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The week of May 21, 2024 Booksellers on the bestsellers What booksellers think about the books everyone is reading
#1 Hardcover Fiction: #5 Hardcover Fiction: #7 Hardcover Nonfiction: #14 Hardcover Nonfiction: #7 Trade Paperback Fiction: #6 Children’s Interest: Read This Now | Read This Next | Book Buzz | The Bookseller Directory |
The weekly Southern indie bestseller list represents books sold at independent bookshops in the Southeastern US. If reflects, but does not mirror, national bestseller lists; the Southern Indie list always has its own unique flavor. Indie booksellers have their own favorites, and those books often show up on the indie lists. The |
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Read This Now! Recommended by Southern indies… |
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Little Shrew by Akiko Miyakoshi Asian American & Pacific Islander, Beginner, Childrens, Emotions & Feelings, Juvenile Fiction Little Shrew is a quiet and sweet story of life and friends told in three chapters. It’s quietness makes it a great bedtime story or a lovely moment to sit and ponder. Reviewed by Judith Lafitte, Octavia Books in New Orleans, Louisiana |
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The Body Farm by Abby Geni Fiction, Nature & Environment, Short Stories (single author), Women Abby Geni’s short stories in The Body Farm are each deliciously different in scope, subject matter, tone, and voice. What they have in common is an exploration of being human, of having feelings that are confusing, and the physical manifestations these emotions can trigger. Being alive is messy and examining the complications of loving, aging, and simply living are some of the things Geni writes best. Reviewed by Rachel Watkins, Avid Bookshop in Athens, Georgia |
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Bookseller Buzz |
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Spotlight on: Woodworm by Layla Martinez 
Initially, Woodworm was a short story. It was summer, I was spending a few days at my grandmother’s house, which is the house that appears in the novel, and I was in my bedroom, about to go to sleep, when the wardrobe door opened. In that wardrobe are not everyday clothes, but special clothes for the family, like my grandmother’s wedding dress, the habit my uncle wears during Holy Week or the dress my grandmother wants to be buried in. The door opened by itself and it was quite scary, and in that moment I knew I wanted to write about the history of that closet, the history of the house and the history of the women who had lived in it. ― Layla Martinez, Center for the Art of Translation What booksellers are saying about Woodworm 
Layla Martínez (Madrid, 1987) is the author of two nonfiction books in Spanish, Surrogate Pregnancy (Pepitas de calabaza, 2019) and Utopia is not an Island (Episkaia, 2020), as well as stories and articles in numerous anthologies. She has translated essays and novels, writes about music for El Salto, and about television for La Última Hora. Since 2014 she has co-directed the independent publisher Antipersona. Woodworm is her first novel. Sophie Hughes is a British literary translator who primarily translates from Spanish to English. She has translated more than a dozen books, including the works of José Revueltas and Enrique Vila-Matas for New Directions. She was shortlisted for the 2019 and 2020 International Booker Prize. Annie McDermott is a translator working from Spanish and Portuguese. Her published and forthcoming translations include Empty Words and The Luminous Novel by Mario Levrero, Dead Girls and Brickmakers by Selva Almada, Feebleminded by Ariana Harwicz (co-translation with Carolina Orloff), and Loop by Brenda Lozano. She also reviews books for the Times Literary Supplement. She has previously lived in Mexico City and São Paulo, Brazil, and now lives by the sea in Hastings, UK. |
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A Letter to the Luminous Deep by Sylvie Cathrall Adult Fiction, Fantasy, Fiction, Historical Somehow comforting and aching all at once, this book feels like a hug from a long distance best friend. Cozy love stories and gentle friendships twine between the mystery of a past tragedy and the thrum of impending adventure to come. Though the pacing and epistolary style may not be for everybody, the lush fantastical underwater world this book introduces is worth every minute spent reading. If you’re an audiobook listener, tune in to this one for an excellent full cast that all fully embody the voice and personality of their characters. Reviewed by Izzy Bell, Birch Tree Bookstore in Leesburg, Virginia |
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Cactus Country by Zoë Bossiere Adult Nonfiction, Biography & Autobiography, LGBTQ+ 
A May Read This Next! Title Cactus Country is a lucid and tender coming of age memoir of class and gender expression. With an enjoyable ease, Zoë Bossiere vividly paints the Tucson desert, the colorful residents of the trailer park which gives the memoir its title, and the search for understanding and acceptance. Explores a young person’s gender journey without prescriptiveness but rather sensitivity and care. Reviewed by Luis Correa, Avid Bookshop in Athens, Georgia |
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This Book Won’t Burn by Samira Ahmed Books & Libraries, New Experience, Prejudice & Racism, Romance, Young Adult Fiction An incredibly timely read! Noor Khan has moved to a new town and is dismayed to discover that many of her new school’s library books have been pulled from the shelf. As she mobilizes her new classmates to fight back, she realizes she might actually be in danger. I loved the way Samira Ahmed cites real books that have been banned over the past few years throughout the book. Perfect for teens to read alongside Fahrenheit 451! Reviewed by Kate Storhoff, Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, North Carolina |
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The Secret Library by Kekla Magoon African American & Black, Children, Juvenile Fiction
A May/June Read This Next! Kids Title When Dally steps inside the Secret Library, her life changes. Each book whisks her through time and connects her with her family’s past. From a seafaring pirate adventure to a connection closer to home, new stories open and reveal where she is meant to be. An adventure story with depth. Reviewed by Rae Ann Parker, Parnassus Books in Nashville, Tennessee |
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The Deep Dark by Molly Knox Ostertag Comics & Graphic Novels, LGBTQ+, Young Adult Fiction This is the best type of graphic novel, where it drives you to tears but with it comes a kind catharsis. Mags has a secret, one with sharp teeth and the potential to hurt. Nessa, her childhood best friend was the only one who learned of it, and now she’s back, armed with questions about that secret and everything that happened all those years ago. Reading this and bearing witness to their solace found in vulnerability was a bit like communion – coming home and finding peace with someone who knows the scariest parts of you. Reviewed by Jordan April, Flyleaf Books in Chapel Hill, 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 Testaments by Margaret Atwood Adult Fiction, Banned Books, Dystopian, Political, Science Fiction I wasn’t entirely sure whether I wanted to read this one or not; I didn’t want my impression of The Handmaid’s Tale to be ruined or tainted if I didn’t enjoy it. Luckily for me, I LOVED it. It was definitely a lighter/easier read and – while answered some questions – it still left a lot of room for imagination (which I love). Reviewed by Niamh Kenny, E. Shaver bookseller in Savannah, Georgia |
Southern Bestsellers What’s popular this week with Southern Readers. |
[ See the full list ] |
Parting Thought “If one reads enough books one has a fighting chance. Or better, one’s chances of survival increase with each book one reads.” |
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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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