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The week of January 7, 2024 Reading goals and resolutions.  Happy New Reading Year! This is this time of year readers usually start comparing notes about how many books they read in the past year and whether they met their reading goals. If SBR was a person, then 2024 was a great reading year. But SBR is really a lot of different people, and 2024 was a really great reading year for the bookstores that share their book reviews and recommendations with us. Booksellers from 110 bookstores sent in 2517 reviews to SBR in 2024. Reviews came from every state in the Southeast. 660 of those reviews were published on SBR’s website and in the newsletter, about 55 per week. Here are some other fun review facts:
Now is the time to decide on our reading goals for 2025. The first goal for SBR’s booksellers and readers is usually read more books! Get a head start below. You can help! 
Independent bookstores in the South are still struggling in the wake of Hurricane Helene, and now Hurricane Milton. You can help: Donate to Binc; a relief organization for booksellers and comic book sellers. Visit the SIBA Hurricane Relief Resources page to donate directly to store fundraisers. And shop online at a store that has been impacted. Read This Now | Read This Next | Book Buzz | The Bookseller Directory |
Read This Now! Recommended by Southern indies… |
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When the Jessamine Grows by Donna Everhart Adult Fiction, Civil War Era, Fiction, Historical
2025 Southern Book Prize Finalist Lovers of historical fiction will devour this Civil War-era story that takes place in North Carolina. When everyone is taking sides in the war, Joetta McBride and her husband choose to stay neutral, but when their oldest son leaves against their wishes to join the Confederacy, they are forced to get involved. Joetta is left to run their farm and house while Ennis goes off to hopefully find and bring back their 15-year-old son. Readers will love Joetta’s strong convictions and determination to keep things afloat in the midst of war and upheaval. A great read! Reviewed by Mary Patterson, The Little Bookshop in Midlothian, Virginia |
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Love, Leda by Mark Hyatt Adult Fiction, Bisexual, Fiction, LGBTQ+ I think Love, Leda is a delightful and emotional read that is perfect for anyone interested in 20th-century gay literature, a la John Rechy or David Wojnarowicz. You can tell that Hyatt was a poet, and some parts of this book are beautifully lyrical and etch their way into your brain. Absolutely gorgeous and heartfelt. Reviewed by Tyler de Bose, McIntyre’s Books in Pittsboro, North Carolina |
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Good Dirt by Charmaine Wilkerson Adult Fiction, Women
A January Read This Next! Title I loved the way this book explored the ideas of trauma, PTSD, and loss, as well as how resilience and strength can grow out of them. The changing timelines and character points of view kept me engaged and wanting to learn more about each new storyline and person that was introduced. The ending brought together the past and the present in a beautiful way and showed the power we all have to preserve and learn from our past traumas, whether they be our own or those of our ancestors. Reviewed by Baldwin Bookseller, Baldwin & Co. in New Orleans, Louisiana |
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Bookseller Buzz |
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Under Loch and Key by Lana Ferguson 
I love having a space to dump all the silly things running through my brain. I feel like living in my head is like sharing an apartment with five other personalities at any given time, and being a writer means not having to ignore them aggressively (and possibly vent about them to my therapist), but instead write them down, free them into the world, so to speak. Writing means the stories running through my head and the ideas that wake me up in excitement in the middle of the night aren’t just for me, but something I can share with everyone, in a sense, and that is just very cool to me. ― Lana Ferguson, Interview, Nerd Daily What booksellers are saying about Under Loch and Key 
Lana Ferguson is a USA Today bestselling author and sex-positive nerd whose works never shy from spice or sass. A faded Fabio cover found its way into her hands at fifteen, and she’s never been the same since. When she isn’t writing, you can find her randomly singing show tunes, arguing over which Batman is superior, and subjecting her friends to the extended editions of The Lord of the Rings. Lana lives mostly in her own head but can sometimes be found chasing her corgi through the coppice of the great American outdoors. |
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Suggested in the Stars by Yoko Tawada Adult Fiction, Japan, World Literature The characters that populate Yoko Tawada’s Suggested in the Stars are out of step with one another but cross paths, time, and space, all with what can only be described through Hamlet’s words, words, words. Tawada returns to the characters from Scattered All Over the Earth and their search for Hiruko’s homeland, Susanoo’s language, and the connection between them born of globalization and climate change. Full of light climate dystopia, this book turns your brain around through Tawada’s (and her translator Margaret Mitsutani’s) deft use of language. I am already greatly anticipating the third installment in this trilogy in 2025. I need more of this weird little series, but also don’t want it to end! Reviewed by Mikey LaFave, Avid Bookshop in Athens, Georgia |
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1000 Words by Jami Attenberg Adult Nonfiction, Composition, Language Arts & Disciplines, Writing 1000 Words is a compulsively readable and truly inspiring book filled with encouragement from Jami and 50 other amazing authors. This book will make you want to write. Reviewed by LeeAnna Callon, Blue Cypress Books in New Orleans, Louisiana |
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Nothing Like the Movies by Lynn Painter Romance, Romantic Comedy, Young Adult Fiction This was a stunning sequel to arguably the best YA romcom, Better Than the Movies. After facing the sudden death of his dad during his first year of college, Wes breaks up with Liz, believing he is holding her back. Now, two years later, Wes is more determined than ever to win her back. Lynn Painter always manages to build real characters and relationship dynamics and this book is no exception. This is a must-read! Reviewed by Makayla Summers, Main Street Reads in Summerville, South Carolina |
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Go Tell It by Quartez Harris Biography & Autobiography, Children, Juvenile Nonfiction, Literary Stunning, poetic, honest, and celebratory – what an incredible picture book for school-age kids and their families and classrooms. Gordon James captures Baldwin’s dynamic passion for books and words in beautiful, high-energy paintings. Quartez Harris writes about Baldwin’s life with care, lyricism, and honesty. Reviewed by Adah Fitzgerald, Main Street Books in Davidson, North Carolina |
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All Princesses Die Before Dawn by Quentin Zuttion Comics & Graphic Novels, Slice of Life If you know me, you know this got downloaded the SECOND I saw Princess Diana’s name. Such cute, almost Studio Ghibli-type illustrations, a beautiful (and sometimes very emotional) story following one family in the day after Diana’s death. This graphic novel touches on many deep subjects which left me tearing up while reading it. Easy and enjoyable read. 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 Grace Year by Kim Liggett Banned Books, Dystopian, Young Adult Fiction The Grace Year is the year that all girls in the county must take before they are married off in order to burn off their magic. Tierney isn’t looking forward to this year, especially when she finds out she’s going to be married when she comes back. This book is advertised as a mixture of Lord of the Flies and The Handmaid’s Tale. That is a fairly accurate description, but it also made it hard for me to see it as anything else. I enjoyed the story and was kept on the edge of my seat. I enjoyed how things that you thought at the beginning were carefully planted to reveal an overarching truth in a beautiful and meaningful way. I feel like The Grace Year has the potential to be just as impactful as The Handmaid’s Tale. Reviewed by Kaitlin Kerrison, Story on the Square in McDonough, Georgia |
Southern Bestsellers What’s popular this week with Southern Readers. |
[ See the full list ] |
Parting Thought “So please, oh please, we beg, we pray, go throw your TV set away, and in its place you can install a lovely bookshelf on the wall.” |
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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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