The Southern Bookseller Review 9/13/22
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The week of September 13, 2022 Booksellers of New Orleans. 
Tom Lowenburg, proprietor of Octavia Books in New Orleans, LA Southern independent booksellers held their annual meeting in New Orleans last week. They meet in the fall to exchange ideas and discuss the issues facing their industry. And of course, to talk about what they are reading: Baldwin & Co. Favorite Handsell of the Year: Don’t Cry For Me by Daniel Black Blue Cypress Books: Favorite Handsell of the Year: Garden District Book Shop is reading The Promise by Damon Galgut (last year’s Booker Prize winner) for their in-store book club. Octavia Books: Favorite Handsell of the Year: Taylor Brown’s Wingwalkers Tubby & Coo’s Mid -City Bookshop can’t stop talking about The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy by Megan Banner: "…we have zombies. We have gods. We have parallel universes. We have talking animals. We have everything you want in this book." Read This Now | Read This Next | The Bookseller Directory |
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Read This Now! Recommended by Southern indies… |
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Sweet, Soft, Plenty Rhythm by Laura Warrell Adult Fiction, African American & Black, Fiction, Women Sweet, Soft, Plenty Rhythm reads like smooth jazz music, with a full cast of interlocking characters creating a complex harmony that I could not get enough of. Circus Palmer is our main character, an aging and floundering jazz musician who charms and cheats on the women in his life. Never have I wanted so badly to grab a character by the shoulders and shake some sense into him! The women truly take center stage in this story, loved and abandoned by Circus in turns. The narrative was full of angst, but the ending was sweet and redemptive. Fans of Luster and Red At The Bone will love this one. Reviewed by Jessica Nock, Main Street Books in Davidson, North Carolina |
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Bookseller Buzz |
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Spotlight on: Lark Ascending by Silas House
“I think The Lark Ascending, by Ralph Vaughan Williams, is one of the greatest pieces of music to ever be created. I cannot listen to it without tearing up. I listened to it the entire time I was writing the novel and the book is my interpretation of it. The composition is a journey, sonically. It captures flight, and it is full of both sorrow and joy, grief and hope, so it was the perfect soundtrack for this book that was centering on those themes. To me, it is a transcendent piece of music, and I hope that readers will seek it out while reading the novel. I’ve already created a playlist for the novel, containing all the music that was important to me while I wrote the book. ” ―Silas House, Interview, Still Journal What booksellers are saying about Lark Ascending 
About Silas House Silas House is the New York Times bestselling author of seven novels, one book of creative nonfiction, and three plays. His writing has appeared in the New York Times, the Atlantic, the Advocate, Time, Garden & Gun, and other publications. A former commentator for NPR’s All Things Considered, House is the winner of the Nautilus Award, the Storylines Prize from the NAV/New York Public Library, an E. B. White Honor, and many other awards. |
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Ithaca by Claire North Adult Fiction, Ancient, Fairy Tales, Fantasy, Folk Tales, Historical Fiction, Legends & Mythology, Literary Ithaca takes place in a time while Odysseus is away, and is narrated by Hera, the goddess of women. Many suitors have arrived to try and take the hand of a could-be widow. It’s up to Penelope and her band of women to hold things together, not just for her, but for the sake of the entire kingdom. From unexpected visitors, suspenseful skirmishes, and a lust for power, this is the story of the not so quickly told, unsung protectors of Ithaca. What an amazing, gorgeous take on what was going on while Odysseus has been gone. Spoken from the viewpoint of Hera, this captivating story brings up many people that are usually left by the wayside as far as Greek mythology is concerned. From traitors of the kingdom, to a coming of manhood for my personal favorite character, Telemachus, the suspense and build up never failed. The marathon of the middle was exactly that for me, but that is North’s beautiful attention to detail, pulp, and background building that I love from her writing. The ending was a shot out of nowhere. Wondering who would come out on top at the end was something I questioned during the entire read. All I know is, like with almost all of her books, the last five or six chapters tie everything together and are somehow always better than the rest of the book, if that’s even possible. All of my questions, answered. All loose ends, tied. Six stars out of five; I suggest everyone grab this book when it comes out if you are a fan of Greek Mythology, fiction, suspense, and all around good writing. Reviewed by Doloris Vest, Book No Further in Roanoke, Virginia |
