The books Southern indie booksellers are recommending to readers everywhere!

Adult Nonfiction

Bless the Daughter Raised by a Voice in Her Head by Warsan Shire

, ,
Bless the Daughter Raised by a Voice in Her Head by Warsan Shire
buy this book

Buy from your local indie.

I cant put into words how much this poetry collection affected me, and how I am completely infatuated with every word on every page. Shire truly left me speechless with her prose and poems centering around being a refugee, maternal relationships, and what it means to be a woman. It’s poetry that’s so full of emotion you feel every word she says, and it’s impeccable.

Bless the Daughter Raised by a Voice in Her Head by Warsan Shire, (List Price: $17, Random House Trade Paperbacks, 9780593134351,  March 2022)

Reviewed by Grace Sullivan, Fountain Bookstore in Richmond, Virginia

Bless the Daughter Raised by a Voice in Her Head by Warsan Shire Read More »

Linea Nigra by Jazmina Barrera

, ,
Linea Nigra by Jazmina Barrera
buy this book

Buy from your local indie.

This slim volume navigates Barrera’s pregnancy, birth, and those first shattering days of early motherhood. In snippets reminiscent of the short breaks in between wakings and feedings, Barrera interweaves her reading life and lived life, creating a poignant primer that will be a kindred comfort and stalwart courage to any reader. Linea Nigra is a rich record of a life steeped in feminist art, revealing intersections in the body and the world; the individual and the collective.

Linea Nigra by Jazmina Barrera, (List Price: $21.95, Two Lines Press, 9781949641301,  May 2022)

Reviewed by Hannah DeCamp, Avid Bookshop in Athens, Georgia

Linea Nigra by Jazmina Barrera Read More »

Riding with Evil by Ken Croke

, ,
Riding with Evil by Ken Croke
buy this book

Buy from your local indie.

This glimpse into the brutal world of outlaw bikers is not sugar coated with flowery language. But, despite its “just the facts ma’am” style, it delves into the emotional strain of being an undercover agent in a way that I’ve not really experienced before. So, if you’re a true crime buff and want to read something compelling that isn’t about a serial killer- here it is!

Riding with Evil by Ken Croke (List Price: $28.99, William Morrow, 9780063092402,  March 2022)

Reviewed by Billy McCormick, McIntyre’s Books in Pittsboro, North Carolina

Riding with Evil by Ken Croke Read More »

Who Is Wellness For? by Fariha Roisin

, , ,
Who Is Wellness For? by Fariha Roisin
buy this book

Buy from your local indie.

Who is Wellness For? is part-memoir, part well-researched collection of works that earnest endeavor in answering the title’s query. Roisin maps constellations of historical context, spiritual meaning, and community care. A map that is truly a gift for anyone who considers that self-healing work is never really meant to be done alone. Each dot on this map reminds us of the many people and communities before this moment that teach us the dire necessity of prioritizing communal care. This book is a total offering to its readers, both as a starting place or a gentle reminder, meeting them wherever they may be on their healing journey. I look forward to re-reading this book and have added all of her intentional citations to be TBR lists.

Who Is Wellness For? by Fariha Roisin, (List Price: $26.99, Harper Wave, 9780063077089, June 2022)

Reviewed by Eden Hakimzadeh, Oxford Exchange in Tampa, Florida

Who Is Wellness For? by Fariha Roisin Read More »

The Unwritten Book by Samantha Hunt

, ,
The Unwritten Book by Samantha Hunt
buy this book

Buy from your local indie.

With a heavy heart and a recently missing cat (wringing out the old year, hearing the ringing of the new through my poorly insulated walls), I started a book that followed me home from work. For years, Samantha Hunt novels, on glancing and flipping, have always looked to be in the “Alley (up my)” or “Wheelhouse (in my)” genres, but this is my first and, by golly, I can’t stop rambling, deleting, rambling, deleting this review. She lets grief, family, empathy, childhood, alcohol, a boy band, authority, loss, parenthood, faith (and much much more) drop, all at once, into the top of the Plinko board, amazingly not jamming the derned thing up. What settles at the bottom is a nice, orderly, call for all to relish the unknown, hold tight to loss, and madlib the half-assed answers to life’s half-asked questions. I, for one, am retooling “rut” and giving a new shine to “stuck in a.” However, as newly-formed fanboy insecurities blossom, the Samantha Hunt in my mind says “well, YOU sure missed the point on the head.” But surely the fact that I got what I wanted out of [the book, which I forgot to mention is a work of nonfiction] was surely the point of it exactly. Or at least that’s what I got out of it. Surely.

The Unwritten Book by Samantha Hunt, (List Price: $28, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 9780374604912,  April 2022)

Reviewed by Ian McCord, Avid Bookshop in Athens, Georgia

The Unwritten Book by Samantha Hunt Read More »

The Sex Lives of African Women by Nana Darkoa Sekyiamah

, , , ,
The Sex Lives of African Women by Nana Darkoa Sekyiamah
buy this book

Buy from your local indie.

