The Southern Bookseller Review 1/4/22

The Southern Bookseller Review Newsletter for the week of January 4, 2022

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January 4, 2022

Making life hard for your characters

Diane Chamberlain

Welcome, readers, to a brand new year filled with oh so many great, GREAT books to look forward to!

This week’s "Book Buzz" feature below is Diane Chamberlain’s new novel — just released — The Last House on the Street.

The author is a favorite among Southern readers, and booksellers are especially excited by this book, which with its mix of romance, mystery, and resolute look at the history of voting rights makes the story feel very relevant. "A rollercoaster of emotions and feelings!" says one bookseller. "Great storytelling!" says another.

Diane Chamberlain is the featured author at the first Reader Meet Writer event of 2022. Tune in to hear her discuss her new book with Wiley Cash on Tuesday, January 13, at 7:00 PM.

REGISTER HERE

Read This Now | Read This Next | The Bookseller Directory


Read This Now!

Recommended by Southern indies…

The Paris Bookseller by Kerri Maher

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The Paris Bookseller by Kerri Maher
Berkley / January 2022


More Reviews from The Country Bookshop

I enjoyed the novel of Sylvia Beach, who founded Shakespeare and Company book store in 1919 Paris and published James Joyce’s initial edition of Ulysses. It is full of the details of Sylvia’s life with Adrienne Monnier, who owns a French bookstore across the street, and the many trials Beach endures dealing with Joyce until she finally lets her interest in the book go.

Reviewed by Beth Carpenter, The Country Bookshop in Southern Pines, North Carolina



Bookseller Buzz

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Spotlight on: The Last House on the Street by Diane Chamberlain

 

Diane Chamberlain

"When I think about writing a book I think about the situation first and then I try to think of a character who is going to have the most difficult time doing what I want her to do." –Diane Chamberlain

At a launch event with Friends & Fiction for the paperback release of her last book, Big Lies in a Small Town, Diane Chamberlain was asked about how she created such psychologically complicated characters. She answered that she starts with a situation, something she wants them to do such as paint a mural, or start their life over in a new house, and then she throws obstacles at them:

"it’s not that I set out to create these screwed up characters. As I’m writing I’m just trying to figure out how more difficult for them so that they have to really work harder to succeed."

Trouble and difficulties is just what Kayla Carter has in The Last House on the Street. She has just lost her husband in an accident building their dream home and now must raise her four year old daughter in the house that cost him his life. But the house is built in a new development that sits on top of some very old and tragic history that is still festering and won’t let itself be buried in the past.

Meet Diane Chamberlain at Reader Meet Writer!


The Last House on the Street

What booksellers are saying about The Last House on the Street

  • To read a Diane Chamberlain novel is to be on a rollercoaster of emotions and feelings. This one lives up to expectations and the story line is a hot topic right now. Dealing with voting rights back during Jim Crow in North Carolina, this book has you see both sides and deftly makes you sway to each side. This is one for everyone who wants a book to take you away with a bit of romance, mystery, and love of the characters. Great book club book! ― Suzanne Lucey from Page 158 Books in Wake Forest, NC
    Buy from Page 158 Books

  • The Last House on the Street begins with Kayla, a recently widowed single mother, in the present day, when strange and eerie things begin happening at her new home. There is also Ellie who becomes a Civil Rights activist in 1965 and falls in love with a fellow worker, bringing danger to them both. I loved how the story bounced between Kayla and Ellie’s perspectives and how Chamberlain weaved the story into one narrative. Overall, great storytelling and a wonderful read! Perfect for readers who like mystery or history. ―Katie from The Snail on the Wall in Huntsville, AL
    Buy from The Snail on the Wall

  • Diane Chamberlain’s newest novel couldn’t be more relevant for our current times. It is hard to believe that we are still fighting the battles for the right to vote that were being fought in 1965. Told from two story lines – one in 1965 North Carolina right before the signing of the Right to Vote act and one in 2010 – the separate stories of Ellie and Kayla and what they have endured merge together when Ellie comes home for the first time in 45 years and Kayla prepares to move into the house at the end of the street. A definite must read for fans of Big Lies in a Small Town.   ―Nancy McFarlane from Fiction Addiction in Greenville, SC
    Buy from Fiction Addiction

  • I thoroughly enjoyed this novel! The dual timelines were a perfect fit for this suspenseful journey. The novel follows the life of Ellie in the summer of 1965 when she becomes part of the SCOPE program to encourage the black community to register to vote. She is a full supporter of the civil rights movement which alienates her from her family. The 2010 timeline follows Kayla, who has just lost her husband in a freak accident while building their dream home. When Kayla and her three-year old daughter move into the house, very frightening and strange things begin to happen. Chamberlain masterfully spins the timelines to keep readers hooked to the very end. ―Sharon Davis from Book Bound Bookstore in Blairsville, GA
    Buy from Book Bound Bookstore

About Diane Chamberlain

DIANE CHAMBERLAIN is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of twenty-eight novels published in over fifteen languages. Her books include Big Lies in a Small Town, The Stolen Marriage and The Dream Daughter. She lives in North Carolina with her partner, photographer John Pagliuca, and her sheltie, Cole.

