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The week of June 3, 2025 Happy Pride!  Happy Pride! This month The Southern Bookseller Review celebrates and honors the impact and importance that lesbian, gay, bisexual, intersex, transgender, and gender-nonconforming people have had on history, our culture, our lives every day. LGBTQ+ is one of the top ten tags for reviews at SBR. Here are just a few of the reviews of queer-themed books that have been added in the last two weeks (click on the title to read more): Stop Me If You’ve Heard This One by Novel Kristen Arnett Come Home to My Heart by Riley Redgate The Dry Season by Melissa Febos Unsex Me Here by Aurora Mattia A/S/L by Jeanne Thornton Glitch Girl! by Rainie Oet A Language of Limbs by Dylin Hardcastle Ollie In Between by Jess Callans The Intermediaries: A Weimar Story by Brandy Schillace Trans History: A Graphic Novel From Ancient Times to the Present Day by Alex L. Combs, Andrew Eakett Hot Girls with Balls by Benedict Nguyen 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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Freakslaw by Jane Flett Adult Fiction, Coming of Age, Horror, LGBTQ+, Literary, Occult & Supernatural A roiling and intense debut featuring an untamable traveling freak show and the small, narrow-minded Scottish town it invades. What follows are unpredictable celebrations of freakishness, intoxicating forays into carnivals unknown, and the flickering flames of brutality. A furious mob is looming. Which side will you be on? Reviewed by Joshua Lambie, Underground Books in Carrollton, Georgia |
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Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid Adult Fiction, Literary, Sagas, Women When Taylor Jenkins Reid writes a book, she crafts a work of art! Setting this story during the 1980s NASA integration of female astronauts, TJR has outdone herself with her world-building, her character development, and her ability to create a story both compelling and enriching. I come away from her books feeling like I’ve lived a life I’ve only ever dreamed of. And this book is exceptional. Evelyn Hugo walked so Joan Goodwin and Vanessa Ford could run… or soar. Reviewed by Thomas Wallace, Reading Rock Books in Dickson, Tennessee |
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Notes on Infinity by Austin Taylor Coming of Age, Literary, Women Notes on Infinity brings together the intensity of two college students coming into their adult selves as they navigate the unknown scientific world. A shared love of science and discovery between Zoe and Jack parallels a less definitive personal relationship. Zoe focuses on the practical while keeping Jack, a true devotee to science, on track physically and emotionally as they grow their literally life-changing project into a full-blown business. The day-to-day of student life will appeal to even those who have long left those days behind, when the future was wide open and limited only by the energy you put into it. Reviewed by Doloris Vest, Book No Further in Roanoke, Virginia |
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Bookseller Buzz |
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The Devils by Joe Abercrombie
What booksellers are saying about The Devils by Joe Abercrombie 
Joe Abercrombie was born in Lancaster, England, studied psychology at Manchester University, and worked as an editor of documentaries and live music before his first book, The Blade Itself, was published in 2006. Two further installments of the First Law trilogy, Before They Are Hanged and Last Argument of Kings, followed, along with three standalone books set in the same world: Best Served Cold, The Heroes, and Red Country. He has also written the Shattered Sea trilogy for young adults, the Age of Madness trilogy for old adults, and Sharp Ends, a collection of short stories. He lives in Bath, England, with his wife and three children. The Devils is his thirteenth novel. |
I guess a lot of the fantasy I read as a kid was very much in the shadow of Tolkien, and in Lord of the Rings there is an objective right and wrong. You either give in to Sauron or you fight him, and the text leaves no doubt which is good and which evil. Not that I ever lost interest in Gandalf and Aragorn but as the years went on I started to find Saruman and Boromir more interesting. People who fall from grace, or rise to it. Characters in flux, in turmoil, weighing greater good against personal good, with mixed motives, with uncertain outcomes. People who surprise the reader. In our world, everyone thinks they’re in the right. Battles aren’t of good against evil, but one man’s good against another’s. |
