Righton Books

The Greatest Sentence Ever Written by Walter Isaacson

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The Greatest Sentence Ever Written by Walter Isaacson
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Little book. Big ideas. In the time that it takes to drink a cup of coffee, you can read this book and gain greater illumination into the importance of the glorious American experiment in democracy and why it’s worth protecting more than you could by listening to the entirety of all political discourse over the past quarter century. Read it all the way through. Then, read it again.

The Greatest Sentence Ever Written by Walter Isaacson, (List Price: $20, Simon and Schuster, 9781982181314, November 2025)

Reviewed by Jim, Righton Books in St Simons Island, Georgia

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Loops by Jashar Awan

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Loops by Jashar Awan
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Loops is such a cute story about a child learning how to become a “big kid” and the importance of not losing their shoe. I loved how the book gently teaches kids how to tie their shoelaces in a fun, simple way. The title is extra funny because the story itself goes into a loop, which kids will enjoy noticing. This is a great, sweet book for toddlers who are growing up, learning new skills, and starting to take on little responsibilities.

Loops by Jashar Awan, (List Price: $19.99, Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 9781665974943, March 2026)

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

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Pierce Brown’s Red Rising: Sons of Ares Omnibus by Pierce Brown

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Pierce Brown's Red Rising: Sons of Ares Omnibus by Pierce Brown
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I am mostly a fantasy girly, but I kept feeling drawn to Red Rising. The story is fast-paced and divided into three parts. I really enjoyed the first two, while the third was action-packed and, at times, felt a bit like The Hunger Games without the same emotional charge. That said, the characters are very well fleshed out, and the world-building is compelling. I have heard the other books in the trilogy are even better, and I am genuinely curious to see where the story goes. There are so many threads that feel ripe for major plot twists. I am especially interested in Darrow’s psyche after the transformation. It does not feel like only his body was changed. I am also curious to see whether Eo will continue to play a role in the resistance and how everything ultimately unfolds. A very well-crafted story that left me wanting more.

Pierce Brown’s Red Rising: Sons of Ares Omnibus by Pierce Brown, (List Price: $59.99, Dynamite Entertainment, 9781524127299, March 2026)

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

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Kin by Tayari Jones

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Kin by Tayari Jones
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Vernice and Annie, best friends and loyal companions since infancy, leave their hometown of Honeysuckle, Louisiana, on very different life trajectories. Jones vividly describes their journeys, allowing the reader to feel deeply each of the bumps along the road as Vernice attends Spelman College in Atlanta and Annie desperately seeks to establish a relationship with her birth mother in Memphis. The powerful bond these friends maintain across the miles and the years reminds us that we don’t have to be biologically related in order to be “kin.”

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

Reviewed by Burch, Righton Books in St Simons Island, Georgia

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The Bookshop Below by Georgia Summers

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The Bookshop Below by Georgia Summers
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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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Queen Esther by John Irving

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Queen Esther by John Irving
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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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I Must Be Dreaming by Roz Chast

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I Must Be Dreaming by Roz Chast
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Roz Chast gives us a deeply personal (and, naturally, hilarious) view of the meaning of her own dreams and their influence on her work, in cartoon form, of course. Includes a fascinatingly nerdy section on the history of dreaming and dream interpretation, across many cultures.

I Must Be Dreaming by Roz Chast, (List Price: $27.99, Bloomsbury Publishing, 9781620403228, October 2023)

Reviewed by Anne Peck, Righton Books in St. Simons Island, Georgia

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The Wren, the Wren by Anne Enright

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The Wren, the Wren by Anne Enright
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Anne Enright is known for her poetic passages, but The Wren, The Wren also is full of actual poems, ostensibly written by the patriarch of the McDaragh family. Enright explores three generations of this Irish clan, and pain, abuse, neglect echo through the years… but this book also shows breathaking beauty and hints of hope. Although the author has explored this territory before, this book is fresh and stunning, and may be her best yet.

