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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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Kate in Waiting by Becky Albertalli

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Kate in Waiting by Becky Albertalli
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A modern high school rom-com in signature Albertalli fashion. As the fall musical approaches, Kate and her best friend, Anderson, want nothing more than to finally have their time in the spotlight. However, complications arise when their communal summer crush transfers to Roswell High and auditions for the musical. A dramatic and humorous coming-of-age tale centered around first crushes and the relationships that matter most. Kate in Waiting is sure to deliver all the warm and fuzzy feelings.

Kate in Waiting by Becky Albertalli, (List Price: $12.99, HarperCollins, 9780062643841, July 2022)

Reviewed by Asia Harden, Square Books in Oxford, Mississippi

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The Pretender by Jo Harkin

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The Pretender by Jo Harkin
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The Pretender is an absolute blast. In a similar vein to writers such as Maggie O’Farrell or Hilary Mantel, Jo Harkin has taken a footnote from the history books – in this case Lambert Simnel, a 15th-century pretender to the English throne – and from it created a character and story that just leaps off the page. It’s bawdy, earthy, irreverent and witty, and I absolutely loved it.

The Pretender by Jo Harkin, (List Price: $30, Knopf, 9780593803301, April 2025)

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

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The Flitting by Ben Masters

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The Flitting by Ben Masters
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The Flitting is a work of pure magic. After his father receives a terminal cancer diagnosis during the early days of the pandemic, Masters spends the summer chasing butterflies as a way to connect with his ailing parent while he still can. Blending memoir and literary commentary with stories of Masters’ own encounters with butterflies, The Flitting is a beautifully written reminder of the importance of accepting others as they are, and of the wonders of nature. You may never look at a butterfly the same way after reading this.

The Flitting by Ben Masters, (List Price: $18.95, Tin House Books, 9781959030812, October 2024)

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

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The Hotel Balzaar by Kate DiCamillo

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The Hotel Balzaar by Kate DiCamillo
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Deep in the land of Norendy is the Hotel Balzaar where Marta and her mother live, waiting for Marta’s father to return from the war. Marta’s life is quiet and dull until the day that a mysterious Countess and her parrot arrive. The Countess says she has come to tell Marta seven tales. The tales teach Marta about hope and light, and take her on a fabulous journey of the imagination. A delightful read for anyone who enjoys being swept away by a dreamlike story!

The Hotel Balzaar by Kate DiCamillo, (List Price: $17.99, Candlewick, 9781536223316, October 2024)

Reviewed by Monie Henderson, Square Books in Oxford, Mississippi

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Bright I Burn by Molly Aitken

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Bright I Burn by Molly Aitken
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Came for the comparisons to Maggie O’Farrell and AK Blakemore, stayed for the evocative and immersive tale of a medieval woman born centuries ahead of her time. Bright I Burn is inspired by the real-life story of Alice Kyteler, who, in the 14th century, was the first woman in Ireland to be persecuted as a witch. In Aitken’s richly detailed telling, Kyteler is a wealthy, powerful and intelligent money lender, full of desires and secrets – all things that women of her time were not supposed to be. I absolutely loved it.

Bright I Burn by Molly Aitken, (List Price: $28, Knopf, 9780525658399, September 2024)

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

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Songs for the Brokenhearted by Ayelet Tsabari

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Songs for the Brokenhearted by Ayelet Tsabari
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A chance discovery following her mother’s death prompts Zohara Haddad, a young Yemeni-Israeli woman, to explore her family’s history and in the process to reevaluate her own heritage in this absorbing and timely novel. Set in the mid-1990s, during the era of the Oslo peace talks and the assassination of Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, it’s also a fascinating insight into a little-known (to this reader, anyway!) aspect of Israeli culture. Tsabari writes beautifully, with the pacing of a mystery and the style of true literature, and I raced through it in just a few days.

