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The week of January 21, 2025 From book club to bookstore: Meet Underbrush Books.  In just the past few years, Northwest Arkansas has seen at least four new indie bookstores open their doors – Pearl’s Books in Fayetteville, Más Libritos in Springdale, Two Friends Books in Bentonville, and Underbrush Books in Rogers, Arkansas. Underbrush Books began as a book club in March 2020 to help folks create comfort and connections during the height of COVID-19. Since then, they dreamed of opening a community-oriented gathering space and were finally able to do so in the Fall of 2023.
In May 2024, just a few months after opening their new location, Rogers was hit by an EF-2 tornado, which caused immense damage to the downtown area and widespread power outages and displacement. In the aftermath, Underbrush Books temporarily turned the store into a food pantry and relief station, providing close to 1000 meals for free. They also partner with Canopy NWA (Northwest Arkansas) to provide books to children in their refugee-settlement program as part of a summer reading initiative. Underbrush Books is passionate about LGBTQIA+ rights and overall access to books, and Smith said the best part about being an indie bookstore in the South is the regional aspect. “Bookselling in smaller/more rural areas in the South is a uniquely different experience than most folks have in other areas.” You can follow Underbrush Books at @underbrushbooks and visit their website at https://underbrushbooks.com. Read This Now | Read This Next | Book Buzz | The Bookseller Directory |
Co-owner Courtney Ulrich Smith said the best part about being a bookseller is curating books that help everyone feel seen, supported, and valid. And of course, helping folks find books they love and that spark their love in reading again, or for the first time.Read This Now! Recommended by Southern indies… |
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Millie Fleur’s Poison Garden by Christy Mandin Childrens, Imagination & Play, Juvenile Fiction 
2025 Southern Book Prize Finalist Perfect lawns with their manicured grass and neat hedges are SO 2020. Wilding is IN and every neighborhood needs a weird wild little garden like Millie Fleur’s. Share this delightful little gem with the weirdest and wildest kid in your world. Reviewed by Angie Tally, The Country Bookshop in Southern Pines, North Carolina |
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We Could Be Rats by Emily Austin Adult Fiction, Fiction, LGBTQ+ 
A January Read This Next! Title In her latest novel, Austin captures the bittersweet heart of growing up and growing apart. Told over the course of Sigrid’s attempts at a suicide note, Austin’s charm and tact never waver, guiding the reader through Sigrid’s disenchantment with equal parts humor and heartbreak Reviewed by Laura Taylor, Oxford Exchange in Tampa, Florida |
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Blob by Maggie Su Absurdist, Adult Fiction, Fiction
A Janaury Read This Next! Title The most surprisingly accurate description of being at loose ends in your early twenties that I’ve read. Vi is in the midst of an epic tailspin—a breakup, a failed class, an abandoned education—when she decides to take care of an apparently sentient blob she finds late one night behind a bar. Vi feels like the antihero of her own life, with disappointment all around her, but she, like the alien blob she nurtures, has to find a way to live in the world, too. This is the funny, thoughtful, antithetical romance novel you never knew you needed—but now you do. Reviewed by Emma Aprile, Carmichael’s Bookstore in Louisville, Kentucky |
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Bookseller Buzz |
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The Three Lives of Cate Kay by Kate Fagan 
I think that was the scariest thing for me going into fiction was, I have relied my entire career on conversations, on reporting, to understand what made a person tick and what made them do the things they had done. And also to be able to collect the details that made a book. I think, because I had done That for 15 or 20 years, I was really worried that I would not have the skill set, or the muscles would have atrophied to be able to build a character out of whole cloth, rather than relying on observing someone else. So that was really scary for me. But I realized that a lot of the observations one makes as a journalist, that skill set of being able to observe things and knowing which details are most interesting and relevant, serves you really well in fiction as well, because that is the same muscles. If I’m going to write a profile on somebody my job as a journalist is noticing the details and conveying the things that separate that person from the one next to them. And that is very similar to what you’re trying to do when you’re building a character. So in the end, I feel like this thing, I was really scared about because I "don’t build characters in non fiction," it is a similar skill set that you are using, which is noticing the details that make a place and a person differentiated from just any place or person. ― Kate Fagan, Interview, Friendly City Books What booksellers are saying about The Three Lives of Cate Kay 
