May 17, 2026
Read AANHPI!
In May, we celebrate Asian American, Native Hawaiian, & Pacific Islander Heritage Month. “Heritage” suggests that we are honoring the past, but these celebrations are also about recognizing the ongoing contributions AANHPI people make to our shared culture. We honor the past and celebrate and honor a future that includes AANHPI voices. As the actor Sandra Oh says in the quote below, “We have a new generation of storytellers among us.”
Recent Indie Bookseller Favorites by AANHPI authors
Coyoteland by Vanessa Hua
If you love a character-driven suburban drama, Coyoteland delivers with a timely, pandemic-era story full of urgency and relevance. Thoughtful, messy, and compelling, it’s a novel that tackles a lot and does it well.
– Jamie, Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, NC
Yellowface by R. F. Kuang
In this book, nobody is a saint. The author skillfully portrays flawed and complex characters who challenge the reader’s perceptions. Unflinching, uncomfortable, and absolutely necessary reading. Kuang holds up a mirror to the publishing industry and forces us all to look.
– Taylor, Baldwin & Co. in New Orleans, LA
The Take by Kelly Yang
Switching between the two main characters, Yang gives us a story of ambition, of dreams, of time. The big question: Would you take time from another, and if so, to what lengths would you go?
– Tamara, M Judson Booksellers in Greenville, SC
The Library of Flowers by L.C. Chu
A multi-generational story of mothers, daughters, and the heavy weight of expectation: those we think are placed upon us, and those we place on ourselves. What do you do when it is too much to carry alone?
– Morgan, E. Shaver Bookseller in Savannah, GA
Names Have Been Changed by Yu-Mei Balasingamchow
A woman calling herself Ophir recounts a decade-old crime and her years on the run across the globe. She’s a fascinatingly messy protagonist — part anti-hero, part adversary, part spoiled and sympathetic — the kind you may not like but can’t stop listening to.
– Jamie, Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, NC
More Indie Bookseller Lists:
Asian American and Pacific Islander Books Recommended by AAPI-owned Bookstores
Bookseller reviews of AAPI Books at SBR
Featuring reviews of:
- Afternoon Hours of a Hermit by Patrick Cottrell, reviewed by Kristen, Thank You Books in Birmingham, AL
- City of Rats by Copi, reviewed by Charlie, Fountain Bookstore in Richmond, VA
- Make Believe: On Telling Stories to Children by Mac Barnett, reviewed by Doron, Octavia Books in New Orleans, LA
- Until Next Summer by Allison Ashley, reviewed by Bethany, Court Street Books in Florence, Alabama
- All That Chandni Knows by Khushboo Patel, reviewed by Jess, Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, NC
- Heavy: An American Memoir by Kiese Laymon, reviewed by Robin, Pearl’s Books in Fayetteville, AR
- Bookseller Buzz: Japanese Gothic by Kylie Lee Baker, reviewed by Sarai, Spellbound Bookstore in Sanford, Florida; Rachel, Friendly City Books, Columbus, Mississippi; Meagan, Righton Books, St Simons Island, Georgia; Jordan, A Novel Romance, Louisville, Kentucky