|
|
|
|
The week of January 3, 2023 Heard any good books lately? 
A new day, a new month and a new year, along with a batch of new books on the January Read This Next! list. Read This Next! are a list of books coming out this month getting the most interesting buzz and feedback from Southern booksellers. If one of your New Years Resolutions is to read more books, then Read This Next! is the place to start. Even better, SBR is now including links to the audiobook editions of reviewed titles when they are available. SBR uses the independent bookstore-friendly Libro.fm audiobook service. Readers can buy their audiobooks through their own local bookstore, or support different bookstores. The service allows readers to gift audiobooks as well. Now you can support your local bookstore even when you are listening to a book while on a road trip, stuck in a waiting room, or (an SBR personal favorite) as a way to make some of those really tedious if necessary housecleaning jobs more bearable. Look for the "AUDIOBOOK" link under each book image in the newsletter and on the website, and enjoy having your next favorite read, read out loud to you. |
|
|
|
Southern Book Prize Finalist! What’s the best Southern book of the year? |
|
|
The Hurting Kind by Ada Limón Adult Nonfiction, Poetry, Southern Book Prize Finalist, Women Authors 
Reading this collection made me feel like I was standing outside with my bare feet in the grass, scrunching my toes in the soil, feeling the breeze on my face, and pondering the oneness of everything. VOTE FOR THE SOUTHERN BOOK PRIZE Reviewed by LeeAnna Callon, Blue Cypress Books in New Orleans, Louisiana |
|
Read This Now! Recommended by Southern indies… |
|
|
The Night Travelers by Armando Lucas Correa Adult Fiction, Historical, World War II If you love family epics told across sweeping history, The Night Travelers will engage you from page one. It tells a particular piece of the Holocaust story not often heard, of the small group of Jews who managed to find safety after leaving Germany in the ill-fated St. Louis. Four generation of women struggle to understand both their origins and the loving sacrifice made to ensure their survival. Each woman struggles with decisions they should not be asked to make. The story has just the right number of twists to keep you reading. Reviewed by Doloris Vest, Book No Further in Roanoke, Virginia |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Bookseller Buzz |
 |
|
Really Good, Actually by Monica Heisey
“I went through a divorce at a young age myself, and it was quite isolating — most of my peer group wasn’t even married yet, so I didn’t have anyone around me who could relate to what I was going through, and I became desperate to read or watch something about the experience. While there’s no paucity of divorce art in the world, I couldn’t find anything that summed up how specifically ridiculous going through it all at 28 in the late 2010s felt. I also wanted something that didn’t take the whole thing too seriously — a lot of heartbreak art is quite heavy, when it really is one of life’s funnier circumstances. I also knew that I didn’t want to write a memoir — partly because every divorce is two stories, and it didn’t feel fair to commit only mine to print, and mostly because I didn’t think I could be funny about my real-life situation. So I invented Maggie and Jon, and tore up their life plans instead.” ―Monica Heisey, Interview, Entertainment Weekly What booksellers are saying about Really Good, Actually 
About Monica Heisey Monica Heisey is a writer and comedian from Toronto. She has been published in The New Yorker, The New York Times, Vogue, Elle, The Guardian, Glamour, New York magazine, and VICE, among others. She has written for television shows like Schitt’s Creek, Workin’ Moms, Baroness von Sketch Show, and more. She currently lives in London. This is her first novel. |
 |
|
|
The Survivalists by Kashana Cauley Adult Fiction, African American & Black, Women Cauley cleverly constructs a story about how disenfranchisement cultivates a daunting landscape. Anyone who has been forced to make a decision with limited choices will instantly connect with and root for the main character Aretha. Even if it’s a bit stressful to witness. Reviewed by Eden Hakimzadeh, Oxford Exchange in Tampa, Florida |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
I Saw Death Coming by Kidada E. Williams Adult Nonfiction, Experiments & Projects, History, Physics, Science In school, we learned that the period of Reconstruction was a failure. In her book, Williams provides the reasons for that failure. With brutal personal testimonies from the Klan hearings of the 1870s and interviews documented by the Works Progress Administration, Williams illustrates the terror of nighttime raids and the trauma that resulted. Following the experiences of several Black families across the South, Williams reveals the extent of the injustices they endured, being robbed of land, family members, livelihoods, community, and their mental and physical health. Williams’ first-person accounts of Post-Civil War America provide a necessary component of our nation’s history, a history every citizen should know. Reviewed by Lera Shawver, Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, North Carolina |
|
|
Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute by Talia Hibbert Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult Fiction Pleased to report that Hibbert’s signature, beloved wit and undeniable charm carries over into her YA debut. Both of these characters are incredibly well-fleshed out. Complex and unique without falling into dreadful cliches, I loved learning more about Brad and Celine as they navigated the turbulent teenage waters of will-they-won’t-they. Spicy, sassy Celine who just wanted the world to be fair and right. Brad, the darling soccer player (excuse me – footballer) who copes with his OCD by needing things to be just so. I loved them both. Their banter was off the charts in a way only Hibbert can achieve. This was one of those books where I blinked and suddenly I was 87% of the way through it. I just couldn’t stop reading about this duo! Reviewed by Hannah Kerbs, Parnassus Books in Nashville, Tennessee |
|
|
What’s Sweeter by June Tate Children, Emotions & Feelings, Juvenile Fiction, Social Themes One of my favorite picture books of the last couple years, this debut from June Tate is like a warm hug in a book. A playful book about appreciating the smaller things and slowing down, it’s quirky and cute yet modern. The illustrations are my favorite, there’s a nostalgic feeling to the drawing style that just makes this book even better and reminds me of what I grew up with. Lots of love for this tiny treat of a book. Reviewed by Grace Sullivan, Fountain Bookstore in Richmond, Virginia |
|
|
Captain America: The Ghost Army (Original Graphic Novel) by Alan Gratz Children, Juvenile Fiction, Mysteries & Detective Stories Alan Gratz brings his ability to make young kids want to read to graphic novels, and it’s great! Merging an exciting story with historically accurate information on WII, any fan of history, Marvel, or ghost stories will love this book. Reviewed by Kelley Barnes, Page 158 Books in Wake Forest, North Carolina |
|
Read This Next! Books on the horizon: Forthcoming favorites from Southern indies… |
|
|
Age of Vice by Deepti Kapoor Adult Fiction, Crime, Family, Literary Fiction A January 2023 Read This Next! Title This novel will rob you of hours from your life, it will rob you of the need for food or company or sleep. Time the reading of the first pages wisely; you’ll have a sudden need to find a comfy spot where you can commune with these characters and their lush stories of pleasure and pain. A mashup of American Psycho, Scarface and The Great Gatsby but set in contemporary India, it’s all but impossible to look away from this dazzling train wreck orchestrated by Deepti Kapoor. I was consumed by this novel. Reviewed by Jamie Fiocco, Flyleaf Books in Chapel Hill, North Carolina |
|
Southern Bestsellers What’s popular this week with Southern Readers. |
[ See the full list ] |
|
Parting Thought “A good library will never be too neat, or too dusty, because somebody will always be in it, taking books off the shelves and staying up late reading them.” |
|
Publisher:
The Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance /
siba@sibaweb.com |
SIBA | 51 Pleasant Ridge Drive | Asheville, NC 28805
You have received this email because you are currently subscribed to receive The Southern Bookseller Review.
Please click @@unsubscribe_url@@ if you no longer wish to receive these communications.