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Read This Now!

Recommended by Southern indies…

In a Garden Burning Gold by Rory Power
Del Rey / May 2022

Action & Adventure, Adult Fiction, Epic, Fairy Tales, Fantasy, Folk Tales, Legends & Mythology
More Reviews from Underground Books

In this Greek-inspired fantasy, the adult debut of Wilder Girls author Rory Power, families rule with the power of saints or gods, and siblings find themselves on opposing sides of a brewing war. The world building was very unique and interesting to me, and I would recommend for fans of court politics in their fantasy.

Reviewed by Megan Bell from Underground Books in Carrollton, Georgia

Bookseller Buzz

Spotlight on: The Forest of Vanishing Stars by Kristin Harmel

“Even while writing for People magazine, I gravitated toward the weightier “Heroes Among Us” stories, which were the stories of everyday people doing incredible things.” –Kristin Harmel, interview, Fort Myers News Press

What booksellers are saying about The Forest of Vanishing Stars

• Kristin’s new novel is magical! The isolated, survivalist upbringing of the main character, Yona, provides a rich and intriguing springboard for this story to evolve, an extraordinary story of Jews surviving Nazi terror deep in the forest. Awesome storytelling, terrific writing – our readers will love it! ―Cathy Graham from Copperfish Books in Punta Gorda, FL
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• Another mesmerizing story from Kristin Harmel. Yona is stolen by an old woman at birth from a German couple in the Berlin and raised in the forest. Her kidnapper prepares her for her destiny, which is to help escape Jews survive the perils of the forest while evading the Nazi soldiers. Yona’s struggle to come to terms with God’s will and her own origins threads through the book. Loved it and cannot wait for wait KH brings us next!   ―Laura Taylor from Oxford Exchange in Tampa, FL
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• I love the character of Yona whose knowledge of the forest was essential. Courage, determination and resilience enabled many to hide from the Germans until the end of the war. This is historical fiction at its best and survivors and descendants have contributed to the significant research that went into the making of this book. A powerful story that I couldn’t put down.   ―Stephanie Crowe from Page & Palette in Fairhope, AL
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Kristin Harmel

Kristin Harmel is the New York Times bestselling author of over a dozen novels including The Forest of Vanishing Stars, The Book of Lost Names, The Room on Rue Amélie, and The Sweetness of Forgetting. She is published in thirty languages and is the cofounder and cohost of the popular web series, Friends and Fiction. She lives in Orlando, Florida.

Paradais by Fernanda Melchor
New Directions / April 2022

Adult Fiction, Fiction, Mexico, World Literature
More Reviews from Avid Bookshop

A feral parable on the violence of racism, misandry, and class from a preeminent, new voice of contemporary Mexican literature. Melchor’s style in Paradais is writhing and slippery, capturing not only a portrait of desperation but the ugliness of the toxic thread that runs through the underside of our collective psyche.

Reviewed by Luis Correa from Avid Bookshop in Athens, Georgia

Wired for Love by Stephanie Cacioppo
 Flatiron Books / April 2022

Adult Nonfiction, Biography & Autobiography, Cognitive Neuroscience & Cognitive Neuropsychology, Cognitive Science, Family & Relationships, Love & Romance, Personal Memoirs, Psychology, Science
More Reviews from Novel

Wired For Love is part neuroscience and part memoir… but it is ultimately a love story between the world’s foremost authority on the brain’s response to love/loss and the world’s foremost authority on loneliness. Cacioppo includes a lot of scientific information and hard data pulled from years of her research, but she also guides the reader through her own personal story of falling in love and eventually her grief surrounding her husband’s death. She has a way of getting the reader to thoughtfully reevaluate the “common beliefs” surrounding incredibly complex (but purely human) emotions. This book is fantastic.

Reviewed by Stuart McCommon from Novel in Memphis, Tennessee

Hollow Fires by Samira Ahmed
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers / May 2022

Asian American, Crime, Muslim, People & Places, Prejudice & Racism, Religious, Social Themes, Thrillers & Suspense, United States, Young Adult
More Reviews from Quail Ridge Books

Ahmed masterfully weaves together so many difficult topics that it’s hard to say what this book is about in any concise way. It’s painful, it’s beautiful, it’s haunting. It shines a light on horrific topics with sensitivity and grace and does so through the lens of two characters that are some of the most realistic I have ever had the pleasure of reading. Safiya didn’t really know Jawad, and she still felt the pain of his loss deeply. Upon finishing this book, I too feel his loss as if I knew him. I cannot remember ever reading a book so impactful, so relevant, and so emotionally gripping. If I had my way, everyone would read this book.

Reviewed by tee arnold, Quail Ridge Books in Raleigh, North Carolina

The National Menagerie of Art by Thaïs Vanderheyden
Prestel Junior / May 2022

Animals, Art, Children, Humorous Stories, Juvenile
More Reviews from The Country Bookshop

Art museums are wonderful places of discovery and this collection of 20 famous pieces is a great way to bring all the world’s great art museums into one spot. This little gem is the perfect introduction to art for novices of a tender age.

Reviewed by Angie Tally, The Country Bookshop in Southern Pines, North Carolina

Read This Next!

Books on the horizon: Forthcoming favorites from Southern indies…

The Book Woman’s Daughter by Kim Michele Richardson
Sourcebooks Landmark / May 2022

Adult Fiction, Small Town & Rural, Women
More Reviews from The Little Bookshop

A May 2022 Read This Next! Selection

Kim Michele Richardson has given us another wonderful story about the packhorse librarians of Kentucky. In this book, we move forward sixteen years to the early 1950’s and are introduced to Honey Lovett, daughter of Cussy Mary, who must pick up her mother’s library route when her parents are jailed due to the laws prohibiting their mixed-race marriage. Through Honey’s story, we meet new characters and revisit old friends that help her as she delivers books in and out of the hollers, fights for her independence as a young working woman, and struggles to bring attention to the plight of her parents. Kim Michele Richardson writes beautifully about a landscape and a people that has deep and personal meaning to her and that is one of the reasons she is so successful and so loved by her readers. This book is highly recommended!

Reviewed by Mary Patterson, The Little Bookshop in Midlothian, Virginia

Southern Bestsellers

What’s popular this week with Southern Readers.

Parting Thought

“But behind all your stories is your mother’s story, for hers is where yours begins.”
– Mitch Albom

Publisher: The Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance / siba@sibaweb.com
Editor: Nicki Leone / nicki@sibaweb.com
Advertising: Linda-Marie Barrett / lindamarie@sibaweb.com
The Southern Bookseller Review is a project of the Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance, in support of independent bookstores in the South | SIBA | 51 Pleasant Ridge Drive | Asheville, NC 28805

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Read This Now!

Recommended by Southern indies…

Pit Lullabies by Jessica Traynor
Bloodaxe Books / June 2022

English, European, Irish, Poetry, Scottish, Welsh
More Reviews from Foggy Pine Books

Utterly phenomenal. These lullabies are a sordid whirlwind of passion and fury, palpable through every little syllable. Pit Lullabies is brimming with lyrics to keep you up at night, delivered by an oracular voice sure to propel this collection straight into a classic.

Reviewed by Phoenix Tefel, Foggy Pine Books in Boone, North Carolina

Love, Hate & Clickbait by Liz Bowery
MIRA / April 2022

Adult Fiction, LGBTQ+, Romance, Romantic Comedy
More Reviews from Wordsworth Books

After their boss makes a homophobic gaffe and a compromising photo of them goes viral, cutthroat political consultant Thom Morgan and down-on-his-luck data analyst Clay Parker pretend to be in a relationship to salvage this presidential campaign that’s barely gotten off the ground. This fun and heartfelt romcom is great for political wonks who want a fast-paced romp and political cynics who have seen the messy underbelly of campaigns. Thom and Clay’s “will they, won’t they” kept me guessing until the wedding bells rang.

Reviewed by Karen Fletcher, Wordsworth Books in Little Rock, Arkansas

Bookseller Buzz

Spotlight on: Cover Story by Susan Rigetti

Rigetti refuses to let her past define her when she has so many other stories to tell and versions of herself to be. She doesn’t buy into the idea that each life has a single narrative or meaning. “The place where it’s interesting is what it takes to get from one stage of your life to another,” she says. “The trick is finding a way to prove to the world that you are capable of doing something new.” —Interview in Time

What booksellers are saying about Cover Story

• This book was unputdownable. I raced through it, desperate to discover what Cat was up to and how Lora played a part, and goodness, was I in for a surprise! I thoroughly love the format of diary entries, emails, texts, and memos, which contributes to the compulsive readability of this book. And the cover art, ahhh, it’s perfection! Well done! ―Jill Naylor from Novel in Memphis, TN
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• After a difficult semester, Lori was thrilled to land the internship of her dreams at ELLE magazine; when a celebrity editor befriends her and asks her to ghostwrite her book, it seems too good to be true…and that’s where the long con begins. I loved that Susan Rigetti wove this web of lies together from journal entries, FBI reports, and email, giving the reader a backstage pass to watch the drama unfold! .   ―Beth Seufer Buss from Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, NC
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• Susan Rigetti spins an intriguing tale of suspense and deceit with a surprising and masterful ending..   ―Aubrey from Wordsworth Books in Little Rock, AR
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Susan Rigetti

Susan Rigetti is an author, screenwriter, and the former technology op-ed editor at the New York Times. She has been named a “Person of the Year” by TIME, The Financial Times, and the Webby Awards, and has appeared on Fortune’s “40 Under 40” list, Vanity Fair’s New Establishment List, Marie Claire’s New Guard list, the Bloomberg 50, the Upstart 50, the Recode 100, and more. She is the author of a book on computer programming that has been implemented by companies across Silicon Valley, and the critically acclaimed memoir, Whistleblower.

Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher
Flatiron Books / April 2022

Adult Fiction, Fairy Tales, Folk Tales, Legends & Mythology
More Reviews from Haunted Book Shop

A wonderfully bent fairy tale from T. Kingfisher, the princess is not out to marry the prince, instead she’s out to kill him for his sins. This is a darker-than-usual Kingfisher title–the wit and sharp writing is there, but usual laughs she provides aren’t nor should they be. This is not a story where laughter would be right. It’s a story about endurance and necessity in a situation where there’s precious little to laugh about. Highly recommended dark fantasy for the genre-savvy who want their fairy tale with blood and bite to it.

Reviewed by Alex Mcleod, The Haunted Book Shop in Mobile, Alabama

Linea Nigra by Jazmina Barrera
 Two Lines Press / May 2022

Adult Nonfiction, Biography & Autobiography, Women
More Reviews from Avid Bookshop

This slim volume navigates Barrera’s pregnancy, birth, and those first shattering days of early motherhood. In snippets reminiscent of the short breaks in between wakings and feedings, Barrera interweaves her reading life and lived life, creating a poignant primer that will be a kindred comfort and stalwart courage to any reader. Linea Nigra is a rich record of a life steeped in feminist art, revealing intersections in the body and the world; the individual and the collective.

Reviewed by Hannah DeCamp, Avid Bookshop in Athens, Georgia

The Ghosts of Rose Hill by R. M. Romero
Peachtree Teen / May 2022

Jewish, Novels in Verse, Paranormal, Romance, Young Adult
More Reviews from Books & Books

Lovers of history, poetry, and myth will find themselves in awe of R.M. Romero’s young adult debut. The story of Ilana Lopez, a Jewish Latina from Miami sent to stay with her aunt in Prague, is inspired by the author’s very real time spent restoring Jewish cemeteries in Eastern Europe, and rings true because of this even through its layers of story magic. The Ghosts of Rose Hill is by turns glittering, dark, enchanting and haunting.

Reviewed by Cristina Russell, Books & Books in Coral Gables, Florida

The Prince of Nowhere by Rochelle Hassan
HarperCollins / May 2022

Children, Fantasy & Magic
More Reviews from Story on the Square

I finished this book in three days, and it did NOT feel like it took me that amount of time. It felt like time stood still as I read through the whole book, which I guess in kind of ironic, considering the book’s themes. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The characters were well written and captivating. The world was both mysterious and filled to the brim with lore. And the themes hit hard and were still realistic; I truly believed in every characters motivation and cause. I would happily read a sequel or prequel to this book, or even something entirely unrelated, if it was from this author. The way the world was described and the author’s writing style was both unique and perfectly fitting for this book. A wonderful read, and I would gladly spend my time reading this book again!

Reviewed by Mandolin Moore, Story on the Square in McDonough, Georgia

Read This Next!

Books on the horizon: Forthcoming favorites from Southern indies…

A Duet For Home by Karina Yan Glaser
Clarion Books / April 2022

Children, Homelessness & Poverty, Social Themes
More Reviews from Flyleaf Books

An April 2022 Read This Next! Title

This thoughtful & fast-paced book will open children’s eyes to the plight of homeless families. It also demystifies the appeal of learning to play a musical instrument. Overall, it’s a well-crafted celebration of friendship and how kindness & determination can enact real change.

Reviewed by Maggie Robe, Flyleaf Books in Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Southern Bestsellers

What’s popular this week with Southern Readers.

