The Southern Bookseller Review 5/27/25
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The week of May 27, 2025 Meet Charleston’s Philosophers & Fools Bookstore by Candice Huber, SIBA Membership Coordinator  Philosophers & Fools is a cozy neighborhood bookstore bar in Charleston, SC where there’s a story for just about everything in the shop. The shop is fairly new, having opened in March 2024 following a successful Kickstarter campaign, and they say the best thing about having the store is the community they’re creating and the space they provide, which is built to be a “third space.” The shop created an event called “Extra Credit,” where each month they invite a professor from the College of Charleston to present a talk. The event has become popular and has tapped into a community want for learning. Folks stay after the talk to discuss what they just learned. The store also works with many community partners, including the Charleston Literary Festival and Halsey Contemporary Art Institute. "Getting to talk to people about books and sharing stories over a glass of wine is a joy" Besides books, co-owners Jenny Ferrara and Michael Bourke have an interest in sustainably grown, natural, organic wine and craft beer, so they gave the bookstore a bar as well. For Jenny and Michael, getting to talk to people about books and sharing stories over a glass of wine is a joy. This year, their goal is to continue to widen awareness about the shop, build community, and expand in-store programming. You can follow Philosophers & Fools at @philosophersandfoolschs to keep up with their journey and visit their website at www.philosophersandfools.com.
Read This Now | Read This Next | Book Buzz | The Bookseller Directory |
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Read This Now! Recommended by Southern indies… |
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Outside Mom, Inside Mom by Jane Park Asian American & Pacific Islander, Children, Juvenile Fiction I think this is a picture book that a lot of kids will relate to. It’s natural for people to be their true selves — their "inside" selves — while in the comfort of their own homes. I think many parents will identify with the mom in the story as they examine the ways in which they also have inside and outside selves to get through their days. I love how gently the author wrote this, full of love and completely absent of judgment. The child is empathetic to their mom, and I think it’s important for adults to see that, too, and know that kids are perceptive and pick up on a lot more than we give them credit for. Reviewed by Jamie Southern, Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, North Carolina |
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Along Came Amor by Alexis Daria Adult Fiction, Romance, Romantic Comedy I have never had such a sexy book hurt my feelings so much. As a Latina woman, Alexis Daria writes the most relatable characters, and it makes me love her stories even more. Ava is one of the best characters I have ever read. She is beautiful and wonderfully flawed that I knew from the beginning that she was my favorite prima. And Roman….. This man is 10/10 , the best, green flags all around, top tier. Heart-wrenching, relatable, and absolutely delicious, this was one of my favorite reads of the year. Reviewed by Mekhala Villegas-Rogers, Tombolo Books in St Petersburg, Florida |
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Off Your Game by Susan Renee Adult Fiction, Romance, Sports Come on. I thought I was off hockey Romance. Who was I kidding? I freaking loved this one. Literally read it in 8 hours. Super quick. Super steamy. Fantastic chemistry. It does have a third-act breakup, so keep that in mind. Overall, a fun read. Looking forward to the rest of the series! Reviewed by Amy Jones, As The Page Turns in Travelers Rest, South Carolina |
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Bookseller Buzz |
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Food Person by Adam Roberts
― Adam Roberts, Interview, OutSFL What booksellers are saying about Food Person by Adam Roberts 
Adam Roberts is the author of The Amateur Gourmet, Secrets of the Best Chefs, and Give My Swiss Chards to Broadway. He started his food blog The Amateur Gourmet in 2004, and also hosts the podcast Lunch Therapy. Roberts has also written for The Washington Post and The Los Angeles Times, and for film and television. He lives in Brooklyn with his husband and their dog Winston. Food Person is his first novel. |
I could spend years in a cookbook shop and never get bored. Where do I begin? I love the weirdness of cookbooks; how they capture the larger culture of a specific time-period and tell the tale through the prism of food. Take, for example, one of my cookbook treasures: The Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous Cookbook by Robin Leach. It’s a time capsule of the eighties — glass block, Dynasty-style hairdos, Brooke Shields — and the food is as awful as the fashion. Or another favorite: A Treasury of Great Recipes by Vincent and Mary Price, a collection of all the menus that the famous horror maestro and his wife collected over their world travels in the ‘40s and ‘50s and the meals that they hosted for their friends in their exquisite Hollywood home. If I could jump into the pages of a cookbook, it might be that one. |
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The Bible Says So by Dan McClellan Biblical Criticism & Interpretation, Religion Immensely informative with a touch of wry humor sprinkled in his examinations, McClellan offers up an in-depth exploration of biblical text and how it’s (mis)interpreted in today’s society. Stripped away are faith-based arguments as we’re led through the etymology and historical context of many prevalent passages. A wondrous read for the faithful and the skeptical without vitriol towards those of differing opinions. Reviewed by Nath Mayes, Carmichael’s Bookstore in Louisville, Kentucky |
