The books Southern indie booksellers are recommending to readers everywhere!

Adult Fiction

The Calamity Club by Kathryn Stockett

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The Calamity Club by Kathryn Stockett
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Kathryn Stockett’s books are beautifully written, and her plucky female heroines make you want to cheer out loud. But perhaps what makes her blockbuster The Help and her long-awaited return in The Calamity Club so special is the feeling that you’re witnessing ordinary women make history in quietly extraordinary ways. The Calamity Club is not to be missed for historical fiction fans.

The Calamity Club by Kathryn Stockett, (List Price: $35, Spiegel & Grau, 9781954118812, May 2026)

Reviewed by Emily, Friendly City Books in Columbus, MS

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Tempest by Victoria Aveyard

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Tempest by Victoria Aveyard
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Longtime Aveyard readers will be please to see all of her trademarks in Tempest – epic storytelling, fierce characters, and a highly compelling plot. Tempest cements a place for the author in adult fantasy spaces with an explosive, thrilling, and emotional story that stays with you long after the last page.

Tempest by Victoria Aveyard, (List Price: $34, Harper Voyager, 9780063566224, August 2026)

Reviewed by Katie, A Novel Romance in Louisville, KY

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Bad Words by Rioghnach Robinson

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Bad Words by Rioghnach Robinson
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It will surprise no one familiar with my taste in books that while I enjoyed the romance subplot (read: didn’t actively annoy me like most romance plots do!) and genuinely liked the characters and their development, what I loved most about this novel was the questions it posed about the nature of criticism and artists: who is owed what, what should or shouldn’t be out of bounds, and the dramatic expansion of the court of public opinion in the internet age. Wonderful read that will appeal to readers of all kinds!

Bad Words by Rioghnach Robinson, (List Price: $30, St. Martin’s Press, 9781250431295, October 2026)

Reviewed by Kat, novel. in Memphis, Tennessee

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Bad Words by Rioghnach Robinson

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Bad Words by Rioghnach Robinson
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To reduce this novel to any one aspect would do it a disservice. It’s about the book world, online discourse, and the relationship between art and criticism. It’s a romance between two industry rivals whose journey mimics the greatest rom-coms from the 90s. It’s clever, full of nuance, and boasts impeccable banter. What resonated with me the most was watching these two characters find common ground over a shared love for specific stories, which ultimately helps them view each other in a more empathetic light. By the end I was left with the hopeful reminder that books can help us see others, and ourselves, more clearly and compassionately.

Bad Words by Rioghnach Robinson, (List Price: $30, St. Martin’s Press, 9781250431295, October 2026)

Reviewed by Becca, Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, NC

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Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison

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Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison
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A touching look at Black life between the 1930’s and the 1960’s. This book is Morrison’s take on Homer’s Odyssey, with the protagonist Milk Man traveling back to his family’s roots and a supernatural feeling throughout. This one is my favorite!

Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison, (List Price: $17, Vintage, 9781400033423, June 2004)

Reviewed by Robin, Pearl’s Books in Fayetteville, AR

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Switzy by Emma Cline

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Switzy by Emma Cline
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I’m in awe of how Cline captures the texture and cadence of a brain in decline, or maybe more accurately, a mind en route to elsewhere. Much has been written about dementia and Alzheimer’s from the outsider’s or caregiver’s perspective. But to write the experience from the inside, from practically the point of view of memory itself, is truly remarkable. This is a book of overwhelming insight, compassion, and ingenuity.

Switzy by Emma Cline, (List Price: $32, Random House, 9780593595244, September 2026)

Reviewed by Kristen, Thank You Books in Birmingham, AL

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Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

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Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
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In a world powered by progress and logical principles, consumerism and conformity dominate. Brave New World is a deeply haunting discussion on intimacy, community, and – at its core – what is means to be human. What we want isn’t always what we should get. One of my favorite reads from high school, and a must-read dystopian classic.

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, (List Price: $12, Harper Perennial, 9780063482708, September 2025)

Reviewed by Ana, Cavalier House Books in Denham Springs, LA

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Buzzard by Inez Ray

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Buzzard by Inez Ray
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Buzzard is the best piece of dystopian fiction I’ve read in a long time. Inez Ray drops the reader into a horrifying world for which we are already seeing road signs- patriarchy reigns, women’s rights are suppressed, climate catastrophe is reality, and paramilitary corporations run it all. Mae is serving a sentence for providing abortions in a time where fertility is controlled by companies like Obsityan, who also runs the prison; she spends long days and nights using her nursing skills to aid teenage drone pilot/prisoners and when one too many turns up pregnant, and an opportunity to have her sentence commuted by looking the other way arises, Mae thinks her time in this Orwellian prison is over and maybe, just maybe, she will get to see her two sons again. But in Ray’s world, Obsityan is everywhere, even in the middle of the desert, where Mae’s past catches up with her when a pregnant woman in labor shows up with a driver who has an agenda.

