The Southern Bookseller Review 5/23/23
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The week of May 23, 2023 Reading Green. 
Last week SBR sent out a special monthly edition focused on "Nature and the Environment." The monthly themed-based editions of SBR are always great fun to put together, because it affords us a chance to spotlight books that might have been overlooked, and deserve wider notice. This month’s special issue, which you can revisit here, struck a chord with many readers, for whom the issue of nature and the environment are growing concerns. There were so many reviews submitted for the edition we couldn’t fit them all in the newsletter (a first for SBR!). "Nature," it turns out, is a favorite category for Southern Indie Booksellers. Read more about the books not in last week’s newsletter: Read This Now | Read This Next | Book Buzz | The Bookseller Directory |
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Read This Now! Recommended by Southern indies… |
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Rogue Justice by Stacey Abrams Adult Fiction, Fiction, Legal, Thrillers Stacey Abrams does it again with another scintillating page-turner. Rogue Justice picks up right where While Justice Sleeps left off, and this time Avery is thrown into a plot involving hacking, cryptocurrency, and energy grids. I definitely learn something every time I read a book by Stacey Abrams! Reviewed by Kate Storhoff, Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, North Carolina |
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Bookseller Buzz |
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Spotlight on: The Postcard by Anne Berest
Before I wrote this book, I knew nothing about my ancestors. And while working on my family tree, I discovered a lot of things, a lot of some strange coincidences that I explain in the book. And I will not spoil it, but these coincidences are, for me, invisible transmissions. You see the things that your ancestors give to you and you don’t know. And this idea of invisible transmission is one of the main theme of my book. And I have read articles on cellular memory – you see, how our cells have a memory of the emotions. It’s a scientific way to explain that our ancestors still live within us and that we still communicate and connect with our ghosts. It seems that in my case and with my Jewish family, they are not totally dead. They were not totally murdered because something still live in me.―Anne Berest, Interview, NPR What booksellers are saying about The Postcard 
About Anne Berest Anne Berest is the bestselling co-author of How to Be Parisian Wherever You Are (Doubleday, 2014) and the author of a novel based on the life of French writer Françoise Sagan. With her sister Claire, she is also the author of Gabriële, a critically acclaimed biography of her great-grandmother, Gabriële Buffet-Picabia, Marcel Duchamp’s lover and muse. She is the great-granddaughter of the painter Francis Picabia. For her work as a writer and prize-winning showrunner, she has been profiled in publications such as French Vogue and Haaretz newspaper. The recipient of numerous literary awards, The Postcard was a finalist for the Goncourt Prize and has been a long-selling bestseller in France. Tina Kover‘s translations for Europa Editions include Antoine Compagnon’s A Summer with Montaigne and Négar Djavadi’s Disoriental, winner of the Albertine Prize and the Lambda Literary Award, and a finalist for both the 2020 National Book Award for Translated Literature and the PEN Translation Prize. |
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Reproduction by Louisa Hall Adult Fiction, Women A quiet yet fierce meditation on birth and creation. Hall pulls us into her own private darkness- the losses of children and fear of death, the loss of the self, the unknowable countries upon which women set off for once they become mothers. All compared artfully to Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein; another story of God-power and chaos, love and despair. Freedom and choice. Reviewed by Aimee Keeble, Main Street Books in Davidson, North Carolina |
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Better Living Through Birding by Christian Cooper Adult Nonfiction, Animals, Biography & Autobiography, Birds, Gay Studies, LGBTQ+ Studies, Nature, Personal Memoirs, Social Science Better Living Through Birding is a memoir that is very much about birds… but it’s also about so much more. Cooper was thrust into the media spotlight via a viral video in which he was subject to racial threats in Central Park from a dog walker… and he discusses this incident in detail. However, he also discusses growing up gay & black in NYC in the 70’s & 80’s, how comic books and nature saved his life, and how activism against social injustice runs in the family. From Harvard to writing for Marvel Comics & Star Trek to following elusive birds in the most remote places in the world, this memoir is honest, emotionally stirring, and heartfelt. It made me want to go for a nature walk immediately after I finished it. Reviewed by Stuart McCommon, Novel. in Memphis, Tennessee |
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Threads That Bind by Kika Hatzopoulou Fables, Fantasy, Greek & Roman, Legends, Mysteries & Detective Stories, Myths, Young Adult Fiction Remixes of Greek mythology abound, but Kika Hatzopoulou brings a fresh entry into the trend with a murder mystery focused on the Fates. Io, a descendant of the Fates, is able to see the life threads of people around her and uses this ability in her job as a private investigator. When a surge of wraiths– individuals with maimed life threads– occurs in the city, Io must locate the culprit before the destruction spirals out of control. Threads that Bind is the next must-read for fans of Lore by Alexandra Bracken and Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo. Reviewed by Charlie Williams, Square Books in Oxford, Mississippi |
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Oh No, the Aunts Are Here by Adam Rex Children, Family, Humorous Stories, Juvenile Fiction A really fun, whimsical picture book capturing the joys (and stresses) of getting a visit from extended family. Vivid illustrations give it extra energy! Reviewed by Talia Smart, Flyleaf Books in Chapel Hill, North Carolina |
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Hailstone by Rafael Scavone Comics & Graphic Novels, Horror I thought I had it all figured out in the start. There are countless stories out there that start out in a similar way. However, this novel really does it’s own thing. I thought it was going to be a werewolf or wendigo type creature. Boy was I wrong. Never expected the climax that actually came! Reviewed by Ethan Davis, Oxford Exchange in Tampa, Florida |
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Read This Next! Books on the horizon: Forthcoming favorites from Southern indies… |
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We Are Too Many by Hannah Pittard Adult Nonfiction, Biography & Autobiography, Divorce & Separation, Family & Relationships, Marriage & Long-Term Relationships, Personal Memoirs A May 2023 Read This Next! Title A unique take on a memoir (kind of) that immediately hurls you into Hannah Pittard’s crumbling world. Her husband has just cheated on her with her best friend. Recounting conversations over a decade, Pittard brings a mix of fact and fiction at times as well when recalling memories with friends, families, and others. The first part’s structure is phenomenal: Told in a play-like format that jumps throughout the years and touches on conversations of eating disorders, infidelity, grief, and just the tender human experience. A book that truly bares its soul to the world, and it pays off in the best way possible. Reviewed by Grace Sullivan, Fountain Bookstore in Richmond, Virginia |
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Southern Bestsellers What’s popular this week with Southern Readers. |
[ See the full list ] |
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Parting Thought “Harriet never minded admitting she didn’t know something. So what, she thought, I could always learn.” |
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Publisher:
The Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance /
siba@sibaweb.com |
SIBA | 51 Pleasant Ridge Drive | Asheville, NC 28805
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