The Southern Bookseller Review 11/15/22
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The week of November 15, 2022 Lights! Camera! Fiction! 
The Oscars may be months away, but tonight people who love independent bookstores can tune in to watch the 2022 VIndies Awards at 7:00 PM Eastern. The VIndies are a celebration of "the best in bookstore video" from indie bookstores from New York to Florida, and from West Virginia to Louisiana. 127 videos were nominated for the 2022 VIndies from stores in the SIBA and NAIBA regions. Taken all together the nominations represent the range of bookseller creativity, ingenuity, and occasionally bookseller silliness. Tonight the winners will be selected from 36 finalists in the categories of Animation, Around the Store, Comedy/Musical, Community Work, Drama, Staff Picks, and Trending Sounds, The VIndies launched in 2021 as a way to honor the indie bookstore community’s perseverance during the ongoing pandemic lock down. Stores may have had to shut their doors, but they found many ways to reach readers, including having a lot of fun creating videos for their regular customers. The finalist videos for 2022 document bookseller joy in sharing their love of books, their integral roles in their communities, their resilience in the face of challenges and adversity, and their ongoing devotion to JRR Tolkien. Come join the celebration of your favorite indie booksellers. Unlike the Oscars, you can attend the VIndies in your pajamas, and no one will make you pose on a red carpet. Register for the VIndies Awards | See all the VIndies finalists
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| Southern Book Prize Finalist! What’s the best Southern book of the year? |
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The Violin Conspiracy by Brendan Slocumb Adult Fiction, African American & Black, Crime, Mystery& Detective, Southern Book Prize Finalist, Thrillers 
There are so many captivating things about this novel…the insight the reader gets as to what it takes to be a classical musician, the background on the history of violins (and one violin in particular) and how they’re made, the main character’s determination in the face of struggle, family dynamics and expectations, racial issues that rear their ugly heads, and a mysterious theft of a priceless instrument…I could go on and on. Put all this together, and you get a beautiful story about a boy who loved his grandmother more than anyone in the world…one who persevered to become a classical violinist and prove to everyone that he could do it. Brendan Slocumb effortlessly keeps his story flowing, leaving the reader rooting for Ray McMillian while trying to put the pieces of the theft together. Such a great read! VOTE FOR THE SOUTHERN BOOK PRIZE Reviewed by Mary Patterson from The Little Bookshop in Midlothian, Virginia |
| Read This Now! Recommended by Southern indies… |
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They’re Going to Love You by Meg Howrey Adult Fiction, Women I adored They’re Going to Love You so much that a part of me is convinced that Meg Howrey wrote it for me, specifically. This is such a gorgeous novel about being an artist in the modern world, the sacrifices we make and the people we hurt. When I hit the last page, I didn’t want to let these characters go—I adored every word. Reviewed by Lindsay Lynch, Parnassus Books in Nashville, Tennessee |
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Bookseller Buzz |
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Spotlight on: Better Than Fiction by Alexa Martin
“I know this is so cliché, but honestly, just write. When I sat down to start writing, I had no idea what I was doing. It took me forever. Just actually starting to write and then reaching out and finding a community. I actually found my first writing partner in a mom group. Neither of us had any idea what we were doing. We were just like, ‘You’re so good. You’re so good too.’ That’s all it was — finding support because it can be really lonely. Sitting down and finding one person that you can trust not to just stomp on you is really important.” ―Alexa Martin, Interview, Medium What booksellers are saying about Better Than Fiction 
About Alexa Martin Alexa Martin is a writer and stay at home mom. A Nashville transplant, she’s intent on instilling a deep love and respect for the great Dolly Parton in her four children and husband. The Playbook Series was inspired by the eight years she spent as a NFL wife and her deep love of all things pop culture, sparkles, leggings, and wine. When she’s not repeating herself to her kids, you can find her catching up on whatever Real Housewives franchise is currently airing or filling up her Etsy cart with items she doesn’t need. |
