The Southern Bookseller Review 3/19/24
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The week of March 12, 2024 A book for every reader.
Avid Bookshop in Athens, Georgia recently demonstrated their commitment to every reader in their community when they filed a first amendment lawsuit against the Gwinnett County Jail System because it would not allow shipments from the store to prisoners: "In May of 2023, Avid was approached by customers who requested that Avid mail books to an individual residing at the Gwinnett County Jail. The Jail rejected Avid’s book shipments on the basis that Avid was not an “authorized retailer,” a murky descriptor that the Jail has interpreted to preclude brick-and-mortar bookstores, such as Avid, from communicating with Gwinnett County Jail inmates by sending them books." "Incarcerated people have a right to books and we as independent booksellers should be able share our love of reading with them," writes Luis Correa, Operations Manager at Avid. It is the position of the store that the Gwinnett County Jail System’s vague policy of "authorized retailers" is an unconstitutional prior restraint on freedom of speech. Read more about the lawsuit and Avid Bookshop’s mission to support the readers in their community. Read This Now | Read This Next | Book Buzz | The Bookseller Directory |
The tag line for The Southern Book Review is "A Book for Every Reader." It is a philosophy independent booksellers live by — that no matter what kind of reader you are, there is a book out there that will reach you, will speak to you. A bookseller’s job is not simply to sell books. It is to put the right book into the hands of every reader. It is, perhaps, less of a job and more of a vocation.|
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Read This Now! Recommended by Southern indies… |
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Clear by Carys Davies Adult Fiction, Literary Clear is a quiet, short novel, with bite-sized chapters that lend themselves to quick reading, but the writing! Oh, the writing. Caryn Davies has written a beautiful story of survival and loneliness and resilience; set in the 1800s on a remote island between Scotland and Norway, John Ferguson — a Presbyterian minister — has been sent on a mission to clear the island of its last inhabitant. Davies took her sparse cast of characters in directions I wasn’t expecting, and I feel I’ll be thinking of them for years to come. (For fans of The Vaster Wilds.) Reviewed by Annie Jones, The Bookshelf in Thomasville, Georgia |
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Bookseller Buzz |
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Spotlight on: Like Happiness by Ursula Villarreal-Moura 
I wanted to tell the story of a woman who sometimes wasn’t even the main character of her own life. I think it’s an idea that might resonate with other women of color: We live in a society that values men over women, children over mothers, and white people over people of color. Through fiction, I wanted to explore how that sort of hierarchy devalues women of color and how that shapes a life. What booksellers are saying about Like Happiness 
Ursula Villarreal-Moura was born and raised in San Antonio, Texas. She is the author of Math for the Self-Crippling, a flash fiction collection. Like Happiness is her first novel. |
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She’s Not Sorry by Mary Kubica Adult Fiction, Domestic, Thrillers Mary Kubica is probably one of the nicest and sweetest people you will meet. How she can write page-turning thrillers so well is beyond me. She doesn’t disappoint in this new one at all. Meghan is a divorced mom of a teenage daughter who works long shifts as an ICU nurse. That job alone can weigh you down with stress. Add raising a daughter in a tiny apartment and worrying about her and finances in this world, and you can understand Meghan’s anxiety. Now, though, a woman comes under her care after a bad accident. The girl’s life was in disarray, and her grief-stricken parents hadn’t spoken to her in a long time. Will she wake up? Will she remember the minutes leading up to when she may have been pushed? What is the backstory between the two? I had no idea what was going to happen and gasped out loud when I found out. This book will be huge! Reviewed by Suzanne Lucey, Page 158 Books in Wake Forest, North Carolina |
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There’s Always This Year by Hanif Abdurraqib Adult Nonfiction, African American & Black Studies, American, Basketball, Biography & Autobiography, Ethnic Studies, Memoir, Social Science, Sports & Recreation Hanif Abdurraqib’s newest book focuses his signature poetic lyricism and prescient cultural criticism on yes, basketball, but also on so much more. Abdurraqib asks his reader to consider what it means to "make it," who gets to achieve that success, and if that success could be considered worth it. Perhaps most poignant, to me, is the way that Abdurraqib weaves personal history with the narrative of city, team, and people. So yes, let us sit and commiserate, and let us share what we can in these pages for the time we have. Reviewed by Mikey LaFave, Avid Bookshop in Athens, Georgia |
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Under This Red Rock by Mindy McGinnis Crime, Thrillers & Suspense, Young Adult Fiction Mindy McGinnis has a way of taking contemporary and turning it so thrilling that I forget that I’m reading contemporary and think it’s fantasy because it’s so exciting. Neely is painfully relatable with her mental health struggles. Her desire to hide her problems from those she loves and her "rules" for coping will strike anyone who’s ever struggled with mental health, even if it’s not the same as hers. The story hits the ground running and doesn’t stop. I couldn’t eat, sleep, or do anything but read this book as soon as I started it. My heart raced with adrenaline every second I was reading it. Reviewed by Katlin Kerrison, Story on the Square in McDonough, Georgia |
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The Mystery of Locked Rooms by Lindsay Currie Children, Juvenile Fiction, Mysteries & Detective Stories For anyone who wants to experience the mystery and suspense of an escape room, this book is for them. I was on the edge of my seat rooting for the "Deltas" to figure out clues as they frantically searched for a treasure in the funhouse. Reviewed by Judith Lafitte, Octavia Books in New Orleans, Louisiana |
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Food School by Jade Armstrong Comics & Graphic Novels, Eating Disorders, Literary Fool School tells the story of a non-binary person going through a three-month recovery for their binge-eating disorder. Shows the struggles in their relationships, the friends they make in the program, and overall while starting to fully recover. Must read, fast book, cute graphics, not too heavy (told in a comedic way, but still tasteful). Trigger warnings for Eating Disorders 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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We Are Okay by Nina LaCour Banned Books, Bereavement, Death, Friendship, Grief, LGBTQ+, Young Adult Fiction In We Are Okay Nina LaCour carefully reveals Marin’s grief and coming of age with depth and clarity. LaCour’s work is striking and memorable, with a singular attention to detail and arresting emotional honesty. This novel is beautifully executed and will resonate with every one of its readers. Reviewed by Johanna Albrecht, McIntyre’s Books in Pittsboro, North Carolina |
Southern Bestsellers What’s popular this week with Southern Readers. |
[ See the full list ] |
Parting Thought “He that loves reading has everything within his reach.” |
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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 3/19/24 Read More »
Bess Kalb is an Emmy-nominated comedy writer and the bestselling author of Nobody Will Tell You This but Me, a New York Times Editor’s Choice. She wrote for eight years on Jimmy Kimmel Live! and has written for the Emmy Awards, the Academy Awards, and the 2020 Democratic National Convention. She is the head writer and executive producer of the WGA Award-nominated Yearly Departed, and is currently adapting Nobody Will Tell You This but Me into a feature film with Sight Unseen Pictures. She lives with her husband and two boys in Brooklyn. This is her debut picture book.
Erin Kraan is a children’s book illustrator, woodcutter, and printmaker. She loves the process of carving her characters into wood and seeing how their quirky and whimsical identities come to life through the ink in the prints. Erin lives and works in Vancouver, British Columbia.
