Square Books

Fake Skating by Lynn Painter

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Fake Skating by Lynn Painter
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If you love a good “fake dating” story, you’ll be completely swept away by this charming new romance. Dani and Alec were inseparable as kids, but when Dani returns to her Minnesota hometown, she finds the nerdy boy she remembers has been replaced by the town’s hockey star. When they are forced to pretend to be a couple, their complicated charade leads to some truly swoon-worthy moments. This book perfectly captures the awkwardness and excitement of first love, proving that even in a town where hockey is king, a little romance can still take center ice.

Fake Skating by Lynn Painter, (List Price: $21.99, Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 9781665921268, September 2025)

Reviewed by Kimberly Todd, Square Books in Oxford, Mississippi

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Every Day I Read by Hwang Bo-reum

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Every Day I Read by Hwang Bo-reum
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This book is an absolute love letter to reading. It’s a perfect collection for anyone who has ever found comfort in a story, whether you’re a lifelong bibliophile or just looking to reconnect with the joy of reading. The author beautifully reminds us why the written word is so essential and opens your eyes to the universal power of books. I can’t wait to share this one with all my book-loving friends.

Every Day I Read by Hwang Bo-reum, (List Price: $27.99, Bloomsbury Publishing, 9781639737796, December 2025)

Reviewed by Kimberly Todd, Square Books in Oxford, Mississippi

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Glitter Kittens by William Joyce

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Glitter Kittens by William Joyce
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Glitter Kittens is unlike anything you’ve ever read. Imagine a world where kittens aren’t just cute, they’re practically disco balls on paws! These ‘glitter kittens’ are so blindingly shiny, they actually feel sorry for their ‘best best friends’ who, bless their non-sparkly hearts, just aren’t as ‘cool.’ But when a monster with a craving for all things that shimmer shows up, things get real. Will friendship conquer fabulousness? Or will these glittery felines become monster munchies? This book is a wild, hilarious ride that will leave you questioning the true meaning of friendship… and maybe reaching for some glitter of your own.

Glitter Kittens by William Joyce, (List Price: $19.99, Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy Books, 9781665959902, October 2025)

Reviewed by Kimberly Todd, Square Books in Oxford, Mississippi

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Next of Kin by Gabrielle Hamilton

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Next of Kin by Gabrielle Hamilton
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From the outside, Gabrielle Hamilton’s life appears to be the very measure of success – acclaimed New York restaurateur, TV star, and award-winning writer. But underneath that, as Next of Kin lays bare, is an absolute trainwreck of a family life. Having been brought up by parents who valued individualism and independence over love and care, and left to forge her own path at a remarkably young age, Hamilton subsequently became estranged from both her parents and her sister for many years – until the death by suicide of her older brother led her to re-examine the mythologies on which her family’s story was built. Compelling, compassionate, and brutally honest, Hamilton paints a vivid portrait of a family that could at times be both charismatic and cruel. If nothing else, reading Next of Kin will make you very thankful to have a normal family.

Next of Kin by Gabrielle Hamilton, (List Price: $30, Random House, 9780399590092, October 2025)

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

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Dragonborn by Struan Murray

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Dragonborn by Struan Murray
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Absolutely loved this. What a great twist for readers who love dragons but are moving on to books with heavier themes and twists. Loved the strong female lead and the perfect balance of being the new girl and learning about yourself. Honestly, probably a great read for friends who loved KPop demon hunters (I can’t think of higher praise than that!). Female lead, family secrets, welcoming the darkness within.