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The Second Chance Convenience Store by Kim Ho-Yeon Adult Fiction, Korea, World Literature 
A June Read This Next! Title In this book a corner store is not just a place to grab milk, but a haven. For Mrs. Yeom, a retired history teacher with a heart as big as her store’s dwindling profits, it’s her lifeline. Then, a lost purse, a mysterious phone call, and a simple act of gratitude sets in motion a chain of events that will transform her little world. Enter Dok-go, a gentle giant “bear” of a man with a shadowed past, drawn to the warmth of Mrs. Yeom’s generosity and the simple comfort of a free lunch. He’s more than just a customer; he’s a silent force, a listener, a protector. But just as the store blossoms, a dark secret threatens to unravel everything, forcing Dok-go to confront the past that haunts him. The Second Chance Convenience Store isn’t just a story about a store; it’s a tender tale of found family, second chances, and the quiet miracles that happen in the most unexpected places. Reviewed by Kimberly Todd, Square Books in Oxford, Mississippi |
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The Möbius Book by Catherine Lacey Adult Nonfiction, Biography & Autobiography, Family & Relationships, Love & Romance, Memoirs I was once graced the chance to go behind the scenes of a city aquarium and surprise-allowed to hand feed a shark. Noticing my hesitation, the friend-of-a-friend who got us “backstage” assured me I was totally safe: just hold the food a certain way, as once the shark’s eyes break the waterline they are near-to-completely blind. I don’t know why this fact dazzled me, as my vision also goes all weird below the waterline, but it stuck with me. The bifurcated-’n’-flipped novella/biography The Möbius Book gives us the above/below-the-waterline view into an epic point in Catherine Lacey’s life, but is also a wonderfully entertaining example of the Where’s-Waldo-ness of any author’s personal life hiding in plain sight within their fictions. And CL’s "shark" story is way more jaw-droppingly interesting. Reviewed by Ian McCord, Avid Bookshop in Athens, Georgia |
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Kill Creatures by Rory Power Girls & Women, LGBTQ+, Thrillers & Suspense, Young Adult Fiction Kill Creatures is the exact reason why I love teen thrillers. Impossible-to-put-down from the very first page with a twist that will leave readers of all ages reeling, Kill Creatures is a sun-soaked-fever-dream thriller that’s perfect for summer reading. Reviewed by Courtney Ulrich Smith, Underbrush Books in Rogers, Arkansas |
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The Wild Robot on the Island by Peter Brown Adoption, Environment, Family, Juvenile Fiction, Robots, Science & Nature, Science Fiction, Self-Esteem & Self-Reliance The Wild Robot on the Island is colorfully illustrated, depicting the earth‘s seasons along with the gentle message of "helping others." It’s an early stepping stone to the original Wild Robot Series. Reviewed by Judith Lafitte, Octavia Books in New Orleans, Louisiana |
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You Can Never Die by Harry Bliss Adult Nonfiction, Biography & Memoir, Comics & Graphic Novels, Nonfiction Emotionally prepare yourself before reading this graphic memoir of a man and his beloved dog. Heartfelt and funny, cartoonist Harry Bliss takes us through his day-to-day musings about daily life alongside his trusty, four-legged sidekick. Reviewed by Jessica Nock, Main Street Books in Davidson, North Carolina |
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Decide for Yourself Books that appear on PEN America’s list of challenged books. |
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This One Summer by Jillian Tamaki Banned Books, Comics & Graphic Novels, Coming of Age, Friendship, Girls & Women, Social Themes, Young Adult Fiction This poignant story paints those subtle shifts from childhood to adulthood for Rose as she spends time at a lake house with her parents, who are going through a rough patch, and her younger friend Windy, who suddenly seems immature. It’s a quiet story, full of melancholy and growing pains, but still so lovely and achingly honest. Reviewed by Julie Jarema, Avid Bookshop in Athens, Georgia |
Southern Bestsellers What’s popular this week with Southern Readers. |
[ See the full list ] |
Parting Thought “The stories we tell, far more than our technological prowess, have been humanity’s defining trait.” |
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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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