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Between the Lines by Uli Beutter Cohen

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Between the Lines by Uli Beutter Cohen
Simon & Schuster / October 2021


More Reviews from Fountain Bookstore

From the creator behind Subway Book Review, this is the newest Humans of New York, but for book lovers. This is a collection of short interviews Cohen conducted on the subway of New York City, documenting not only everyone’s reading list but also creating a conversation and connection. From beloved classics to niche dog-eared, worn books, this covers just about every genre you could think of. What I really love about this book is that it could’ve just as easily been a book full of tiny book reviews, but it’s something much more intimate. Cohen does a great job of telling these people’s stories all in about 400 words each. There’s representation of everyone; queer, trans, all races, all occupations. It’s raw, gorgeous and executed so flawlessly I can’t get enough of it.

Reviewed by Grace Sullivan, Fountain Bookstore in Richmond, Virginia



The Love Con by Seressia Glass

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The Love Con by Seressia Glass
Berkley / December 2021


More Reviews from Flyleaf Books

From friends-to-lovers, mutual pining, and fake dating, The Love Con has all the makings of a superb romance. Kenya and Cam’s sizzling chemistry and wonderful communication elevate this romance novel to the next level. Along with Seressia Glass’s spot-on humor and wit, The Love Con is a near-perfect romance novel.

Reviewed by Gennifer Eccles, Flyleaf Books in Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Let’s Be Friends by Violet Lemay

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Let’s Be Friends by Violet Lemay
HarperFestival / December 2021


More Reviews from Page 158 Books

Violet represents so many different types of people in this magical picture book. In the end we are more alike than we think. Cute fun illustrations and happiness throughout this book make a a winner.

Reviewed by Suzanne Lucey, Page 158 Books in Wake Forest, North Carolina

When You Get the Chance by Emma Lord

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When You Get the Chance by Emma Lord
Wednesday Books / January 2022


More Reviews from Parnassus Books

Millie’s summer is turned upside down when she finds her father’s old Livejournal that hints at her absent mother’s identity. Already obsessed with Mamma Mia! and all things Broadway, Millie tracks down three women and wedges herself into their lives. With a great cast of secondary characters and a slow-burn romance, Millie’s journey of self-discovery and growth is a delightful read.

Reviewed by Chelsea Stringfield, Parnassus Books in Nashville, Tennessee

Read This Next!

Books on the horizon: Forthcoming favorites from Southern indies…

The Maid by Nita Prose

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The Maid by Nita Prose
Ballantine Books / January 2022


More Reviews from Fiction Addiction

A January 2022 Read This Next! Title

The Maid is a cozy mystery the way cozies should be written. It is beautifully written, extremely entertaining, has a great mystery, twists you don’t see coming and most of all one of the most endearing and interesting characters you will ever meet. Molly Gray is on the autism spectrum. She does not react to people and circumstances like normal people do because she doesn’t understand their facial expressions and their emotions. But her Gran has taught her over the years to be honest, to be a hard worker and to be very, very polite. Molly is a maid in a luxury hotel. A job she loves and is very, very good at because she loves order, and neatness, and routine. When she finds a dead body in one of her rooms it is not surprising that the police keep thinking that she is hiding something because, while always answering truthfully, she takes things very literally. It is also not surprising when she is eventually arrested for the murder. What is surprising is everything else that happens. I normally like more thriller type books but this was one of the most delightful books I have read in ages and the mystery was top notch.

Reviewed by Nancy McFarlane, Fiction Addiction in Greenville, South Carolina

Southern Bestsellers

What’s popular this week with Southern Readers.

Cloud Cuckoo Land A Carnival of Snackery Leave the World Behind
All About Love The Beatryce Prophecy

[ See the full list ]

sbr shelf

Parting Thought

“Harriet never minded admitting she didn’t know something. So what, she thought, I could always learn.”
– Louise Fitzhugh

Publisher: The Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance / siba@sibaweb.com
Editor: Nicki Leone / nicki@sibaweb.com
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