Dragonborn by Struan Murray, (List Price: $19.99, Dutton Books for Young Readers, 9798217113217, October 2025)

Reviewed by Stacey Sanford, Square Books in Oxford, Mississippi

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The Wayfinder by Adam Johnson

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The Wayfinder by Adam Johnson
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Epic in scope, epic in size and epic in ambition: The Wayfinder, by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Adam Johnson, is a masterful and immersive wonder of a novel, one that – despite its heft – I raced through in a matter of days. Set hundreds of years ago, at the height of the Tongan empire in the South Pacific, it focuses on two groups of people – Korero and her people, on the brink of starvation on their isolated island, and the family of the Tongan leader, engaged both in a feud amongst themselves and a wider war across the region – whose fates become intertwined across the seas. Blending myth, storytelling, and historical fact, and touching on themes of over-consumption, power, family, and individual autonomy, The Wayfinder is brilliantly realised and impeccably researched. It is a mark of Johnson’s skill that he makes a story so remote in time and geography feel wholly alive and relevant to today’s world. Highly recommended.

The Wayfinder by Adam Johnson, (List Price: $30, MCD, 9780374619572, October 2025)

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

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Replaceable You: Adventures in Human Anatomy by Mary Roach

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Replaceable You: Adventures in Human Anatomy by Mary Roach
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Mary Roach delves into the world of regenerative medicine, discussing everything from 3D-printed organs to the potential of stem cells. Not only informative, this book raises important questions about identity, mortality, and the future of medicine. Roach’s ability to blend humor with serious topics keeps readers entertained while prompting them to think critically about the implications of these technologies.

Replaceable You: Adventures in Human Anatomy by Mary Roach, (List Price: $28.99, W. W. Norton & Company, 9781324050629, September 2025)

Reviewed by Mevelyn Romay Fernandez, Square Books in Oxford, Mississippi

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To the Moon and Back by Eliana Ramage

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To the Moon and Back by Eliana Ramage
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It’s hard to believe that this multifaceted novel is a debut, given how skillfully Eliana Ramage weaves the different strands of the story. At its heart is Steph, a Queer Cherokee Nation citizen, who decides at the age of six to become an astronaut and is single-minded in her ambition, pushing away both family and girlfriends in pursuit of her goal. But To the Moon and Back is so much more than that: it’s also about Native American history, identity, and culture, about how the past – and the stories we tell ourselves about it – shapes our futures, and ultimately about family and the need for connection with others. I loved To the Moon and Back, well, to the moon and back.

To the Moon and Back by Eliana Ramage, (List Price: $30, Avid Reader Press, Simon & Schuster, 9781668065853, September 2025)

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

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Mother Mary Comes to Me by Arundhati Roy

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Mother Mary Comes to Me by Arundhati Roy
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When I moved to the US, I brought only two boxes of books with me, forcing me to choose only the most essential from the many that lined my shelves: my well-thumbed copy Arundhati Roy’s The God of Small Things was one of the precious few that made the cut. So it’s fair to say that I was predisposed to love Mother Mary Comes to Me. This extraordinary memoir is a portrait not only of Arundhati Roy’s life – from childhood in Kerala, to architecture school in Delhi, and from there to becoming an award-winning writer of both fiction and non-fiction – but also of her formidable mother, who defied convention but whose cruelty shaped her daughter’s life. Vivid, intimate and revelatory, Mother Mary Comes to Me is an absolute masterpiece, one that will stay on my shelves for years to come.

Mother Mary Comes to Me by Arundhati Roy, (List Price: $30, Scribner, 9781668094716, September 2025)

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

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When the Cranes Fly South by Lisa Ridzén

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When the Cranes Fly South by Lisa Ridzén
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Warning: this book WILL make you cry. But in a good way. When the Cranes Fly South follows the last few months in the life of Bo, an elderly man living in rural Sweden with just his pet dog, Sixten, for company. As his world becomes ever more circumscribed, Bo spends ever more time immersed in his memories — taking stock of his life, particularly his relationships with his family. Meanwhile, his days are interspersed with visits from caregivers, whose notes on Bo’s daily care form part of the novel, and visits from well-meaning family and friends. Profound, poignant, and achingly sad, When the Cranes Fly South is perfect reading for anyone who has ever loved and lost someone. In other words, all of us.