Parting Thought

“To feel most beautifully alive means to be reading something beautiful, ready always to apprehend in the flow of language the sudden flash of poetry.”
– Gaston Bachelard

Publisher: The Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance / siba@sibaweb.com
Editor: Nicki Leone / nicki@sibaweb.com
Advertising: Linda-Marie Barrett / lindamarie@sibaweb.com
The Southern Bookseller Review is a project of the Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance, in support of independent bookstores in the South | SIBA | 51 Pleasant Ridge Drive | Asheville, NC 28805

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Read This Now!

Recommended by Southern indies…

Dear God. Dear Bones. Dear Yellow. by Noor Hindi
Haymarket Books / May 2022

Adult Nonfiction, American, Poetry
More Reviews from Bookmarks

This little book of poems is going to haunt me until the end of my days. I don’t know how to describe how important every word in this book is, every beat, every heart wrenching sentence. Dear God is meant to be delivered directly to your face, the speaker’s voice barely a hiss. A question that can’t be answered- just heard.

Reviewed by Caitlyn Vanorder from Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, NC

Sister Stardust by Jane Green
Hanover Square Press / April 2022

Adult Fiction, Biographical Fiction,  Friendship, Historical Fiction, Women
More Reviews from Page 158 Books

I inhaled this book in a day! If you loved Daisy Jones and the Six you will adore this book based on Talitha Getty and her husband as they lived the sex, drugs and abundantly hippie lifestyle. Told through the naive eyes of a girl who happened on the scene after being thrown out of her home by her evil step-mother, this takes you behind the scenes to what it was really like. “Close” friendships and love affairs are not what they seem and the lifestyle can only burn out. The ride you are on with this book is incredible. Fun introspective read.

Reviewed by Suzanne Lucey from Page 158 Books in Wake Forest, North Carolina

Bookseller Buzz

Spotlight on: Unlikely Animals by Annie Hartnett

"In general, the way that I cope with the world is to try to find the humor in things that are uncomfortable and painful. That’s how I was raised. We tell each other jokes in order to get through the hard thing, or insert something silly into an otherwise painful situation. But I’m not the clown in my family, I’m the quietly funny one. " ― Annie Hartnett, interview in Dead Darlings

What booksellers are saying about Unlikely Animals

• Unlikely Animals was such a joy to read! The combination of plot and characters sounds kooky and dark, but it’s this combination of darkness and absurdity that makes the book special. ―Johanna Albrecht from McIntyre’s Books in Pittsboro, NC
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• This book is as much brilliant fun you can have with unraveling family and a cemetery full of well-intended if prone-to-wisecracks narrators. No summary can do the plot justice – just know all the plot twists, all the lost souls, and all the animals come together in a wonderful read. Don’t miss it.   ―Jan Blodgett from Main Street Books in Davidson, NC
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• I love everything about this book. I love the Maple Street Cemetery residents. I love Moses and Rasputin. I love the messy Starling family and Clive’s pal, Harold. I love the hand-drawn map of Everton and the historical photographs. I love the frankness and the snark and the wisdom of the characters that come from being imperfect humans. Unlikely Animals is utterly original and touching in the most captivating way possible, and I could not love it more.   ― Jill Naylor from Novel in Memphis, TN
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• In Unlikely Animals, Hartnett has done what she does best: create a brilliant cast of messy human beings that you don’t want to leave. With a hand-drawn map, a menagerie of animals (a fox, a dog, a goat), and beautiful prose, this book is perfect.   ― Rachel Watkins from Avid Bookshop in Athens, GA
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Annie Hartnett

Annie Hartnett is the author of Rabbit Cake, which was listed as one of Kirkus Reviews’s Best Books of 2017 and a finalist for the New England Book Award. She has received fellowships from the MacDowell Colony, Sewanee Writers’ Conference, and the Associates of the Boston Public Library. She studied philosophy at Hamilton College, has an MA from Middlebury College, and an MFA from the University of Alabama. When she began writing Unlikely Animals, she was living in the groundskeeper’s house in a cemetery. She now lives in a small town in Massachusetts with her husband, daughter, and darling border collie, Mr. Willie Nelson.

Four Treasures of the Sky by Jenny Tinghui Zhang
Flatiron Books / April 2022

Adult Fiction, Asian America, Literary Fiction
More Reviews from Parnassus Books

Bold and breathtaking, Four Treasures of the Sky redefines the American Western novel. Jenny Tinghui Zhang’s debut spans from China to Idaho, following the journey of Daiyu, a young Chinese girl kidnapped from her home and sent overseas to America. In Daiyu, Zhang has given us one of the most memorable narrators I’ve ever come across–even as Daiyu endures the racism and brutality of the American West, she speaks with resilience and grace. Daiyu’s story might be set in the nineteenth century, but it resonates so strongly with today’s world. This is the kind of historical fiction that prompts us to reevaluate what we know of this country’s history and leaves us better for having done so. I can’t wait to see what Jenny Tinghui Zhang does next.

Reviewed by Lindsay Lynch from Parnassus Books in Nashville, Tennessee

Unmasked by Paul Holes
 Celadon Books / April 2022

Adult Nonfiction, Murder, Serial Killers, True Crime
More Reviews from Fiction Addiction

I don’t read a lot of “true crime,” and I honestly struggled with this one until I realized that it had completely captured my attention and I was unable to put it down. Paul Holes has lived a life unimaginable to most of us; facing the depths of depravity and the lengths of evil that exist in this world over the course of his lifetime. Clearly it has affected him…he paints himself as a rather unlikable character, single-mindedly focused on his work at the expense of his relationships, his marriage and his family. Imagine obsessing over one single thing (in his case capturing the Golden State Killer) every day of your life for over two decades. It is no wonder his personal life suffered as a result, but so deep was his obsession with this particular cold case, even his professional life was negatively impacted. I almost wonder if he isn’t affected by Autism or some other syndrome that drove his compulsion to pursue this predator for most of his career. This is a fascinating read not just in the steps it takes to catch a killer, but in how it can affect the lives of so many different people in so many different ways. It is disturbing, but compelling and even if it isn’t something you would normally pick up, it was an amazing read.

Reviewed by Brent Bunnell from Fiction Addiction in Greenville, South Carolina

She Gets the Girl by Rachael Lippincott
Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers / April 2022

Fantasy, Romance, Thrillers & Suspense, Young Adult
More Reviews from Bookmiser

Alex and Molly have grown up in two very different worlds, but they have one big thing in common: neither has any friends. But they’re both starting at the same college and both are determined to change, though for very different reasons. Alex’s girlfriend says Alex is afraid to let anyone in and won’t confess her true feelings. Molly has always been a big ball of anxiety, but has had a four year crush on a girl from her high school who just so happens to be going to the same college. Molly and Alex dislike each other, but they need the other to reach their goals. Overall, this was a very fun, sweet story that simultaneously deals with some heavy issues. I loved it!

Reviewed by Jennifer Jones, Bookmiser in Marietta, Georgia

Wild Ride by Keith Calabrese
Scholastic Press / April 2022

Action & Adventure, Children
More Reviews from Fountain Bookstore

My absolute favorite thing about this book is that it pulls no punches towards its antagonist, a thinly-veiled caricature of the star of a certain Bo Burnham song, and it is oh so satisfying to see him get the kind of comeuppance we can only dream about on this side of the page. Besides that, this middle-grade adventure through Chicagoland has an endearing set of characters who all learn something about the world being a little bigger and more complicated than they think it is, but not so big and complicated that they can’t handle. I also loved how much fun all the locations throughout the Chicago area were!

Reviewed by Akil Guruparan, Fountain Bookstore in Richmond, Virginia

Read This Next!

Books on the horizon: Forthcoming favorites from Southern indies…

The Wedding Crasher by Mia Sosa
Avon / April 2022

Adult Fiction, Fiction, Romance, Romantic Comedy
More Reviews from Bookmarks

An April 2022 Read This Next! Title

I loved this follow up to Mia Sosa’s wedding-themed contemporary romance series. An overheard conversation just before a couple’s wedding makes Solange unable to hold her peace. Instead, she blurts out to the bride not to go through with it just as the couple is saying their “I do’s”. This leads to a chain of events that neither she, nor the stuffy groom Dean, could have thought possible. For one thing, Solange spells danger to Dean. She is unpredictable, feisty, and doesn’t have her life mapped out every single step of the way like he does…and that terrifies him. But, she could prove to be just what he needs to shake things up and finally find love.

Reviewed by Jamie Southern, Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, North Carolina

Southern Bestsellers

What’s popular this week with Southern Readers.

Parting Thought

“To feel most beautifully alive means to be reading something beautiful, ready always to apprehend in the flow of language the sudden flash of poetry.”
– Gaston Bachelard

Publisher: The Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance / siba@sibaweb.com
Editor: Nicki Leone / nicki@sibaweb.com
Advertising: Linda-Marie Barrett / lindamarie@sibaweb.com
The Southern Bookseller Review is a project of the Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance, in support of independent bookstores in the South | SIBA | 51 Pleasant Ridge Drive | Asheville, NC 28805

View online. | Unsubscribe | SBR Archive | SUBSCRIBE TO SBR

Read This Now!

Recommended by Southern indies…

The Hurting Kind by Ada Limón
Milkweed Editions / May 2022

Adult Nonfiction, Poetry, Women Authors
More Reviews from Blue Cypress Books

Reading this collection made me feel like I was standing outside with my bare feet in the grass, scrunching my toes in the soil, feeling the breeze on my face, and pondering the oneness of everything.

Reviewed by LeeAnna Callon, Blue Cypress Books in New Orleans, Louisiana

Like a Sister by Kellye Garrett
Mulholland Books / March 2022

Adult Fiction, Amateur Sleuth, Fiction, Mystery& Detective
More Reviews from Fiction Addiction

Like a Sister is as much a story about today’s social media culture and societal issues especially those of race and class as it is a masterfully written twisty mystery. The story is narrated by the very relatable Lena Scott, half- sister of realty star Desiree Pierce who is found dead of a presumed overdose. Lena uses sarcasm and wit to hide her emotions because as a young Black woman in today’s world Lena believes what her mother has always told her – that she must always show her super-woman side to the world. While Desiree was a known alcoholic and coke user, one of the main reasons the sisters had not spoken in two years, Lena is convinced that Desiree didn’t die from an accidental overdose of heroin. She wouldn’t have been surprised if it were coke but never heroin, as Desiree hated needles and was too vain to ever leave track marks. Lena believes the last favor she can do for her sister is find out the truth behind her death even, as it turns out, at the risk to her own life.

Reviewed by Nancy McFarlane, Fiction Addiction in Greenville, South Carolina

Bookseller Buzz

Spotlight on: Bomb Shelter by Mary Laura Philpott

"My hope was to do what many other books have done for me, which is to tell one person’s story in a way that makes other people look at their own lives differently or perhaps understand something about themselves better. "–Mary Laura Philpott, interview in Hippocampus

What booksellers are saying about Bomb Shelter

• Mary Laura does what no one else can – muse about mortality and make you laugh. Reading her essays is like sitting down on the porch with her and having a glass of wine. Her worries are OUR worries, only we rarely discuss them aloud (and none of us are as funny as Mary Laura). ―Sissy Gardner from Parnassus Books in Nashville, TN
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• A memoir in essays, Bomb Shelter tackles some pretty monumental moments in Philpott’s life, starting with a medical emergency for her son to taking care of her family during the pandemic. Although the specifics will be different by readers, most of us have faced pivotal moments in our lives, and we certainly share those same questions – from “how did I get here?” to “should I have known?” Philpott’s candor in writing is refreshing; just as in I Miss You When I Blink, I found myself laughing and crying at the commonality of how we approach life, aging, and the world.   ―Beth Seufer Buss from Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, NC
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• Mary Laura Philpott’s Bomb Shelter reads like a long coffee date with a dear friend. This memoir covers a lot of the emotional nuances of parenting and Philpott is a kindred spirit. Give this book to any parent who needs a virtual hug and assurance that they are indeed doing a good job.   ―Rachel Watkins from Avid Bookshop in Athens, GA
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Mary Laura Philpott

Mary Laura Philpott, author of the national bestseller I Miss You When I Blink, writes essays that examine the overlap of the absurd and the profound in everyday life. Her writing has been featured frequently by The New York Times and appears in such outlets as The Washington Post, The Atlantic, Real Simple, and more. A former bookseller, she also hosted an interview program on Nashville Public Television for several years. Mary Laura lives in Nashville, Tennessee, with her family.

Insomnia by Sarah Pinborough
St. Martin’s Press / April 2022

Adult Fiction, Psychological, Thrillers
More Reviews from The Haunted Book Shop

I watched the Netflix Series Behind Her Eyes and loved the suspense and supernatural themes. So, when I saw that Sarah Pinborough wrote Insomnia I knew that I had to read it! The story itself reminded me of Behind Her Eyes and the movie Hereditary. You have a mother as the main character who is doing everything she can to find out about her estranged mother’s life as she tries to uncover family secrets to protect her family. But, is she protecting her family from the impending danger, or is she the danger her family needs protecting from? The whole story you are in just as much disbelief as the main character…she doesn’t know if she is awake or asleep, if she is sane or going mad like her mother, and as things twist and turn deeper into the story a mind-bending and time-bending twist is added!

