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The week of January 2, 2024 A new year. New plans. New resolutions. And so many new books!
 The January 2024 Read This Next! List (Grown-Up Edition) is an eclectic collection of literary fiction, cautionary tales, found love, and writerly advice: Last Call at the Local by Sarah Grunder Ruiz 1000 Words : A Writer’s Guide to Staying Creative, Focused, and Productive All Year Round by Jami Attenberg Only If You’re Lucky by Stacy Willingham The Tusks of Extinction by Ray Nayler Come and Get It by Kiley Reid 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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This Wretched Valley by Jenny Kiefer Adult Fiction, Horror This was a phenomenal debut from Jenny Kiefer! The suspense and mystery were top notch, and the way they explored different generations in the same dreading horror was fantastic. Anyone who loves movies like The Descent would definitely pick up this book and devour it. It was the perfect book to read for a good chill, especially around Halloween season. Reviewed by Leah Fallon, Birch Tree Bookstore in Leesburg, Virginia |
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Last Call at the Local by Sarah Grunder Ruiz Adult Fiction, Contemporary, Fiction, Romance  A January Read This Next! Title An enthralling, and wonderful story about two people who have issues of their own working through them and still living life on a daily basis. It also takes place in Ireland, what’s not to love about that? This book was awesome. The way that OCD and ADHD was portrayed through the main characters was done so well and it added icing to the cake that it was stressed multiple times that it is normal. I have a husband that has OCPD and two boys that have ADHD. I felt like I was reading their stories through this book. Reviewed by Mandy Harris, Angel Wings Bookstore in Stem, North Carolina |
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Bookseller Buzz |
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Spotlight on: A Fragile Enchantment by Allison Saft 
A Fragile Enchantment bloomed after a long creative fallow period. It was a book I wrote in pursuit of joy, and through Niamh and all her starry-eyed, scatterbrained whimsy, I found it. I loved researching the Regency era and all the time I spent trawling through fashion prints and recipes. I loved writing about candlelit ballrooms and emotion-fueled magic and the seething iniquity that the Regency’s glittery facade tries and fails to conceal. I especially loved the banter between Kit and Niamh and their ruinous, forbidden love. What booksellers are saying about A Fragile Enchantment 
Allison Saft is the New York Times and indie bestselling author of A Far Wilder Magic and Down Comes the Night. After receiving her MA in English Literature from Tulane University, she moved from the Gulf Coast to the West Coast, where she spends her time rolling on eight wheels and practicing aerial silks. |
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The Vaster Wilds by Lauren Groff Adult Fiction, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Literary, Southern Book Prize Finalist, Women 
2024 Southern Book Prize Finalist An immersive trip through Southern Gothic Early America. The narrative follows a lone girl down the Potomac River, from Jamestown and into the unknown. Nameless or many-named like a barn-cat drifter, Girl wields caution, imagination and a blade to survive the crystalline forests of Virginia and Maryland. She drafts off a peloton of memories–as the British orphan, the mistress’s servant, Bess’s friend, the glassblower’s lover—that pull her forward to eat dirt and vibe with a bear in the present. It’s all about the stories that keep us alive. Groff’s easy and percussive writing, along with her use of time, space and inner dialogue, create an immediacy that had me trying to locate Girl’s coordinates on a map so I wouldn’t lose her. Captivating. Awesome. Great. Reviewed by Jackie Carlson, Tombolo Books in St Petersburg, Florida |
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School of Instructions by Ishion Hutchinson Adult Nonfiction, Caribbean & Latin American, Poetry Totally unlike any poetry collection I’ve ever read before. The harsh descriptions of World War I, in lyric conversation with the innocence and virtue of a schoolboy, make this collection so sublime and reverential. Reviewed by Emily Tarr, Thank You Books in Birmingham, Alabama |
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Blood Debts by Terry J. Benton-Walker Contemporary, Fantasy, Young Adult Fiction
2024 Southern Book Prize Finalist Blood Debts is a magical novel about reckoning- societal reckoning, familial reckoning, and personal reckoning. Clem and Cris Trudeau are practitioners of Generational magic, magic derived from the moon and the power of their ancestors. Their family has been torn apart, their connection to magic is unstable at best, and they don’t trust anyone, least of all themselves. Clem and Cris are furious at the injustice their family has been handed- from the violent lynchings of their grandparents, to the racist anti-magic laws being debated in New Orleans, to the recent murder of their father, to the way white vultures keep trying to appropriate Generational magic. Blood Debts handles all of these difficult, emotional topics with care and still gives these teenagers space to experience being kids. Dramatic friendship breakups, sibling bickering, and the beauty of queer, Black love add even more layers to this breathtaking tale. Pursue answers, love, and most importantly, justice, with Clem and Cris in Blood Debts… you won’t be sorry. Reviewed by Julia Hirschfield, Epilogue Books Chocolate Brews in Chapel Hill, North Carolina |
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Ra Pu Zel and the Stinky Tofu by Ying Chang Compestine, Crystal Kung (illus) Asia, Children, Cooking & Food, Country & Ethnic, Fairy Tales & Folklore, Juvenile Fiction, People & Places A breathtakingly illustrated reimagining of a well-loved fairytale. The story of Ra Pu Zel is of a stubborn girl and her love of food, and of the cuisine that encourages her to leave her tower. Guaranteed to make you laugh and leave you hungrier than when you started. Reviewed by Jordan April, Flyleaf Books in Chapel Hill, North Carolina |
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Where the Body Was by Ed Brubaker Comics & Graphic Novels, Crime & Mystery I am a huge mystery fan and love graphic novels, so I was immediately interested in Where the Body Was when I received the ARC. I was immediately drawn into the initial story when you are introduced to the neighbors on the street. Can I just say, “Poor, Toni!” I almost would have appreciated a story just about the neighbors rather than the murder being involved in the story at all. That being said, I really enjoyed this story and if this author does another mystery/graphic novel then I will definitely read it! Reviewed by Kait Layton, The Haunted Book Shop in Mobile, Alabama |
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Decide for Yourself Books that appear on PEN America’s list of challenged books. |
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It by Stephen King Adult Fiction, Banned Books, Suspense, Thrillers It consistently tops lists of ‘scariest books of all time’ and after reading it for the third time, I’ve gotta say that I agree. It is an incredible achievement in horror fiction and a landmark book. The town of Derry, Maine is cursed, as a small group of children discover one summer. Years later, they reunite to finally deal with the evil that has ravaged their hometown. After you read It, read the Dark Tower books. It’s all connected, man! Reviewed by Colin Sneed, Flyleaf Books in Chapel Hill, North Carolina |
Southern Bestsellers What’s popular this week with Southern Readers. |
[ See the full list ] |
Parting Thought “I love the solitude of reading. I love the deep dive into someone else’s story, the delicious ache of a last page.” |
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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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