The Wren, the Wren by Anne Enright, (List Price: 27.95, W. W. Norton & Company, 9781324005681, September 2023)

Reviewed by Anne Peck, Righton Books in St Simons Island, Georgia

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Victory City by Salman Rushdie

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Victory City by Salman Rushdie
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A woman who suffers a horrifying childhood trauma is transformed into the creator of a city, buildings and denizens alike. Who else but Salman Rushdie has the imagination required to create this woman, who has an almost endless imagination? Rushdie is a modern, male Scheherazade, spinning his fanciful tales of romance, religion, politics, and corruption, with dollops of laugh-out-loud humor and magical realism.

Victory City by Salman Rushdie, (List Price: $30, Random House, 9780593243398, February 2023)

Reviewed by Anne Peck, Righton Books in St Simons Island, Georgia

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Elizabeth Finch by Julian Barnes

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Elizabeth Finch by Julian Barnes
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My favorite Julian Barnes books feature an unremarkable protagonist who attempts to decode the words and actions of a different, more complicated character; the author thereby offers insight into his own process of character creation, from the outside in. Elizabeth Finch is the apotheosis of this type of Barnes book. A former student tries to understand the life of a recently deceased scholar who was his teacher and then friend. Along the way, we are treated to a lengthy essay about Julian the Apostate, which perhaps is offered as a key for us to encode the life of Julian the Author. I thought of Julian, and how the centuries had interpreted and reinterpreted him, like a man walking across a stage pursued by different-coloured spotlights… Well, getting our history wrong is part of being a person.

Elizabeth Finch by Julian Barnes, (List Price: $26, Knopf, 9780593535431, August 2022)

Reviewed by Anne Peck, Righton Books in St Simons Island, Georgia

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Turkey and the Wolf by Mason Hereford

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Turkey and the Wolf by Mason Hereford
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Mason Hereford’s fun-loving personality is fully on display in this compilation of very accessible recipes from his New Orleans “sandwich joint.” Inspired by his childhood in rural Virginia as well as his new home in New Orleans, Hereford applies his irreverent attitude as frequently as he uses garnishes from the convenience store.

Turkey and the Wolf by Mason Hereford, (List Price: $30, Ten Speed Press, 9781984858993, June 2022)

Reviewed by Anne Peck, Righton Books in St Simons Island, Georgia

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Dirtbag, Massachusetts by Isaac Fitzgerald

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Dirtbag, Massachusetts by Isaac Fitzgerald
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Darkly funny and brutally honest, this memoir about surviving a chaotic childhood is a page-turner. The author is a natural storyteller who also offers insight into his motivations and those of his parents. (And I can attest to the accuracy of his descriptions of high school, since we attended the same one, though at different times!)

Dirtbag, Massachusetts by Isaac Fitzgerald, (List Price: 27, Bloomsbury Publishing, 9781635573978, July 2022)

Reviewed by Anne Peck, Righton Books in St. Simon’s Island, Georgia

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Blood Orange Night by Melissa Bond

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Blood Orange Night by Melissa Bond
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The deeply personal story of a journalist and young mother who is given a long-term prescription for drugs (benzodiazepines) that are meant for short time use only. Her descriptions of life as an addict are deeply personal and harrowing.

Blood Orange Night by Melissa Bond, (List Price: $27.99, Gallery Books, 9781982188276, June 2022)

Reviewed by Anne Peck, Righton Books in Memphis, Tennessee

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Learning Korean by Peter Serpico

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Learning Korean by Peter Serpico
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Born in South Korean, Peter Serpico was adopted by an American family when he was two, and only started to discover the cooking of his native country as an adult. Full of practical home cooking for American families, this cookbook is a great introduction to one of the world’s most wonderful cuisines.

Learning Korean by Peter Serpico, (List Price: $35, W. W. Norton & Company, 9781324003229, May 2022)

Reviewed by Anne Peck, Righton Books in St Simons Island, Georgia

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The Modern Proper by Holly Erickson

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The Modern Proper by Holly Erickson
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A chapter devoted to dips, spreads, and dressings… and a chapter on meatballs? We were instantly smitten! And we continued to return to this collection of unfussy, from-scratch recipes designed for family meals or entertaining (but definitely scalable down: I’m talking about you, Saucy Grilled Cheese with Asparagus.) The Modern Proper will bring fun, imaginative food into your world.

The Modern Proper by Holly Erickson, (List Price: $32, S&S/Simon Element, 9781982177669,  April 2022)

Reviewed by Anne Peck, Righton Books in St Simons Island, Georgia

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