One of the most substantial and honest collections of essays about sex and pleasure I’ve ever read. Each author bares it all in order to give the reader permission to tell the truth about their relationship with sex. By centering voices and experiences that typically get left out of anthologies like this, we get to witness a multidimensional sexuality meditation through the lens of discovery, exploration, and joy. What a gift!

The Sex Lives of African Women by Nana Darkoa Sekyiamah, (List Price: $28, Astra House, 9781662650819,  March 2022)

Reviewed by Eden Hakimzadeh, Oxford Exchange in Tampa, Florida

The Sex Lives of African Women by Nana Darkoa Sekyiamah Read More »

In Love by Amy Bloom

, , , , , , ,
Blood Scion by Deborah Falaye
buy this book

Buy from your local indie.

When Amy Bloom’s husband of 15 years is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, he decides to end his life on his own terms – “to die on his feet, not live on his knees”. In Love is an account of how the couple made that happen, as well as a celebration of their love. It’s by turns honest, raw, unsentimental, funny, captivating, powerful and utterly devastating. I devoured it in less than a day – an experience that left me emotionally wrung out, but also very glad to have done so.


In Love by Amy Bloom, (List Price: $27.00, Random House, 9780593243947,  March 2022)

Reviewed by Jude Burke-Lewis, Square Books in Oxford, Mississippi

In Love by Amy Bloom Read More »

Read Dangerously by Azar Nafisi

, ,
Read Dangerously by Azar Nafisi
buy this book

Buy from your local indie.

Reading might not seem the most obvious of radical acts – but in Read Dangerously, Iranian-American writer Azar Nafisi shows that it can be. Drawing on her experiences of living in the Islamic Republic of Iran and in today’s America, and citing authors as diverse as Plato, Toni Morrison, Margaret Atwood and Elliot Ackerman, the bestselling writer of Reading Lolita in Tehran illustrates how literature can counter oppression. An erudite, accessible and inspiring book.

Read Dangerously by Azar Nafisi, (List Price: $26.99, Dey Street Books, 9780062947369,  March 2022)

Reviewed by  Jude Burke-Lewis, Square Books in Oxford, Mississippi

Read Dangerously by Azar Nafisi Read More »

An Immense World by Ed Yong

, , , ,
An Immense World by Ed Yong
buy this book

Buy from your local indie.

Like many readers, I was introduced to Ed Yong’s clear and measured writing during the Covid-19 pandemic, and I was instantly drawn to his deep-thinking approach. An Immense World is (thankfully) not about Covid-19, but it does hold true to Yong’s journalistic method: big questions, acknowledgements of what we don’t know, and a sense of wonder at the complexity of life. This is such a beautiful exploration of the world as experienced by other animals—here you will learn that there are so many more senses on Earth (and in humans!) than just the Aristotelian basic five (Nociception! Magnetoreception! Proprioception! And so many more!), and Yong’s conversational, wide-eyed tone wriggles readers free of their human Umwelt, even if just for a moment. This is a transformative book, essential for anyone looking open windows in their mind to a wider, more empathic world.

An Immense World by Ed Yong, (List Price: $30.00, Random House, 9780593133231, June 2022)

Reviewed by Hannah DeCamp, Avid Bookshop in Athens, Georgia

An Immense World by Ed Yong Read More »

You Don’t Know Us Negroes by Zora Neale Hurston

, , ,
You Don't Know Us Negroes by Zora Neale Hurston
buy this book

Buy from your local indie.

The gift of Zora Neale Hurston and her multifaceted works shine beyond decades. You Don’t Know Us Negroes and Other Essays covers the timelessness of her work. Zora Neale Hurston’s work holds an essential space in piecing the histories of America and the visibility of the lives of Black Folk. Hurston honors the language, spirit, and progressive movements that are exhibited in our history and heritage. This book gives us a deeper understanding of Hurston and her legacy.

You Don’t Know Us Negroes by Zora Neale Hurston, (List Price: $29.99, Amistad, 9780063043855, January 2022)

Reviewed by Jasmine from Cafe Noir, in Memphis, Tennessee



You Don’t Know Us Negroes by Zora Neale Hurston Read More »

Graceland, At Last by Margaret Renkl

, , , , ,
Graceland, At Last by Margaret Renkl
buy this book

Buy from your local indie.

Margaret’s weekly New York Times columns about culture in The South call out our many failures while describing in beautiful detail what makes our part of America so beautiful. Just when I think there’s no possible way to capture the tension between the terrible and the special, Margaret’s words are there to express what I am feeling.

Graceland, At Last by Margaret Renkl, (List Price: $26.00, Milkweed Editions, 9781571311849, September 2021)

Reviewed by Sissy Gardner, Parnassus Books in Nashville, Tennessee


Graceland, At Last by Margaret Renkl Read More »

Letter to a Stranger by Colleen Kinder

, ,
Letter to a Stranger by Colleen Kinder
buy this book

Buy from your local indie.