Buzzard by Inez Ray, (List Price: $19.95, Bindery Books, 9781967967261, September 2026)

Reviewed by Jamie, Duck’s Cottage Coffee & Books in Duck, NC

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Brawler by Lauren Groff

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Brawler by Lauren Groff
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Each short story in this collection caused me to consider the complexities of human nature and the full range of behaviors available to each of us. I will be thinking about these stories for a long time. Well done, Lauren Groff!

Brawler by Lauren Groff, (List Price: $29, Riverhead Books, 9780593418420, February 2026)

Reviewed by Kandi, WordsWorth Books in Little Rock, Arkansas

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Brawler by Lauren Groff

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Brawler by Lauren Groff
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Try as I might to slow down and savor Lauren Groff’s books, I can’t help but devour them in huge gulps, never really coming up for air until the last page! I come to Groff’s looking for humanity in the grey areas, and I always find it. She mines human emotion for the layers underneath the surface, and while her novels are some of my favorites, I can’t help but think that she shines in her short stories. Brawler is brilliant in it’s range while keeping a through line of central themes that masterfully connect each story. Through the book runs a current of deep longing, each story hums with desire: physical and emotional. Every time I think Lauren Groff can’t make me think and feel more, she moves the needle!

Brawler by Lauren Groff, (List Price: $29, Riverhead Books, 9780593418420, February 2026)

Reviewed by Kelsey, Tombolo Books in St. Petersburg, FL

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Monstrilio by Gerardo Sámano Córdova

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Monstrilio by Gerardo Sámano Córdova
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A modern literary gothic take on the Frankenstein story that is low on the scares but high on thoughtful explorations of what makes a monster. That being said, this fits well into the horror genre- both beautiful and horrifying imagery, body horror wrapped up in parental love, and cannibalism nested among the dangers of living for someone else. Tender and surprisingly sweet, the heavy topics of grief and the search for personhood are handled expertly. Just a gem of a debut novel!

Monstrilio by Gerardo Sámano Córdova, (List Price: $17, Zando, 9781638931607, January 2024)

Reviewed by Tyler, Wild Aster Books in Chamblee, Georgia

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American Hagwon by Min Jin Lee

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American Hagwon by Min Jin Lee
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Min Jin Lee has done it again! One of my favorite Asian American authors, Lee writes family sagas in such a way that it keeps me captivated, and I also easily learn more about Korean history.

American Hagwon by Min Jin Lee, (List Price: $36, Cardinal, 9781538752036, September 2026)

Reviewed by Jackie, The Lynx in Gainesville, FL

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When the Tides Held the Moon by Venessa Vida Kelley

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When the Tides Held the Moon by Venessa Vida Kelley
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A lovely novel that is part historical fiction, part fantasy, part queer romance, and all about the remarkable joy it is to find family. Set in the early 20th century at Coney Island featuring a colorful cast of diverse and lovable characters, this story is ultimately about having the courage to seek justice, even if it comes at a great personal loss.

When the Tides Held the Moon by Venessa, (List Price: $29, Erewhon Books, 9781645661535, April 2025)

Reviewed by Jamie, Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, NC

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Free Falling by Lyla Sage

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Free Falling by Lyla Sage
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Free Falling truly has it all: small-town romance, childhood frenemies, oh and ghosts! Clarke Cartwright has lived in Sweetwater Peak her entire life, and when her childhood crush, Leith Wilkes, catches her off guard, so does his dead father. Leith’s dad is trying to warn Clarke that there is a secret clause in his will that might disrupt Leith’s plan to inherit the family farm. These two are forced to work together to make sure Leith gets to keep his farm, and Clarke needs help repairing her family’s antique shop. Will the proximity force these two to finally admit their feelings for one another or only drive them apart…

Free Falling by Lyla Sage, (List Price: $20, Dial Press Trade Paperback, 9780593977798, September 2026)

Reviewed by Jennifer, Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, NC

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The True Confessions of First Lady Freeman by Deesha Philyaw

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The True Confessions of First Lady Freeman by Deesha Philyaw
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First Lady Freeman has my vote in the upcoming First Lady USA pageant, but with scandals, relationships, and secrets breaking, she’s going to need more than God on her side. Sinfully good gossip with layered drama, tenderness, sexiness, and ferocity as you follow Scharisse biting the apple and letting the truth set her free. If you like the sound of Scam Goddess meets If Honk For Jesus Save Your Soul meets Celeste Ng, you’re gonna want to read this immediately!

The True Confessions of First Lady Freeman by Deesha Philyaw, (List Price: $32, Marnier Books, 9780063383074, September 2026)

Reviewed by Ashley, Underbrush Books in Rogers, Arkansas

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