Reviewed by Kait Layton, The Haunted Book Shop in Mobile, Alabama

The Unwritten Book by Samantha Hunt
 Farrar, Straus and Giroux / April 2022

Adult Nonfiction, Essays, Literary Collections
More Reviews from Avid Bookshop

With a heavy heart and a recently missing cat (wringing out the old year, hearing the ringing of the new through my poorly insulated walls), I started a book that followed me home from work. For years, Samantha Hunt novels, on glancing and flipping, have always looked to be in the “Alley (up my)” or “Wheelhouse (in my)” genres, but this is my first and, by golly, I can’t stop rambling, deleting, rambling, deleting this review. She lets grief, family, empathy, childhood, alcohol, a boy band, authority, loss, parenthood, faith (and much much more) drop, all at once, into the top of the Plinko board, amazingly not jamming the derned thing up. What settles at the bottom is a nice, orderly, call for all to relish the unknown, hold tight to loss, and madlib the half-assed answers to life’s half-asked questions. I, for one, am retooling “rut” and giving a new shine to “stuck in a.” However, as newly-formed fanboy insecurities blossom, the Samantha Hunt in my mind says “well, YOU sure missed the point on the head.” But surely the fact that I got what I wanted out of [the book, which I forgot to mention is a work of nonfiction] was surely the point of it exactly. Or at least that’s what I got out of it. Surely.

Reviewed by Ian McCord, Avid Bookshop in Athens, Georgia

Hotel Magnifique by Emily J. Taylor
Razorbill / April 2022

Fantasy, Romance, Thrillers & Suspense, Young Adult
More Reviews from M. Judson booksellers and storytellers

Dreamy, dark, and mysterious. Danger, desire, and enigmatic. Filled with characters you want to know more of and places you want to be. Hotel Magnifique is oh so delicious!

Reviewed by Susan Williams, M Judson Booksellers and Storytellers in Greenville, South Carolina

I Color Myself Different by Colin Kaepernick,
Scholastic, Inc. / April 2022

Children, Self-Esteem & Self-Reliance, Social Topics
More Reviews from Page 158 Books

What a great way to share with a young child why they are different and why they matter. Colin learns he was chosen and was adopted into a family of loving people. Great colorful illustrations and a wonderful message. For kids and adults

Reviewed by Gina Norris, Page 158 Books in Wake Forest, North Carolina

Read This Next!

Books on the horizon: Forthcoming favorites from Southern indies…

Bomb Shelter by Mary Laura Philpott
Atria Books / April 2022

Adult Nonfiction, Biography & Autobiography, Personal Memoirs
More Reviews from Snail on the Wall

An April 2022 Read This Next! Title

It’s more tempting than ever to want to build a bomb shelter and retreat from the upheavals of life. But with this memoir, Mary Laura Philpott convinces us that, like Frank the turtle, we have to poke our heads out from time to time, confront the challenges, and keep going. Thank you, MLP, for making all of us worriers feel seen, and for helping us put into words the emotions (so very many emotions) that go along with being not just a parent but a person.

Reviewed by Lady Smith, Snail on the Wall in Huntsville, Alabama

Southern Bestsellers

What’s popular this week with Southern Readers.

Parting Thought

“We have to talk about liberating minds as well as liberating society.”
– Angela Davis

Publisher: The Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance / siba@sibaweb.com
Editor: Nicki Leone / nicki@sibaweb.com
Advertising: Linda-Marie Barrett / lindamarie@sibaweb.com
The Southern Bookseller Review is a project of the Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance, in support of independent bookstores in the South | SIBA | 51 Pleasant Ridge Drive | Asheville, NC 28805

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Read This Now!

Recommended by Southern indies…

Bless the Daughter Raised by a Voice in Her Head by Warsan Shire
Random House Trade Paperbacks / March 2022

Adult Nonfiction, Poetry, Women Authors
More Reviews from Fountain Bookstore

I cant put into words how much this poetry collection affected me, and how I am completely infatuated with every word on every page. Shire truly left me speechless with her prose and poems centering around being a refugee, maternal relationships, and what it means to be a woman. It’s poetry that’s so full of emotion you feel every word she says, and it’s impeccable.

Reviewed by Grace Sullivan, Fountain Bookstore in Richmond, Virginia

Song for the Missing by Pierre Jarawan
World Editions / March 2022

Adult Fiction, Fiction, Middle East, World Literature
More Reviews from Avid Bookshop

I’m still on a globetrotty search for coming-of-age stories set in the 1990s (specifically 92-96) to hold up my bland high school soft-serve experience-machine. This one here is a perfectly paced and passionate ode to Lebanon, family drama and young friendship, served up like a mystery.

Reviewed by Ian McCord, Avid Bookshop in Athens, Georgia

Bookseller Buzz

Spotlight on: Memphis by Tara M. Stringfellow

"With poetry, your entire message, the duende of the poem, the catharsis of the readers all needs to fit in the space of a few lines. I spent years—years—trying to master this and will spend many, many more.

With prose, I felt the freedom of the entire page, of entire chapters to speak my truth. I was no longer confined to the space of a stanza. I found it incredibly liberating and refreshing. But also incredibly daunting. "–Tara M. Stringfellow, interview in Book Pipeline

What booksellers are saying about Memphis

• Tara M. Stringfellow’s Memphis raises the bar for family sagas. Based on her own family’s history, this debut novel explores multiple generations within a Southern Black family. The city itself becomes an identity within this powerful story; Stringfellow traces not only the impact of each generation’s choices and traditions but also the impact of the iconic city’s history on the family. I love nothing more as a reader than a powerful family saga, and Memphis has stayed with me long after finishing it–undoubtedly this will be at the top of my Best of 2022 list! ―Beth Seufer Buss, Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, NC
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• Memphis opens with a beautiful poem dedicating the book to Gianna Floyd, saying, “I wrote you a Black fairy tale.” Centering Black joy above all, Stringfellow’s life-affirming debut follows three generations of unforgettable women in a gifted but tested family in the author’s and my hometown. Readers will cry, laugh, and sing along to this book, which focuses on the Black female experience that has always given Memphis its soul. I hope we’ll be reading Stringfellow for a long, long time.   ―Katie Williamson, Square Books in Oxford, MC
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• A gorgeous take on Memphis over the years. A celebration of Douglass. An ode to black womanhood, to community, to identity, sisterhood, strength.The writing is savory and entrancing, and the characters are true, my highest praise for fictional people. A fantastic debut   ―Becca Sloan, Novel. in Memphis, TN
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Tara M. Stringfellow

Poet, former attorney, Northwestern University MFA graduate, and semifinalist for the Fulbright Fellowship, Tara M. Stringfellow has written for Collective Unrest, Minerva Rising, Jet Fuel Review, Women Arts Quarterly Journal, and Apogee Journal, among other publications. After having lived in Okinawa, Ghana, Chicago, Cuba, Spain, Italy, and Washington, D.C., she moved back home to Memphis, where she sits on her porch swing every evening with her hound, Huckleberry, listening to records and chatting with neighbors.

The Younger Wife by Sally Hepworth
St. Martin’s Press / April 2022

Adult Fiction, Domestic, Thrillers, Women
More Reviews from M Judson booksellers and storytellers

The twists, the turns, the traumas! A family tale of suspense that hooks the reader from page one. Hepworth creates a world of privilege and ease where nothing is what it seems including your own perceptions.

Reviewed by Susan Williams, M Judson Booksellers and Storytellers in Greenville, South Carolinaa

The Modern Proper by Holly Erickson
 S&S/Simon Element / April 2022

Adult Nonfiction, Cooking, Quick & Easy
More Reviews from Righton Books

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.

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

All My Rage by Sabaa Tahir
Razorbill / March 2022

Adult Fiction, Family Life, Siblings
More Reviews from Main Street Books

Once you are captured into this story, you cannot help but ache for these characters. This is a beautiful story about two teens who are trying to balance the weight of the world on their shoulders, and Sabaa Tahir delivers their stories with poignance and grace once again. At this point, there is nothing she could write that I would not read. Seemingly able to traverse from fantasy into fiction, Tahir delivers a novel that is at times a stunningly accurate description of teenagers and their grief, while at others touching on relationships and the sway they hold over us. Bravo to her for being able to write such a gorgeous story.

Reviewed by Hallie Smith, Main Street Books in Davidson, North Carolina

Hundred Years of Happiness by Thanhhà Lai,
HarperCollins / March 2022

Children, Family, Multigenerational
More Reviews from Bookmarks

Hundred Years of Happiness is a remarkable picture book. Teeming with stunning illustrations and storytelling, this book tugs at the heartstrings. I adored the mixture of family, culture, and food at the center of this story. The inclusion of the recipe at the end of the book was such a fun surprise!

Reviewed by Lauren Kean, Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, North Carolina

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Books on the horizon: Forthcoming favorites from Southern indies…

The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi
Tor Books / March 2022

Adult Fiction, African American & Black, Literary, Literary Fiction
More Reviews from Wordsworth Books

An April 2022 Read This Next! Title

Memphis is a wonderful, intriguing book about a family of black women in Memphis. Primarily centering on two sisters, both with much tragedy but amazing resilience, and one of their daughters. They carry on the strong tradition of their mother. Skipping around between different years and various characters, it weaves what undoubtedly is the story of so many black women in Memphis. Beautifully written.

Reviewed by Lynne Phillips, Wordsworth Books in Little Rock, Arkansas

Southern Bestsellers

What’s popular this week with Southern Readers.

Parting Thought

“Poetry is a political act because it involves telling the truth.”
– June Jordan

Publisher: The Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance / siba@sibaweb.com
Editor: Nicki Leone / nicki@sibaweb.com
Advertising: Linda-Marie Barrett / lindamarie@sibaweb.com
The Southern Bookseller Review is a project of the Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance, in support of independent bookstores in the South | SIBA | 51 Pleasant Ridge Drive | Asheville, NC 28805

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Read This Now!

Recommended by Southern indies…

Scattered All Over the Earth by Yoko Tawada
New Directions / March 2022

Adult Fiction, Fiction, Japan, World Literature
More Reviews from Avid Bookshop

Scattered All Over the Earth is undeniably a classic. A pilgrimage novel with a growing cast of memorable characters embodying a beautiful kaleidoscope of language, loss, identity, and home. Tawada’s vision is, as always, wonderfully unique, often funny and particularly here, where she’s at her most poignant. Thankfully, this is only the promising beginning of what is set to be a masterpiece trilogy of books.

Reviewed by Luis Correa, Avid Bookshop in Athens, Georgia

Bookseller Buzz

Spotlight on: Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus

"With Elizabeth Zott, I wanted to create a character who speaks for anyone who’s been held back, disbelieved, maligned, or underestimated. But I also wanted to create a character who refuses to put up with it. Elizabeth Zott has a disregard for societal limits. She rejects religion, stereotypes, racism, sexism, elitism, and food that comes in cans. "–Bonnie Garmus

What booksellers are saying about Lessons in Chemistry

• Lessons In Chemistry is the kind of book that makes me love reading. While there were moments of sorrow and frustration, the story left me with an overall feeling of joy. I didn’t want it to end – now I’m suffering with a book hangover wondering what to read next after such a fun and refreshing story. ― Melissa Summers from Main Street Books in Davidson, NC
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• What an absolutely charming book! Elizabeth Zott is not your typical woman living in the 1960s. She is a chemist determined to prove that she is as good as any man in her field, which is not so easy to do with so many of the preconceived ideas of what a woman should and should not do at this time. I love her hilarious and straight to the point comebacks to many of the men who try to tell her she can not do something because it isn’t seemly for a woman to do. You will be infuriated by how she is treated and be thankful that women are not still treated that way (most of the time). You will love her delightful child Mad, and Six-thirty who is the best dog anyone could ever own, and you may also learn a little chemistry along the way. ―Nancy McFarlane from Fiction Addiction in Greenville, SC
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• This debut was a delight from start to finish. Elizabeth Zott was born just a decade too soon to forge the career in science she was destined for, so when she stumbled into a job as the host of a 1960s TV cooking show, she could not help but bring chemistry into her recipes. This book is filled with fabulous characters and is alternately touching and laugh out loud funny.   ―Karen Hayes from Parnassus Books in Nashville, TN
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• I want to introduce Elizabeth Zott to everyone I know. Unapologetic, smart and full of zest. Chemist, Elizabeth Zott, breaks boundaries and inspires other women to do the same in this heartbreaking yet uplifting story   ―Lillian Kay from Novel in Memphis, TN
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Bonnie Garmus

Bonnie Garmus is a copywriter and creative director who has worked widely in the fields of technology, medicine, and education. She’s an open-water swimmer, a rower, and mother to two pretty amazing daughters. Born in California and most recently from Seattle, she currently lives in London with her husband and her dog, 99.

This Rebel Heart by Katherine Locke
Knopf Books for Young Readers / April 2022

Europe, Historical Fiction, Jewish, LGBTQ+, Young Adult
More Reviews from M Judson booksellers and storytellers

A beautiful and strange novel full of magic, friendships, and hard truths. The search for voice & freedom, the drive to be heard, a reconciliation with past trauma and a future filled with hope weave a story I couldn’t let go of. The city of Budapest and the Danube are integral characters as Csilla discovers her worth. Along with a student revolutionary leader and a kind hearted angel of death, Csilla transforms the world around her into one filled with color.

