The Southern Bookseller Review 8/27/24
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The week of August 27, 2024 Read This Next! Kids: Forthcoming Bookseller Favorites  "Read This Next!" highlights books coming out that indie booksellers most looking forward to putting into the hands of their customers. Here is a "sneak peak" of the books on the Young Readers list for September and October. The full list will be published on the SBR websites on September 1st. The Sherlock Society by James Ponti Taxi Ghost by Sophie Escabasse The Beautiful Game by Yamile Saied Méndez When the World Tips Over by Jandy Nelson Bog Myrtle by Sid Sharp When Black Girls Dream Big by Tanisia Moore, Robert Paul (illus.) 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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Beautiful Dreamers by Minrose Gwin Adult Fiction, Southern With Beautiful Dreamers, Minrose Gwin firmly establishes herself among the masters of Southern literature. I treasured the experience of reading this heartbreaking yet perfectly crafted tale, with sensitively wrought characters straight out of a Tennessee Williams play and a picturesque Mississippi setting to boot. Reviewed by Emily Liner, Friendly City Books in Columbus, Mississippi |
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The Spy by James Phelan Adult Fiction, Espionage, Fiction, Thrillers This book is the first in a new series featuring Jed Walker, a former deep-cover CIA operative. On Jed’s last sanctioned mission, he learns that one of the primary goals of the mission includes making sure Jed Walker does NOT survive it. He escapes only by faking his own death and then strikes out on his own to track down the forces that are trying to remove him. That final mission was to infiltrate a mysterious group known as Zodiac, who are plotting a series of devastating terrorist attacks meant to destabilize the current world order. The first of these attacks is set to go off in a little less than four days, and Jed will need to use all of his skills and resources if he is able to stop it and, at the same time, identify those who are working to have him removed. Not knowing who he can and cannot trust, Jed has to rely on his wiles and the network he had developed in his previous life as a CIA operative. The question is, can he trust these resources, or is he setting himself up for betrayal? This first in a new series is a blistering page-turner, and I can’t wait to see what comes next! Reviewed by Brent Bunnell, Fiction Addiction in Greenville, South Carolina |
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Bookseller Buzz |
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Spotlight on: The Full Moon Coffee Shop by Mai Mochizuki 
In Japan, cats are a symbol of good luck. As the myth goes, if you are kind to them, they’ll one day return the favor. "The Full Moon Coffee Shop" is the name of a peculiar cafe that is run by talking cats, which has no fixed location and instead materializes unpredictably on the night of a full moon to people who need them. The inspiration for the original stories came when Mochizuki fell in love with Chihiro Sakurada’s illustrations when she saw them on social media. Already a best-selling series in Japan, The Full Moon Coffee Shop brings several of the series together in English for the first time. What booksellers are saying about The Full Moon Coffee Shop 
Mai Mochizuki is the author of The Full Moon Coffee Shop and winner of the Everystar Ebook Grand Prix. She is a member of the Japan Mystery Writers Association and the Unconventional Mystery Writers Club. |
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Silken Gazelles by Jokha Alharthi Adult Fiction, Arabian Peninsula, Fiction, Middle East, World Literature This shattered my poor heart into a million pieces. The third Alharthi novel I’ve read, and now, my favorite. Easily the most insightful novel on female friendship of the decade. Perfect for Ferrante and Rooney fans, for anyone who’s lost a friend and searched for her in every shadow of their life. A haunting and dazzling story. Reviewed by Emily Tarr, Thank You Books in Birmingham, Alabama |
