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The week of June 4, 2024  Happy Pride! “I was not ladylike, nor was I manly. I was something else altogether. There were so many different ways to be beautiful.” ― Michael Cunningham, At Home at the End of the World This month The Southern Bookseller Review celebrates Pride Month, honoring the contributions and culture of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender communities. During the month of June, the lead review in SBR will feature a queer-themed book, either a classic or more recently published. But SBR readers will see the "LGBTQ+" tag on many reviews in the newsletter and on the website. It is one of the top ten most popular tags given to books reviewed in SBR. Here are some short reviews of the finalists in the Lesbian Fiction category of the Lambda Literary Awards:     Big Swiss by Jen Beagin (Scribner) Biography of X by Catherine Lacey (Farrar, Straus and Giroux) Our Hideous Progeny by C E McGill (HarperCollins) Pomegranate by Helen Elaine Lee (Atria Books)
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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Becoming Ted by Matt Cain Adult Fiction, Friendship, Gay, Later in Life, LGBTQ+, Romance If you’re a fan of TJ Klune’s cozy queer fantasy books, you’ll love Matt Cain’s cozy contemporary queer stories! I’d compare the vibes of Becoming Ted to those of The House in the Cerulean Sea, but with older characters. This story is not just about Ted discovering who he is in the wake of a separation but also that of his friends and his new love interest. Becoming Ted is truly a journey for all the characters, and I loved reading about people who are discovering new things about themselves later in life and evolving- which is my favorite part of the book. It truly goes to show you can always start anew at any time! Matt Cain’s writing is heartfelt and touching, and I can’t wait to share this book with my friends and everyone else I know! Reviewed by Preet Singh, Eagle Eye Book Shop in Decatur, Georgia |
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The Guncle Abroad by Steven Rowley Adult Fiction, Literary Guncle fans rejoice, this sequel brings back all the wry humor, human frailty, miscommunication, grief, and joy of connection. Patrick’s career is thriving even if his love life isn’t. His brother’s impending marriage reunites the family even as threatens to split them apart. It falls to Patrick to save the day in his own stumbling fashion. So much heart, such a reader’s delight. Reviewed by Jan Blodgett, Main Street Books in Davidson, North Carolina |
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Bookseller Buzz |
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Spotlight on: Late Bloomer by Mazey Eddings  Most of us, at one point or another, have fantasized about winning the lottery, how it would solve all our problems and allow all our dreams to come true. But what happens if winning the lottery actually ruins your life? For my bi-disaster main character, Opal Devlin, that’s exactly what happens. Opal thinks her winning scratch-off is her key to a drama-free life, only to learn that it places a magnifying glass on how the people in her life want to use and abuse her giving nature. It is my deep and unwavering belief that every person is deserving of profound, beautiful love, whether that be platonic, romantic, and/or familial, and Opal and Pepper’s journey exemplifies that. These two queer, neurodivergent women are messy and emotional and terrified to show anyone just how much they feel for fear of being hurt. But, in spite of that fear, they recognize the love they deserve and grab for it with both hands. ― Mazey Eddings, Letter from the author What booksellers are saying about Late Bloomers 
Mazey Eddings is a neurodiverse author, dentist, and (most importantly) stage mom to her cats, Yaya and Zadie. She can most often be found reading romance novels under her weighted blanket and asking her fiancé to bring her snacks. She’s made it her personal mission in life to destigmatize mental health issues and write love stories for every brain. With roots in Ohio and Philadelphia, she now calls Asheville, North Carolina home. She is the author of A Brush with Love, Lizzie Blake’s Best Mistake, and The Plus One. |
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Just Some Stupid Love Story by Katelyn Doyle Adult Fiction, Romance, Romantic Comedy  A June Read This Next! Title Just Some Stupid Love Story by Katelyn Doyle is an epic saga romance between two people who have been it for each other since they were young, but things have never been right. Two people with very different approaches to love, screenwriter Molly and divorce lawyer Seth kept me turning page after page in this steamy second-chance romance with snappy dialog. It might be my favorite read this month and for sure is to be one everyone is talking about this summer! Reviewed by Preet Singh, Read This Next!,Eagle Eye Book Shop in Decatur, Georgia |
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The Friday Afternoon Club: A Family Memoir by Griffin Dunne Adult Nonfiction, Biography & Autobiography, Entertainment & Performing Arts, Literary Figures, Memoirs Griffin Dunne, having grown up and lived all his life among boldface names, writes with warmth, self-deprecation, and humor. The Friday Afternoon Club is a tale of success and failure, triumph and loss, comedy and tragedy, and it is to the author’s credit that what could easily, in less skilled hands, have become a turgid exercise in name-dropping is instead a moving meditation on family and life’s vicissitudes. Reviewed by Nora Gunneng, Bookstore1Sarasota in Sarasota, Florida |
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The Ghost of Us by James L. Sutter Contemporary, LGBTQ+, Romance, Young Adult Fiction Darkhearts author Sutter brings the romance with his new novel about a teen ghost hunter who actually finds a ghost. Cara has been obsessed with ghost hunting since she was thirteen, but she’s never found any evidence….until now. After exploring an abandoned factory, Cara finds that she can now communicate with Aiden, a boy who died there a year ago. And Aiden has unfinished business. Since his death, his little sister Meredith has become a recluse. He wants Cara to take Meredith to prom, making her happy so he can move on. What could go wrong? Reviewed by Jennifer Jones, Bookmiser in Marietta, Georgia |
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Built to Last by Minh Lê Children, Friendship, Juvenile Fiction, Social Themes A May/June Read This Next! Kids Title A delightful story about friendship and the power of imagination! I love that even after their grand plans fail again and again, the two protagonists rely on each other and trust in their friendship. This book is so beautifully illustrated, like all books Dan Santat illustrates! Reviewed by Kate Storhoff, Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, North Carolina |
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Brownstone by Samuel Teer, Mar Julia (Illus.) Comics & Graphic Novels, Coming of Age, Young Adult Fiction This was such a beautiful graphic novel. The ending was so bittersweet. Authors Samuel Tear and Mar Julia ripped my heart out and put it back together with this story of a daughter not knowing who her family is and spending a summer learning growing and watching her new life. Reviewed by Sarah Dimaria, Cavalier House Books in Denham Springs, Louisiana |
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Decide for Yourself Books that appear on PEN America’s list of challenged books. |
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Yolk by Mary H. K. Choi Banned Books, Family, Siblings, Young Adult Fiction "Sisters never stand a chance to be friends. We’re pitted against each other from the moment we’re born. A daughter is a treasure. Two is a tax. God, how they must have wanted a boy when they tried a do-over after a dead baby girl." One of the most fraught relationships in humanity is sisterhood. In Yolk, Choi takes on that relationship and explores it through both the joy and pain. Coming of age, learning to live on one’s own, and navigating modern romance are all tackled in turn with the grace and realism for which readers have learned to love her writing. Come for the angst, stay for the characters you may just love like sisters. Content warnings for disordered eating, depression and anxiety, absent parent, and cancer. Reviewed by Faith Parke-Dodge, Page 158 Books in Wake Forest, North Carolina |
Southern Bestsellers What’s popular this week with Southern Readers. |
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Parting Thought “What is straight? A line can be straight, or a street, but the human heart, oh, no, it’s curved like a road through mountains.” |
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Publisher:
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