Reviewed by Susan Williams, M Judson Booksellers and Storytellers in Greenville, South Carolina

The Sex Lives of African Women by Nana Darkoa Sekyiamah
 Astra House / March 2022

Adult Nonfiction, African Studies, LGBTQ+, Social Science, Women’s Studies
More Reviews from Oxford Exchange

One of the most substantial and honest collections of essays about sex and pleasure I’ve ever read. Each author bares it all in order to give the reader permission to tell the truth about their relationship with sex. By centering voices and experiences that typically get left out of anthologies like this, we get to witness a multidimensional sexuality meditation through the lens of discovery, exploration, and joy. What a gift!

Reviewed by Eden Hakimzadeh, Oxford Exchange in Tampa, Florida

The Wedding Veil by Kristy Woodson Harvey
Gallery Books / March 2022

Adult Fiction, Family Life, Siblings
More Reviews from E. Shaver, bookseller

This book had me hooked from page 1. Every bookseller has their faults and mine is a certain snobbishness when it comes to “women’s fiction.” Perhaps it is a leftover reaction from male-dominated classrooms or simply a dislike of the marketing surrounding such novels. Either way, I find myself avoiding and dismissing women’s fiction as best I am able. When I was asked to read this novel and review it, I thought “why not? It’ll be a nice fluffy read over Christmas.” I was wrong. This multi-generational saga, written with compelling prose and an arresting tenderness for the female story, grabbed my heart from about the second chapter in. The female struggle of being defined by your usefulness but longing to be your own definition, soaks through every page of this novel and you leave the book asking yourself some very important questions. This one is going in my staff picks when it comes out! I cannot wait to share it with my favorite customers (and my grandmother!!) A resounding thank you to the author for taking me down a few pegs when it comes to my opinion on women’s fiction. I hope this book blows up the market.

Reviewed by Annie Childress, E Shaver, bookseller in Savannah, Georgia

Eggs from Red Hen Farm by Monica Wellington
Holiday House / March 2022

Agriculture, Children, Juvenile Nonfiction, Technology
More Reviews from Bookmarks

A practical picture book that explains where eggs come from AND teaches young readers how to read a basic map — what fun! I loved maps when I was a kid and this book is a great introduction to the concept of getting on the road to move from one place to the next.

Reviewed by Kate Storhoff, Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, North Carolina

Read This Next!

Books on the horizon: Forthcoming favorites from Southern indies…

The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi
Tor Books / March 2022

Action & Adventure, Adult Fiction, Alien Contact, Science Fiction
More Reviews from The Haunted Book Shop

A March 2022 Read This Next! Title

This book was exactly what it needed to be. It’s fun, it takes familiar ideas about kaiju and puts a fresh spin on them, and adds in entertaining characters who care about what they do. It’s so very much an antidote and relief from things taking themselves too seriously, but landed the narrative beats when it needed them. Here, Scalzi show the artistry of solid craftsmanship, and I want more.

Reviewed by Alex Mcleod from The Haunted Book Shop in Mobile, AL

Southern Bestsellers

What’s popular this week with Southern Readers.

Parting Thought

“Happiness. That’s what books smells like. Happiness. That’s why I always wanted to have a book shop. What better life than to trade in happiness? ”
– Saran MacLean

Publisher: The Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance / siba@sibaweb.com
Editor: Nicki Leone / nicki@sibaweb.com
Advertising: Linda-Marie Barrett / lindamarie@sibaweb.com
The Southern Bookseller Review is a project of the Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance, in support of independent bookstores in the South | SIBA | 51 Pleasant Ridge Drive | Asheville, NC 28805

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Read This Now!

Recommended by Southern indies…

When We Were Birds by Ayanna Lloyd Banwo
Doubleday / March 2022

Adult Fiction, Caribbean & West Indies, Literary Fiction, Magical Realism, World Literature
More Reviews from Underground Books

The destinies of a Rastafarian man prohibited from interacting with the dead and a woman destined to care for their spirits collide in a cemetery full of secrets in this magical realist novel set in a Trinidad “with the volume turned all the way up.” I enjoyed the settings and magical realism throughout the novel. I’d especially recommend for fans of Practical Magic.

Reviewed by Megan Bell, Underground Books in Carrollton, Georgia

Bookseller Buzz

Spotlight on: Yerba Buena by Nina LaCour

"In Yerba Buena I get to examine adulthood— how the experiences we have when we’re young reverberate through our lives, how we make mistakes and make amends and try to escape the destruction we inherit while also holding onto the good."–Nina LaCour, Author’s letter to bookstores

What booksellers are saying about Yerba Buena

• Though the plot of Yerba Buena seems to meander at first, with dark, desperate characters with twisted pasts and wildly uncertain futures, you’ll want to stick around until the end. And you will want to linger in the middle among the luxurious imagery throughout this story. Nina LaCour shines while writing descriptions of art and making–from crafting cocktails to arranging beautiful bouquets of flowers–with great care and attention that makes these moments feel close to magical. In spite of the convoluted secrets and choices these characters makes, there is seeking, growth, and love, too, in a bittersweet pull on their paths towards healing. ― Julie Jarema from Avid Bookshop in Athens, GA
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• At once full of wonder and excruciatingly real, Nina LaCour’s adult debut is truly a thing to behold. A story of love, food, and the achingly beautiful reality of the human condition, Yerba Buena was, without a doubt, one of the most exquisite books I have ever read. ―Mary Louise Callaghan from Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, NC
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• A bittersweet meditation on the lives of two women whose emotional histories so tragically mirror one another that their connection is both painful and undeniable. Sara and Emilie come from different places and different classes, but both of their formative years are marked by grief and dismissal, by losses that keep them unfinished. They’re also, though, both drawn to the beauty of things: in flowers, in food, in design, in each other. In evocative prose and rich settings, LaCour gives us romance in the truest sense: complicated and intentional, lovers choosing each other as the people they are and the ones they are still becoming.   ―Miranda Sanchez from Epilogue Books Chocolate Brews in Chapel Hill, NC
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Nina LaCour

Nina LaCour is the award-winning and bestselling author of six novels for young adults, including We Are Okay, a Printz Award winner and national bestseller. She lives in San Francisco with her wife and daughter. Yerba Buena is her first novel for adults.

What We Harvest by Ann Fraistat
Delacorte Press / March 2022

Dark Fantasy, Fantasy, Horror, Thrillers & Suspense, Young Adult
More Reviews from Story on the Square

Wren Warren is one of the four founding families of Hollow’s End that holds one of the mysterious crops that tourists flock to. Everything in her life was perfect until the corruption started seeping into the town. Now they’re all trapped in quarantine trying to fight back the “Blight” with no help from a mysterious government agency. Wren will have to ask her ex Derek for help before it’s too late for her and the farms. This was a delightfully dark and delicious read. Not only do we have a very good doggo named Teddy, we also have real and raw characters that leap off the page into your heart. If you like your horror with a bit of small town gothic, this is for you and it’s perfect for fans of Wilder Girls.

Reviewed by Katlin Kerrison, Story on the Square in McDonough, Georgia

Riding with Evil by Ken Croke
 William Morrow / March 2022

Adult Nonfiction, Espionage, True Crime
More Reviews from McIntyre’s Books

This glimpse into the brutal world of outlaw bikers is not sugar coated with flowery language. But, despite its “just the facts ma’am” style, it delves into the emotional strain of being an undercover agent in a way that I’ve not really experienced before. So, if you’re a true crime buff and want to read something compelling that isn’t about a serial killer- here it is!

Reviewed by Billy McCormick, McIntyre’s Books in Pittsboro, North Carolina

French Braid by Anne Tyler
Knopf / March 2022

Adult Fiction, Family Life, Siblings
More Reviews from Avid Bookshop

Families are messy and imperfect and Anne Tyler has spent a lifetime telling the stories of the most interesting of families. French Braid is no exception and in it we follow the Garretts from the 1950s to the present pandemic. This is a family whose individuals sacrifice and are also selfish, care deeply and chose to ignore. Tyler creates beautifully complex characters that you may not love, but you’ll definitely remember.

Reviewed by Rachel Watkins, Avid Bookshop in Athens, Georgia

Abdul’s Story by Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow
Greenwillow Books / March 2022

Children, Diversity & Multicultural, Juvenile
More Reviews from Bookmarks

This is a beautifully diverse book about Abdul finding his voice despite his learning challenges. Throughout the story Abdul doesn’t think he is a writer, but he knows he has stories to tell. Once he has a mentor he learns that everyone makes mistakes and the best stories come from what look like messes. In the end Abdul finds his voice and confidence in what once felt like an impossible task.

Reviewed by Josie Greenwald, Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, North Carolina

Read This Next!

Books on the horizon: Forthcoming favorites from Southern indies…

Isla to Island by Alexis Castellanos
Atlantic Monthly Press / March 2022

Childrens, Comics & Graphic Novels, Historical Fiction
More Reviews from Books and Books

A March 2022 Read This Next! Title

This wordless, gorgeous graphic novel is stunning in its delivery of a story that lives so close to my heart: exile and assimilation after leaving 1960s Cuba. On a personal level, this book’s very existence feels like a major triumph but I think it will reach any reader who picks it up. Hand Isla to Island to fans of Victoria Jamieson & Nidhi Chanani. I can’t wait for more work from Alexis Castellanos!

Reviewed by Cristina Russell from Books & Books in Coral Gables, FL

Southern Bestsellers

What’s popular this week with Southern Readers.

Parting Thought

“Shakespeare wrote about love. I write about love. Shakespeare wrote about gang warfare, family feuds and revenge. I write about all the same things”
– Sister Souljah

Publisher: The Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance / siba@sibaweb.com
Editor: Nicki Leone / nicki@sibaweb.com
Advertising: Linda-Marie Barrett / lindamarie@sibaweb.com
The Southern Bookseller Review is a project of the Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance, in support of independent bookstores in the South | SIBA | 51 Pleasant Ridge Drive | Asheville, NC 28805

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The best of southern publishing…

Under the Golden Sun by Jenny Ashcroft
St. Martin’s Press / March 2022

Adult Fiction, Romance, World War II Historical Fiction

Quite simply one of the most beautiful books I’ve read all year. Historical fiction with well-drawn heroines and interesting love stories aren’t uncommon. What makes this book absolutely sing is the care and attention given to all the relationships in this book. The mother who has lost her child and the child who has lost his family; women forging deep, meaningful friendships that are treated with the same importance as the romantic entanglements; and perhaps even better, everyone grows. In a field cluttered with WWII era novels this book rises about the field with its unusual setting and lovely relationships, but also with the author’s distinct voice and prose.

Reviewed by Traci Harris, The Book House, Mableton, Georgia

About the Author:
Jenny Ashcroft is a British author of historical fiction, including Meet Me in Bombay, Beneath a Burning Sky and Island in the East. She lives in East Sussex with her family and is hard at work on her next novel.

The Wonders by Elena Medel
Algonquin Books / March 2022

Adult Fiction, Literary Fiction, Feminist, City Life

I absolutely loved this English-language debut from Spanish writer Elena Medel. The conceit of jumping between the past and present is sometimes tricky to pull off, but Medel does it so well – letting María and Alicia’s respective timelines waltz gently together, anchored in the captivating central character that is the city of Madrid…until it all comes to a head. Medel’s pacing is thriller-esque, while her prose is sumptuous and elegant, beautifully translated by Lizzie Davis and Thomas Bunstead

Reviewed by Charles Lee, Malaprop’s Bookstore/Cafe, Asheville, North Carolina

About the Author:
Elena Medel is a Spanish poet and the founder and publisher of La Bella Varsovia, an independent poetry publishing house. Medel was the first woman ever to win the prestigious Francisco Umbral Prize, for her debut novel The Wonders, which was also longlisted for the Finestres Award and has been translated into fifteen languages. She published her prizewinning first collection of poetry, My First Bikini, when she was sixteen years old.

Lizzie Davis is a translator and an editor at Coffee House Press. She has translated Elena Medel’s poetry collection My First Bikini, Juan Cárdenas’s Ornamental (a finalist for the 2021 PEN Translation Prize), and work by Valeria Luiselli, Pilar Fraile Amador, and Aura García-Junco. Her work has appeared in the Paris Review, Granta, and other publications.

Thomas Bunstead is a writer and translator. His recent translations include The Things We’ve Seen by Agustín Fernández Mallo, which was a recipient of a PEN Translation Award, and Water Over Stones, a co-translation with Margaret Jull Costa.

Four Aunties and a Wedding by Jessie Q. Sutanto
Berkley / March 2022

Adult Fiction, Mystery & Detective, Romance, Romantic Comedy,  Asian American

Picking up where Dial A For Aunties leaves off, this is another hilarious romp into the world of weddings and murder. Well, almost murder. Meddie’s life is complicated. But she’s getting married and her aunties won’t let anything or anyone stand in the way of a perfect wedding, even if it means kidnapping and murder.

