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The week of October 22, 2024 Double, double toil and trouble. 
“I know of witches who whistle at different pitches, calling things that don’t have names.” The leading review in this week’s SBR is for Bright I Burn, a historical novel based on the life of the first woman in Ireland to be persecuted as a witch. Goddesses, demon brides, midwives, wise women, rebelious women…the witches in storybooks are complicated characters. Here are some other recently published witchy stories recommended by indie booksellers for your All Hallow’s Eve reading list. Halloween is not just for kids!
Imagine you’re a blue girl whose best friend is a sentient spider plant (one of my favorite characters). Once I discovered the storyline, I just had to read more. Magic, sorcery, spell books and numerous, fun characters…a fascinating and fun read. As the author, Sarah Beth Durst, says…"…escape and sink into a world filled with kindness and enchantment."
Tamsyn’s job is finding the unfindable – magical artifacts and items that might skirt just this side of legality. When she’s hired by Bowen Penhallow to track down a VERY hard to get trinket, they find themselves at the witchy wedding of the century – until they’re accidentally sent back in time! Will they get back to their own time safely and with the goods they’re after? And will they fall for each other while they’re doing it? Another enchanting read from Sterling! 
The Witchstone by Henry H. Neff The Witchstone was just the book I needed to start my summer reading: fast-paced, funny, and full of adventure. Laszlo the demon and the cursed Maggie Drakeford (along with her younger brother Lump) make a formidable pair as they work (often at cross-purposes) to break the Drakeford curse. Neff’s version of Hell as a corporate landscape with demons that will remind you of your worst bosses rings pitch-perfect to anyone who has ever had to suffer through a PowerPoint on maximizing ROI. Fans of the Good Place will love this book! 
The Witches of El Paso by Luis Jaramillo Wild how both books I read over vacation were about the golden threads of the universe and plagues and magic-wielding nuns. I wasn’t expecting that with one set in 1300s Italy and this one present day/1940s/1790s El Paso. But it makes sense at the same time, right? All those strings connecting everything. La Vista is such a cool way to explore magic and nature and forces out of our control that we think that we have figured out until we realize we’re just looking at a small piece of big picture. Nena was such a cool character and I loved how we were able to see her as a child, a young woman, and old lady. Maid, Mother, Crone to perfection. 
Midnight Rooms by Donyae Coles A deeply disturbing, and incredibly intriguing story that I couldn’t put down. Twists and turns abound, and at moments I was left to question which events were actually hallucination. Throughout it all, I was completely invested in finding out. If you like dark, gothic tales, intertwined with a touch of love and desire, this book is for you.
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 |
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Read This Now! Recommended by Southern indies… |
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Bright I Burn by Molly Aitken Adult Fiction, Dystopian, Fiction Came for the comparisons to Maggie O’Farrell and AK Blakemore, stayed for the evocative and immersive tale of a medieval woman born centuries ahead of her time. Bright I Burn is inspired by the real-life story of Alice Kyteler, who, in the 14th century, was the first woman in Ireland to be persecuted as a witch. In Aitken’s richly detailed telling, Kyteler is a wealthy, powerful and intelligent money lender, full of desires and secrets – all things that women of her time were not supposed to be. I absolutely loved it. Reviewed by Jude Burke-Lewis, Square Books in Oxford, Mississippi |
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Rejection by Tony Tulathimutte Adult Fiction, Satire I lost track of how many times I gasped while reading this; it may be *so* "so wrong it’s right" that it’s actually just, well, wrong. I almost threw the book across the room at several parts for being too funny, too heartbreaking, and/or too gross. There is sheer genius at work here, not just in the agile prose and acrobatic structure, but in how Tulathimutte dares to completely explode every social, romantic, artistic, and online convention–how the book risks annihilating even itself. Reviewed by Kristen Iskandrian, Thank You Books in Birmingham, Alabama |
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Bookseller Buzz |
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Spotlight on: he Wood at Midwinter by Susanna Clarke 
