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The week of December 10, 2024 Our favorite holiday stories you probably haven’t heard yet.  Okay, the holidays are a time for giving. For coming together with family. For cookies. And for indulging in guilty pleasures, like, say, a couple of steamy holiday romances! The Mistletoe Mystery by Nita Prose A sweet novella about Molly the maid, filled with lots of her Gran’s wonderful sayings. There are lots of Christmas festivities as Molly and Juan celebrate the days before Christmas.— Nancy McFarlane, Fiction Addiction in Greenville, South Carolina Everyone This Christmas Has a Secret by Benjamin Stevenson It’s short, it’s quirky, and absolutely a holiday treat of a read. Fewer pages doesn’t mean fewer complications or changes of missed clues. — Jan Blodgett, Main Street Books in Davidson, Georgia Make the Season Bright by Ashley Herring Blake A Sapphic Christmas second-chance romance — what more do you need to know? The dynamic between Charlotte and Brighton is excellent, and I loved how important music was to the story. — Amber Brown, Quail Ridge Books in Raleigh, North Carolina The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year by Ally Carter If Knives Out and Hallmark Christmas movies had a baby and Agatha Christie was the nanny, it would be this book. Seriously Maggie and Ethan are everything, and I want to spend all my holidays with them. — Michelle Whittaker, Fonts Books in McLean, Virginia Only for the Holidays by Abiola Bello City girl Tia Solanke is NOT looking forward to the holidays. She and her boyfriend, Mike, are on a break, and her mother’s solution is to take a Christmas getaway to the picturesque Saiyan Hedge Farms. — Flyleaf Books in Chapel Hill, North Carolina The Holiday Honeymoon Switch by Julia Mckay If you’re looking for a little spicier Hallmark Christmas movie-type story, then look no further! Best friends Holly and Ivy actually aren’t fond of Christmas, thank you very much. But they both find a little more than they were looking for. — Jennifer Jones, Bookmiser in Marietta, Georgia We Celebrate the Light by Jane Yolen An astonishingly gorgeous rendering of the significance of light in the cultural lives of communities around the world. It is a celebration of the natural rhythms that unite us all and the cultural practices that make us unique. — Damarius Johnson, Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, North Carolina Santa’s First Christmas by Mac Barnett I never thought about how Santa celebrated Christmas Day. This is my new favorite book. So funny and creative. — Suzanne Lucey, Page 158 in Wake Forest, North Carolina Brightly Shining by Ingvild Rishøi This is a winter novel for those of us who name Hans Christian Anderson’s stories among our favorite fairy tales. Ronja’s voice is perfect – poignant and descriptive, but still true to a ten year old. — Ginger Kautz, Quail Ridge Books in Raleigh, North Carolina A Stickler Christmas by Lane Smith There’s always that one book that’s so weird it’s wonderful. If that’s your holiday jam, Stickler will definitely stick with you. And yeah, we all know that one kid who really might just love a really cool stick for Christmas. — Angie Tally, The Country Bookshop in Southern Pines, North Carolina At Our Table by Patrick Hulse At Our Table 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 — Jessica Nock, Main Street Books in Davidson, North Carolina  Find more holiday stories recommended by booksellers at SBR. 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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Make Me Rain by Nikki Giovanni Adult Nonfiction, African American & Black, American, Poetry ”If now isn’t a good time for the truth I don’t see when we’ll get to it.”― Nikki Giovanni (June 7, 1943 – December 9, 2024) I would not call myself a poetry reader, but there is something about Nikki Giovanni’s poetry that speaks to me so deeply. Sentimental and comforting, Make Me Rain covers a wide range of topics from quilts and rising bread to the social change we so desperately need in our world. Giovanni’s wisdom and understanding once again prove why she is such a poetic powerhouse – and leave the reader wanting to explore her past work again, too. Reviewed by Beth Seufer Buss, Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, North Carolina |
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The Secret Dead Club by Karen Strong African American & Black, Children, Juvenile Fiction 
2025 Southern Book Prize Finalist While Karen Strong’s previous two middle-grade books have had ghosty elements, The Secret Dead Club is a full-fledged haunted ghost story. After Wednesday, Thomas moves back to her mom’s hometown in Georgia, where she realizes she’s not the only middle school girl who sees ghosts. This exciting mystery uses themes of friendship and grief to help the reader know themselves better. This story masterfully includes (what can be seen as) delicate topics such as getting your period or how emotions can manifest physically in your body to create an extremely relatable and readable book.? Reviewed by Rachel Watkins, Avid Bookshop in Athens, Georgia |
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The Rest Is Memory by Lily Tuck Adult Fiction, General, Historical, World War II & Holocaust It’s hard to think about Holocaust literature without the words of Adorno in my head–"to write poetry after Auschwitz is barbaric"–but the discussion is too important, and the correctives too far-ranging. I physically ached while reading this book and did, finally, cry–while reading Tuck’s acknowledgments. The care she has taken here to give voice to a young Catholic girl who would otherwise remain a number is evident both from the considerable research and the unflinching tone. The story that emerges feels piercingly, viscerally true, and alive. I won’t soon forget Czeslawa and her very real, youthful humanity, a girl in full bloom, afraid of her father, curious about boys, comforted by stories and prayer and the vastness of her imagination before it was starved to death. The insights into Poland’s history before and during the war, as well as the glimpses into the lives of various (real) notorious figures, create a haunting scaffolding for Czeslawa’s story. A heartbreaking novel whose integrity can’t be impugned. Reviewed by Kristen Iskandrian, Thank You Books in Birmingham, Alabama |