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This Moth Saw Brightness by A. A. Vacharat Neurodiversity, Young Adult Fiction This wild ride of a YA novel follows (D)Wayne, a high school student invited as a participant in a bizarre experiment that may or may not be part of an undercover government plot. Sort of a Mysterious Benedict Society meets the Tuskegee experiment, this quirky tale tosses together a mix of family dynamics, neurodivergent challenges, and teen drama with some Andrew Smith-ish humor thrown in for spice. I couldn’t put this one down. Reviewed by Angie Tally, The Country Bookshop in Southern Pines, North Carolina |
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Is a River Alive? by Robert Macfarlane Adult Nonfiction, Ecosystems & Habitats, Nature 
A May Read This Next! Title Nature writer par excellence Robert Macfarlane’s latest work is a treat for all the senses. In it, he visits three rivers – one in Ecuador, one in India, one in Canada; one protected, one dying, and one under threat – in search of answers to his own question: is a river alive? The result is this beautifully written work that explores the rights of nature movement and the idea that rivers are more than mere matter for human use. Drawing upon both indigenous and Western knowledge, Is a River Alive? is erudite and eloquent, intelligent and passionate, and much needed. Reviewed by Jude Burke-Lewis, Square Books in Oxford, Mississippi |
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The Aliens Do NOT Want to Go Home by Adam Gustavson Alien Contact, Childrens, Juvenile Fiction, Science Fiction There’s something so fun about playing with your friends, I wouldn’t want to go home either! These silly aliens do such a good job at illustrating a kid’s big feelings about going home. So if you have a squirmy, crabby, playtime-loving alien, try reading this book with them. Reviewed by Jamie Kovacs, Flyleaf Books in Chapel Hill, North Carolina |
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On Guard! by Cassidy Wasserman Comics & Graphic Novels, Juvenile Fiction Very cute and sweet! Happy ending that wasn’t fully resolved but going in the right direction for the main character. I learned a lot of facts about fencing, which was fun. This was a debut. I will definitely be checking out their future works! Reviewed by Stephanie St John, E. Shaver Bookseller in Savannah, Georgia |
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Decide for Yourself Books that appear on PEN America’s list of challenged books. |
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The Damned by Renée Ahdieh Banned Books, Epic, Fantasy, Paranormal, Romance, Vampires, Young Adult Fiction The Damned picks up right where The Beautiful left off and introduces a few new POVs to keep things interesting. With Bastien now a walker of the night and Celine’s memories forgotten, the intrigue and drama are thicker than ever. Bastien is determined to become better than his uncle, while his sister Emilie is back from the dead as the head of the wolves. Fans of the first won’t be disappointed with this next thrilling volume in the series. The only disappointment is having to wait for the next! Renee Ahdieh is a skilled writer who has beautifully brought back the classic vampire, along with the fey and werewolves, intertwined. This is a must read for anyone who missed the classy vampires of Anne Rice, but loved the romance of True Blood. Reviewed by Katlin Kerrison, Story on the Square in McDonough, Georgia |
Southern Bestsellers What’s popular this week with Southern Readers. |
[ See the full list ] |
Parting Thought “Storytelling reveals meaning without committing the error of defining it.” |
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Publisher:
The Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance /
siba@sibaweb.com |
SIBA | 51 Pleasant Ridge Drive | Asheville, NC 28805
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The Southern Bookseller Review 5/27/25 Read More »
Food has always been an obsession of mine, but I had never written it really into my fiction, aside from, occasionally describing what somebody was eating, describing a flavor somebody remembered. But this was the first time where, I think years of reading cookbooks, of watching cooking shows, of watching my parents cook, of cooking myself, and experiencing different flavors and different cuisines, and being really tuned into that…I think this was when all of that sort of manifested. This was my first try at writing something that felt like eating. And there were even moments where I would try to eat the foods that I was describing to get the mouth feel right…I completely invented recipes for for several of the dishes in Aftertaste that wind up being these sort of spiritual connections that can bring a spirit back. And in some cases, I would attempt to make the flavors, but in most cases, I just knew in my head what it would taste like from from just experiencing cooking and experiencing flavors. I would use that sort of intuition, also paired with what that character needed at the time. So I think one of the things in Aftertaste that happens is that the food is never just the food. The food is really evocative of a particular flavor of memory. So is it they’re sweet? Is it? Is it something that really disturbs the spirit that’s trying to come back? Is it something warm? Is it something that they’re excited to taste again? Is it a recollection that buoys them, or is it something that crushes them?
