Righton Books

The Outermost Mouse by Lauren Wolk, Kristen Adam (illus.)

I was a few pages into this story, and I knew I would have ended up crying. What a beautiful story based on a real house in Cape Cod that stood in the sand dunes for half a century, then was taken away by a storm. I will keep on dreaming that the little mouse landed on a safe place and was able to still enjoy the house, and they had a lot of fun adventures. A tale of the power of Mother Nature and how fleeting possessions are.

The Outermost Mouse by Lauren Wolk, Kristen Adam (illus.), (List Price: $18.99, Dutton Books for Young Readers, 9780593407776, May 2026)

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

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Goldfinches by Mary Oliver

Goldfinches by Mary Oliver is a beautiful book with gorgeous artwork and a gentle, thoughtful tone. It’s a wonderful introduction for kids to a great contemporary poet, while still being meaningful and enjoyable for adults. The illustrations are stunning and pair perfectly with the poetry, making this a lovely book to read together or enjoy quietly. This is a great pick for families, classrooms, and anyone who appreciates nature, poetry, and beautiful art.

Goldfinches by Mary Oliver, (List Price: $18.99, Viking Books for Young Readers, 9780593692417, March 2026)

Reviewed by Erika Patoni, in St. Simons Island, Georgia

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The Second Life of Snap by Erin Entrada Kelly

Perfect for fans of The Wild Robot. Kelly created a wonderful story about the friendship between a girl, Zuzu, and her guardian robot, Snap. The book, in only 176 pages, covers a lot of important themes, like AI, climate change, and class. In a dystopian future where the wealthiest control the population with the help of machines, a group of kids tries to get by until an old guardian robot is added to the mix. The book also teaches the power of human connection. A great read. I would not be surprised if Kelly gets another award with this one!

The Second Life of Snap by Erin Entrada Kelly, (List Price: $19.99, Greenwillow Books, 9780063485952, May 2026)

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

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The Feather Wars by James H. McCommons

At a time when species loss is many orders of magnitude greater than the natural background rate, this is an uplifting tale of how a wide range of people — ornithologists, hunters, birders, naturalists, scientists, and capitalists came together in an unlikely alliance to save wading birds and songbirds from the brink of extinction, transforming the American conservation movement in the process.

The Feather Wars by James H. McCommons, (List Price: $33, St. Martin’s Press, 9781250286895, March 2026)

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

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The Greatest Sentence Ever Written by Walter Isaacson

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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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