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The Sorcerer of Pyongyang by Marcel Theroux Adult Fiction, Literary Jun-su, a young boy living through the brutality of the North Korean Famine, comes across a copy of the Dungeons and Dragons Dungeon Master’s Guide and falls deeply in love with the worlds he can now create, enormously different from the life he’s used to under Kim Jong-il. The strange book’s cover and themes land him in a brutal prison camp where he has to fight to stay alive and try to hold on to himself in the face of totalitarianism. A well-researched, well-written and beautifully told portrait of a kid growing up different in 1990s North Korea trying to do more than survive. Reviewed by Colin Sneed, Flyleaf Books in Chapel Hill, North Carolina |
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Deadly Triangle by Susan Goldenberg Adult Nonfiction, Con Artists, Hoaxes & Deceptions, True Crime An in-depth look at a true crime story I’d never heard before. Each chapter is a isolated chunk of the narrative- the players histories, the actual crime, the after. While this isolated nature can lead to repeating facts, it makes this book perfect book for people who want to pick up and read a single chapter at a time. Reviewed by Lauren Kohnle, M Judson booksellers in Greenville, South Carolina |
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Whiteout by Dhonielle Clayton Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult Fiction This adorable YA romance told in short stories from six of the best authors out there is just as good as you hope it will be. Where the previous compilation from these folks took place over the same day in the same city in slightly-related stories, Whiteout is linked together in a more up-front way. A group of friends and partners in Atlanta are working to help a couple reconcile during a city-wide snowstorm that has them trapped in cars, airports, trains, and buildings around town. Inclusive, sweet, and funny, this has it all. Reviewed by Andrea Richardson, Fountain Bookstore in Richmond, Virginia |
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Chirri & Chirra, In the Night by Kaya Doi Animals, Cats, Children, Cooking & Food, Friendship, Imagination & Play, Juvenile Fiction I don’t know how Kaya Doi does it, but even though this is EIGHTH book in the Chirri & Chirra series, it’s still just as magical and enjoyable to read as the first. The formula, rather than being tiresome, is soothing and reassuring—you know from the first "dring-dring!" that you are setting off on a charming adventure with tasty treats and friendly animals. This one, with a full moon festival in the forest, works particularly well for bedtime reading. Reviewed by Hannah DeCamp, Avid Bookshop in Athens, Georgia |
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Coven by Jennifer Dugan Comics & Graphic Novels, Paranormal, Young Adult Fiction I haven’t read very many Graphic Novels, but I highly enjoyed coven! The story was intriguing and I loved the characters and the representation. I also really enjoyed the illustration style. It was eye-catching and detailed. Coven is a perfect witchy, fall read. Emma Tara, E. Shaver bookseller in Savannah, Georgia |
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Read This Next! Books on the horizon: Forthcoming favorites from Southern indies… |
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Now Is Not the Time to Panic by Kevin Wilson Adult Fiction, Romance, Romantic Comedy An November 2022 Read This Next! Title Your favorite Gods of the Gates stars are back, this time with Peter and Maria’s story front and center! The two co-stars have a rocky beginning, with Maria leaving Peter after a one-night stand, only to run into each other the next day at the casting call. Then they spend six years together filming on a remote Irish island, forming their own little family with the crew — but not in a romantic relationship. They both have baggage, and they both have to face themselves and each other after filming wraps, but as Olivia Dade’s books always are, readers will willingly go along for the ride. Dade’s characters are so much fun and amazingly 3-dimensional in a way that makes you root for them wholeheartedly. And this book in particular carries a lot of emotion that I think will resonate with readers with their own emotional baggage. Reviewed by Melissa Oates, Fiction Addiction in Greenville, South Carolina |
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Southern Bestsellers What’s popular this week with Southern Readers. |
[ See the full list ] |
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Parting Thought “Good books don’t give up all their secrets at once.” |
Publisher:
The Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance /
siba@sibaweb.com |
SIBA | 51 Pleasant Ridge Drive | Asheville, NC 28805
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The Southern Bookseller Review 11/15/22 Read More »
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