The Southern Bookseller Review Newsletter for the week of October 10, 2023
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The week of October 10, 2023
Why you should read this book (in twenty-five words or less).
Zinger one-line reviews that will make you want to pick up the book! West Heart Kill by Dann McDorman The Comfort of Crows by Margaret Renkl Unholy Terrors by Lyndall Clipstone Wildfire by Hannah Grace Illusions in Art: Animals by Chiêu Anh Urban
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Read This Now! Recommended by Southern indies… |
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Starter Villain by John Scalzi Action & Adventure, Adult Fiction, Science Fiction John Scalzi, you never cease to delight! This time, Scalzi lets us into the secret world of villains. Charlie’s not doing well. It doesn’t seem to be getting much better when his estranged uncle dies and wants him to preside over his wake. But when he comes home, he discovers that’s just the beginning. Soon, he’s deep into the underground world of supervillains, sentient, computer-using cats and dolphins who want to strike. This tongue-in-cheek fish out of water scifi story will keep you laughing! Reviewed by Jennifer Jones, Bookmiser in Marietta, Georgia |
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Bookseller Buzz |
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Spotlight on: There Was a Party for Langston by Jason Reynolds  By that time (middle school), I had already discovered poetry, but [was also] reading rap lyrics at home and making the connection. I’m figuring out very young that these things are very much the same, and they’re being talked about differently and they’re being contextualized differently and they’re being sensationalized in different ways. But as far as I’m concerned, in my 10-year-old brain, these things are exactly the same. Tupac’s “Dear Mama” and Langston Hughes’ “Mother to Son” could very well be a response to the other. You start digging through Langston Hughes’s work, and you realize, man, this is the best way to begin a life in letters. To write something that feels simple, one must be extraordinarily talented. On the totem of my ancestors, I choose for him to be there. What booksellers are saying about There Was a Party for Langston (a Read This Next! Title)
About Jason Reynolds
Jason Reynolds is a #1 New York Times bestselling author, a Newbery Award Honoree, a Printz Award Honoree, a two-time National Book Award finalist, a Kirkus Award winner, a UK Carnegie Medal winner, a two-time Walter Dean Myers Award winner, an NAACP Image Award Winner, an Odyssey Award Winner and two-time honoree, the recipient of multiple Coretta Scott King honors, and the Margaret A. Edwards Award. He was also the 2020–2022 National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature. His many books include All American Boys (cowritten with Brendan Kiely); When I Was the Greatest; The Boy in the Black Suit; Stamped; As Brave as You; For Every One; the Track series (Ghost, Patina, Sunny, and Lu); Look Both Ways; Stuntboy, in the Meantime; Ain’t Burned All the Bright (recipient of the Caldecott Honor) and My Name Is Jason. Mine Too. (both cowritten with Jason Griffin); and Long Way Down, which received a Newbery Honor, a Printz Honor, and a Coretta Scott King Honor. He lives in Washington, DC. You can find his ramblings at JasonWritesBooks.com. Jerome Pumphrey is a designer, illustrator, and writer. His work includes It’s a Sign!, Somewhere in the Bayou, The Old Boat, and The Old Truck, which received seven starred reviews, was named a Best Book of the Year by Publishers Weekly, and received the Ezra Jack Keats Writer Award Honor—all of which he created with his brother Jarrett. They also illustrated Jason Reynolds’s There Was a Party for Langston. Jerome works as a graphic designer at The Walt Disney Company. He lives in Texas. Jarrett Pumphrey is an award-winning author-illustrator who makes books for kids with his brother, Jerome. Their books include It’s a Sign!, Somewhere in the Bayou, The Old Boat, and The Old Truck, which received seven starred reviews, was named a Best Book of the Year by Publishers Weekly, and received the Ezra Jack Keats Writer Award Honor. They also illustrated Jason Reynolds’s There Was a Party for Langston. Jarrett lives near Austin, Texas. |
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Other Birds by Sarah Addison Allen Adult Fiction, Magical Realism, Women This book was made for autumn. A community who clings to ghosts, unable to move on, stuck in their grief, comes together in such a lovely way with the introduction of a new resident. Revisiting this brought such a warmth to my heart, and is one I’ll keep in my back pocket for quiet days. Reviewed by Jamie Kovacs, Flyleaf Books in Chapel Hill, North Carolina |
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How to Say Babylon by Safiya Sinclair Adult Nonfiction, Biography & Autobiography, Personal Memoirs This is the best book I’ve read this year, certainly one of the best books I’ve ever read. Sinclair is a poet’s writer who also delivers a thriller, a fascinating history of her religion and country and a call to social justice all at the same time. Vivid imagery, elegance and brilliance are on every page. Please don’t miss this! Lisa Uotinen from Book No Further in Roanoke, Virginia |
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True True by Don P. Hooper Prejudice & Racism, Social Themes, Young Adult Fiction I loved this book. Once I started, I couldn’t put it down. I couldn’t wait to find out how Gil’s story would unfold. I loved the way Gil used Sun Tzu’s The Art of War as a guide to help him navigate the often hostile world at his new, mostly white prep school. It kept the plot moving enticingly and kept me wondering what his next step would be. But ultimately, it was his deep connections to his family, his friends, and his community that made this book sing for me. Wonderful! Reviewed by Ruth Goldstein, E. Shaver Bookseller in Savannah, Georgia |
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10 Dogs by Emily Gravett Children, Concepts, Counting & Numbers, Juvenile Fiction Words almost aren’t needed in this hilarious and wonderfully illustrated book about ten dogs who have their eyes on ten sausages on a table. Will they be able to resist? Of course not! And that is how all the crazy fun starts. Reviewed by Mary Patterson, The Little Bookshop in Midlothian, Virginia |
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Curlfriends: New in Town (A Graphic Novel) by Sharee Miller Children, Comics & Graphic Novels, Juvenile Fiction Charlie is the new girl at school and making friends has not been easy for her. She wants to make new friends and be cool so she tries to be someone she’s not and makes a mess of things. I love the message in this book to always be your true authentic self and you will find your people. The illustrations are adorable and I love the all black cast. Great read! Reviewed by Keeshia Jacklitch, Bookseller, Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, North Carolina |
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Decide for Yourself Books that appear on PEN America’s list of challenged books. |
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Monday’s Not Coming by Tiffany D. Jackson Banned Books, Thrillers & Suspense, Young Adult Fiction Monday’s Not Coming is a heartbreaking story of a missing teenager, a community that seems not to notice, and a best friend who will go to whatever lengths it takes to find her missing friend. Tiffany D. Jackson weaves the reader through multiple timelines with increasing tension and emotion until you reach an ending that will haunt you long after you finished the book. This is a difficult but important and timely story highly recommended for teen and adult readers. Reviewed by Beth Seufer Buss, Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, North Carolina |
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Southern Bestsellers
What’s popular this week with Southern Readers. |
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     [ See the full list ] |
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Parting Thought
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Publisher: nicki@sibaweb.com |
SIBA | 51 Pleasant Ridge Drive | Asheville, NC 28805
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