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The week of May 20, 2025 Real books, recommended by real people.  “At that moment the power of reading made itself clear and real to me. If I could see the words, then no one could control them or what I got from them.”― Percival Everett This week many readers in Chicago and elsewhere were horrified to find the summer reading insert added to their Sunday newspaper was filled with nonexistent books recommended by a nonexistent person named ChatGPT. The Southern Bookseller Review is, however, exactly what it says on the tin: real booksellers who work in Southern independent bookstores, and who love to read, to talk about, and to recommend books. So while chatGPT may have great things to say about "The Rainmakers," an imaginary book by Percival Everett, SBR readers can feel confident that what Kimberly Todd of Square Books in Oxford wrote about James, Everett’s real novel that was just awarded the Pulitzer Prize, is an honest opinion by a real person who really read the book. What Southern booksellers think about some of the the 2025 Pulitzer Prize winners and finalists: James by Percival Everett (Fiction Winner) Headshot: A Novel, by Rita Bullwinkel (Fiction Finalist) The Unicorn Woman, by Gayl Jones (Fiction Finalist) Bluff: Poems, by Danez Smith (Poetry Finalist) 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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Bibliophobia by Sarah Chihaya Adult Nonfiction, Asian & Asian American, Biography & Autobiography A powerful, singular work that made me contemplate my reading life anew. Chihaya’s thorny embrace of reading as a creative act–despite the risk to herself–opens the door for a new kind of vulnerability, one that places this memoir closer to scholarship. A bracing, pleasurable, moving, and gorgeously wrought account of the sublimities and liabilities of a life in books, of what happens when the life of the mind has a mind of its own. Reviewed by Kristen Iskandrian, Thank You Books in Birmingham, Alabama |
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The Director by Daniel Kehlmann Adult Fiction, General, Historical, World War II & Holocaust This dramatic, thought-provoking novel challenges us to consider the moral and creative problems faced by acclaimed Jewish film director G.W. Pabst as Hitler comes to power. After Pabst travels back to Europe from Hollywood, the Nazis force him to remain and film in Austria for the duration of the war where he struggles with family loyalty, love for his country, and his own driving ambition. Vivid descriptions of 1940s film techniques and scenes with greats like Greta Garbo, the film propagandist Leni Riefenstahl, and writer Alfred Karrasch. Dramatic and thought-provoking. Reviewed by Patience Allan-Glick, Hills & Hamlets Bookshop in Carrollton, Georgia |
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What Happens in Amsterdam by Rachel Lynn Solomon Adult Fiction, Romance, Workplace This is a good old-fashioned "I need to stay up late reading and see what happens" romance! This second-chance story, inspired by the author’s own expat journey, follows Dani, an adrift American, as she tries to get her bearings in Amsterdam following a messy breakup. As she struggles to prove to her family (and herself) that she can handle her new adventure, a long-lost first love appears to provide some solutions. Can she put her resentments for her first heartbreak aside and be civil long enough to find her purpose? Can he? Tension! Tulips! So bingeable and wanderlust-inspiring! Reviewed by Julia Lewis, Fountain Bookstore in Richmond, Virginia |
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Run for the Hills by Kevin Wilson Adult Fiction, Literary 
A May Read This Next! Title In Kevin Wilson’s latest, we have a different kind of sibling drama–one in which the siblings in question don’t even know the others exist. That is, until they’re thrown together in a PT Cruiser on a road trip to ambush–er, confront–the father who abandoned them all. When Madeline “Mad” Hill, a farmer in rural Coalfield, Tennessee, meets her older half-brother Rube, a mystery writer, the quiet life she’s built for herself is turned on its head. Likewise, when the two of them leave Coalfield together to seek out their younger half-sister Pepper, they disrupt a propulsive college basketball season. And it doesn’t stop there. As they collect still more siblings, more lives are interrupted, more trajectories diverted. But as the siblings get to know each other and themselves, they find that maybe the thing that was missing from each of their lives was each other. Traveling west, this group of just-introduced siblings follows the path and pieces together the puzzle of their shared, absent father–a man who methodically tried on different identities and shed them as he sought his own happiness, forsaking theirs. With heart, humor, and empathy, Kevin Wilson explores the divide between the family we’re born with and the family we choose, and what happens when they intersect. Reviewed by Joyce McKinnon, Thank You Books in Birmingham, Alabama |
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Bookseller Buzz |
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Aftertaste by Daria Lavelle 
Food has always been an obsession of mine, but I had never written it really into my fiction, aside from, occasionally describing what somebody was eating, describing a flavor somebody remembered. But this was the first time where, I think years of reading cookbooks, of watching cooking shows, of watching my parents cook, of cooking myself, and experiencing different flavors and different cuisines, and being really tuned into that…I think this was when all of that sort of manifested. This was my first try at writing something that felt like eating. And there were even moments where I would try to eat the foods that I was describing to get the mouth feel right…I completely invented recipes for for several of the dishes in Aftertaste that wind up being these sort of spiritual connections that can bring a spirit back. And in some cases, I would attempt to make the flavors, but in most cases, I just knew in my head what it would taste like from from just experiencing cooking and experiencing flavors. I would use that sort of intuition, also paired with what that character needed at the time. So I think one of the things in Aftertaste that happens is that the food is never just the food. The food is really evocative of a particular flavor of memory. So is it they’re sweet? Is it? Is it something that really disturbs the spirit that’s trying to come back? Is it something warm? Is it something that they’re excited to taste again? Is it a recollection that buoys them, or is it something that crushes them?
