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The week of March 11, 2025 Anticipating what you want to read next: booksellers on the bestsellers.  One of the novels selected to be highlighted as a "Read This Next!" title in March is Charlotte McConaghy’s Wild Dark Shore. Read This Next! books are chosen several months in advance, based on the enthusiastic recommendations from Southern booksellers. So it is not unusual that Read This Next! books also appear on the Southern indie bestseller lists once they have been published. Wild Dark Shore debuts on the bestseller list this week. "The island is a character- wild, beautiful & dangerous, and it carries echoes of its past." writes Amy Dance from The Snail on the Wall in Huntsville, Alabama. Here is what booksellers think about some of the other books on this week’s bestseller list: Eve : How the Female Body Drove 200 Million Years of Human Evolution by Cat Bohannonn We All Live Here by Jojo Moyes
Three Days in June by Anne Tyler The Devil at His Elbow by
Valerie Bauerlein The Dream Hotel by Laila Lalami Raising Hare by Chloe Dalton
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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O Sinners! by Nicole Cuffy Fiction, Literary Nicole Cuffy seamlessly and masterfully interweaves three vastly different storylines and kept me engaged from start to finish. Faruq is a dynamic character that I enjoyed getting to know, and his descent into the depths of The Nameless made my true crime-loving brain anxious for the outcome. Cuffy has fantastic range as a writer. Reviewed by Annastasia Williams, The Bottom in Knoxville, Tennessee |
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The Four Queens of Crime by Rosanne Limoncelli Adult Fiction, Fiction, Historical, Mystery& Detective A love letter to cozy mysteries and the Golden Age writers, Agatha Christie, Dorothy Sayers, Margery Allingham, and Ngaio Marsh. The four women take on a mystery to prove their mettle. The result is a good puzzle and perhaps will lead to a renewed interest in their own novels. Reviewed by Jan Blodgett, Main Street Books in Davidson, North Carolina |
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The Antidote by Karen Russell Adult Fiction, Fiction, Literary A master class in character development and working with multiple perspectives. Karen Russell in top form. I really needed a novel about how to piece together a future when it seems like the world is damaged beyond repair. Reviewed by Elizabeth Goodrich, Thank You Books in Birmingham, Alabama |
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Bookseller Buzz |
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Akeem Keeps Bees by Kamal Bell 
The farm is more than just a place to produce food. Actually, our approach switched off of food production this year and focused on the bees, because it came naturally to the students and myself. That was something that we were able to really build upon this year. In my mind, the bees can provide economic opportunities for us all. Economics is a big factor that can change things in our communities. We focused on that because we’re dealing with human lives too. I don’t want the students to get interested in the farm and then leave because they need money. This is to show them you can make that money. You don’t have to keep worrying from day to day. You can break cycles in your family. ― Kamal Bell, Interview, Edge Effects What booksellers are saying about Akeem Keeps Bees by Kamal Bell 
Kamal Bell is the owner of Sankofa Farms, a 12-acre regenerative farm working to address the impacts that food deserts have on both urban and rural communities. Sankofa Farms Agricultural Academy provides opportunities for young men to engage in agriculture-focused STEM skill development and partners with community organizations to take food from the farms to the tables of people who need it most. The farm has been featured in Forbes, Southern Living, The News and Observer, Earth Eats, and ABC News. Bell is a doctoral student at NC State in the Agriculture Extension Education program whose work focuses on sustainable agriculture, the state of Black farming, youth advocacy, and social entrepreneurship. He lives with his family in Durham, North Carolina. |
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Scorched Earth by Tiana Clark Adult Nonfiction, African American & Black, American, Poetry Tiana Clark’s words met me where I was — equal parts heartache, nostalgia, and ultimately healing. Accessible and lyrical, even when I couldn’t relate to the scope of Clark’s experiences, I still felt like I was offered a chair to sit and witness. The other relevant themes of sexuality and Black joy in this collection had me underlining and dog-earring almost every page. Reviewed by Morgan DePerno, Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, North Carolina |
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Goddess Complex by Sanjena Sathian Fiction, Literary I really enjoyed this novel and found the themes of womanhood and motherhood intriguing. The main character’s struggle with her own self-identity, and what it means to be a woman who is not interested in being a mother, I think is something many women can relate to. It is easy to find parts of yourself in Sanjana and her struggles. Reviewed by Baldwin Bookseller, Baldwin & Co. in New Orleans, Louisiana |
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Good Golden Sun by Brendan Wenzel Animals, Birds, Children, Environment, Farm Animals, Imagination & Play, Juvenile Fiction, Mammals, Science & Nature I can’t wait to share Good Golden Sun at storytime for the first days of summer or bright sunny days! Brendan Wenzel has a talent for creating new verses that roll off the tongue like classic nursery rhymes. And it’s always wonderful to have a new book full of his gorgeous illustrations to share with readers! Reviewed by Johanna Albrecht, McIntyre’s Books in Pittsboro, North Carolina |
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Hunger’s Bite by Taylor Robin Comics & Graphic Novels, Science Fiction, Young Adult Fiction What should be another routine crossing of the Atlantic for Emery, Neeta, and their ship/home, the S.S. Lark, turns deadly when new management steps in, their intentions…less than good. Perhaps even a little demonic. Robin’s debut graphic novel is enthralling; the artwork in this book alone should catch your eye, every panel crafted with great color sense, expression, emotion, and such dynamic textures. Reviewed by Morgan Holub, E. Shaver Bookseller in Savannah, Georgia |
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Decide for Yourself Books that appear on PEN America’s list of challenged books. |
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Parachutes by Kelly Yang Banned Books, Emigration & Immigration, Social Themes, Young Adult Fiction Kelly Yang’s spectacular YA debut follows the lives of Claire, a "parachute" – the teenage daughter of a wealthy Chinese family sent to the United States to attend high school – and Dani, daughter of a first-generation Filipino immigrant. Claire and Dani become reluctant roommates, setting the stage for a novel that has it all – compelling friendships, insights into wealth and power dynamics, complicated relationships with parents, and two #metoo moments that made me feel all the things and had me rooting for Dani and Claire. I didn’t want it to end. A fantastic older YA book. Reviewed by Elese Stutts, Flyleaf Books in Chapel Hill, North Carolina |
Southern Bestsellers What’s popular this week with Southern Readers. |
[ See the full list ] |
Parting Thought “Literature is the safe and traditional vehicle through which we learn about the world and pass on values from one generation to the next. Books save lives.” |
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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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