197453, July 2026)

Reviewed by Kristen, Thank You Books in Birmingham, AL

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Agnes Lives! by Hallie Elizabeth Newton

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Agnes Lives! by Hallie Elizabeth Newton
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Agnes is like a piece of glass that our patriarchal, image-obsessed society has trampled all over. She’s fractured. The beauty industry has her by the throat, she indulges the toxic behaviors of the men in her life, and Instagram is the safe haven where she tries to bury her head in the sand only to be assaulted with a constant influx of information on how to better herself aesthetically. Like someone who walks into oncoming traffic, she places herself directly in the path of the male gaze, spends her days in service to it, walks a tightrope to stay in its sightline, and gets repeatedly run over in the hopes of being seen. Thus, her maddening and manic spiral as she searches for someone to kill her, to set her free from this Plato’s Cave of warped womanhood refracted through the Conjunctiva of the male gaze. In a chaotic whirlwind of stream of consciousness prose, we follow Agnes through what she hopes will be the last day in her life. Agnes Lives! is a smart commentary on toxic femininity, on being an aging woman, on the ways women feel pressured to sacrifice their bodies at the altars of men, on all the toxic little crimes men commit against women and women commit against themselves. It’s full of killer lines and insights about our culture, and the characterization is precise and blazing. This novel is as enraging as it is insightful. So if you like chaotic, weird girl Lit. Fic. with an unhinged woman on an equally unhinged mission, then take a big bite, this one’s worth the calories.

Agnes Lives! by Hallie Elizabeth Newton, (List Price: $26.99, Bloomsbury Publishing, 9781639738564, June 2026)

Reviewed by Savannah, The Country Bookshop in Southern Pines, NC

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