― Daria Lavelle, Interview, Table Talk What booksellers are saying about Aftertaste by Daria Lavelle 
Daria Lavelle is an American fiction writer. Born in Kyiv, Ukraine, and raised in the New York metro area, her work explores themes of identity and belonging through magic and the uncanny. Her short stories have appeared in The Deadlands, Dread Machine, and elsewhere, and she holds degrees in writing from Princeton University and Sarah Lawrence College. She lives in New Jersey with her husband, children, and goldendoodle, all of whom love a great meal almost as much as she does. Learn more at DariaLavelle.com.. |
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Marsha by Tourmaline Adult Nonfiction, Biography & Autobiography, LGBTQ+ I snatched this as soon as I saw it at the bookshop. This book captures a feeling I’ve been struggling to articulate for so long: showing joy in who you are as a form of defiance when the world does everything it can to push you down. Everything about Marsha’s life embodies that idea, she’s an amazing subject for a biography. Tourmaline does an amazing job telling Marsha’s story – and at giving a good overview of LGBTQIA history in the U.S. as well – but what separates this from other biographies for me is just how much love, passion, and radiance spills out from the pages; Tourmaline clearly has such a deep appreciation for Marsha that makes the writing so engaging and vivid. There’s a wealth of information here, but there’s never a moment where the book feels bogged down or heavy. Tourmaline also goes beyond Marsha’s life, going into the impact and legacy she’s left for the LGBTQIA community, in activism and everyday life. It’s made clear that the progress made to equality for LGBTQIA people has happened over a short length of time, and there’s still so much work to be done – especially for Trans people – but Tourmaline makes sure every nook and cranny of this book is filled with hope and joy. I think this should be essential reading for anyone remotely interested in LGBTQIA history and activism, and anyone who just needs some hope and joy right now. Reviewed by Winter Goldsmith, E. Shaver Bookseller in Savannah, Georgia |
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In Case You Read This by Edward Underhill LGBTQ+, Romance, Young Adult Fiction Underhill once again pens a delightful queer romcom. Arden is moving from LA to Michigan and isn’t happy about it at all. He’s used to being invisible as a trans person, and that’s not going to be possible in his new home. Meanwhile Gabe is moving from Illinois to Pasadena and is ecstatic to finally have some queer friends and where he won’t stand out as the only queer, let alone trans, person. As both boys are moving cross-country, they spend one perfect evening together at a hotel in Nebraska. They leave without exchanging information and immediately regret it. What follows is their journey to fit into their new lives, as well as trying to find each other when all they have are their first names and their favorite band. Another five-star read from this author cements him on my "always read" list! Reviewed by Jennifer Jones, Bookmiser in Marietta, Georgia |
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The Wish Switch by Lynn Painter Children, Friendship, Juvenile Fiction, Social Themes The Wish Switch is a sweet transition by Lynn Painter into books meant for a younger audience than her popular YA novels. The story follows Emma Rockford and her friends as they rely on her late grandmother’s instructions to gain four wishes, while following her very specific instructions. However, something happens to make Emma’s wish become seemingly switched with her brother’s best friend’s, leading them to form an alliance to figure out what had happened. A sweet tale that will entertain young readers for a pleasant afternoon. Reviewed by Molly Reinhardt, Main Street Books in Davidson, North Carolina |
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J vs. K by Kwame Alexander Children, Humorous Stories, Juvenile Fiction
A May/June Read This Next! Kids Title These two are superstars in the Literary world. I had the privilege of meeting both of them and know they live and breathe getting kids to love reading and are such advocates of telling real stories for all. Their pretend jabbing is something that will leave you on the floor laughing. I know kids will love reading this because they will feel like they personally know these guys and they are on the inside joke. Reviewed by Suzanne Lucey, Page 158 Books in Wake Forest, North Carolina |
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Good Boy by Andy Hirsch Animals, Children, Comics & Graphic Novels, Juvenile Fiction I’m really excited for this boy and dog graphic novel readers looking for something after burning through Dogman. With adventure, a real-life challenge, and some gross-out humor, this one’s sure to be a hit for summer reading. Reviewed by Angie Tally, The Country Bookshop in Southern Pines, North Carolina |
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Decide for Yourself Books that appear on PEN America’s list of challenged books. |
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The Beautiful by Renée Ahdieh Banned Books, Epic, Fantasy, Paranormal, Romance, Vampires, Young Adult Fiction I can still remember reading The Wrath and The Dawn for the first time, and how much the beautiful world, and incredible romance affected me. Today I’m gushing about Renee’s new book about vampires in 19th century New Orleans! The best part of it is, she doesn’t stick strictly to vampires, at all, nor the normal glittering, sometimes scary vampires we’re used to today! Ahdieh takes the vampire mythos and shapes it into something all her own, making it beautiful and lush and terrifying. But even without the vampires, our protagonist, Celine, is a French girl with passions and whims considered inappropriate for a girl of any age, let alone a young girl trying to find a proper husband. But truthfully, Celine comes to New Orleans to flee from a dark secret in her very near past, and from herself too. Celine is an incredibly interesting and complex protagonist that demands your love even as she pushes everyone away, because you the reader are the only one that knows her thoughts and can see beyond her actions. Sebastian is a powerhouse of a love interest, and when we do get a point-of-view chapter from him, he just continues to baffle and break hearts, but in more depressing ways. These two together make for an incredibly frustrating slow burn that grabbed me by the throat and didn’t let up. I also had no idea where the story was going to go. Ahdieh managed to keep me in the dark about many things, and that was perfect because it meant I was able to dive in further and really dig for clues and such. This all made The Beautiful an incredibly enchanting read that kept me on my toes the entire time and absolutely delivered on a delicious romance set in a New Orleans ruled by the supernatural. Reviewed by Caitlyn Vanorder, Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, North Carolina |
Southern Bestsellers What’s popular this week with Southern Readers. |
[ See the full list ] |
Parting Thought “Story is a yearning meeting an obstacle.” |
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