Kate Fagan is an Emmy Award–winning journalist and the #1 New York Times bestselling author of What Made Maddy Run, which was a semi-finalist for the PEN/ESPN Award for literary sports writing. She is also the author of three additional nonfiction titles, a former professional basketball player, and spent seven years as a journalist at ESPN. Kate currently lives in Charleston with her wife, Kathryn Budig, and their dog, Ragnar. |
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Earl Crush by Alexandra Vasti Adult Fiction, Fiction, Historical, Regency, Romance Alexandra Vasti does it again with Earl Crush! This one starts with some Regency-era catfish-ing when sweet, anxiety-riddled Lydia Hope-Wallace runs off to Scotland to propose a marriage of convenience with an Earl she believes she’s been corresponding with, which turns out to be a huge surprise for him…because he doesn’t know her. When they realize it’s the Earl’s estranged brother who has been posing as him through these letters, the two team up to get to the bottom of it. This book has everything! Pining! Political intrigue! Yearning! Espionage! Longing! Zebras! Reviewed by LeeAnna Callon, Blue Cypress Books in New Orleans, Louisiana |
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The Flitting by Ben Masters Adult Nonfiction, Biography & Autobiography, Memoirs 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. Reviewed by Jude Burke-Lewis, Square Books in Oxford, Mississippi |
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Darkly by Marisha Pessl Psychological, Thrillers & Suspense, Young Adult Fiction 5 STARS!! This YA mystery thriller is an unforgettable adventure with a fast-paced plot, buried secrets, hidden symbols, and intriguing puzzles. After winning a chance to intern at Darkly, a game-making empire, Dia and six other teens from all across America land in England and are taken to an abandoned island where they are thrown into a twisted game called Valkyrie that has never before been released to find the game’s presumed first victim, a teen boy. There were so many unexpected twists, and the shocking ending leaves you wanting more. Reviewed by Sandra Pinkney, Underground Books in Carrollton, Georgia |
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Toto by Hyewon Yum Children, Juvenile Fiction, Self-Esteem & Self-Reliance, Social Themes
A January/February Read This Next! Kids Title Toto is a story about a little girl with a birthmark on her forehead that she has named Toto. She has mixed feelings about her appearance, but she is brave and kind. She decides to hide Toto when she starts school, and immediately meets a best friend. What happens when her new friend sees Toto? A sweet, endearing story that teaches children to celebrate what makes them unique, and also to show compassion to others who look different than us. An important message for readers of all ages! Reviewed by Jessica Nock, Main Street Books in Davidson, North Carolina |
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Compound Fracture by Andrew Joseph White Class Differences, Social Themes, Young Adult Fiction
2025 Southern Book Prize Finalist A vicious, roaring, and incisive tale of power, capitalism, coal mines, and gender in Appalachia. The Abernathy line is "cursed" – ostracized and maligned after their ancestor, Saint, was brutally executed during a protracted union battle in the coal mines. Miles, a socialist just like their great-great-grandfather, is aching to fight back against the corrupt sheriff and the legacy he embodies – it was his ancestor that hammered the railroad spike down Saint’s throat. This book is an aching scream and a powerful demand for justice; a paradigm shift highlighting the radical political history of the long-marginalized Appalachian region. Reviewed by Jordan April, Flyleaf Books in Chapel Hill, North Carolina |
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Decide for Yourself Books that appear on PEN America’s list of challenged books. |
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I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy Adult Nonfiction, Banned Books, Biography & Autobiography, Personal Memoirs McCurdy’s story is bold and heartbreaking and beautiful. Her journey is deeply distressing in the way that only true stories can be, and told in a voice that is raw, wry, and incredibly honest. Through this memoir, McCurdy tells us that we can find our way through the darkness, even if we stumble and fall and think we never ever can find a place of peace and wellness – and I am so thankful to her for it. Reviewed by Lucile Perkins-Wagel, Blinking Owl Books in Fort Myers, Florida |
Southern Bestsellers What’s popular this week with Southern Readers. |
[ See the full list ] |
Parting Thought “What I love most about reading: It gives you the ability to reach higher ground. And keep climbing.” |
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Publisher:
The Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance /
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