The books Southern indie booksellers are recommending to readers everywhere!

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Age of Vice by Deepti Kapoor

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Age of Vice by Deepti Kapoor
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A January 2023 Read This Next! Title

This novel will rob you of hours from your life, it will rob you of the need for food or company or sleep. Time the reading of the first pages wisely; you’ll have a sudden need to find a comfy spot where you can commune with these characters and their lush stories of pleasure and pain. A mashup of American Psycho, Scarface and The Great Gatsby but set in contemporary India, it’s all but impossible to look away from this dazzling train wreck orchestrated by Deepti Kapoor. I was consumed by this novel.

Age of Vice by Deepti Kapoor (List Price: $30, Riverhead Books, 9780593328798, January 2023)

Reviewed by Jamie Fiocco, Flyleaf Books in Chapel Hill, North Carolina

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Drinking Games by Sarah Levy

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Drinking Games by Sarah Levy
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A January 2023 Read This Next! Title

I loved Sarah’s very frank and honest recounting of her relationship with alcohol. Her self-aware and candid writing will be a much-needed voice for many who are re-considering the way we look at drinking as a culture. It is also a fantastic memoir about making hard changes for a better life.

Drinking Games by Sarah Levy (List Price: $28.99, St. Martin’s Press, 9781250280589, January 2023)

Reviewed by Laura Taylor, Oxford Exchange in Tampa, Florida

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Weightless by Evette Dionne

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Weightless by Evette Dionne
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Thank you, Evette Dionne, for being honest, funny, and straight-up real about what it’s like to be not ‘thin’ in today’s world! From doctor visits to being obsessed with reality TV about weight loss, I felt relief knowing I wasn’t alone. Her memoir takes you through her journey with agoraphobia, motherhood, online dating, and living her life to her fullest after being diagnosed with heart failure in her late twenties. I can’t wait for more people to read it!

Weightless by Evette Dionne(List Price: $26.99, Ecco, 9780063076365, December 2022)

Reviewed by Juliana Reyes, Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, North Carolina

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Liar, Dreamer, Thief by Maria Dong

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Liar, Dreamer, Thief by Maria Dong
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A beautifully odd and weird story, full of imagination, obsession, and layers upon layers of intrigue. Katrina Kim is living on the edges of life, barely able to afford her shared apartment, struggling with her temp job, and lowkey stalking her coworker Kurt. There’s something about him and his strangeness that compels her to watch him. Then one night she sees Kurt jump off a bridge, drawing Katrina into the mystery that was his life. I can’t recommend this strange book enough!

Liar, Dreamer, Thief by Maria Dong (List Price: $28, Grand Central Publishing, 9781538723562, January 2023)

RReviewed by Kate Towery, Fountain Bookstore in Richmond, Virginia

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What Happened to Rachel Riley? by Claire Swinarski

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What Happened to Rachel Riley? by Claire Swinarski
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Reading this book made me step back, rethink my middle school days, and want to wrap my younger self in a hug. Such a tough story, told in such a way where even though the reader and the main character don’t know the full story, you know more than the main character. You are seeing their final report, not just her findings, as she is investigating.

What Happened to Rachel Riley? by Claire Swinarski (List Price: $16.99, Quill Tree Books, 9780063213098, January 2023)

Reviewed by Jamie Kovacs, Flyleaf Books in Chapel Hill, North Carolina

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Nine Liars by Maureen Johnson

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Nine Liars by Maureen Johnson
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Stevie’s back to solve a new mystery, this time at a country manor in England! Johnson delves right back into Stevie’s world as she navigates her way through a 27-year-old murder and a current disappearance. Stevie’s at loose ends as she’s almost halfway through her senior year. She doesn’t know what she wants to do after high school, and she misses her boyfriend. But when David invites Stevie and her friends to spend a week in England, they immediately develop a plan to get the headmaster to let them go as an educational experience. Once they get there, the mystery finds Stevie, and she’s off.

Nine Liars by Maureen Johnson (List Price: $19.99, Katherine Tegen Books, 9780063032651, December 2022)

Reviewed by Jennifer Jones, Bookmiser in Marietta, Georgia

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The Matter of Everything by Suzie Sheehy

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The Matter of Everything by Suzie Sheehy
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Look no further for a detailed overview of the carnival that is the history of natural philosophy, physics! Suzie Sheehy does a great job sending readers into the world of personality and interpersonal relationships behind some of science’s most important discoveries. As a casual reader, I found at its center a variety of tales of endurance, innovation, and resourcefulness. In “The Matter of Everything” you will find that revelations can start with just a piece of glass and an unquenchable curiosity. This is a must-read for anyone looking to dip their toes into one of the most complex topics of human history: the search for understanding the deep mechanics of our own world.

The Matter of Everything by Suzie Sheehy (List Price: $30, Knopf, 9780525658757, January 2023)

Reviewed by Amanda Depperschmidt, Fountain Bookstore in Richmond, Virginia

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We Know You Remember by Tove Alsterdal

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We Know You Remember by Tove Alsterdal
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If you like Scandinavian crime novels, you will love We Know You Remember. Eira has come back to her small hometown to join the local police force after a number of years in Stockholm. A new murder brings back old memories and nightmares about the rape and murder of a young girl just a few years older than Eira when it occurred 20 years earlier. A crime that the small town has never forgotten. The story of the long-ago crime is skillfully woven with the current murder and Eira’s is forced to question a lot of things that she was told that may not have been true. It is not surprising that We Know You Remember won the best Swedish Crime Novel of the year award.