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One Hundred Saturdays by Michael Frank Adult Nonfiction, Biography & Autobiography, Jewish Stella Levi is a reluctant narrator. But Saturday after Saturday she allows pieces of her story to begin to form the charming, haunting, lively, tragic, tale of life and loss and art and survival that is One Hundred Saturdays. This is absolutely the best book I’ve read all year, and with the added bonus of Maira Kalman’s brilliant illustrations of life on Rhodes, in Auschwitz, and in New York, it may very well be the best book of the decade. Reviewed by Angie Tally, The Country Bookshop in Southern Pines, North Carolina |
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Four for the Road by K. J. Reilly Bereavement, Death, Grief, Social Themes, Young Adult Four for the Road by K.J. Reilly is a gut-punch of a novel. Its portrayal of grief is raw and furious and heartbreaking. Following the death of his mother, Asher Hunting rotates through therapists and bereavement groups, trapped in a cycle of anger and pain. He wants nothing more than to get revenge on the drunk driver who killed his mother, but avoided jail time on a technicality. Along with an unexpected group of friends from the bereavement groups–teens Sloane and Will and 80-year-old Henry– Asher embarks on a road trip from New Jersey to Graceland in hopes of revenge and closure. Four for the Road is a moving examination of the anger that accompanies grief and the earth-shattering reality of loss. For anyone who has ever lost someone, Four for the Road holds a mirror up to the jagged edges that are left behind and validates that being in pieces is okay. Reviewed by Charlie Williams, Square Books in Oxford, Mississippi |
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Good Night, Little Bookstore by Amy Cherrix Books & Libraries, Children, Juvenile Fiction There’s so much to love about Good Night, Little Bookstore! A charming, delightful bedtime story and an ode to the little bookstores that nurture big dreams. Reviewed by Stephanie Jones-Byrne, Malaprops Bookstore/Cafe in Asheville, North Carolina |
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Maybe An Artist, A Graphic Memoir by Liz Montague Art, Biography & Autobiography, Cartooning, Comics & Graphic Novels, Social Topics, Young Adult This graphic memoir should be put into every middle and high school library in the country! As kids we are often told to do what we love, but there’s so much pressure on kids to succeed before they get a chance to figure out what success may look like for them. In this book Liz Montague documents the stress of trying to become something she wasn’t and how she eventually acknowledged and achieved her dreams of becoming an artist. I loved her illustration style — it is so simple and so effective! Reviewed by Kate Storhoff, Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, North Carolina |
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Read This Next! Books on the horizon: Forthcoming favorites from Southern indies… |
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The Fortunes of Jaded Women by Carolyn Huynh Adult Fiction, Asian American A September 2022 Read This Next! Title The Duong sisters are cursed. It all started with their ancestor Oanh, who defied tradition and left her husband for true love, and in turn, was cursed that her descendants would all be female, and none of them would ever experience love. Now, living in Orange County’s Little Saigon, the current descendant Mai is desperate for anything to break this curse, so she visits a trusty psychic who flips her world upside down. With many narrators, whip-smart humor, and at the center of it all family healing, this is a perfect Summer read. 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 “I can never read all the books I want; I can never be all the people I want and live all the lives I want. I can never train myself in all the skills I want. And why do I want? I want to live and feel all the shades, tones and variations of mental and physical experience possible in my life. And I am horribly limited. ” |
Publisher:
The Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance /
siba@sibaweb.com |
SIBA | 51 Pleasant Ridge Drive | Asheville, NC 28805
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