|
|
|
|
The week of June 11, 2024 Happy Juneteenth! 
Next week, on June 19th, we celebrate Juneteenth; the most recent (and long overdue) Federal holiday on the calendar, honoring the day in 1865 enslaved people in Texas learned they were free (also long overdue). To better understand what Juneteenth means to this country, the National Museum of African American History and Culture has a reading list. It is a mix of fiction and nonfiction, adult and young reader books. They don’t call it a "suggested" reading list, but a "must-read list." Here is what indie booksellers think about some of the books on the list, and some on their own "must read" list for Juneteenth: Four Hundred Souls : A Community History of African America, 1619-2019 by Ibram X. Kendi, Keisha N. Blain Shoutin’ in the Fire by Danté Stewart On Juneteenth by Annette Gordon-Reed Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead Read This Now | Read This Next | Book Buzz | The Bookseller Directory |
|
|
|
Read This Now! Recommended by Southern indies… |
|
|
Evocation by S.T. Gibson Adult Fiction, Fantasy, LGBTQ+, Romance, Urban David Aristarkhov is cursed, a demon on his heels and in his mind. A gifted psychic in his own right, he comes from a long line of mediums and magic wielders, which may also be the origin of his curse. His only allies happen to be his estranged ex, Rhys, and Rhys’ wife Moira, who have every reason not to help him. Evocation was a breathless character study in vulnerability and resilience, in finding aid in others, and magic bonds worth savoring. I adored it. Reviewed by Jordan April, Flyleaf Books in Chapel Hill, North Carolina |
|
|
Swift River by Essie Chambers Adult Fiction, Literary 
A June Read This Next! Title Swift River is one of those books that will take me a while to process and digest. The characters and setting are both so complex and richly written. Reading Swift River is akin to being transported to another time and place, into another person’s perspective. Swift River is such an emotional story, effortlessly intermingling American history with one young woman’s personal history. You will fall in love with Diamond and find yourself rooting for her! You’ll also find yourself turning the pages, eager to find answers. Highly recommend Swift River! Reviewed by Emily Lessig, The Violet Fox Bookshop in Virginia Beach, Virginia |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Bookseller Buzz |
 |
|
Spotlight on: Shae by Mesha Maren 
For my generation, your coming out story was huge. Right, like when did you come out and how did it go?, and I’m sure that’s still a part of many people’s narratives, but I do have the feeling that things have shifted. The fluidity of both Cam and Shae’s sexuality and the conversations or sometimes lack of conversations around it felt very real to my sister in terms of the conversations she has had with her teenagers, and I was glad that came across as being real. ― Mesha Maren, Southern Review of Books What booksellers are saying about Shae 
Mesha Maren is the author of the novels Sugar Run and Perpetual West (Algonquin Books). Her short stories and essays can be read in Tin House, The Oxford American, The Guardian, Crazyhorse, Triquarterly, The Southern Review, Ecotone, Sou’wester, Hobart, Forty Stories: New Writing from Harper Perennial, and elsewhere. She was the recipient of the 2015 Thomas Wolfe Fiction Prize, a 2014 Elizabeth George Foundation grant, an Appalachian Writing Fellowship from Lincoln Memorial University, and fellowships from the MacDowell Colony and the Ucross Foundation. She was the 2018-2019 Kenan Visiting Writer at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She is an Associate Professor of the Practice of English at Duke University. |
 |
|
|
Sandwich by Catherine Newman Adult Fiction, Family Life, Fiction In some light, this a sandy-toed frolic of a family’s week at the beach; in others, it’s a turbulent accounting of the family’s lifetime of joys and sorrows. Anyone with a family beach tradition will relate. Actually, anyone with a family will relate. Newman deftly sandwiches comedy and tragedy between the sweet pastels of the book’s summery covers. A deceptively powerful book! Reviewed by Frank Reiss, A Cappella Books in Atlanta, Georgia |
|
|
The Editor by Sara B. Franklin Adult Nonfiction, Biography & Autobiography, Culinary, Editors, Journalists, Publishers, Women Sara Franklin’s first-rate biography is a celebration of the “audacious life” of editor Judith Jones, whose career spanned the 1960s and into the millennium. With little more than instinct, pluck, and will, Jones began her career at Doubleday at age 17 and rose to senior editor and V.P. At Knopf in Paris. After being involved with noted authors like John Updike, Sylvia Plath, John Hersey, and Langston Hughes, and important manuscripts including The Diary of Anne Frank, she gained her most remarkable success by her association first with cookery guru Julia Child and later with James Beard and Jacques Pepin, to become a true “culinary luminary.” This is an exceptional book where even the end-notes make entertaining reading. Reviewed by Michael Yetter, Joseph-Beth Booksellers in Lexington, Kentucky |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The Dos and Donuts of Love by Adiba Jaigirdar LGBTQ+, Romance, Young Adult Fiction
A June Read This Next! Title Literally one of my favorite books I have ever read! Represents the LGBTQ community, talks about racism, and the trials and errors of friends and lovers. Must read! Reviewed by Jennifer Jones, Bookmiser in Marietta, Georgia |
|
|
What Love Looks Like by Laura Obuobi, Anna Cunha (illus.) African American & Black, Childrens, Juvenile Fiction What Love Looks Like will make an excellent bedtime story, or a way to stretch your imagination and practice mindfulness. Each spread takes Papa and Afia to a new place where they imagine all the things they can see and feel. And with every new place they imagine they share what love can feel like. Perfect for readers who love Grace Lin & Kate Messner’s Once Upon a Book or Micha Archer’s Daniel Finds a Poem; I can’t wait to share this one with kids and grownups too! Reviewed by Johanna Albrecht, McIntyre’s Books in Pittsboro, North Carolina |
|
|
Mismatched: A Modern Graphic Retelling of Emma by Anne Camlin, Isadora Zeferino (illus.) Classic Adaptation, Comics & Graphic Novels, Emotions & Feelings, Humorous, LGBTQ+, Romance, Young Adult Fiction Very cute! I struggled a little in the beginning because the MC (Evan) was driving me insane. Luckily he was redeemed and a lot better very quickly. Loved the characters, the artwork, the ENDING!!!, all of it. It was super cute, full of LGBTQIA rep, and a fun take on Emma by Jane Austen. Reviewed by Stephanie St. John, E. Shaver bookseller in Savannah, Georgia |
|
Decide for Yourself Books that appear on PEN America’s list of challenged books. |
|
|
Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé Banned Books, Thrillers & Suspense, Young Adult Fiction After two private school students are selected to be prefects, an anonymous bully starts sending text messages with revealing secrets about them to the rest of the student body. In this debut novel, suspense is expertly combined with interesting social commentary–perfect for fans of Courtney Summers, Maureen Johnson, or Karen McManus! Reviewed by Jen Minor, Flyleaf Books in Chapel Hill, North Carolina |
Southern Bestsellers What’s popular this week with Southern Readers. |
[ See the full list ] |
Parting Thought “First of all, being gay is far from a curse. It’s more like an extra order of fries at Wendy’s because the lady in the window isn’t paying attention while she fills your bag. It’s awesome.” |
|
Publisher:
The Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance /
siba@sibaweb.com |
SIBA | 51 Pleasant Ridge Drive | Asheville, NC 28805
You have received this email because you are currently subscribed to receive The Southern Bookseller Review.
Please click @@unsubscribe_url@@ if you no longer wish to receive these communications.