|
|
|
|
|
|
The week of August 16, 2022 Leading by example. 
Late Summer in the South is known for many things. It is the peak of hurricane season — a time everyone prays to be uneventful and unmemorable. It is the start of college football season, which will all hope will be very memorable. It is also the season of book conferences. Last week, bookstores in the south and along the eastern seaboard met at their annual conference, "New Voices New Rooms." The Keynote event, a children’s authors panel called "We Are Here," featured Tami Charles, Maria Hinojosa, Linda Sarsour, and Ambassador Andrew Young and his daughter, Paula Young Shelton. Tami Charles says that she wrote her book, We Are Here, for her son, as a way to answer his questions about the injustice and violence he saw in the news. Linda Sarsour, one of the organizers of the Women’s March, created a "young person’s" version of her own memoir as a way to encourage young people to believe in themselves and their own ability to change things. Maria Hinojosa’s book, also a young reader’s version of her own memoir, written to the ten year old girl, and all the children like her, Hinojosa once had to watch be forcibly separated from her parents at the US border. Paula Young Shelton said about Just Like Jesse Owens, the book she wrote with her father, "This is a story that my father told to us over and over again growing up. It’s about his experience of seeing in his very diverse neighborhood in New Orleans…there were actually Nazi sympathizers living behind his babysitter’s house down the block, and he saw these men "heiling" Hitler. He asked his father what they were doing and his father explained to him that they were racists and he also told my father that racism was a sickness. You can’t get angry with them because they’re sick, but you need to try to help them and one of the ways that you can do that is leading by example." Read This Now | Read This Next | The Bookseller Directory |
|
|
|
Read This Now! Recommended by Southern indies… |
BUY THIS BOOK! |
|
Early Light by Osamu Dazai Adult Fiction, Historical, Mystery& Detective These three stories make an important addition to the canon of Dazai translated into English (still too slight!) The title story is classic Dazai autofiction about the effects of Allied firebombing in Imperial Japanese cities. "Villon’s Wife" is an exquisite piece, with all the charm of Japanese folk tales and the perversity of modernity, that echoes Dazai’s classic "No Longer Human." "One Hundred Views of Mount Fuji," however, is the jewel; for readers in English, this may be the first inkling of the author’s sense of humor. Altogether a stunning collection, and a great introduction to one of the masters of 20th century existential literature. Reviewed by Conor Hultman, Square Books in Oxford, Mississippi |
|
|
|
Bookseller Buzz |
 |
|
Spotlight on: The Many Daughters of Afong Moy by Jamie Ford
“Much of the research regarding epigenetics, the longer version is transgenerational epigenetic inheritance is about traumatic events. It’s about pain. It’s about the things that we were exposed to that were negative. And from a research standpoint, those things are much more easily recognized, whereas things that are more benign or beneficial are perhaps harder to see. I looked at it and thought, we inherit pain and trauma, what else can we inherit?” –Jamie Ford, Interview, Bookweb What booksellers are saying about The Many Daughters of Afong Moy 
About Jamie Ford Jamie Ford is the great-grandson of Nevada mining pioneer Min Chung, who emigrated from Hoiping, China to San Francisco in 1865, where he adopted the western name Ford, thus confusing countless generations. His debut novel, Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, spent two years on the New York Times bestseller list and went on to win the 2010 Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature. His work has been translated into thirty-five languages. Having grown up in Seattle, he now lives in Montana with his wife and a one-eyed pug. |
 |
BUY THIS BOOK! |
|