As the season changes, I find myself drawn to books that I can pickup, read however much I want whether it be a page or fifty, and then put back down and not worry about losing my spot or anything like that. I want digestible, but not fluff, I still want the grit and strong storytelling. This book is the cure for this predicament. Colleen Kinder sent out an email to authors everywhere, simply asking them to write a letter to a stranger who haunts them. The result is this intimate collection of letters from some of the most beloved authors of our time, and perfect is an understatement. The book is broken up by emotional prompt, which I like but was wary as books similar to this can be sort of repetitive with the themes of stories in them, but this next level. The sections are symmetry, mystery, chemistry, gratitude, wonder, remorse and finally, farewell. This is what makes this book so strong, it’s not just emotions of love or pain, it’s so much more than that. It’s funny, startling,and at times heartbreaking. A book that has earned a permanent spot on my bookshelf, and one I do not think I will ever get tired of skimming through.

Letter to a Stranger by Colleen Kinder, (List Price: $19.95, Algonquin Books, 9781643751245,  March 2022)

Reviewed by Grace Sullivan, Fountain Bookstore in Richmond, Virginia

Letter to a Stranger by Colleen Kinder Read More »

Beyond Innocence by Phoebe Zerwick

, , , , , ,
Beyond Innocence : The Life Sentence of Darryl Hunt by Phoebe Zerwick
buy this book

Buy from your local indie.

Once upon a time, a man was unjustly imprisoned. DNA and dogged work freed him after 19 years. He lived happily ever after. Sorry, that last part didn’t happen. Even with DNA evidence, he almost didn’t get exonerated. Beyond Innocence: The Life Sentence of Darryl Hunt details Hunt’s journey from teen to convicted killer, innocent freed man, and activist with many twists. But the saddest part is what happened to him after freedom, and how it illustrates the plight of most of the exonerated. That is not as exclusive a club as you might think. According to author Phoebe Zerwick, “As of May 2021, 2,783 men and women in America have been exonerated since 1989…The National Registry of Exonerations calculate the combined years they lost at 24,915.”

Zerwick wrote about Hunt in the Winston-Salem Journal and has spent years on his case. Hunt was not just railroaded. Police falsified evidence; a judge unbelievably ruled DNA evidence was insufficient to warrant a new trial. A faithful cadre of supporters and the author’s newspaper series resulted in deliberately overlooked evidence being reexamined and finding the true killer. Only then was Hunt released. But Hunt’s case shows how the system continues to fail. Hunt briefly had a foundation to aid released prisoners. Years of prison life and post-release limitations lead to PTSD, depression, and often recidivism. Hunt’s friends realized too late he was leading a double life – calm outside, but in agony inside. They couldn’t stop him from taking his life. But if enough people pay attention to his story, perhaps others can be helped.

Beyond Innocence : The Life Sentence of Darryl Hunt by Phoebe Zerwick, (List Price: $27, Atlantic Monthly Press, 9780802159373,  March 2022)

Reviewed by Rosemary Pugliese from Malaprop’s in Asheville, NC

Beyond Innocence by Phoebe Zerwick Read More »

Bird Brother by Rodney Stotts

, , , , , ,
Bird Brother by Rodney Stotts
buy this book

Buy from your local indie.

Bird Brother is the fascinating journey of Rodney Stotts from growing up in the projects of Southeast DC to becoming a conservationist. inner-city youth mentor, and one of the few Black master falconers in the U.S. The book is written in a conversational style, and though reading his history can be emotional/difficult at times, it’s easy to see that his love for nature is the reason that he’s alive today. He’s also very honest about his mistakes, his perseverance in avian education/rehabilitation, and the obstacles that he overcame with the help of his friends & family. Most importantly, he champions the responsibility that we humans have as caretakers of the nature/wildlife around us… and in his own words, to serve something bigger than ourselves.

Bird Brother by Rodney Stotts, (List Price: $26.00, Island Press, 9781642831740, February 2022)

Reviewed by Stuart McCommon, Novel. in Memphis, Tennessee


Bird Brother by Rodney Stotts Read More »

Funny Farm by Laurie Zaleski

, , , , ,
Funny Farm by Laurie Zaleski
buy this book

Buy from your local indie.

Once you open this book, this story will never leave your heart. Laurie Zalenski tells of her mother’s love as the family escapes an abusive husband and father and attempts life with zero money. As the family scrapes by, they adopt and care for others including neglected animals. The love of people and animals shine on every page as the tale leads to the Funny Farm and the 600 abused and neglected animals that thrive on the New Jersey farm. You will fall in love with Laurie, the many animals, and the book as you plan your trip to see for yourself the Funny Farm.

Funny Farm by Laurie Zaleski, (List Price: $27.99, St. Martin’s Press, 97812502728366, February 2022)

Reviewed by Nancy Pierce from Bookmiser, Inc. in Marietta, Georgia


Funny Farm by Laurie Zaleski Read More »

Scroll to Top