Reviewed by Jamie Southern, Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, North Carolina

About the Author:
Jesse Q. Sutanto grew up shuttling back and forth between Indonesia, Singapore, and Oxford, and considers all three places her home. She has a Masters from Oxford University, but she has yet to figure out how to say that without sounding obnoxious. Jesse has forty-two first cousins and thirty aunties and uncles, many of whom live just down the road. When she’s not writing, she’s gaming with her husband (mostly first-person shooter), or making a mess in the kitchen with her two daughters.

Women and Other Monsters by Jess Zimmerman
Algonquin Books / February 2022

Adult Nonfiction, Folklore & Mythology, Women’s Studies

What can I say about Women and Other Monsters other than READ THIS NOW!? I picked this book up with full-blown curiosity, ignited by my love of mythology and strong belief in the women’s rights movement. Jess Zimmerman uses her own life experiences, mingled with monsters of ancient myth, to bring light to the ugly truth of what it means to be a woman. We are monsters–for our individuality, determination, free spirits, desires and ambitions, and our less-than-perfect bodies. At least that’s what the world wants us to believe. I found pieces of myself in every chapter, and discovered just how much I wanted that to change. I highly recommend this book to women of all colors and ages, trans women, non-binary gentlefolk, and those looking for insight.

Reviewed by Sophie Giroir, Cavalier House Books in Denham Springs, Louisiana

About the Author:
Jess Zimmerman is the editor in chief of Electric Literature. Her essays, fiction, opinion pieces, and prose poetry have appeared in publications including Vice, Slate, The Cut, the Washington Post, The Guardian, and the New Republic. She lives in Brooklyn.

Spotlight on: Love & Saffron by Kim Fay

"A few years ago, when [my friend] Janet had a milestone birthday, a vague idea floated into my head about writing something epistolary to honor that part of our friendship. Life happened, and the idea remained nothing more than that. Then came COVID and the lockdown in Los Angeles. Within days, I found myself writing a gift for Janet and another good friend, the food writer Barbara Hansen — a story told in letters.

I wanted a book that could serve as a balm. I wanted a book that could be read in a single afternoon. "—Kim Fay (via Bookweb)

What booksellers are saying about Love & Saffron

• This whisp of a book transported to a time when real friendship can exist between people who have never met or seen images of each other, gratitude opens doors and a reminder of the beauty that exists in following the curiosity of your taste buds. Tender and honest this book told in three parts, most of it through the letter exchanges of two women, is a reminder that we are never finished growing, changing and loving. It is a reminder of how big our lives can become when we move through them with an open mind and an open heart. ― Kimberly Daniels from The Country Bookshop in Southern Pines, NC
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• This beautiful and thoughtful book is a testament to the power of food, it really is a miracle worker. I wish I could type this review in all capital letters, but that wouldn’t be appropriate, but it would definitely convey how much I love this book and want everyone to know about it. Incredible! ―Jill Naylor from Novel in Memphis, TN
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• Tender friendship, delicious food, and canny wit tie together this absolutely delightful epistolary novel. Set in the 1960s, this captivating correspondence between 27 year old Joan and 59 year old Imogen is reminiscent of the great food writing of Laurie Colwin, Ruth Reichl, and even Julia Child. Their no-nonsense attitudes and deep love for both food and each other make this book absolutely magic to read. With the healing properties of a warm meal enjoyed with those we love, Love & Saffron is set to fill both hearts (and bellies) of readers everywhere. ―Mary Louise Callaghan from Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, NC
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About Kim Fay

Born in Seattle and raised throughout the Pacific Northwest, Kim Fay lived in Vietnam for four years and still travels to Southeast Asia frequently. A former bookseller, she is the author of Communion: A Culinary Journey Through Vietnam, winner of the World Gourmand Cookbook Awards’ Best Asian Cuisine Book in the United States, and The Map of Lost Memories, an Edgar Award finalist for Best First Novel. She is also the creator/editor of a series of guidebooks on Southeast Asia. Fay now lives in Los Angeles.

A Far Wilder Magic by Allison Saft
Wednesday Books / March 2022

Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance, Dark Fantasy

A Far Wilder Magic is one of my favorite novels of all time, and Allison Saft is an author that I can count on for glorious tales such as this. The ancient forests, salt water and fog in this atmospheric fox hunt creep into you, chilling to the bone, and are warmed only by the fires running hot in Welty Manor. This is the kind of book that you read and re-read, like putting on a favorite sweater at the start of each autumn. It is a story of being an outsider, of desperate loneliness, of aching grief and lingering trauma. But ultimately, Margaret and Weston’s story is lined with so much hope and beauty that it fills your heart to bursting. I love this magical novel so much.

Reviewed by Cristina Russell, Books and Books in Coral Gables, Florida

About the Author:
Allison Saft is the author of eerie and critically acclaimed romantic fantasies, Down Comes the Night and A Far Wilder Magic. After receiving her MA in English literature from Tulane University, she moved from the Gulf Coast to the West Coast, where she spends her time hiking the redwoods and practicing aerial silks.

Hope and Glory by Jendella Benson
Algonquin Books / March 2022

Adult Fiction, African American & Black, Women

Hope and Glory is the story of a family recovering from their father’s unexpected death in the aftermath of decades of secrets. An exploration of grief, identity, immigration, and sibling dynamics, the story is powerful, and bittersweet. It’s no secret that family dramas are my favorite, particularly sibling stories, and Hope and Glory is one of my favorites coming this year. This is a striking debut; I can’t wait to see what comes next from Jendella Benson.

Reviewed by Beth Seufer Buss, Bookmarks, Winston-Salem, North Carolina

About the Author:
Jendella Benson is a popular writer and editor for Black Ballad, and her work has appeared in The Guardian, BuzzFeed, MTV News UK, The Metro, The Huffington Post, and on MumsNet, amongst many others. She originated, crowd-funded, and published a book of photography and interviews, Young Motherhood, in 2016, and has contributed to a couple of anthologies. She is a TEDx speaker and has also appeared on Woman’s Hour, BBC World Service, London Live and OH TV.

Parting Thought

"I do not remember a time when I could not read, nor any time when reading was not a joy and a solace. "
― Emmeline Pankhurst

Publisher: The Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance / siba@sibaweb.com
Editor: Nicki Leone / nicki@sibaweb.com
Advertising: Linda-Marie Barrett / lindamarie@sibaweb.com
The Southern Bookseller Review is a project of the Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance, in support of independent bookstores in the South | SIBA | 51 Pleasant Ridge Drive | Asheville, NC 28805

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Recommended by Southern indies…

Saint Death’s Daughter by C. S. Cooney
Random House / March 2022

Adult Fiction, Dark Fantasy, Fantasy
More Reviews from The Haunted Book Shop

I snagged the book because of the necromancy, but the tagline of “fun, froofy, and glorious: a coming-of-age story” is absolutely correct. The comparisons to Gideon the Ninth will be inevitable, but the tone of this book tends more towards the cheerful morbidity of the Addams family than the grimness I felt at the core of Gideon. The story follows Miscellaneous Stones, a necromancer born with an allergy to violence into a house of assassins and murderers as she grows into her power. As important to the book as her growing necromancy is the way she comes to terms with her family’s legacy and the burden of their sins. Despite the solemnity of the topic, Lanie herself has such a joyous attitude that infects the book and makes me smile even now. I really enjoyed the entire book and look forward to reading her continued adventures. In particular, I can usually predict story beats long before they happen but the author managed to surprise me with the depth and complexity of the characters, especially the antagonists.

Reviewed by Kelly McLeod, The Haunted Book Shop in Mobile, Alabama

Bookseller Buzz

Spotlight on: Tobacco Wives by Adele Myers

"As a young girl growing up in North Carolina tobacco country, I was fascinated by my grandmother’s stories about the women she called the tobacco wives. She was a hairdresser for the wives of the wealthiest, most powerful tobacco magnates in Winston-Salem in the 1940s, and tales of these wealthy, glamorous women captured my imagination."–Adele Myers (via Writer’s Digest)

What booksellers are saying about Tobacco Wives

• It doesn’t say it’s set in Winston Salem, but it’s totally Winston Salem. I forgot how recently smoking was everywhere, and advertised aggressively towards kids and women, and in the case of these particular ladies, including and specifically targeting the pregnant women, wonderful (and completely healthy) mint-flavored cigarettes…It’s a little bit Cruella, a little bit Hairspray, and a little bit Pelican Brief. I couldn’t put it down. ― Lisa Yee Swope from Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, NC
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• Oh, the tobacco wives! Drama abounds as Maddie works to design and sew ornate gowns for the most influential, fussy women in town. Although the tobacco wives seem to lead a carefree life, Maddie discovers a cover-up scheme about the health risks of tobacco products that affect women, in particular. It is this discovery that puts her in a compromising situation as she endeavors to pursue a full-time career as a dressmaker in a town where everyone depends on Big Tobacco to survive. ―Allison Hendrix from The Snail on the Wall in Huntsville, AL
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• Where the Crawdads Sing meets Lookaway, Lookaway (plus a small dash of Mad Men) in this small town NC novel about big tobacco and even bigger coverups — all through the eyes of a young seamstress who sees it all. A fantastic read for anyone who enjoys historical fiction — Myers’ portrayal of the 1950s was spot-on — and the strength of the female characters was truly iconic.   ―Christine Schwarz from Epilogue Books Chocolate Brews in Chapel Hill, NC
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About Adele Myers

Adele Myers grew up in Asheville, North Carolina, and has a journalism degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She currently works in advertising and lives in Brooklyn, New York, with her husband, son and their rescue dog, Chipper. The Tobacco Wives is her first novel.

Letter to a Stranger by Colleen Kinder
Algonquin Books / March 2022

Adult Nonfiction, Essays, Literary Collections
More Reviews from Fountain Bookstore

As the season changes, I find myself drawn to books that I can pickup, read however much I want whether it be a page or fifty, and then put back down and not worry about losing my spot or anything like that. I want digestible, but not fluff, I still want the grit and strong storytelling. This book is the cure for this predicament. Colleen Kinder sent out an email to authors everywhere, simply asking them to write a letter to a stranger who haunts them. The result is this intimate collection of letters from some of the most beloved authors of our time, and perfect is an understatement. The book is broken up by emotional prompt, which I like but was wary as books similar to this can be sort of repetitive with the themes of stories in them, but this next level. The sections are symmetry, mystery, chemistry, gratitude, wonder, remorse and finally, farewell. This is what makes this book so strong, it’s not just emotions of love or pain, it’s so much more than that. It’s funny, startling,and at times heartbreaking. A book that has earned a permanent spot on my bookshelf, and one I do not think I will ever get tired of skimming through.

Reviewed by Grace Sullivan, Fountain Bookstore in Richmond, Virginia

The Ravenous Dead by Darcy Coates
 Poisoned Pen Press / March 2022

Adult Fiction, Ghost, Gothic, Horror
More Reviews from Foggy Pine Books

This next installment of the Gravekeeper Series hasn’t even come out yet, and yet I’m already itching to read the next part of Kiera’s story. This series is the most unexpectedly delightful combination of spooky, action packed, and heartwarming slice of life all wrapped up in a mystery. I find myself falling in love with all of the characters, from the kindly pastor Adage, to the cheery “not a doctor” Mason. However I adore most of all our main character and amnesia ridden ghost whisperer Kiera. I adore this series and cannot wait for the next one!

Reviewed by Ana, Foggy Pine Books in Boone, North Carolina

Wingbearer by Marjorie Liu
Quill Tree Books / March 2022

Children, Comics & Graphic Novels, Fantasy
More Reviews from Story on the Square

Wingbearer is a beautiful fantasy graphic novel written by Marie Lu. The world is breathtakingly beautiful along with having an enchanting story. I was at the edge of my seat following Zuli’s journey from the great tree to the world she supposedly came from. I loved the side characters and can’t wait to see the full color version. This is a middle reader fantasy that will draw in even the most reluctant of readers.

Reviewed by Katlin Kerrison, Story on the Square in McDonough, Georgia

Gallant by V. E. Schwab
Greenwillow Books / March 2022

Dark Fantasy, Fantasy, Young Adult
More Reviews from Fiction Addiction

Olivia Prior has grown up in an orphanage, unable to speak, the only one able to see the ghouls around her. Her mother’s journal is her only link to her unknown past, until she gets a letter from an uncle she didn’t know she had, summoning her to her family home, Gallant — a place her mother had warned her against in her journal, even as her words spiraled into madness. But Olivia longs for a place to belong, and so she goes. It turns out, though, that Gallant is more than just a house. When Olivia crosses the crumbling garden wall, she finds herself in a shadow Gallant, ruled by death, and she has to decide which world she really belongs in. Schwab has a way of telling stories that really gets to the root of the story — yes, this is a story about family and loss, life and death, a doorway between them, and a girl who can live in both worlds, but Schwab makes it so much more, breathing life and meaning into everything Olivia is and does and wants to be. A beautiful book for fans of Holly Black and Neil Gaiman.

