The Southern Bookseller Review 7/2/24
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The week of July 2, 2024 Meet Tombolo Books Tombolo Books is a LGBTQ+, woman-owned bookstore in the Grand Central District of St. Petersburg, Florida. Co-owner Alsace Walentine left a career at Malaprop’s Bookstore/Cafe in Asheville, North Carolina, to move to Florida with her wife, Candice Anderson, in 2015. She noticed the lack of a bookstore community at the time in the St. Petersburg community and launched pop-ups and book clubs in 2017. Their brick-and-mortar store had only been open for three months when everything shut down for the pandemic in March 2020. Like many other stores, they survived through online orders.  Today, Tombolo offers 70+ author events each year and partners with many different community organizations for events, book clubs, book fairs, etc. They’ve run a monthly series since 2021 called “Community Conversations with the African American Heritage Association.” They also regularly work with Allendale United Methodist Church, Florida Humanities, The Foundation for a Healthy St. Petersburg, the Poet Laureate and the City of St. Petersburg for poetry events, and the Tampa Bay Times through their partnership with the Festival of Reading that happens each year. Events Coordinator Kelsey Jagneaux said, “I am really passionate about creating spaces where people can come together in an exchange of ideas. Creating that environment for people of all ages and backgrounds to feel comfortable being in community together is really important to me and to the entire staff here. Getting to channel that into bookselling is really a privilege.”  If you’re curious about the name, “tombolo” is a geographic term for a type of sandbar that connects an island to the mainland. Considering the connections that happen inside indie bookstores, it’s a very appropriate name! You can learn more about Tombolo Books on their website, and you can follow them on Instagram @tombolobooks. Read their book reviews at SBR. ―Candice Huber, Membership Coordinator, Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance 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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A Novel Love Story by Ashley Poston Adult Fiction, Paranormal, Romance This was genuinely one of the best books I have read so far this year. It felt all at once familiar and brand-new, and I found myself lost in the subtle magic of the story. I laughed out loud, I cried, I grieved, and celebrated. I enjoyed falling through every page the way Elsy fell a little bit more in love with the world around her each day. I would absolutely recommend this to anyone who has enjoyed Poston’s other books, anyone who ever wished they could live in a literal Hallmark small town, anyone learning how to do life after loss, and generally anyone who likes a well-earned and well-deserved happily ever after. 10/10! Reviewed by Jonlyn Scrogham, A Novel Romance in Louisville, Kentucky |
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Tell It to Me Singing by Tita Ramirez Adult Fiction, Hispanic & Latino 
A July Read This Next! Title The Campo family has weathered all kinds of adversity, but nothing prepares them for the secrets that the matriarch, Mirta, has been keeping. Daughter, Monica, is facing her own trials with an unexpected pregnancy and questions about her future when her mother shares life-changing information about who her father really is. Add in that Mirta is dealing with heart surgery and memory-clouding aftereffects, a father who regularly disappears when he feels threatened, and two potential suitors for Monica and you have the tender and warm family story that Tita Ramirez has created. Cuban history is deftly woven into the making of the Campo family, adding an additional layer of interest and understanding of the choices that were made. Reviewed by Julia Paganelli Marin, Pearl’s Books in Fayetteville, Arkansas |
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Bookseller Buzz |
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Spotlight on: The God of the Woods by Liz Moore 
I have a long family history in the Adirondacks. Four of my ancestors moved there in the early 1800s, lured from other parts of the northeastern United States by talk of plentiful arable land. But they soon discovered that the rocky mountain terrain there actually makes it difficult to sustain a farm, and they settled just south of the Adirondacks, where my grandmother and mother were born and raised. My grandparents did build a summer home there (much different in scale than the "great camp" in the book — ours is more like a small wooden cabin). The cabin still stands; I grew up going each summer, and I bring my own children there to this day. My personal experience of the place, along with the many spooky stories — both real and invented — my family liked to tell, informed the atmosphere of the novel. ― Liz Moore, Interview, Bookweb What booksellers are saying about The God of the Woods 