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That Librarian by Amanda Jones Activism & Social Justice, Adult Nonfiction, Biography & Autobiography, Education, Inclusive Education, Memoirs, Social Activists Reviewing That Librarian is a tad unfair because I have worked with Amanda Jones for years, but that being said, I genuinely did not know how bad things had been for her, and this memoir is an urgent call for decorum as much as it is one against censorship. But first, let’s backtrack. This is a memoir and a call to action. Jones is a librarian in the Deep South whose argument at a public library meeting in favor of following standard library procedure in reporting possible content issues within the library was used as a cudgel to attack librarians and educators who wanted to maintain library norms. They were threatened and abused in both public and private. Jones and other librarians within my parish had their characters relentlessly attacked online by groups ostensibly acting to protect childhood innocence. That Librarian not only chronicles these online shenanigans but Jones’ career and journey to award-winning librarianship as well as the toll these character assassinations took on her personally and professionally. Jones moves through her own political education as well as religious conviction as she engages the legal system in an ongoing defamation case against the folks who repeatedly insist she is actively working to groom children sexually despite all evidence to the contrary. Amanda Jones’ story is one filled with humor and heart (and a healthy dose of snark) that will enlighten and infuriate you, but don’t worry, she ends her story with two messages: ways in which you can work to fight censorship in your own community and the mantra “don’t let anyone dull your sparkle.“ That Librarian is a powerful, truth-telling memoir that is strongly of the moment, and it absolutely deserves your time and attention. Reviewed by Michelle Cavalier, Cavalier House Books in Denham Springs, Louisiana |
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The White Guy Dies First by Terry J. Benton-Walker Collections & Anthologies, Short Stories, Young Adult Fiction A cathartic, hair-raising, gruesome, and sometimes delightfully campy collection of horror stories by authors of color. Featuring a slasher prom committee, a Wendigo curse, a sapphic demon slayer, and a post-apocalyptic water world, this YA collection of stories is wildly bloody and entertaining. Reviewed by Joshua Lambie, Underground Books in Carrollton, Georgia |
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Fowl Play by Kristin O’Donnell Tubb Childrens, Juvenile Fiction, Mysteries & Detective Stories After the death of her BFF Uncle Will, Chloe inherits his African Gray Parrot (Charlie). But not is all it seems as Charlie starts repeating words like "Call 911" and "Murder." Chloe convinces herself that Uncle Will has been murdered and begins an investigation. As Chloe and her family uncover clues, the investigation leads them to meeting a cast of unusual suspects, including Boring Boris, George Jones (not the country music singer), and Jaws. Fowl Play will have you quickly turning the pages as the case slowly unravels to reveal the uncomfortable truth about accepting the death of someone you love. A powerful, quirky story of grief, healing, and the magic of laughter. Carpe Diem! Reviewed by Jenny Gilroy, E. Shaver Bookseller in Savannah, Georgia |
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The Night Librarian: A Graphic Novel by Christopher Lincoln Comics & Graphic Novels, Fairy Tales, Folklore, Juvenile Fiction, Legends & Mythology What if the characters in your books wanted out? Especially the characters in those prized collections that had been cooped up for far too long? I loved seeing these books come to life as twins Page and Turner try to get back their father’s prized Dracula first edition that gets lost in the NY Public library. Loved the focus on family relationships. Reviewed by Morgan DePerno, Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, North Carolina |
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Decide for Yourself Books that appear on PEN America’s list of challenged books. |
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Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me by Mariko Tamaki Banned Books, Comics & Graphic Novels, Young Adult Fiction "What is it like to love this person who keeps breaking up with you, and then presumably coming back to you?" That is the question Freddy is constantly asking herself as Laura Dean breaks her heart again, and again. This graphic novel is a great read for anyone looking for more LGBTQIA content or wanting to start reading graphic novels. Reviewed by Jamie Kovacs, Flyleaf Books in Chapel Hill, North Carolina |
Southern Bestsellers What’s popular this week with Southern Readers. |
[ See the full list ] |
Parting Thought “To learn to read is to light a fire; every syllable that is spelled out is a spark.” |
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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 8/27/24 Read More »
The weekly Southern indie bestseller list represents books sold at independent bookshops in the Southeastern US. If reflects, but does not mirror, national bestseller lists; the Southern Indie list always has its own unique flavor. Indie booksellers have their own favorites, and those books often show up on the indie lists. The 
