The books Southern indie booksellers are recommending to readers everywhere!

Adult Nonfiction

Salt, Sweat & Steam by Brigid Washington

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Salt, Sweat & Steam by Brigid Washington
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An insider’s view of the culinary world tempered through a very personal lens. Attending the Culinary Arts Institute is a grueling experience, more so for students of color, and more so if you are trying to mend a broken heart. Filled with personal and culinary ups and downs, this is both a cautionary tale and a romantic journey. Not just for foodies.

Salt, Sweat & Steam by Brigid Washington, (List Price: $30, St. Martin’s Press, 9781250333377, April 2026)

Reviewed by Jan, Main Street Books in Davidson, NC

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When Trees Testify by Beronda L. Montgomery

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When Trees Testify by Beronda L. Montgomery
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This book really made me pause. It explores the deep connection Black people have to land, trees, and botanical knowledge, and how that connection is tied to both legacy and trauma. Nature has always been part of our survival and resilience, even when it was shaped by enslavement, displacement, and loss. When Trees Testify reminds us that trees and land have witnessed our history. Reconnecting with our botanical roots isn’t just about plants…it’s about healing, reclaiming what was taken, and working through the trauma we’re still carrying. Thoughtful, reflective, a bit heavy…but honestly necessary.

When Trees Testify by Beronda L. Montgomery, (List Price: $27.99, Henry Holt and Co., 9781250335166, January 2026)

Reviewed by Morgan, The Book Worm Bookstore in Powder Springs, Georgia

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Winter by Val McDermid

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Winter by Val McDermid
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I absolutely adored this book. Val is so vivid with her imagery that her recounting of childhood memories makes them feel like my own. You could really see her crime writer background come through in her painting of winter as noir, her romanticization of the darkness. I learned so much about Scottish culture, too! This book is an excellent choice for anyone looking for a short read to make you fall in love with winter.

Winter by Val McDermid, (List Price: $22, Atlantic Monthly Press, 9780802167811, January 2026)

Reviewed by Aidan, The Snail on the Wall in Huntsville, AL

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The Motherload by Sarah Hoover

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The Motherload by Sarah Hoover
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Tired of the picture-perfect portrayals of motherhood? The Motherload is the raw, unflinching memoir you’ve been waiting for. Sarah Hoover bravely tackles the difficult truths of pregnancy and postpartum life, including anxiety, trauma, and postpartum depression—topics often left out of the conversation. She shatters the myth of the “perfect mother” and the idea of immediate, blissful connection with your child, replacing it with a candid account of her own struggles. This book is a must-read for anyone who has ever felt like an imposter in their own life and is a powerful and necessary addition to the world of women’s literature.

The Motherload by Sarah Hoover, (List Price: $20, S&S/Simon Element, 9781668010143, April 2026)

Reviewed by Kimberly, Square Books in Oxford, MS

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Poetry Says It Better by Ellen Burstyn

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Poetry Says It Better by Ellen Burstyn
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A very personal and at the same time universal poetry collection tied together by insights from Burstyn’s life. Short introductions and afterthoughts provide context and glimpses into Burstyn’s life. This will be a great book for reluctant poetry readers and old hands open to finding new meanings.

Poetry Says It Better by Ellen Burstyn, (List Price: $26.99, HarperOne, 9780063387683, April 2026)

Reviewed by Jan, Main Street Books in Davidson, North Carolina

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When Trees Testify by Beronda L. Montgomery

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When Trees Testify by Beronda L. Montgomery
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Trees transform our exhalations into parts of themselves, embodying the breath of those who live and work near them. Montgomery’s stories and observations, organized around eight species, show us what trees can teach us about ourselves, our histories, and our society.

When Trees Testify by Beronda L. Montgomery, (List Price: $27.99, Henry Holt and Co., 9781250335166, January 2026)

Reviewed by Chris, Shelf Life Books in Richmond, Virginia

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The Serviceberry by Robin Wall Kimmerer

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The Serviceberry by Robin Wall Kimmerer
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Can a book be cozy, loving, encouraging, compassionate, AND a threat to the brutal and cutthroat consumer capitalism of our era? I present to you Robin Wall Kimmerer’s first book since her surprise mega-bestselling sleeper hit Braiding Sweetgrass. The serviceberry is a bushy, underappreciated fruit tree native to Eastern North America that Kimmerer uses as inspiration to muse broadly on “abundance and reciprocity in the natural world.” The tree embodies the values of gratitude, interconnectedness, and mutual aid. Strikingly, the serviceberry’s broad and generous distribution of its wealth ensures its own flourishing! Let’s all read this small, beautiful, and powerful little book and talk about how we can reimagine modern economic life to be a little more sane and humane!

The Serviceberry by Robin Wall Kimmerer, (List Price: $20, Scribner, 9781668072240, November 2024)

Reviewed by Josh, Underground Books in Carrollton, Georgia

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The Feather Wars by James H. McCommons

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The Feather Wars by James H. McCommons
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At a time when species loss is many orders of magnitude greater than the natural background rate, this is an uplifting tale of how a wide range of people — ornithologists, hunters, birders, naturalists, scientists, and capitalists came together in an unlikely alliance to save wading birds and songbirds from the brink of extinction, transforming the American conservation movement in the process.

The Feather Wars by James H. McCommons, (List Price: $33, St. Martin’s Press, 9781250286895, March 2026)

Reviewed by Jim, Righton Books in St Simons Island, Georgia

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Intifadas by Edward Salem

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Intifadas by Edward Salem
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An important new collection of poetry by Edward Salem, highlighting the Palestinian experience from unique angles and styles. While understandably covering loss, violence, and love of country, land, and people, the poems are at times also funny, strange, and satirical. Salem offers a strong voice (combining tenderness and rage) and authority on a place and identity outside of my lived experience, and I feel more informed and engaged having taken my time with this collection.

Intifadas by Edward Salem, (List Price: $17.95, Sarabande Books, 9781956046694, April 2026)

Reviewed by Sarah, Old Town Books in Alexandria, Virginia

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Recognizing the Stranger by Isabella Hammad

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Recognizing the Stranger by Isabella Hammad
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To call this an essential text when it comes to explaining and educating people on the present Palestine conflict would be an understatement. Isabella Hammad’s impeccably done Recognizing the Stranger takes the issue head-on but in a much more nuanced, and possibly more effective way than most. The first half of the book is the commencement speech Hammad gave at Columbia a week before the October 7th attacks, with the last 20 pages being an afterword titled On Gaza. Hammad’s crisp, concise, and accessible writing gives any reader a better understanding of tragedy as a whole. I will be thinking about this afterword and Hammad’s voice for many, many years to come, absolutely breathtaking and essential for our time.

Recognizing the Stranger by Isabella Hammad, (List Price: $18, Grove Press, Black Cat, 9780802163929, September 2024)

Reviewed by Grace, Fountain Bookstore in Richmond, VA

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A Flat Place by Noreen Masud

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A Flat Place by Noreen Masud
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An unforgettable memoir of a woman who grew up in Pakistan under terrible conditions and now lives in Britain; she has a way of looking at places and nature and, through talking about them, finding a way to heal and feel whole.

A Flat Place by Noreen Masud, (List Price: $19.99, Melville House, 9781685890247, June 2023)

Reviewed by Jamie, Flyleaf Books in Chapel Hill, NC

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Water by Rumi

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Water by Rumi
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A beautiful, fresh translation of Rumi that reaches back into time and renders the emotional resonance of his poetry. 10/10, amazing translation!

Water by Rumi, (List Price: $14.95, NYRB Classics, 9781681379166, April 2025)

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

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