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![]() March, 2022 Celebrating Women’s Voices ![]() The special edition of The Southern Bookseller Review celebrates the lives and words of women. “You can waste your lives drawing lines. Or you can live your life crossing them.” -Shonda Rhimes Read This Now | Read This Next | The Bookseller Directory |
Read This Now! The best of southern publishing… |
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Under the Golden Sun by Jenny Ashcroft Adult Fiction, Romance, World War II Historical Fiction Quite simply one of the most beautiful books I’ve read all year. Historical fiction with well-drawn heroines and interesting love stories aren’t uncommon. What makes this book absolutely sing is the care and attention given to all the relationships in this book. The mother who has lost her child and the child who has lost his family; women forging deep, meaningful friendships that are treated with the same importance as the romantic entanglements; and perhaps even better, everyone grows. In a field cluttered with WWII era novels this book rises about the field with its unusual setting and lovely relationships, but also with the author’s distinct voice and prose. Reviewed by Traci Harris, The Book House, Mableton, Georgia ![]() About the Author: |
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The Wonders by Elena Medel Adult Fiction, Literary Fiction, Feminist, City Life I absolutely loved this English-language debut from Spanish writer Elena Medel. The conceit of jumping between the past and present is sometimes tricky to pull off, but Medel does it so well – letting María and Alicia’s respective timelines waltz gently together, anchored in the captivating central character that is the city of Madrid…until it all comes to a head. Medel’s pacing is thriller-esque, while her prose is sumptuous and elegant, beautifully translated by Lizzie Davis and Thomas Bunstead Reviewed by Charles Lee, Malaprop’s Bookstore/Cafe, Asheville, North Carolina ![]() About the Author: Lizzie Davis is a translator and an editor at Coffee House Press. She has translated Elena Medel’s poetry collection My First Bikini, Juan Cárdenas’s Ornamental (a finalist for the 2021 PEN Translation Prize), and work by Valeria Luiselli, Pilar Fraile Amador, and Aura García-Junco. Her work has appeared in the Paris Review, Granta, and other publications. Thomas Bunstead is a writer and translator. His recent translations include The Things We’ve Seen by Agustín Fernández Mallo, which was a recipient of a PEN Translation Award, and Water Over Stones, a co-translation with Margaret Jull Costa. |
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Four Aunties and a Wedding by Jessie Q. Sutanto Adult Fiction, Mystery & Detective, Romance, Romantic Comedy, Asian American Picking up where Dial A For Aunties leaves off, this is another hilarious romp into the world of weddings and murder. Well, almost murder. Meddie’s life is complicated. But she’s getting married and her aunties won’t let anything or anyone stand in the way of a perfect wedding, even if it means kidnapping and murder. Reviewed by Jamie Southern, Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, North Carolina ![]() About the Author: |
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Women and Other Monsters by Jess Zimmerman Adult Nonfiction, Folklore & Mythology, Women’s Studies What can I say about Women and Other Monsters other than READ THIS NOW!? I picked this book up with full-blown curiosity, ignited by my love of mythology and strong belief in the women’s rights movement. Jess Zimmerman uses her own life experiences, mingled with monsters of ancient myth, to bring light to the ugly truth of what it means to be a woman. We are monsters–for our individuality, determination, free spirits, desires and ambitions, and our less-than-perfect bodies. At least that’s what the world wants us to believe. I found pieces of myself in every chapter, and discovered just how much I wanted that to change. I highly recommend this book to women of all colors and ages, trans women, non-binary gentlefolk, and those looking for insight. Reviewed by Sophie Giroir, Cavalier House Books in Denham Springs, Louisiana About the Author: |

Spotlight on: Love & Saffron by Kim Fay
![]() "A few years ago, when [my friend] Janet had a milestone birthday, a vague idea floated into my head about writing something epistolary to honor that part of our friendship. Life happened, and the idea remained nothing more than that. Then came COVID and the lockdown in Los Angeles. Within days, I found myself writing a gift for Janet and another good friend, the food writer Barbara Hansen — a story told in letters. I wanted a book that could serve as a balm. I wanted a book that could be read in a single afternoon. "—Kim Fay (via Bookweb) ![]() What booksellers are saying about Love & Saffron
About Kim Fay Born in Seattle and raised throughout the Pacific Northwest, Kim Fay lived in Vietnam for four years and still travels to Southeast Asia frequently. A former bookseller, she is the author of Communion: A Culinary Journey Through Vietnam, winner of the World Gourmand Cookbook Awards’ Best Asian Cuisine Book in the United States, and The Map of Lost Memories, an Edgar Award finalist for Best First Novel. She is also the creator/editor of a series of guidebooks on Southeast Asia. Fay now lives in Los Angeles. |
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A Far Wilder Magic by Allison Saft Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance, Dark Fantasy A Far Wilder Magic is one of my favorite novels of all time, and Allison Saft is an author that I can count on for glorious tales such as this. The ancient forests, salt water and fog in this atmospheric fox hunt creep into you, chilling to the bone, and are warmed only by the fires running hot in Welty Manor. This is the kind of book that you read and re-read, like putting on a favorite sweater at the start of each autumn. It is a story of being an outsider, of desperate loneliness, of aching grief and lingering trauma. But ultimately, Margaret and Weston’s story is lined with so much hope and beauty that it fills your heart to bursting. I love this magical novel so much. Reviewed by Cristina Russell, Books and Books in Coral Gables, Florida ![]() About the Author: |
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Hope and Glory by Jendella Benson Adult Fiction, African American & Black, Women Hope and Glory is the story of a family recovering from their father’s unexpected death in the aftermath of decades of secrets. An exploration of grief, identity, immigration, and sibling dynamics, the story is powerful, and bittersweet. It’s no secret that family dramas are my favorite, particularly sibling stories, and Hope and Glory is one of my favorites coming this year. This is a striking debut; I can’t wait to see what comes next from Jendella Benson. Reviewed by Beth Seufer Buss, Bookmarks, Winston-Salem, North Carolina ![]() About the Author: |
Parting Thought "I do not remember a time when I could not read, nor any time when reading was not a joy and a solace. " |
Publisher:
The Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance /
siba@sibaweb.com |
SIBA | 51 Pleasant Ridge Drive | Asheville, NC 28805
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