The Couple at Number 9 by Claire Douglas Adult Fiction, Fiction, Suspense, Thrillers An idyllic cottage for the couple in number 9 turns out to be anything but idyllic when two bodies are uncovered in the garden during some remodeling. Rose, the original owner of the cottage is now in her late seventies and living in a care home with dementia. Her granddaughter Saffie, who is expecting her first child, and Saffie’s husband Tom were thrilled when given the cottage by Saffie’s mother Lorna. Little did any of them know that their remodeling would uncover and bring to light many unanswered questions from the past. Why didn’t Lorna know her mother owned this cottage? Why did Rose never talk about Lorna’s father other than to say he died before he was born? Who was Rose’s mysterious boarder and what happened to her? Why did Lorna always seem to be running away from something? Who is the man who claims to be a PI and says that Rose has evidence his client wants and will use force if necessary to obtain it? And of course – who were the people buried in the garden and what happened to them? Told from several points of view and several time frames Douglas is an expert at slowly feeding you information while at the same time leaving you with many new questions. All of the information finally comes together in a twisty ending you won’t see coming. Reviewed by Nancy McFarlane, Fiction Addiction in Greenville, South Carolina |
|
|
BUY THIS BOOK! |
|
Yoga by Emmanuel Carrère Adult Nonfiction, Biography & Autobiography, Personal Memoirs The latest journey into the mind of Emmanuel Carrere, Yoga, is just as self-effacing, intelligent, and probing as his previous work. But what begins as a book about yoga and meditation soon turns into a book about personal tragedy, making for a surprisingly bittersweet, tender memoir. Reviewed by Justin Souther, Malaprop’s Bookstore/Cafe in Asheville, North Carolina |
BUY THIS BOOK! |
|
Bark to the Future by Spencer Quinn Fiction, Mystery& Detective, Private Investigators, Young Adult Bernie and Chet stories can seem deceptively simple. Chet’s narration from a dog’s point of view provides humor but insights on how narrow human perspectives can be. Bernie’s ethical code and generosity are lessons in how to be a better human. All this comes into play as the duo seek to help a high school classmate fallen on hard times. Running underneath the mystery is a happy love interest for Bernie and the complications of Trixie for Chet. Reviewed by Jan Blodgett, Main Street Books in Davidson, North Carolina |
BUY THIS BOOK! |
|
This Little Voter by Carol Herring (Illus.), Ann Bonnie Children, Fairy Tales & Folklore With the same structure and rhyming pattern as This Little Piggy, This Little Voter celebrates all the things voters can do to participate in the electoral process – register to vote, campaign, vote, and more. This is the perfect addition for the youngest of readers to an Election Day storytime! Reviewed by Beth Seufer Buss, Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, North Carolina |
BUY THIS BOOK! |
|
Berserk Deluxe Volume 11 by Kentaro Miura Comics & Graphic Novels, Horror, Manga This is the best series of all time, hands down. Absolutely gorgeous artwork, incredible world-building, and intense developments. Berserk is about trauma and how you can overcome that trauma. There will always be hardships and the only thing you can do is keep moving forward. I will always recommend this series to everyone. Character development is unmatched. Berserk has inspired so many other creative works of art, and it fully deserves recognition. 11 out of 10. Reviewed by Ethan Davis, Oxford Exchange in Tampa, Florida |
|
Read This Next! Books on the horizon: Forthcoming favorites from Southern indies… |
BUY THIS BOOK! |
|
Love on the Brain by Ali Hazelwood Adult Fiction, Fiction, Romance, Romantic Comedy, Workplace An August 2022 Read This Next! Title Badass woman in science, CHECK. STEM setting with real life issues, CHECK. Huge, hot, *secretly pining* fellow scientist with off-the-charts chemistry with said badass woman in science, CHECK. We have all the components of another supremely satisfying steamy STEM romance by Ali Hazelwood. I loved Love on the Brain! Reviewed by Megan Bell, Underground Books in Carrollton, Georgia |
|
Southern Bestsellers What’s popular this week with Southern Readers. |
[ See the full list ] |
|
Parting Thought “When we read a story, we inhabit it. The covers of the book are like a roof and four walls. What is to happen next will take place within the four walls of the story. And this is possible because the story’s voice makes everything its own. ” |
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.