Songs for the Brokenhearted by Ayelet Tsabari, (List Price: $29, Random House, 9780812989007, September 2024)

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

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Compound Fracture by Andrew Joseph White

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Compound Fracture by Andrew Joseph White
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Andrew Joseph White continues to deliver sharp, compelling writing with his third novel, Compound Fracture. There hasn’t been a novel from White that I haven’t loved– his previous two releases are equally phenomenal– but Compound Fracture has earned the spot of my favorite Andrew Joseph White book. Protagonist Miles Abernathy has just come out to his parents and, in the same night, survived an attack that left him nearly dead. In the aftermath, he is visited by the ghost of his great-great-grandfather and finds himself thrust into the center of a generations-long blood feud. The lines between vengeance and justice blur and, as violence continues to spread in Miles’s small town, no one’s hands can stay clean. Miles will have to decide what it will take to end the feud and just what he is willing to do to keep his family safe. Andrew Joseph White delivers an edge-of-your-seat thriller that will keep readers hooked until the final page. At the same time, White utilizes his characters to address the lasting impacts of trauma, poverty, and economic exploitation on both individuals and communities. Compound Fracture is equal parts blood-soaked and beautiful, a testament to the resiliency and power of community organization. This is easily my favorite book of 2024!

Compound Fracture by Andrew Joseph White, (List Price: $19.99, Peachtree Teen, 9781682636121, September 2024)

Reviewed by Charlie Williams, Square Books in Oxford, Mississippi

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Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Lord by Celeste Connally

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Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Lord by Celeste Connally
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Petra has lost her beloved fiancé to a terrible accident and has declared that she won’t marry. This is not an acceptable answer in Regency era London. While Petra is defending her decision, a couple of women of her acquaintance die under mysterious circumstances. Petra is determined to get to the bottom of things with help from her maid Annie and other members of the Ton. She feels she is being successful when one of her sources ends up dead….

Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Lord by Celeste Connally, (List Price: $18, Minotaur Books, 9781250867575, September 2024)

Reviewed by Monie Henderson, Square Books in Oxford, Mississippi

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The Sherlock Society by James Ponti

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The Sherlock Society by James Ponti
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How much trouble can four tweens and a senior citizen get into in a summer? A lot, as readers discover in The Sherlock Society! It turns out that investigating Al Capone and contemporary thieves does come with some risks…. Luckily, Alex, Zoe, Yadi, and Lina are good sleuths, and Alex and Zoe’s grandfather has a lot of connections! A fun romp through puzzles, riddles, and history. For fans of Chasing Vermeer, Escape From Mr. Lemoncello’s Library, and Hoot.

The Sherlock Society by James Ponti, (List Price: $18.99, Aladdin, 9781665932530, September 2024)

Reviewed by Monie Henderson, Square Books in Oxford, Mississippi

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Pink Slime by Fernanda Trías

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Pink Slime by Fernanda Trías
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I’m a sucker for a good dystopian novel, and Pink Slime is up there among the best (it’s also subtler and more nuanced than the title would suggest). In an unnamed South American city, an environmental catastrophe is unfolding: the streets are alternately blanketed by an all-encompassing fog and buffeted by a red wind, the result of a deadly algae bloom that has poisoned the air, while the population is slowly dying. Caught in the past – between her former husband and her mother, between her memories and ugly reality, between the fog and the wind – the novel’s unnamed narrator is unable to move forward. The result is elegiac, beautiful and haunting.

Pink Slime by Fernanda Trías, (List Price: $24, Scribner, 9781668049778, July 2024)

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

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There Are Rivers in the Sky by Elif Shafak

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There Are Rivers in the Sky by Elif Shafak
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Oh my. There Are Rivers in the Sky is just wonderful. Stretching from ancient Mesopotamia to modern day London, via the River Tigris and the River Thames, Elif Shafak has woven a beautiful, multi-layered tale, in which three seemingly disparate narratives are revealed to be intrinsically linked. Impeccably researched and gorgeously written, blending poetry and history, There Are Rivers in the Sky will stay with me for a long time.

There Are Rivers in the Sky by Elif Shafak, (List Price: $30, Knopf, 9780593801710, August 2024)

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

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The Lost Story by Meg Shaffer

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The Lost Story by Meg Shaffer
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Reading The Lost Story reminded me of being a kid, and of the many hours I spent immersed in magical faraway worlds. Inspired by the classic Narnia novels, Meg Shaffer’s second novel is both a fairytale for grown-ups and a love story. As teenagers, Jeremy and Rafe vanished for six months in the forests of West Virginia. As adults, enlisted by Emilie to search for her missing sister, they return to the scene of their disappearance: a tree that opens onto Shenandoah, a fantastical realm where they are greeted as long-lost royalty, and where Rafe must grapple with the demons of his past in order to reclaim his future. Recommended reading for anyone seeking to reawaken a sense of wonder.

The Lost Story by Meg Shaffer, (List Price: $29, Ballantine Books, 9780593598870, July 2024)

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

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