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The week of March 5, 2024 A mix of horror and happiness.
A new month means a new batch of books that have been pinging the radar of independent booksellers. The March Read This Next! list has just been posted. It is a mix of light and dark, horror and happiness: The Werewolf at Dusk: And Other Stories by David Small David Small’s illustrations give life to three short stories about age, identity, and metamorphosis in the vein of Franz Kafka and Alfred Hitchcock. The illustration is dreamlike; and although the stories are short, they are abundant with depth. – Isabel Agajanian from Oxford Exchange in Tampa, Florida The Other Side of Disappearing by Kate Clayborn This is a poignant story about family and all the ways those closest to you can do the most harm. A sweet story of finding family through love. – Jackie Willey from Fiction Addiction in Greenville, South Carolina Rabbit Heart: A Mother’s Murder, a Daughter’s Story by Kristine S. Ervin Books like this give me hope that beauty can truly overcome even the direst of circumstances. How proud her mother would be of her for pulling together such a triumph of a book: to honor memories of the before, to allow space to heal, and to give voice and power back to those who deserve it. – Alissa Redmond from South Main Book Company in Salisbury, North Carolina Like Happiness by Ursula Villarreal-Moura A searing debut that deftly explores the effects of an unhealthy relationship between a predatory male writer and a young woman on the cusp of adulthood. – Maggie Robe from Flyleaf Books in Chapel Hill, North Carolina James by Percival Everett A necessary look into the life of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn’s Jim, or James, told with Percival Everett’s unflinching, poetic, and entertaining prose. – James Harrod from Malaprop’s in Asheville, North Carolina 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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The Mystery Writer by Sulari Gentill Adult Fiction, Crime, Fiction, Mystery & Detective, Thrillers I knew I would like this book, having loved The Woman in the Library. However, it is hard to review because I feel like so much I have to say would be a spoiler. This book has one or two twists that I anticipated, but the big twist left me shocked. I was invested from the first page. I liked that all my original questions were answered while still being open-ended. I believe that leaves room for dialogue if you were to have a book club surrounding this book. Reviewed by Missy Kelly, Novel. in Memphis, Tennessee |
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Bookseller Buzz |
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Spotlight on: When the Jessamine Grows by Donna Everhart 
I set the story during a very familiar time frame, that of the Civil War, but I feel like it is uniquely different from any other Civil War story.. For one thing, Joetta McBride and her husband Ennis live in Nash County, North Carolina, They are subsistence farmers or "yeoman" farmers. That is where you grow your own food to feed yourself and your livestock. Yeoman farmers made up 65% of the population of North Carolina at that time. They did not own slaves, they were neutral and didn’t want anything to do with the war. The other thing about this book that makes it uniquely different is that it’s not about the War. Instead, I write about the families who are left behind women like Joetta McBride, who are required and compelled to keep food on the table, keep the farms running, keep their families together. The American Iraqi activist Zainab Salbi says if we are to understand War then we need to understand not not only what happens on the front lines but what happens on the back lines as well, where women are in charge of keeping the family going. And that is the essence of what this book is about. What booksellers are saying about When the Jessamine Grows 
Donna Everhart is a USA Today bestselling author known for vividly evoking the challenges of the heart and the complex heritage of the American South in her acclaimed novels When the Jessamine Grows, The Saints of Swallow Hill, The Moonshiner’s Daughter, The Forgiving Kind, The Road to Bittersweet, and The Education of Dixie Dupree. She is the recipient of the prestigious SELA Outstanding Southeastern Author Award from the Southeastern Library Association and her novels have received a SIBA Okra Pick, an Indie Next Pick, and two Publishers Marketplace Buzz Books selections. Born and raised in Raleigh, she has stayed close to her hometown for much of her life and now lives just an hour away in Dunn, North Carolina. |
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After Annie by Anna Quindlen Adult Fiction, Family Life Anna Quindlen doesn’t shy away from writing about difficult emotional topics, and After Annie is no exception. After Annie dies suddenly, her husband, daughter, and lifelong best friend struggle to figure out how to manage without her. Heartfelt, beautiful, and moving, Quindlen has created a beautiful story of loss and connection. Reviewed by Lynne Phillips, Wordsworth Books in Little Rock, Arkansas |
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Transient and Strange by Nell Greenfieldboyce Adult Nonfiction, Essays, Social Science As the kids of two scientists, reading Greenfieldboyce’s collection of musings felt like another night at the family dinner table: the warmth of the personal, but you’re also going to learn a little something. Her journalistic voice seamlessly layers science-fact with the soft moments of the day-to-day, intriguingly connecting her two world spheres. Equal fascination and reverence is granted whether she is discussing conversations with her children, connections made in shared silence, or the biological make-up of a common flea. Reviewed by Morgan Holub, E. Shaver bookseller in Savannah, Georgia |
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Snowglobe by Soyoung Park Dystopian, Young Adult Fiction I am not generally a sci-fi reader, but this book grabbed me! It’s a chilling tale of a dystopian future where those who live in the Snowglobe trade comfort for privacy. Their lives are broadcast on TV constantly, and in exchange, they get warmth and safety. Chobahm longs to be a Director, the most coveted role in Snowglobe. When her chance to get out of her family’s poverty arises, she leaps without looking, regardless of the cost. Reviewed by Andrea Richardson, Fountain Bookstore in Richmond, Virginia |
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Love Is My Favorite Color by Nina Laden Children, Emotions & Feelings, Juvenile Fiction, Social Themes This might just be my favorite picture book of the year. This is a story of how to live well at any age, how to show wonder, joy, appreciation, and understanding. It’s the perfect read-along, and the illustrations feel both of-this-world and deeply magical. Reviewed by Morgan DePerno, Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, North Carolina |
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The Werewolf at Dusk: And Other Stories by David Small Comics & Graphic Novels, Science Fiction David Small’s illustrations give life to three short stories about age. identity, and metamorphosis in the vein of Franz Kafka and Alfred Hitchcock. Each story positions a person beside a beast in some way, which aids in contextualizing our very human experiences. The illustration is dreamlike; and although the stories are short, they are abundant with depth. Reviewed by Isabel Agajanian, Oxford Exchange in Tampa, Florida |
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Decide for Yourself Books that appear on PEN America’s list of challenged books. |
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Darius the Great is Not Okay by Adib Khorram Banned Books, Depression, Family, Middle East, Multigenerational, People & Places, Young Adult Fiction This is one of the best YA novels I have read recently. Darius is an utterly relatable character who just feels like he never fits in: he’s too Persian for America, too American for Iran. When he travels to Iran for the first time, Darius could not feel more out of place, yet he meets a boy who finally makes him feel okay. This book is a powerful story of friendship and does a beautiful job of normalizing depression and discussing the experience of growing up with multiple cultural identities. Reviewed by Tenley Soergel, Carmichael’s Bookstore in Louisville, Kentucky |
Southern Bestsellers What’s popular this week with Southern Readers. |
[ See the full list ] |
Parting Thought “The beginning is the word and the end is silence. And in between are all the stories.” |
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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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