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Bookseller Buzz |
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The Nightmare Before Kissmas by Sara Raasch 
Show of hands—who’s had a rough couple of years? It’s a mark of just how brutal life’s been that I know your hand went up. Life’s been hard. It’s been cruel. And in the summer of 2022, I’d had it. I was tired of being sad and feeling crushed by the continued crap life heaped on us all. So, I set out to recapture joy by writing a rom-com. A silly, irreverent, whimsical rom-com about how you spend your life chasing nostalgia even when you know those moments will never be quite the same; about not just surviving, but living, and doing that while being unapologetically queer. ― Sara Raasch, Letter to indie booksellers What booksellers are saying about The Nightmare Before Kissmas 
Sara Raasch grew up among the cornfields of Ohio and currently lives in the historical corridor of southeastern Virginia. She is the New York Times bestselling author of seven books for young adults. In her debut adult novel, Raasch offers readers all the joy, irreverent wit, and crackling sexiness of your favorite sweet-as-a candy-cane holiday romp. |
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The Voyage Home by Pat Barker Adult Fiction, Fairy Tales, Folk Tales, Legends & Mythology The next installment of Pat Barker’s Women of Troy series maintains her streak of incredibly nuanced and winning retellings of classical myth. This time she’s telling the story of Cassandra and Clytemnestra mostly through the point of view of Ritsa, an enslaved Troy survivor. As always, Barker’s writing is spectacular and her portrayal of women of mythology is fully-faceted. A surefire hit for Madeline Miller fans! Reviewed by Chelsea Bauer, Union Ave Books in Knoxville, Tennessee |
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Opus by Gareth Gore Adult Nonfiction, Catholic, Christianity, Religion If you’re looking for a good true crime book, this one is for you! A thrilling expose recounting how members of Opus Dei, a secretive, ultra-conservative Catholic sect, pushed its radical agenda within the Church and around the globe, using billions of dollars siphoned from one of the world’s largest banks. The author goes into a lot of detail of his investigation on this case. Literally had my jaw on the floor. Reviewed by Sophia Dean, Old Town Books in Alexandria, Virginia |
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The Dividing Sky by Jill Tew Romance, Science Fiction, Young Adult Fiction This is a rare gem in the YA dystopian genre. Not only have readers been waiting for the return of the genre but this will be a standout with its swoony romance, thrilling plot, and elements that feel too close to current events. Reviewed by Vania Stoyanova, Brave + Kind in Decatur, Georgia |
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Bye Forever, I Guess by Jodi Meadows Children, Friendship, Juvenile Fiction, Social Themes
A November / December Read This Next! Kids Title Being invisible and lonely is better than being seen and ridiculed, right? Warmth, caring, and cozy were all knit together to make this book. Middle school relationships are hard and are often made that much worse with miscommunication. Meadows handles it in a way that I think anyone can relate to and appreciate. Not to mention me giggling and kicking my feet at how sweet this romance is. Reviewed by Lana Repic, E. Shaver bookseller in Savannah, Georgia |
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Final Cut by Charles Burns Comics & Graphic Novels, Fantasy The latest graphic novel from Charles Burns is as visually stunning as ever, in his inimitable style. In this tale, we are presented with a melancholy, teenage angst story that verges on horror by the end. as a group of friends attempt to make a home movie. The autobiographical aspects may not be subtle, as one of the protagonists struggles with the difficulties of turning the images in his head into reality, but as we flit from the tortured artist to the girl he has become fixated on, taking in their mutual friends and his situation at home, Final Cut presents us with a moving, layered tale of creation and destruction. Reviewed by Doron Klemer, Octavia Books in New Orleans, Louisiana |
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Decide for Yourself Books that appear on PEN America’s list of challenged books. |
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With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo Banned Books, Coming of Age, Young Adult Fiction You don’t see teen mothers in YA much, and I am so grateful Acevedo has introduced us to Emoni, a seventeen-year-old who is a loving mother, a devoted granddaughter, and an amazing cook. Readers will warm immediately to her story of juggling school, family, romance, and her culinary passion. Sprinkled with magical realism and brimming with heart, With the Fire on High is a dish everyone should dig into! Reviewed by Hannah DeCamp, Avid Bookshop in Athens, Georgia |
Southern Bestsellers What’s popular this week with Southern Readers. |
[ See the full list ] |
Parting Thought “Poetry and music are very good friends. Like mommies and daddies and strawberries and cream – they go together.” |
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