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The week of January 14, 2025 Loved by booksellers, now in paperback.  What were you reading a year ago today? It is a quirk of the book industry that books are often released twice. First with a lot of fanfare in a hardcover edition, and about a year later in a less expensive paperback that is more useful for book clubs and people who like to stuff a couple of books to travel with into their backpacks and tote bags. The Southern Bookseller Review tends to focus on the new releases, but here are some of the books indie booksellers loved that were new releases a year ago. They are now all available in paperback. Your Utopia: Stories by Bora Chung, Anton Hur (trans.) Prima Facie by Suzie Miller The Storm We Made by Vanessa Chan Emily Wilde’s Map of the Otherlands by Heather Fawcett Family Family by Laurie Frankel Womb City by Tlotlo Tsamaase Heartsong by TJ Klune Goldenseal by Maria Hummel Holiday Country by Inci Atrek Read This Now | Read This Next | Book Buzz | The Bookseller Directory |
Read This Now! Recommended by Southern indies… |
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Sharks Don’t Sink by Jasmin Graham Biography & Autobiography, Science & Technology, Southern Book Prize Finalist, Southern Book Prize Finalist 2025
2025 Southern Book Prize Finalist Jasmin Graham’s story is one of hardship, struggle, triumph, and most importantly, power. Each chapter introduced a new notion. A new understanding. A new feeling. And after finishing this book, I was left with such hope that I couldn’t help but smile. The energy Graham brings to her field of shark science is something that traditional academia has been sorely lacking. And they will continue to miss out on this Rogue Scientist as she stands in defiance of the status quo. Reviewed by Jamie Kovacs, Flyleaf Books in Chapel Hill, North Carolina |
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Season of the Swamp by Yuri Herrera Adult Fiction, Literary This deliciously disorienting historical novel throws readers right into the pungent, prismatic streets of mid-1800’s New Orleans, in which Herrera posits a turning point in Benito Juárez’s political life. Rife with subtle humor and indignation at the horrors of slavery, Season of the Swamp is smart and sharp and resonant beyond its scope. Perfect for readers who enjoyed Rivka Galchen’s I Know Your Mother is a Witch and Debra Magpie Earling’s The Lost Journals of Sacajewea. Reviewed by Hannah DeCamp, Avid Bookshop in Athens, Georgia |
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Witchcraft for Wayward Girls by Grady Hendrix Fiction, Horror
A January Read This Next! Title Wow. If there’s one thing Grady Hendrix is going to do, it’s researching a topic thoroughly. This is a beautifully haunting, thought-provoking story about societal views and motherhood while also dabbling with witchcraft. There are moments where you laugh, feel scared, and even cry. That’s the beauty of this book, everything comes with a price. Reviewed by Caylee Wilson, Midtown Reader in Tallahassee, Florida |
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Bookseller Buzz |
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Victor, the Wolf with Worries by Catherine Rayner 
I love making up stories, reading to children, designing characters, helping children learn to read, helping children develop a love of books that will help them throughout their lives. I love that I get to visit children in schools and at events. I love the letters and pictures I get from children from all over the world. I love the people that I work with on the books. I love the challenges that come with creating something new. . . I tend to develop a character and a story at the same time. But this does change a little with each book I make as every single one has a pattern of its own. People often ask me what the magic formula for creating a good picture book is. I wish I knew! It’s a new challenge every time as books are a bit like living things; each is individual with its own problems to overcome. Each one takes a different amount of time to create, too. Some are quicker than others, some have been bubbling away in the back of my mind for years, and others appear in a “light bulb moment.” I never find making a book easy—but it’s always worth it in the end. ― Catherine Rayner, Interview, Peachtree Books What booksellers are saying about Victor, the Wolf with Worries 
Catherine Rayner was born in Harrogate in 1982, and grew up in Boston Spa, later studying at Leeds College of Art and Edinburgh College of Art. She won the Kate Greenaway Medal in 2009 for Harris Finds His Feet, and she was shortlisted in 2007, 2011, 2012, and 2015. In 2014, Norris: The Bear Who Shared was named by the Sunday Times as one of the 100 Children’s Modern Classics of the past ten years. Previous titles by Rayner published by Boxer Books include the award-winning Five Bears. Rayner is based in Edinburgh, Scotland. |
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Old Soul by Susan Barker Adult Fiction, Horror I am not the most familiar with the conventions of horror novels, so they always seem to startle and surprise me when I make my way to one! Old Soul is everything you could desire from the genre: spooky and thrilling, gory and macabre, the mystery at its core kept me reading into the night even as I burrowed under the covers (for protection, ya know). I need you to read this one so we can talk about it! Reviewed by Michelle Cavalier, Cavalier House Books in Denham Springs, Louisiana |
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Realm of Ice and Sky by Buddy Levy Adult Nonfiction, Expeditions & Discoveries, History In a day of alpha, beta, and hundreds of testing protocols, would you take off across the Arctic Ocean in a cloth balloon that had never been flown? What seems crazy now was standard procedure for the heroes in Realm of Ice and Sky. Much like his previous book, Labyrinth of Ice, Buddy Levy’s new history/adventure/science offering will have you on the edge of your seat as explorers such as Walter Wellman, Roald Amundsen, and Umberto Nobile plunge full-hearted into the frozen north in hopes of being the first to the top of the world. Who actually got there first – and there is still some debate – pales next to what these explorers accomplished with little more than wood, steel, and cloth. Reviewed by Doloris Vest, Book No Further in Roanoke, Virginia |
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Among Serpents by Marc J. Gregson Epic, Fantasy, Young Adult Fiction Among Serpents brings nonstop action as Conrad leads his crew in one difficult task after another in order to save the Skylands. Conrad is working his way through his first year of captaincy, trying to earn enough to buy his ship. But his uncle, the king, has different ideas. One day he’s being rewarded, and the next it’s punishment, but Conrad doesn’t care as long as he can save his sister Ella. But does Ella want to be saved? Book two in the Above the Black series will leave you on the edge of your seat. Reviewed by Jennifer Jones, Bookmiser in Marietta, Georgia |
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When Alexander Graced the Table by Alexander Smalls African American & Black, Children, Juvenile Fiction When Alexander Graced the Table captures the love and joy behind Sunday dinner, co-authored by renowned chef Alexander Smalls. A celebration of ingredients, the time and energy to create such a beloved meal, and the memories of family supper set against Frank Morrison’s stunning illustration creates a beautiful, must-share picture book! Reviewed by Beth Seufer Buss, Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, North Carolina |
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Detective Beans by Li Chen Comics & Graphic Novels, Juvenile Fiction, Mystery& Detective This might actually be the cutest thing I have ever read. I\’m not lying when I say that I shed a tear because my body could not handle how cute it was (and from how hard I was laughing).Bonus points – I have a cat named Beans so it was so sweet thinking about her playing detective kitty. 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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The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood Adult Fiction, Banned Books, Dystopian, Political, Science Fiction I was unsure whether I would truly enjoy this book or have to pretend that I enjoyed it due to its significance and popularity. I am pleased to say that I absolutely loved it – and although quite dark and bleak, this dystopian world does not seem so far away. While I don’t think that it’s something everyone would enjoy, I do think that it’s something everyone should at least try. Reviewed by Niamh Kenny, E. Shaver bookseller in Savannah, Georgia |
Southern Bestsellers What’s popular this week with Southern Readers. |
[ See the full list ] |
Parting Thought “My library is an archive of longings.” |
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Publisher:
The Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance /
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