Reviewed by Melissa Oates, Fiction Addiction in Greenville, South Carolina

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Books on the horizon: Forthcoming favorites from Southern indies…

Beyond Innocence : The Life Sentence of Darryl Hunt by Phoebe Zerwick
Atlantic Monthly Press / March 2022

Adult Nonfiction, African American & Black, Discrimination, Law Enforcement, Political Science, Social Science
More Reviews from Malaprop’s

A March 2022 Read This Next! Title

Once upon a time, a man was unjustly imprisoned. DNA and dogged work freed him after 19 years. He lived happily ever after. Sorry, that last part didn’t happen. Even with DNA evidence, he almost didn’t get exonerated. Beyond Innocence: The Life Sentence of Darryl Hunt details Hunt’s journey from teen to convicted killer, innocent freed man, and activist with many twists. But the saddest part is what happened to him after freedom, and how it illustrates the plight of most of the exonerated. That is not as exclusive a club as you might think. According to author Phoebe Zerwick, “As of May 2021, 2,783 men and women in America have been exonerated since 1989…The National Registry of Exonerations calculate the combined years they lost at 24,915.”

Zerwick wrote about Hunt in the Winston-Salem Journal and has spent years on his case. Hunt was not just railroaded. Police falsified evidence; a judge unbelievably ruled DNA evidence was insufficient to warrant a new trial. A faithful cadre of supporters and the author’s newspaper series resulted in deliberately overlooked evidence being reexamined and finding the true killer. Only then was Hunt released. But Hunt’s case shows how the system continues to fail. Hunt briefly had a foundation to aid released prisoners. Years of prison life and post-release limitations lead to PTSD, depression, and often recidivism. Hunt’s friends realized too late he was leading a double life – calm outside, but in agony inside. They couldn’t stop him from taking his life. But if enough people pay attention to his story, perhaps others can be helped.

Reviewed by Rosemary Pugliese from Malaprop’s in Asheville, NC

Southern Bestsellers

What’s popular this week with Southern Readers.

Parting Thought

“Let us remember: One book, one pen, one child, and one teacher can change the world.”
– Malala Yousafzai

Publisher: The Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance / siba@sibaweb.com
Editor: Nicki Leone / nicki@sibaweb.com
Advertising: Linda-Marie Barrett / lindamarie@sibaweb.com
The Southern Bookseller Review is a project of the Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance, in support of independent bookstores in the South | SIBA | 51 Pleasant Ridge Drive | Asheville, NC 28805

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Recommended by Southern indies…

In Love by Amy Bloom
Random House / March 2022

Adult Nonfiction, Bereavement, Biography & Autobiography, Death, Family & Relationships, Grief, Personal Memoirs, Survival
More Reviews from Square Books

When Amy Bloom’s husband of 15 years is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, he decides to end his life on his own terms – “to die on his feet, not live on his knees”. In Love is an account of how the couple made that happen, as well as a celebration of their love. It’s by turns honest, raw, unsentimental, funny, captivating, powerful and utterly devastating. I devoured it in less than a day – an experience that left me emotionally wrung out, but also very glad to have done so.

Reviewed by Jude Burke-Lewis, Square Books in Oxford, Mississippi

Bookseller Buzz

Spotlight on: Knight Owl by Christopher Denise

"The illustrations for Knight Owl posed an interesting challenge. Most of the book takes place at night. How could I make the illustrations using a color pallet varied enough so that each scene could have the right feeling and not feel too dark? I took that challenge as an opportunity to dive deep into my fascination with Japanese woodblock prints, specifically the work of Hiroshi Yoshida (1876-1950) one of the greatest artists of the shin-hanga style. Yoshida’s work, along with a few nods to Rembrandt and Vermeer, defined the palette for the entire project. The range of blue tones in Yoshida’s work is amazing! "–Christopher Denise (via School Library Journal Blog)

What booksellers are saying about Knight Owl

• An absolutely delightful picture book bursting with wonderfully playful illustrations. As a kid, I loved knights, dragons, and adventure (still do!) and I would have cherished this wonderful book from Denise and spent hours looking at each page. Celebrating perseverance, cleverness, and friendship; Knight Owl is sure to delight readers! ― Caleb Masters from Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, NC
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• A night Knight owl who proves he can be brave by outwitting a dragon with pizza. And in doing so shows that even the smallest of creatures can be cunning. ―Judith Lafitte from Octavia Books LLC in New Orleans, LA
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• A sweet picture book about a wise owl, perseverance, and finding common ground with others.   ―Rae Ann Parker from Parnassus Books in Nashville, TN
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• Knight Owl is full of goodness. Who knew dragons and owls made for a good story? And pizza, the great peace maker? Perfect for fans of Gruffalo and Dragons Love Tacos. ―Jilleen Moore from Square Books in Oxford, MS
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About Christopher Denise

Christopher Denise spent much of his childhood in Shannon, Ireland, exploring castles and dreaming of great adventures. He is the illustrator of many critically acclaimed books for young readers, including Anika Aldamuy Denise’s Bunny in the Middle, Alison McGhee’s Firefly Hollow, Rosemary Wells’s Following Grandfather, and Anne Marie Pace’s Groundhug Day, as well as several in Brian Jacques’s award-winning Redwall series. His books have appeared on the Indie Next List and the New York Times bestseller list and in the Society of Illustrators’ Annual Exhibition. Knight Owl marks his author-illustrator debut. Christopher’s current adventures include exploring coastal Rhode Island, where he lives with his family.

Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. Mandel
Knopf / April 2022

Action & Adventure, Adult Fiction, Apocalyptic Post-Apocalyptic, Literary, Literary Fiction, Science Fiction
More Reviews from Sunrise Books

Good grief I loved this book. The Glass Hotel makes more sense now, but I already loved it anyway. Nobody does time “travel” like Emily St. John Mandel. She manages not to lose us in the weaving of the timelines and characters. Despite being set in both the past and the future, the themes are so timely. A pandemic, wealth inequity, the idea of home, the role of art in society, family dynamics–it’s all there, plus there are colonies on the moon and maybe we’re all living in a simulation. It might seem like a stretch, but I think her only peer in speculative fiction is Margaret Atwood herself.

Reviewed by Angela Schroeder, Sunrise Books in High Point, North Carolina

One Italian Summer by Rebecca Serle
 Atria Books / March 2022

Adult Fiction, Women
More Reviews from Bookmiser

Imagine the tragic cancer death of your mother when she is your best friend—the real love of your life…and then imagine you find her alive again and she is happy and healthy and only thirty years old. This happens when Katy travels to Italy on a trip she and her mother Carol planned. How could this be? Katy is utterly devastated when her mom dies and she doesn’t know how she can go on with life without her. Rebecca Serle’s description of the beauty of Postano’s cliffs and ocean views makes the reader join Katy and taste the amazing food at every Italian meal. The sudden appearance of her mother Carol as a young vibrant woman is shocking. Is it really her mother in her youth? Is Katy so heartbroken that she just imagines it? This unforgettable love story will leave the reader thinking about family bonds and wondering how one would react to such an event. It is a story that will stay with you long after the last page.

Reviewed by Nancy Pierce, Bookmiser in Marietta, Georgia

Blood Scion by Deborah Falaye
HarperTeen / March 2022

Epic, Fantasy, Young Adult
More Reviews from Story on the Square

This #ownvoices novel rips the reader out of their world into the Yoruba-Nigerian world of Sloane. A recently drafted child soldier of the Lucis, who destroyed and still destroy people like her, ones that have powers from the gods, a Scion. Sloane is put through brutal test after brutal test all while trying to find out what happened to her mother who disappeared two years before and survive the bloodbath that is basic training. While this novel isn’t for the weak of heart, it’s perfect for anyone who loved A Song of Wraiths and Shadows and Children of Blood and Bone. The debut novel is nonstop action and punch after punch, perfect for readers who don’t like any slow parts in their reads.

Reviewed by Katlin Kerrison, Story on the Square in McDonough, Georgia

Nour’s Secret Library by Wafa’ Tarnowska
Barefoot Books / March 2022

Children, Middle East, People & Places
More Reviews from Fountain Bookstore

Nour and her cousin Amir live in Damascus, playing and reading and planning a secret club when the war in Syria comes to their city. Soon they are forced to spend their nights in a basement, and during the day Amir and his friends collect the books left on the streets of Damascus. With the books piling up, Noor and Amir decide to start a secret library- a place for their friends to find hope,adventure, and comfort. The illustrations are lovely and I’m always a sucker for a board book about books!

Reviewed by Kate Towery, Fountain Bookstore in Richmond, Virginia

Read This Next!

Books on the horizon: Forthcoming favorites from Southern indies…

The Ogress and the Orphans by Kelly Barnhill
Algonquin Young Readers / March 2022

Children, Fantasy & Magic, Mysteries & Detective Stories, Orphans & Foster Homes
More Reviews from The Country Book Shop

A March 2022 Read This Next! Title

This beautiful tale is cleverly oozling with allegory–but it boils down to a simple message: knowledge, education, and the written word are power, kindness matters, and together we are stronger. Kelly Barnhill has crafted a masterpiece chock full of mistrusting citizens in a ruined village, an ogress with a big heart, orphans who pay attention, crows with a language of their own, a scarily charismatic mayor who isn’t who he seems, and an unnoticed stone at the heart of it all. This reader was thoroughly bedazzled and charmed by its brilliance.

Reviewed by Damita Nocton from The Country Bookshop in Southern Pines, NC

Southern Bestsellers

What’s popular this week with Southern Readers.

Parting Thought

“The whole world opened to me when I learned to read.”
– Mary McLeod Bethune

Publisher: The Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance / siba@sibaweb.com
Editor: Nicki Leone / nicki@sibaweb.com
Advertising: Linda-Marie Barrett / lindamarie@sibaweb.com
The Southern Bookseller Review is a project of the Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance, in support of independent bookstores in the South | SIBA | 51 Pleasant Ridge Drive | Asheville, NC 28805

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Recommended by Southern indies…

Booth by Karen Joy Fowler
G.P. Putnam’s Sons / March 2022

Adult Fiction, Biographical Fiction, Civil War Era, Historical Fiction
More Reviews from Snail on the Wall

Booth is about more than resurrecting a villain from the history books, though it does shine a spotlight on John Wilkes Booth from birth to his infamous assassination of President Lincoln. This is a tale of the entire Booth family, who might be remembered for their theatrical celebrity — from father Junius Booth to his three thespian sons, Edwin, John, and June — but for the crime that brought shame to the clan forevermore. The story takes its time, meandering through births, deaths, and sibling conflicts, and focusing much of its attention on the sisters who had to live in their brothers’ shadow. In the background throughout is Abraham Lincoln, who was gradually making his way to the White House, while the issue of slavery increasingly divided the country. We know about the big battles, from Gettysburg to Antietam, but here we also see the smaller riots and uprisings that inflamed someone like Booth to take matters in his own hands.

Reviewed by Lady Smith, The Snail on the Wall in Huntsville, Alabama

Bookseller Buzz

Spotlight on: Chorus by Rebecca Kauffman

"I think character development will always be my first love. It wasn’t until the characters in this book became distinct to me that the story itself began to sweep me up as well. Whatever type of story I’m engaging with as a reader or a writer, and whatever sort of craft challenge I undertake, my primary interest is always in people. Whether my books are plotty or meandering, I think I’ll always take the most joy in telling stories that honor the complexity of the human heart. "—Rebecca Kauffman (via Guernica)

What booksellers are saying about Chorus

• Chorus captured my heart in a way that only a family drama can! I became complete obsessed with the seven Shaw siblings and their shared but distinct memories of two pivotal moments in their family’s history: their mother’s death and their sister’s pregnancy. Told throughout the first half of the twentieth century, the additional layer of historical fiction in this story makes it the perfect selection for any book club. Rebecca Kauffman has landed the first spot on my Best Books of 2022 List!   ―Beth Seufer Buss from Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, NC
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• Magnificent. The writing is somehow both simple and decadent. I had to pause multiple times throughout just to appreciate the depth of understanding of human beings, the beauty of the words chosen to convey it. This isn’t East of Eden, but it will be compared to it. Instead, Chorus brings a contemporary style and consciousness to a family in the depression era. It explores the mysteries of family, choices, secrets, anger, grief, connection, but it does not solve them. This book was devastating and incredible. You should read it. ― Becca Sloan from Novel in Memphis, TN
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• A terrific family saga that questions the meaning of home and the changing roles that family members play over time as they age and experience loss. Through shifting perspectives and over back and forth time periods, the author unravels the mysteries and motivations of the Shaw family in perfect syncopation. I couldn’t put it down! ―Maggie Robe from Flyleaf Books in Chapel Hill, NCL
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About Rebecca Kauffman

Rebecca Kauffman received her M.F.A. in creative writing from New York University. She is the author of Another Place You’ve Never Been, which was longlisted for the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize, The Gunners, which received the Premio Tribuk dei Librai award, and The House on Fripp Island. Originally from rural northeastern Ohio, she now lives in Virginia.

Listening Still by Anne Griffin
St. Martin’s Press / March 2022

Adult Fiction, Literary Fiction, Women
More Reviews from Novel

Simply beautiful! This is the story of Jeanie Masterson, who can hear the newly dead, and it is not cheesy or cliché or gimmicky; it is beautiful in its entirety. I had the pleasure of listening to an advanced copy of this, narrated by Nicola Coughlan, which only elevated my experience with this book. Kudos to Coughlan who incorporated small pauses and breaths and the sound of tears in one’s eyes, during dialogue, creating realistic-sounding conversation. The production studio’s attention to detail was on point as well, as characters who were on the other end of a phone call sounded tinny and small. Really well done!

