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The week of June 17, 2025 Booksellers on the Bestsellers
Summer may be a time for fun and play, but does anybody go to the beach or go on vacation without stuffing a few books in their bag for when the play is done and they just want to relax. Here’s was Southern booksellers think about some of the novels on this week’s Southern Indie Bestseller list. Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V. E. Schwab Atmosphere: A Love Story by Taylor Jenkins Reid The River Is Waiting by Wally Lamb So Far Gone by Jess Walter My Friends by Fredrik Backman Read This Now | Read This Next | Book Buzz | The Bookseller Directory |
What’s in your book bag?|
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Read This Now! Recommended by Southern indies… |
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Ollie In Between by Jess Callans Adolescence & Coming of Age, Childrens, Juvenile Fiction, LGBTQ+, Self-Esteem & Self-Reliance I LOVE this book. I crawled into the head of my younger self and thoroughly enjoyed this take on a young girl named Ollie who isn’t into fashion or boys. She is growing into herself and feels alone in her insecurities (oh, to be a friend to a kid this age and have them listen). This is funny, relatable, and very timely. Reviewed by Suzanne Lucey, Page 158 Books in Wake Forest, North Carolina |
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The Poppy Fields by Nikki Erlick Adult Fiction, Magical Realism Nikki Erlick has again written a book like no other. Who could forget The Measure after reading it? The same can be said about The Poppy Fields. Ava lost her grandmother and didn’t have her sister Ellis to help with the grief. Ray lost his brother Johnny and can’t get past the loss. Sasha’s fiancee dies just before their wedding. These three find themselves on a road trip to The Poppy Fields. After picking up Sky, they all share their stories of grief and love and fears and joys. Can the magical release of The Poppy Fields help the grieving process? All who read this book will question if they would choose some release from the pain of loss. Reviewed by Nancy Pierce, Bookmiser in Marietta, Georgia |
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A Flower Traveled in My Blood by Haley Cohen Gilliland 20th Century, Adult Nonfiction, History, Latin America, South America, Women A Flower Traveled in My Blood is the masterful account of the Abuelas of Plaza de Mayo: women in Argentina whose children were “disappeared” by the brutal dictatorship in the mid-1970s, and whose grandchildren were stolen. The story is remarkable in many ways – not just for the tenacity of the grandmothers, who refused to give up on their missing families, but also for the way in which their struggle helped further international law and science, most notably in DNA identification. Blending painstaking research with a nuanced exploration of family ties, identity, and memory, A Flower Traveled in My Blood is heartbreaking, complex, and utterly enthralling. Reviewed by Jude Burke-Lewis, Square Books in Oxford, Mississippi |
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Bookseller Buzz |
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The Listeners by Maggie Stiefvater
― Maggie Stiefvater, Interview, The Bookseller What booksellers are saying about The Listeners by Maggie Stiefvater 
Maggie Stiefvater the New York Times bestselling author of the Shiver trilogy, the Raven Cycle, and The Scorpio Races, among dozens of other YA fantasy novels. Her books have sold over five million copies around the world. She lives in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia with her husband and their two children. |
I wanted to write a controlled, intense, strange, sensual, truthful novel set firmly in a genre I’m increasingly thinking of as wonder. You can watch a romcom where someone is covered with bees and they’re terrified, and you’re laughing, so their experience is not the same as your experience. Likewise, you can be watching a horror film, and they think they’re having a normal Monday, and you know better. That’s where the horror happens. |
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The Summer We Ran by Audrey Ingram Contemporary, Fiction, Romance
A June Read This Next! Title I always enjoy Audrey Ingram’s books, and this one didn’t disappoint! This story weaves together love, ambition, and love — and how it can one day circle back to you, bringing up old secrets. This is the summer read you’re waiting for, with explorations of resilience, lost love, and beautifully flawed characters. Reviewed by Leah Fallon, Birch Tree Bookstore in Leesburg, Virginia |
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Hazel Says No by Gross Jessica Berger Adult Fiction, Coming of Age, Family Life, Fiction, Literary, Small Town & Rural ”Hazel says no” is the title, but also the simple act that causes so much craziness in this small town. A book that is told in different perspectives and shows how one event can affect people in different ways. It is a book that is very timely and at the same time feels like a story we all know way too well. Reviewed by Brianna Lloyd, Epilogue Books Chocolate Brews in Chapel Hill, North Carolina |
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Among Ghosts by Rachel Hartman Fantasy, Ghost Stories, Historical, Medieval, Young Adult Fiction This might be a hot take, but I love when queer representation is handled so casually. As a queer person myself, I enjoy seeing the signs and knowing that their identity is a simple fact of their character. This title was truly one unfortunate event after another, mixed in with extensive character lore and world-building. Dragons, a plague, a spy. And, of course, the ghosts. Reviewed by Eden Haymon, Cavalier House Books in Denham Springs, Louisiana |
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Where the Deer Slip Through by Katey Howes Animals, Children, Deer, Juvenile Fiction, Moose & Caribou Part seek and find adventure and part ode to nature, this stunning tale is the perfect read-together for young nature lovers. Reviewed by Angie Tally, The Country Bookshop in Southern Pines, North Carolina |
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Into the Bewilderness by Gus Gordon Animals, Children, Comics & Graphic Novels, Juvenile Fiction This book is a treat (just look at that art!), especially for fans of Frog & Toad who are ready for a bigger adventure. Luis (the guitar playing bear) & Pablo (the grumpy mole) are an odd pair of buddies that must brave their way to The Big City to in an attempt to experience *culture* and fine dining (versus the usual catch your own meal way of the woods) and not get mugged by rough and tough city squirrels with spoons in this hilarious, pitch perfect, highbrow-lowbrow tale that will leave you singing a song and giggling all the way through. Reviewed by Julie Jarema, Hub City Bookshop in Spartanburg, South Carolina |
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Best of All Worlds by Kenneth Oppel Psychological, Thrillers & Suspense, Young Adult Fiction
A May/June Read This Next! Kids Title What a gripping, original story! Instantly, I knew Xavier was a narrator who was going to be plum fun to read. Having a completely unrelatable story be told by someone so likeable and relatable is a stroke of genius. This story really makes you stop and think about what we are born into and how our beliefs are shaped by our exposures, and it makes you consider what YOU would do if one day you woke up in this strange new world. Reviewed by Mandy Martin, Novel in Memphis, Tennessee |
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Decide for Yourself Books that appear on PEN America’s list of challenged books. |
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The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky Banned Books, Coming of Age, Young Adult Fiction This is my second time reading this book, and even though it’s been over 15 years since I read it the first time, it still is as honest and poignant as ever. I adore Charlie, and his bluntness and naivety. This book perfectly captures being 15 and experiencing life for the first time. It’s beautiful and heartbreaking and is a must-read. Reviewed by Sarah Blackwell, Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, North Carolina |
Southern Bestsellers What’s popular this week with Southern Readers. |
[ See the full list ] |
Parting Thought “Storytelling is the essential human activity. The harder the situation, the more essential it is.” |
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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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