We Know You Remember by Tove Alsterdal (List Price: $17.99, Harper Paperbacks, 9780063115071, December 2022)

Reviewed by Nancy McFarlane, Fiction Addiction in Greenville, South Carolina

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Bad Cree by Jessica Johns

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Bad Cree by Jessica Johns
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Bad Cree is the perfect mix of mystery, horror, and suspense. Johns uses the importance of dreams in Cree culture to cover several issues involving corporate greed, trauma, and familial grief. Also, her use of symbolism throughout the book makes for an ethereal experience for the reader and she highlights the strength that can come from the female bonds of sisterhood/motherhood throughout the plot. This is an incredibly enjoyable debut that is as creative as it is moving.

Bad Cree by Jessica Johns (List Price: $28, Doubleday, 9780385548694, January 2023)

Reviewed by Stuart McCommon, Novel. in Memphis, Tennessee

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Snow Horses by Patricia MacLachlan

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Snow Horses by Patricia MacLachlan
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In the morning, the trumpets will play and the sun will rise and the new year will dawn. Tonight, however, the rhythmic crunch of the horse hooves on falling snow makes the world a magical place. Absolutely stunning illustrations and a sweet story will surely make this one a new holiday favorite for many families.

Snow Horses by Patricia MacLachlan (List Price: $18.99, Margaret K. McElderry Books, 9781534473553, November 2022)

Reviewed by Angie Tally, The Country Bookshop in Southern Pines, North Carolina

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The Christmas Book Flood by Emily Kilgore

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The Christmas Book Flood by Emily Kilgore
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I only found out a few years ago that there is a whole holiday in Iceland celebrating books! Jólabókaflóð (yo-la-bok-a-flot) roughly translates to “Christmas book flood”. Every year Icelandic folks search the shelves for the perfect book gift to give on Christmas Eve and then they read their treasures all night often curled up with loved ones or joyfully solo! What could be more delightful??? Kilgore’s dancing text and the lively collage art of illustrator Kitty Moss make you want to join in the fun. Start a holiday tradition of your own with this perfect little book!

The Christmas Book Flood by Emily Kilgore (List Price: $18.99, Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR), 9780374388997, November 2022)

Reviewed by Kelly Justice, Fountain Bookstore in Richmond, Virginia

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Heartbreak Boys by Simon James Green

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Heartbreak Boys by Simon James Green
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This crazy, madcap YA novel is just the thing you’re looking for! Nate and Jack used to be the best of friends. But after Jack came out, they drifted apart. Now they’re at prom and they’ve just discovered that their boyfriends are cheating on them…with each other. So they decide to team up and make the most fabulous, jealousy-inducing social media account of the summer to make their exes jealous. But that turns out to be a little tougher than they thought.

Heartbreak Boys by Simon James Green (List Price: $18.99, Clarion Books, 9780358617259, December 2022)

Reviewed by Jennifer Jones, Bookmiser in Marietta, Georgia

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Why Raeliana Ended Up at the Duke’s Mansion, Vol. 2 by Whale

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Why Raeliana Ended Up at the Duke's Mansion, Vol. 2 by Whale (Original story by Milcha)
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While I’m always here for a slow burn, I can’t help but adore how sweet and tender Noah is towards Raeliana. We often see male romance protagonists in this sub-genre come across as cold, stubborn, and belligerent, which has its own charm, but this is a swoon-worthy change of pace. True to form for this sub-genre, Raeliana is a strong-willed and capable leading lady that never fails to entertain! I can’t wait for volume three!

Why Raeliana Ended Up at the Duke’s Mansion, Vol. 2 by Whale (Original story by Milcha) (List Price: $20, Yen Press, 9781975341107, November 2022)

Reviewed by Lana Repic, E. Shaver bookseller in Savannah, Georgia

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A Giant Win by Tom Coughlin

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A Giant Win by Tom Coughlin
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I am a football fan who happens to adore the New York Giants and the Manning QBs. I have always appreciated Tom Coughlin as a coach and as a person. How can you not admire a man who got frostbite coaching a game and had no idea? Clearly, the book was a must-read for me, and it did not disappoint. The dissection of his first Giants Super Bowl win I believe is a diary any football fan will relish. The little things that every coach will emphasize are explained in meticulous detail. His path to coaching and his stops along the way are well documented, his emotions are poured out onto the page, and he does not spare himself. What shines through on every page is his love for his family, his faith, and the players he coached. They may not have been friends, but they were his football family. The book is a quick read, you feel like you are sitting in the room with a friend talking about their life and career. One of the most engaging football biographies I have read.

A Giant Win by Tom Coughlin (List Price: $30, Grand Central Publishing, 9781538724644, December 2022)

Reviewed by Jackie Willey, Fiction Addiction in Greenville, South Carolina

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The Bandit Queens by Parini Shroff

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The Bandit Queens by Parini Shroff
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It is an accomplishment when a novel can take on heartbreaking situations and also contain so much humor as well. Geeta’s husband left without a trace five years ago. All the villagers think she has murdered him. So when her women’s business loan group members start having problems with their drinking, abusive husbands, they naturally go to her to enlist her help in murdering them. A fun story about the ability of women friends to stick together and the joys of motherhood (not really). I will highly recommend this one.

The Bandit Queens by Parini Shroff (List Price: $28.00, Ballantine Books, 9780593498958, January 2023)

Reviewed by Kathy Clemmons, Sundog Books in Santa Rosa Beach, Florida

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