Reviewed by Jill Naylor, Novel. in Memphis, Tennessee

Catalina Incognito by Jennifer Torres, Gladys Jose (illus.)
 Aladdin / March 2022

Children, Hispanic & Latino, People & Places, United States
More Reviews from Bookmarks

Catalina Incognito is the first book in what’s sure to be a charming new chapter book series. Gifted with a magic sewing kit on her eighth birthday, shy and reserved Catalina learns about taking chances and trying again — and also solves the mystery of her aunt’s missing ruby. I loved the way Spanish phrases are mixed in throughout the book.

Reviewed by Kate Storhoff, Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, North Carolina

An Arrow to the Moon by Emily X.R. Pan
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers / April 2022

Asian American, Coming of Age, Diversity & Multicultural, Fairy Tales & Folklore, Family, Magical Realism, Young Adult
More Reviews from The Haunted Book Shop

I picked up this book because 1. it has a full moon on the cover. I’m a complete sucker for a moon and as I have yet to be steered wrong by this, it will continue to be an indicator of a great story to me. And 2. I am adoring this retelling trend YA is on right now. Romeo and Juliet meets Chinese mythology had me swiftly plucking this from the arc box. Other favorite motifs include: unearthly fireflies, a mysterious and magical book, & unexplainable “natural” happenings. The romance between Luna and Hunter is so sweet and swoon-worthy and doesn’t veer outside the plot (which is a pet peeve of mine).The story takes place in the early 90s which I forget until someone mentions a windbreaker, lol. I learned SO MUCH about Chinese versus Taiwanese culture–I never knew there was/is an identity issue and found it fascinating as Pan expertly weaves it into the Romeo & Juliet narrative. And speaking of R&J, the closer I got to the ending, the more anxious I was about how close to the play Pan would go. No spoilers here, but the ending is chef’s kiss.

Reviewed by Candice Conner, The Haunted Book Shop in Mobile, Alabama

Read Dangerously by Azar Nafisi
Dey Street Books / March 2022

Adult Nonfiction, Literary Criticism, Politics
More Reviews from Square Books

Reading might not seem the most obvious of radical acts – but in Read Dangerously, Iranian-American writer Azar Nafisi shows that it can be. Drawing on her experiences of living in the Islamic Republic of Iran and in today’s America, and citing authors as diverse as Plato, Toni Morrison, Margaret Atwood and Elliot Ackerman, the bestselling writer of Reading Lolita in Tehran illustrates how literature can counter oppression. An erudite, accessible and inspiring book.

Reviewed by Jude Burke-Lewis, Square Books in Oxford, Mississippi

Read This Next!

Books on the horizon: Forthcoming favorites from Southern indies…

Groundskeeping by Lee Cole
Berkley / February 2022

Adult Fiction, Coming of Age, Literary Fiction, Southern Fiction
More Reviews from Underground Books

A March 2022 Read This Next! Title

Every character in this book felt so much like someone I’ve known. I have lived most of my life in southern college towns, where professors and liberal arts types live in tense bubbles amidst a sea of religious conservatism and working class anti-intellectualism. This familiar setting forms the backdrop of Lee Cole’s debut novel Groundskeeping, which is at its heart a love story between Owen and Alma, from two very different backgrounds. But more than a simple love story it is also a pitch perfect exploration of the nuanced ways race and class form the boundaries of relationships in these communities. I laughed, I cheered, I cringed with recognition, I shared the characters’ pains and sorrows, and I absolutely could not put this book down.

Reviewed by  Josh Niesse from Underground Books in Carrollton, Georgia

Southern Bestsellers

What’s popular this week with Southern Readers.

Parting Thought

“We write for the same reason that we walk, talk, climb mountains or swim the oceans – because we can. We have some impulse within us that makes us want to explain ourselves to other human beings.”
– Maya Angelou

Publisher: The Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance / siba@sibaweb.com
Editor: Nicki Leone / nicki@sibaweb.com
Advertising: Linda-Marie Barrett / lindamarie@sibaweb.com
The Southern Bookseller Review is a project of the Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance, in support of independent bookstores in the South | SIBA | 51 Pleasant Ridge Drive | Asheville, NC 28805

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Read This Now!

Recommended by Southern indies…

The Ivory Key by Akshaya Raman
Clarion Books / January 2022

Epic, Fantasy, Young Adult, Young Adult Fiction
More Reviews from Bookmarks

Families are hard to live with, even more so when it seems like everything you do tears you apart further. The Ivory Key opens with a family torn asunder, tossed to four separate lives, yet they’re still as connected as ever, and they need each other, even though they refuse to admit it. I loved every single second of this book, but mostly, I loved the realistic nature of every relationship. I loved that the true backbone of this story was a family, that even though the plot was something much greater than them, they were the most important thing. Raman has a gift for storytelling, and it shines brightly from within the pages of The Ivory Key.

Reviewed by Caitlyn Vanorder, Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, North Carolina

Bookseller Buzz

Spotlight on: The Family Chao by Lan Samantha Chang

"Even the food we ate growing up was interesting, and I put that into The Family Chao. When our parents arrived in the U.S., Americans were eating peanut butter and jelly, and cake from a box and Cool Whip. My parents couldn’t buy the ingredients they needed to make Chinese food, and so they improvised. They made stir-fry out of iceberg lettuce. After the Vietnam War, supermarkets became more diverse. My parents couldn’t believe their good fortune! We ate bean sprouts for weeks. "—Lan Samantha Chang (via The Washington Post)

What booksellers are saying about The Family Chao

• The three brothers Chao are brought back to their small Wisconsin hometown to deal with a falling out between their parents and long simmering secrets soon bubble to the surface. Chang’s novel centered on the Chao family and their Chinese restaurant is a sprawling, uproarious, and deftly crafted exploration on family, greed, and the darker side of the "American Dream." Wonderfully written with countless passages to savor, written with equal parts biting humor and deep empathy; The Family Chao is a nearly perfect novel and one of my favorites of 2022.   ―Caleb Masters from Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, NC
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• The three grown sons of a dysfunctional Chinese family gather at their Midwestern home for the holidays, and become embroiled in series of mishaps, misunderstandings, and misbehavior. An epic family drama wrapped around issues of race and class. ― Anne Peck from Righton Books in St Simons Island, GA
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• The Family Chao is a true pleasure! A hard to put down who dunnit family drama and mouthwatering delight! I do recommend you eat before reading…. This is great for bookclubs who enjoy topics on obligation, family dynamics and the seemingly picturesque front that often hides the truth. ―Laura Taylor from Oxford Exchange in Tampa, FL
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• Lan Samantha Chang hooked me from the beginning with this tale of three brothers and their difficult father set in the backdrop of their Americanized Chinese restaurant. Chang walks a tightrope in her storytelling, pushing away, pulling in, and ultimately implicating the reader by shining a light on the kinds of lives we are willing to ignore and the ones we care about.   ―Fisher Nash from Carmichael’s Bookstore in Louisville, KY
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About Lan Samantha Chang

Lan Samantha Chang is the award-winning author of the collection Hunger and the novels The Family Chao, Inheritance and All Is Forgotten, Nothing Is Lost. A recent Berlin Prize Fellow, she also has received grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and the John Simon Guggenheim Foundation. Chang is the first Asian American and the first female director of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop. She lives in Iowa City.

I Love You Because I Love You by Muon Thi Van
Katherine Tegen Books / January 2022

Children, Childrens, Family, Multigenerational
More Reviews from Avid Bookshop

I Love You Because I Love You is a sublime psalm to the ways in which love manifests and changes us for the better. Love’s soft, expressive illustrations are a perfect match for the heartfelt text, displaying a beautiful variety of relationships in which love abounds. A perfect gift for baby showers, weddings, graduation, Valentine’s Day, or any day—because every day is a good day to say, “I love you.”

Reviewed by Hannah DeCamp, Avid Bookshop in Athens, Georgia

Xstabeth by David Keenan
 Europa Editions / February 2022

Adult Fiction, Literary Fiction
More Reviews from Square Books

David Keenan joins serious fabulists and metaphormen Kundera, Coover & Co. with this perverse and metafictional novel. We follow the rise and falling-out of a pseudonymous musician, Xstabeth, with critical “essays” about the “deceased author” and the novel we’re reading in between. Herein: experimentation that succeeds.

Reviewed by Conor Hultman, Square Books in Oxford, Mississippi

White Tears/Brown Scars by Ruby Hamad
Catapult / October 2021

Adult Nonfiction, Social Science, Women’s Studies
More Reviews from Cavalier House Books

White Tears/Brown Scars is an eye opening book for anyone like me who has not experienced racism on a daily basis. As a white woman, I felt I was the perfect audience for what Ruby Hamad had to say. While discussing race and racism is an uncomfortable topic for many people, Ruby shows us the importance of remaining calm, seeing, and hearing the concerns of our BIPOC colleagues, friends and neighbors. I truly appreciated this book.

Reviewed by Sophie Giroir, Cavalier House Books in Denham Springs, Louisiana

The Paradox Hotel by Rob Hart
Ballantine Books / February 2022

Adult Fiction, Technological, Thrillers
More Reviews from Fountain Bookstore

A crazy time-travel novel that is also a meditation on loss. The main character is mourning the loss of her lover as she tries to hold on to her job as “time cop” that is also frying her brain. I really loved this story with its many and varied villains and exploration of what regular time travel would do to the human brain. The protagonist keeps up her work to catch glimpses of the woman she loves in the form of kind of time-ghosts in the hotel where she works for wealthy people who go back in time and try to mess it up for sport and profit. Sometimes our biggest villains are ourselves as she learns while pushing away the people remaining in her life who wish to help.

Reviewed by Kelly Justice, Fountain Bookstore in Richmond, Virginia

Read This Next!

Books on the horizon: Forthcoming favorites from Southern indies…

Delilah Green Doesn’t Care by Ashley Herring Blake
Berkley / February 2022

Adult Fiction, LGBTQ+, Romance, Romantic Comedy
More Reviews from Epilogue Books Chocolate Brews

A February 2022 Read This Next! Title

This is a truly lovely and joyful romance between two women that weaves together conversations of sacrifice, family, and friendship in such a beautiful way. Delilah and Claire are true champions of queer joy, and it was wonderful to read a story where queer women were the only characters. With a focus on second chances in a small town, reckoning with your past, chosen family, and of course, the way falling in love can turn you inside out, folks who enjoy Louise Miller’s novels or Casey McQuiston’s One Last Stop will fall in love with Delilah and Claire.

Reviewed by Gaby Iori from Epilogue Books Chocolate Brews in Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Southern Bestsellers

What’s popular this week with Southern Readers.

Parting Thought

“Once you have read a book you care about, some part of it is always with you.”
– Louis L’Amour

Publisher: The Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance / siba@sibaweb.com
Editor: Nicki Leone / nicki@sibaweb.com
Advertising: Linda-Marie Barrett / lindamarie@sibaweb.com
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The best of southern publishing…

Carolina Built by Kianna Alexander
Gallery Books / February 2022

Adult Fiction, African American & Black, Biographical Fiction

This book is a treat, about a strong woman who embodied the post emancipation strength that coursed through many in the bright years before Jim Crow. Kianna Alexander brought the real Josephine Leary to life in her page-turning book of historical fiction that leapt off the page as Josephine became a new wife, a landowner, a business partner, a working woman creating a family life, a visionary with business dreams and eventually a real estate legend. While she built this life she encountered love, other strong women, racism, heaps of sexism, love and lots of friends. Great book!

Reviewed by Kimberly Daniels, The Country Bookshop, Southern Pines, North Carolina

About the Author:
Kianna Alexander wears many hats: doting mother, advice dispensing sister, and voracious reader. The author of more than twenty novels, she currently lives in her home state of North Carolina.

Black Cloud Rising by David Wright Faladé
Grove Press / February 2022

Adult Fiction, African American & Black, Civil War Era, Historical Fiction, Southern Fiction

I’ve never before encountered a novel to plunge me into the heart of the Civil War like this. As the War still rages, a Black Union Brigade is formed of recently freed slaves. Dick, semi-acknowledged son of a slave and her master, is an honest and eloquent observer of slave-master relations. Now he fights for Gen. Edward Wild, leading the hunt for rebel fighters as he steels himself to clash with his former master. I felt all of Dick’s emotional journey as he progressed from slave to wartime leader and beyond. The Outer Banks setting for much of the action is beautifully portrayed.

Reviewed by Rosemary Pugliese, Malaprop’s Bookstore/Cafe, Asheville, North Carolina

About the Author:
David Wright Faladé is a professor of English at the University of Illinois and the Mary Ellen von der Heyden Fellow at the New York Public Library’s Cullman Center for Scholars and Writers. He is the co-author of the young adult novel Away Running and author of the nonfiction book Fire on the Beach: Recovering the Lost Story of Richard Etheridge and the Pea Island Lifesavers, which was a New Yorker notable selection and a St. Louis-Dispatch Best Book of 2001. The recipient of the Zora Neale Hurston/Richard Wright Award, he has written for the New Yorker, the Village Voice, the Southern Review, Newsday, and more.