Unsurprisingly, when I look back at my childhood the books that dominated are the Narnia books. It just was a world in which I felt completely at home. I think it wasn’t that I realized fantasy literature did something different perhaps from other literature I just felt more at home in Narnia and in other similar books perhaps historical books in some way that wasn’t the modern world. It just it made more sense to me. Then in in my teenage years I read Ursula LeGuin’s EarthSea series despite that being in in many ways a sort of archetypal fantasy with Wizards and Dragons it was it was so real and it gave me something which I was missing in my actual life…books like EarthSea sort of made a place for my emotion and made a place for my dreams and my intellect. I was at home there. I look to the to not so much to the architecture but to the landscape of some of those islands that make up EarthSea. I know that place. I feel I have walked there um I know it better than I know most places in the real world. I feel that fantasy literature ― good fantasy literature ― gives meaning to the reader, the reader finds a world which is meaningful when so much of the world that we actually live in we feel, probably wrongly, but we feel is meaningless. What booksellers are saying about The Wood at Midwinter 
Susanna Clarke is the author of Piranesi, which won the Women’s Prize for Fiction, the Hugo Award–winning Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, and The Ladies of Grace Adieu and Other Stories. She lives in England. |
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Snake Oil by Kelsey Rae Dimberg Adult Fiction, Literary Snake Oil is a dark literary thriller about Radical, a wellness company centered around holistic remedies. Dirty secrets about the company start coming out as Rhoda, the CEO, begins to lose her iron-tight grip on her precious company, causing loyalties to be tested and murder to occur. Snake Oil is gripping and nail-biting, showing the horrendous truth about the wellness world and the ugly underbelly of running a cutthroat business. Reviewed by Anna Anabseh, Underground Books in Carrollton, Georgia |
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The Elements of Marie Curie by Dava Sobel Adult Nonfiction, Biography & Autobiography, Science & Technology 
An October Read This Next! Title The Elements of Marie Curie is one of the best biographies I’ve ever read. It’s not just a deeply personal look at Curie’s life. By tying the elements that were part of her work to her family and staff, we’re introduced to the many women she supported in the sciences, especially her daughter. Radium’s dangers have made it lose its allure. But publicizing Curie’s fostering of women in the lab will give her reputation a renewed glow. Reviewed by Rosemary Pugliese, Malaprop’s in Asheville, North Carolina |
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Twenty-Four Seconds from Now . . . by Jason Reynolds Emotions & Feelings, Social Themes, Young Adult Fiction What can’t he do? After opening conversations about gun violence, the importance of belonging, bravery, and superheroes, now Jason Reynolds has turned the conversation to what real love looks like as navigated by sweet, kind, confused, scared (of dogs!) insightful 17-year-old Neon. This honest book is basically Judy Blume’s Forever written for today’s teen and should absolutely be required reading for every freshman English class. Reviewed by Angie Tally, The Country Bookshop in Southern Pines, North Carolina |
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At Our Table by Patrick Hulse Children, Holidays & Celebrations, Juvenile Fiction, Thanksgiving At Our Table is a must-buy for your Thanksgiving displays and deserves a permanent spot on your bookshelves. A story about family, home as a safe space to be yourself, and gathering around a table that has room for everyone, all in a way that honors Indigenous Peoples and land. I can’t recommend this one enough! Reviewed by Jessica Nock, Main Street Books in Davidson, North Carolina |
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The Night Mother Vol. 1 by Jeremy Lambert Children, Comics & Graphic Novels, Fantasy, Juvenile Fiction Souls in lanterns. An eternal moon. A land with no time. This is reality during the reign of the current Night Mother. The title is held for those who guide lost souls to the moon and is passed down mother to daughter. But what if this mother is separated from her daughter? What if she takes souls that aren’t ready and thus not hers to take just yet? This gorgeous graphic novel is oozing with detail and keeps the reader wanting more. I know I’m ready for volume two already! Reviewed by Lana Repic, 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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One of Us is Lying by Karen M. McManus Banned Books, Friendship, Mysteries & Detective Stories, Thrillers & Suspense, Young Adult Fiction Surrounding the unsettling mystery of the death of an infamous high school tattler, One of Us is Lying focuses on the 4 suspects in the murder of Simon Kelleher. A thrilling "whodunnit", One of Us is Lying will leave you guessing until the very last page and make your blood run cold at every unexpected turn. This chilling novel is both unpredictable and impossible to put down, keeping you engaged through the twists and betrayals of the story. Reviewed by Makayla Summers, Main Street Reads in Summerville, South Carolina |
Southern Bestsellers What’s popular this week with Southern Readers. |
[ See the full list ] |
Parting Thought “The basis of all human fears, he thought. A closed door, slightly ajar.” |
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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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