Liz Moore is the author of the New York Times bestselling novel Long Bright River, which was a Good Morning America Book Club pick and one of Barack Obama’s favorite books of the year, as well as the acclaimed novels Heft and The Unseen World. A winner of the 2014-2015 Rome Prize in Literature, she lives in Philadelphia |
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All the Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker Adult Fiction, Crime, Fiction, Thrillers I am mesmerized at how beautiful this book is. It surpasses its mystery/thriller genre into a monumental narrative told with such beauty one is left speechless by the end! Chris Whitaker’s ability to bring his characters to life and have them become family, to laugh with them and cry for them, is definitely showcased in this novel, just as it was in We Begin at the End. When young Patch and Saint became friends, neither knew what their lives had in store. When Patch saves Misty from a killer and ends up the kidnapper/serial killer’s prisoner for months, Saint saves his life after spending countless hours searching for her best friend. The story does not end there, as it spans for two decades of twists and turns, and love and loyalty. This is a story that will not soon be forgotten. Reviewed by Sharon Davis, Book Bound Bookstore in Blairsville, Georgia |
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Cats Just Know by M.H. Clark Adult Nonfiction, Cats, Essays & Narratives, Family & Relationships, Friendship, Pets Oh my god, this is just simply cute. If you know me in real life, you know that I am THE cat lady. So naturally, I love this book. The animations were SO cute, I loved the color palette, and of course, the cats. It didn’t take me long after finishing this book to go hug all my cats because they are just so dang cute, and I love them so much. Reviewed by Stephanie St. John, E. Shaver bookseller in Savannah, Georgia |
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The Female of the Species by Mindy McGinnis Psychological, Thrillers & Suspense, Young Adult Fiction The Female of the Species is a brutal and honest look at human nature, revenge, and rape culture. Through the perspectives of three different characters, McGinnis explores how there isn’t always a clear right or wrong in any given situation. Alex is a captivating and interesting character. She is full of depth and is well-balanced by the characters of Jack and Claire. All three characters were flawed, but that’s what made them feel real. The ending was heartbreaking, but it also felt like the only natural conclusion and the catalyst for everything that had been building up over the course of the novel. The Female of the Species is a quick read that will have you considering your own morality and just what you might be capable of. Reviewed by Emma Tara, E. Shaver bookseller in Savannah, Georgia |
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Ruby’s Tools for Making Friends by Apryl Stott Children, Friendship, Juvenile Fiction My favorite kind of picture book is one set in a classroom of both humans and anthropomorphic animals. This book is adorable as it tells the story of Ruby the fox starting a new school and trying to use her skills to make new friends. Turns out friends don’t like you just for your skills — they like you for you! Reviewed by Kate Storhoff, 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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The Grief Keeper by Alexandra Villasante Banned Books, Emigration & Immigration, LGBTQ+, Romance, Science Fiction, Young Adult The Grief Keeper is an incredibly unique and powerful debut novel; my heart is still in my throat even a day after finishing it. Marisol is a wonderful character, and her journey to and in America, as an immigrant and grief keeper will captivate you. I really enjoyed the unique premise of grief keeping and Villasante’s careful but frank investigation of what it truly means for a human being to be illegal. Reviewed by Cristina Russell, Books & Books in Coral Gables, Florida |
Southern Bestsellers What’s popular this week with Southern Readers. |
[ See the full list ] |
Parting Thought “Reading and life are not separate but symbiotic. And for this serious task of imaginative discovery and self-discovery, there is and remains one perfect symbol: the printed book. ” |
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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 7/2/24 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 
Click on the book title to read more and, if you just can’t wait, to order from the indie bookstore that feels just like you do.
To honor Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, the lead review in each SBR newsletter for the month of May will feature an Asian, Asian American, or Pacific Islander author.
The month ahead is full of buzz-worthy books. Yes, we always say that — promoting the buzz-worthy books is the reason for SBR’s monthly Read This Next! list. But it is especially true of the May list, where some of the books have not just several, but over a dozen VERY enthusiastic reviews.