You Don’t Know Us Negroes by Zora Neale Hurston
Amistad / January 2022

Adult Nonfiction, African American & Black, Essays, Literary Collections

The gift of Zora Neale Hurston and her multifaceted works shine beyond decades. You Don’t Know Us Negroes and Other Essays covers the timelessness of her work. Zora Neale Hurston’s work holds an essential space in piecing the histories of America and the visibility of the lives of Black Folk. Hurston honors the language, spirit, and progressive movements that are exhibited in our history and heritage. This book gives us a deeper understanding of Hurston and her legacy.

Reviewed by Jasmine from Cafe Noir, in Memphis, Tennessee

About the Author:
Zora Neale Hurston (1891–1960) was a novelist, folklorist, dramatist, ethnographer, and cultural anthropologist. Her many books include Jonah’s Gourd Vine; Mules and Men; Seraph on the Suwanee; Moses, Man of the Mountain; The Collected Stories; Every Tongue Got to Confess; Barracoon; and Dust Tracks on a Road. She is also the author of the bestselling classic Their Eyes Were Watching God.

Libertie by Kaitlyn Greenidge
Algonquin Books / February 2022

Adult Fiction, African American & Black, Coming of Age, Feminist, Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction

Readers will be stunned by the force of Kaitlyn Greenidge’s latest novel. Set in Brooklyn during the Civil War era and the turbulent times after, the voice of Libertie Sampson describes her unique childhood as the freeborn daughter of a Black, widowed female doctor. Libertie’s mother has aspirations for her daughter to follow her path and join her in her practice. Two things prevent Libertie from choosing this course: her darker skin tone lessens her level of acceptance in the community and she doesn’t have the aptitude for medicine. Rather than face her mother’s disappointment, she marries a Haitian doctor and leaves the country with him. She finds herself lonelier than ever in this tumultuous island country. This is a highly immersive and unforgettable literary accomplishment.

Reviewed by Damita Nocton, The Country Bookshop, Southern Pines, North Carolina

About the Author:
Kaitlyn Greenidge‘s debut novel, We Love You, Charlie Freeman, was one of the New York Times Critics’ Top 10 Books of 2016 and a finalist for the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize. She is a contributing writer for the New York Times and the features director at Harper’s Bazaar, and her writing has also appeared in Vogue, Glamour, the Wall Street Journal, and elsewhere. She is the recipient of a Hodder Fellowship from Princeton University’s Lewis Center for the Arts, as well as fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation, the Whiting Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, Substack, and the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study. Greenidge lives in Massachusetts. Her second novel, Libertie, is available now.

Spotlight on: The Violin Conspiracy by Brendan Slocumb

"As a young Black man growing up in North Carolina and learning to play violin, I’d been put down and discouraged in every way imaginable from pretty much everyone. I was a skinny nerd; I was wasting my time. Quit playing that violin; go join the military. No other Black kid in my high school played violin, let alone classical music. But there was always at least one person, one encouraging voice, to keep me going. I was very lucky in that I always had a mentor, someone to look up to—or sometimes just someone who was happy that I was happy doing what I loved. "—Brendan Slocumb (via Lithub)

What booksellers are saying about The Violin Conspiracy

• Beautifully brilliant, utterly original, and completely inspired, Brendan Slocumb authored one of my new favorite novels. The book touches on everything- race, dreams, doubt, love, mystery. I was hanging onto every word, desperately invested in Ray’s story, a young Black man who just wants to play his violin living in a world set to see him fail. The writing will have you rooting for Ray, getting angry on his behalf, crying with him, triumphing with him. ― Laney Sheehan from Epilogue Books Chocolate Brews in Chapel Hill, NC
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• 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. 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! ―Mary Patterson from The Little Bookshop in Midlothian, VA
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• The Violin Conspiracy is listed as a mystery – and while the theft of a 10-million-dollar violin is at the heart of the book the story is so much more than the theft and who stole it. It is about music and how someone who is a true musician can forget the terrible things around him and just live for the music. It is a story about the violin itself and what it meant to a poor slave boy who was subjected to horrors we can’t imagine. And most of all it is the story of Ray and how his grandmother, his violin, his mentor, and those few who believed a young black boy could become a famous classical violinist helped him to become the man and the musician he came to be.   ―Nancy McFarlane from Fiction Addiction in Greenville, SC
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About Brendan Slocumb

Brendan Nicholaus Slocumb was raised in Fayetteville, North Carolina, and holds a degree in music education (with concentrations in violin and viola) from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. For more than twenty years he has been a public and private school music educator and has performed with orchestras throughout Northern Virginia, Maryland, and Washington, DC. He is currently working on his second novel.

The Last Suspicious Holdout by Ladee Hubbard
Amistad / March 2022

Adult Fiction, African American & Black, Literary Fiction

“I loved these interconnected stories. They are fiercely intelligent, warm in their own way, and absolutely absorbing. Hubbard has a deft sense of character and community and I really enjoyed piecing together the connections between the collection’s characters. Excellent excellent excellent.” -Roxane Gay

.

About the Author:
Ladee Hubbard is the author of The Rib King and The Talented Ribkins, which received the 2018 Ernest J. Gaines Award for Literary Excellence and the Hurston/Wright Legacy Award for Debut Fiction. Her writing has appeared in Guernica, the Times Literary Supplement, Copper Nickel, and Callaloo. She is a recipient of the Berlin Prize and was recently named a Harvard Radcliffe Fellow. She is also won a 2016 Rona Jaffe Foundation Writers’ Award and has received fellowships from the MacDowell Colony, Art Omi, the Sacatar Foundation, the Sustainable Arts Foundation, Hedgebrook, and the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts. Born in Massachusetts and raised in the U.S. Virgin Islands and Florida, Hubbard currently lives in New Orleans with her husband and three children.

Parting Thought

"I write for young girls of color, for girls who don’t even exist yet, so that there is something there for them when they arrive. I can only change how they live, not how they think. "
― Ntozake Shange

Publisher: The Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance / siba@sibaweb.com
Editor: Nicki Leone / nicki@sibaweb.com
Advertising: Linda-Marie Barrett / lindamarie@sibaweb.com
The Southern Bookseller Review is a project of the Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance, in support of independent bookstores in the South | SIBA | 51 Pleasant Ridge Drive | Asheville, NC 28805

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Recommended by Southern indies…

The Swimmers by Julie Otsuka
Knopf / February 2022

Adult Fiction, Literary Fiction
More Reviews from E. Shaver, bookseller

So, this book made me cry on the airplane. A ode to swimming, routine, kindness, and what it is like to fall into dementia, to love someone with dementia, and to loose that person as they lose themselves. A beautifully written meditation on the difficulties of a mother/ daughter relationship.

Reviewed by Jessica Osborne, E. Shaver bookseller in Savannah, Georgia

Bookseller Buzz

Spotlight on: How to Be Perfect by Michael Schur

"I’ve spent five years on this show about moral philosophy, so I learned a lot about intention. Intention does matter. There’s a difference between someone intending to hurt someone and someone intending to be funny and make a joke and it going horribly wrong and miscalculating. But we have to be better at understanding that the things we say, regardless of their intention, can be really hurtful and can contribute to this ongoing problem of people feeling disrespected and less than and everything else…intention isn’t the only thing that matters. "—Michael Schur (via Vulture)

What booksellers are saying about How to Be Perfect

• This is an only partially tongue-in-cheek guide to being a better person. The creator of
  television’s The Good Place revisits the classic ethics dilemmas and helps us understand
  why being a good person is a complicated, but achievable, goal. ― Anne Peck from Righton Books in St Simons Island, GA
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• From the creator of The Good Place comes a tongue-in-cheek guide to being a good person. This is a whirlwind trip through philosophy that highlights teachers from all over the world, pleasantly balanced with non-Western ideals in addition to the familiar Greeks and Europeans. By the end you will be armed with tools to make real-life decisions. Perhaps the most moving part of the book was the letter at the end to his 10 and 12 year old children in which he boils down the entire book into concepts even the youngest human can understand. ―Kelly Justice from Fountain Books in Richmond, VA
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• Michael Schur’s work always leaves you wanting more, and with this book he gives us another taste of The Good Place. Brimming with his signature wit, humor, and awareness, this book is an accessible entry point to philosophy for the pop culturistas like me. Schur knows how daunting it can be to read philosophy (he had to do it for years for research!l); his approaching masterfully breaks down the walls between philosophical ideas and the average reader. I’m thrilled to finally say I’ve read philosophy!   ―Lauren Kean from Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, NC
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About Michael Schur

Michael Schur is a television writer and producer who has worked on shows like The Office, Master of None, The Comeback, and Hacks, and created or cocreated Parks and Recreation, Brooklyn 99, The Good Place, and Rutherford Falls. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife Jennifer, and their two kids, William and Ivy.

Only a Monster by Vanessa Len
HarperTeen / February 2022

Fantasy, Young Adult
More Reviews from Story on the Square

Only A Monster uses my favorite type of time travel device (the fixed timeline) to craft an incredible tale spanning decades and centuries. I felt like I was right alongside Joan, trying to unravel the mysteries of the monster world. The idea of these sort of monsters moving throughout our world is a fascinating, if terrifying, one, and I was immediately intrigued. I wasn’t sold on the story right away, but the monster mystery was enough to keep me hooked until I really fell in love with the story itself. The world feels well-developed and larger than Joan and Aaron and our protagonists, and you get a distinct sense that a lot is going on in the “normal” world, while we see only a small fraction where we’ve chosen to focus our lens. Only A Monster is both heartbreaking and spellbinding, leaving you breathless for a happy ending. Will you get one? Only time will tell!

Reviewed by Kate Wilder, Story on the Square in McDonough, Georgia

The Eye Test by Chris Jones
 Twelve / January 2022

Adult Nonfiction, Creative Ability, Psychology
More Reviews from Parnassus Books

Jones looks back on a career of studying fascinating individuals for his journalism, and in doing so reveals a truth he’s learned: analytics are helpful, but human passion, experience, and imagination are the things that count in the end. A great storyteller, Jones’s subjects include doctors, sports figures, entertainers, writers, cops, scientists, businesspeople, and more. He found that effective specialists learn, watch, and then act in a way that pushes society towards being better. They use both expertise and their minds. Models and formulas help with this, but they are limited because they rely on what has happened before. Sometimes new and crazy things happen; then they’re kind of useless. My favorite quote: “We do our best work when we remember our humanity, especially when it’s hard to remember it.”

Reviewed by Sissy Gardner, Parnassus Books in Nashville, Tennessee

The Year We Learned to Fly by Jacqueline Woodson, Rafael López
Nancy Paulsen Books / January 2022

African American & Black, Children, People & Places, United States
More Reviews from The Country Bookshop

When the world is too boring or too hard or too angry for them, a brother and sister are reminded by their very wise grandmother that somewhere in the world somebody else felt the same way. This stunningly illustrated (by Rafael López) masterpiece from Jacqueline Woodson, former Ambassador for Children’s Literature, highlights the power of the imagination and encourages young readers to believe in something, leave troubles behind, and imagine a better world.

Reviewed by Angie Tally, The Country Bookshop in Southern Pines, North Carolina

Silent Parade by Keigo Higashino
Minotaur Books / December 2021

Adult Fiction, Mystery & Detective, Police Procedural
More Reviews from Bookmarks

Detective Galileo is back in another compelling puzzle-box mystery from the great Keigo Higashino. Whether you are a big fan of the series or a newcomer, Silent Parade is a excellent entry point into these engrossing mysteries. Set in Tokyo, a murder suspect has been able to avoid conviction twice because of lack on concrete evidence. Now the murder suspect has turned up dead during the community’s annual parade and Galileo is on the case to finally uncover the truth. Methodical, full of wonderful characters and an excellent sense of place, Silent Parade is a winning mystery experience.

Reviewed by Kate Storhoff, Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, North Carolina

Read This Next!

Books on the horizon: Forthcoming favorites from Southern indies…

Funny Farm by Laurie Zaleski
St. Martin’s Press / February 2022

Adult Nonfiction, Animal Rights, Biography & Autobiography, Environmentalists & Naturalists, Nature, Pets
More Reviews from Bookmiser

A February 2022 Read This Next! Title

Once you open this book, this story will never leave your heart. Laurie Zalenski tells of her mother’s love as the family escapes an abusive husband and father and attempts life with zero money. As the family scrapes by, they adopt and care for others including neglected animals. The love of people and animals shine on every page as the tale leads to the Funny Farm and the 600 abused and neglected animals that thrive on the New Jersey farm. You will fall in love with Laurie, the many animals, and the book as you plan your trip to see for yourself the Funny Farm.

Reviewed by Nancy Pierce from Bookmiser, Inc. in Marietta, Georgia

Southern Bestsellers

What’s popular this week with Southern Readers.

Parting Thought

“So long as I have questions to which there are no answers, I shall go on writing.”
– Clarice Lispector, The Hour of the Star

Publisher: The Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance / siba@sibaweb.com
Editor: Nicki Leone / nicki@sibaweb.com
Advertising: Linda-Marie Barrett / lindamarie@sibaweb.com
The Southern Bookseller Review is a project of the Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance, in support of independent bookstores in the South | SIBA | 51 Pleasant Ridge Drive | Asheville, NC 28805