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The week of July 23, 2024 More beach reads from the bestsellers 
Because why would you go anywhere without a paperback in your pocket? Happy Place by Emily Henry The Caretaker by Ron Rash The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides The Au Pair Affair by Tessa Bailey 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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However Far Away by Rajinderpal S. Pal Adult Fiction, Cultural Heritage Pal’s novel around a large Sikh wedding in Canada is full of secrets, family, and promises. It’s the day of Devinder’s nephew’s big wedding and he hopes the two halves of his life will continue to stay apart. Dev’s wife and two children will obviously be there. However, Emily, his first love with whom he’s been having an affair, will also be there as she’s the nephew’s art teacher. But there’s a plan in place and Dev is determined to stick to it. But can he? Reviewed by Jennifer Jones, Bookmiser in Marietta, Georgia |
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Ne’er Duke Well by Alexandra Vasti Adult Fiction, Historical, Regency, Romance If Alexandra Vasti writes it, I am going to read it, and I am going to love it. If Alex has a million fans (she will soon), I am one. If Alex has one fan, it is me. If Alex has no fans, I have perished, probably in a bathtub somewhere. If you’re looking for historical romance that is kind, charming, and hot with top-tier banter – Alexandra is your girl. And also if you aren’t. Y’all read this book. Reviewed by Jodi Laidlaw, Blue Cypress Books in New Orleans, Louisiana |
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Bookseller Buzz |
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Spotlight on: The Lost Boy of Santa Chionia by Juliet Grames 
As a child, I was intensely proud of my Italian origins, as I understood them from the cultural products my wonderful grandparents bestowed upon me. It was only as I grew up and tried to read and learn more about Calabria and what it meant to be Calabrian that I realized how misunderstood and under-celebrated my grandmother’s homeland was. I became fixated on the idea of offering another perspective. ― Juliet Grames, Interview, Italics Magazine What booksellers are saying about The Lost Boy of Santa Chionia 
Juliet Grames is the best-selling author of The Seven or Eight Deaths of Stella Fortuna. Her essays and short fiction have appeared in Real Simple, Parade, and The Boston Globe, and she is the recipient of an Ellery Queen Award from the Mystery Writers of America. She is editorial director at Soho Press in New York. |
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Dark Restraint by Katee Robert Adult Fiction, Contemporary, Romance It’s a given you’re going to get grade-A smut when you read a Katee Robert novel. Ariadne and Asterion are candy for anyone who loves the forbidden romance trope. Seeing how he is soft for only her made me melt. I loved seeing them find a way to leave behind what was holding them captive and bound, and trust each other. I’ve loved every story in this series, but there’s something about Dark Restraint that I feel brings the plot to bring down Olympus into super clear focus. I feel like I can see the end, but knowing Robert I’m expecting some serious twists. Case and point, Hera really surprised in this installment of Dark Olympus. Reviewed by Preet Singh, Eagle Eye Book Shop in Decatur, Georgia |
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The Striker and the Clock by Georgia Cloepfil Adult Nonfiction, Biography & Autobiography, Sports
A July Read This Next! Title It is hard to explain the exact mixture of nostalgia, joy, and melancholy this book wrung out of me in its short but powerful pages. It is hard to explain the feeling of being an athlete in memory, in learned movements and redirected passion, in stories and instincts, and past tense, but Georgia Cloepfil put into words what bangs around in my heart when I think of soccer. A lyrical and poignant tribute to the beautiful game and the people it turns into players, into teams, into champions, and eventually back into people. Like the game, the ticking clock of turning pages was leading me to an ending I wasn’t sure I wanted to reach yet. Give me one more minute, one more chapter in the environment of the game, in the feeling. But the clock winds down. Reviewed by Morgan Holub, E. Shaver bookseller in Savannah, Georgia |
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Four Eids and a Funeral by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult Fiction A cute and heartfelt friends-to-enemies-to-lovers who must come together to try and rebuild their community’s Islamic Center after it burns down. A serious topic interspersed with funny banter and sweet realizations – a very classic YA romcom that teens will love! Reviewed by Mallory Sutton, Bards Alley in Vienna, Virginia |
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The Quacken by Justin Colón Animals, Children, Ducks, Geese, Juvenile Fiction Every summer camp has legendary creepy campfire tales, but this tale just might quack you up in addition to creeping you out just a little bit. Read the book, tell the story, but whatever you do, DONT feed the ducks… Silly scariness for fans of the Creepy Carrots series. Reviewed by Angie Tally, The Country Bookshop in Southern Pines, North Carolina |
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Youth Group by Jordan Morris Comics & Graphic Novels, Horror, Young Adult Fiction I really enjoyed this slightly bonkers graphic novel, and it made me laugh out loud! I loved the concept of an evangelical church youth group that secretly fights demons — seriously a perfect concept for a book. The author and artist captured the 1990s youth group scene so accurately! Reviewed by Kate Storhoff, Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, North Carolina |
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Decide for Yourself Books that appear on PEN America’s list of challenged books. |
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Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo Adult Fiction, Banned Books, Fiction, Supernatural, Thrillers Leigh Bardugo’s Ninth House is all about what it means to be the outcast in the particularly cut-throat world of the Ivy League, but does so through magic, ghosts, and monsters. Alex "Galaxy" Stern has had a rough few years, but that all changes when she gets admitted to Yale unexpectedly (right???). This is full of secret societies, New England ghosts, and the occult with a tinge of horror. Alex is a tenacious and gripping character thrust into a world in which she doesn’t feel at home by circumstance rather than by choice. Once I started this, I couldn’t put it down! Reviewed by Mikey LaFave, Avid Bookshop in Athens, Georgia |
Southern Bestsellers What’s popular this week with Southern Readers. |
[ See the full list ] |
Parting Thought “I hate it that Americans are taught to fear some books and some ideas as though they were diseases.” |
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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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