When the Cranes Fly South by Lisa Ridzén, (List Price: $18, Vintage, 9798217006731, August 2025)

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

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Is a River Alive? by Robert Macfarlane

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Is a River Alive? by Robert Macfarlane
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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.

Is a River Alive? by Robert Macfarlane, (List Price: $31.99, W. W. Norton & Company, 9780393242133, May 2025)

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

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The Girls Who Grew Big by Leila Mottley

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The Girls Who Grew Big by Leila Mottley
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The Girls Who Grew Big had me gripped from the very first page and never let me go. Set in a small coastal town in the Florida panhandle, it follows the fortunes of three young women, Adela, Emory and Simone – part of a group of teenage mothers known as The Girls – as they navigate desire, friendship, poverty, motherhood, their own ambitions and the community’s disdain for them. Told in lyrical prose, and filled with characters who positively leap off the page, The Girls Who Grew Big is shot through with the ferocity of a mother’s love, proving that Mottley’s much-feted debut Nightcrawling was no fluke.

The Girls Who Grew Big by Leila Mottley, (List Price: $28, Knopf, 9780593801123, June 2025)

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

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A Flower Traveled in My Blood by Haley Cohen Gilliland

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A Flower Traveled in My Blood by Haley Cohen Gilliland
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A Flower Traveled in My Blood is the masterful account of the Abuelas of Plaza de Mayo: women in Argentina whose children were “disappeared” by the brutal dictatorship in the mid-1970s, and whose grandchildren were stolen. The story is remarkable in many ways – not just for the tenacity of the grandmothers, who refused to give up on their missing families, but also for the way in which their struggle helped further international law and science, most notably in DNA identification. Blending painstaking research with a nuanced exploration of family ties, identity, and memory, A Flower Traveled in My Blood is heartbreaking, complex, and utterly enthralling.

A Flower Traveled in My Blood by Haley Cohen Gilliland, (List Price: $30, Gilliland, Haley Cohen, 9781668017142, July 2025)

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

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The Second Chance Convenience Store by Kim Ho-Yeon

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The Second Chance Convenience Store by Kim Ho-Yeon
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In this book a corner store is not just a place to grab milk, but a haven. For Mrs. Yeom, a retired history teacher with a heart as big as her store’s dwindling profits, it’s her lifeline. Then, a lost purse, a mysterious phone call, and a simple act of gratitude sets in motion a chain of events that will transform her little world. Enter Dok-go, a gentle giant “bear” of a man with a shadowed past, drawn to the warmth of Mrs. Yeom’s generosity and the simple comfort of a free lunch. He’s more than just a customer; he’s a silent force, a listener, a protector. But just as the store blossoms, a dark secret threatens to unravel everything, forcing Dok-go to confront the past that haunts him. The Second Chance Convenience Store isn’t just a story about a store; it’s a tender tale of found family, second chances, and the quiet miracles that happen in the most unexpected places.

The Second Chance Convenience Store by Kim Ho-Yeon, (List Price: $17.99, Harper Perennial, 9780063354777, June 2025)

Reviewed by Kimberly Todd, Square Books in Oxford, Mississippi

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The Names by Florence Knapp

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The Names by Florence Knapp
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What’s in a name? A lot – at least in Florence Knapp’s thought-provoking and assured debut novel. It’s 1987, and a young mother trapped in an abusive marriage is about to register the birth of her new son. Her controlling husband expects the child to be named after him, but she wants to give him his own identity. What follows is a Sliding Doors-esque split narrative, in which Knapp imagines three parallel futures for the child: in each one he’s given a different name, which alters the trajectory of his life. While at times The Names makes for difficult reading, there’s a beauty and tenderness at the heart of this novel that meant I couldn’t put it down.

The Names by Florence Knapp, (List Price: $30, Pamela Dorman Books, 9780593833902, May 2025)

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

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