The books Southern indie booksellers are recommending to readers everywhere!

Banned Books

Normal People by Sally Rooney

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Normal People by Sally Rooney
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I don’t know if it’s the fact that I was living Normal People while reading Normal People, but this book sticks with me, and I recommend it highly to adult readers of all ages. A beautiful and complicated book on growing up and experiencing extreme highs and (mostly) lows in your relationships. I am both a Collin and Marianne apologist; those kids just wanted love!!!!

Normal People by Sally Rooney, (List Price: $17, Crown, 9781984822185, February 2020)

Reviewed by Sarah, E. Shaver, Booksellers in Savannah, Georgia

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Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley

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Firekeeper's Daughter by Angeline Boulley
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This groundbreaking young adult thriller follows Daunis Fontaine, a biracial Ojibwe girl caught between two cultures, two identities, and two different paths for her future. But when tragedy strikes too close to home, Daunis finds herself thrust into the crosshairs of a criminal investigation that threatens to tear her whole community apart. I was completely enveloped by this incredible debut, and if I could put a copy into every single customer’s hands, I absolutely would.

Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley, (List Price: $14.99, Square Fish, 9781250866035, April 2023)

Reviewed by Rebecca Speas, One More Page Books in Arlington, Virginia

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The Weight of Blood by Tiffany D. Jackson

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The Weight of Blood by Tiffany D. Jackson
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Jackson really gets better with every book! I was hooked from page one on this updated version of Carrie, and I think Stephen King would be proud to have inspired this. Maddy is biracial and outcast from her peers and miserable at home with her abusive father. Racial tensions dividing the town of Springville come to a head on prom night, and the results are…explosive. Do not miss this amazing YA thriller!

The Weight of Blood by Tiffany D. Jackson, (List Price: $15.95, Quill Tree Books, 9780063029156, September 2023)

Reviewed by Andrea Richardson, Fountain Bookstore in Richmond, Virginia

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Future Home of the Living God by Louise Erdrich

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Future Home of the Living God by Louise Erdrich
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If you are a fan of Margaret Atwood, and specifically The Handmaid’s Tale, this book is a must-read. Erdrich’s storytelling feels very intimate, which I prefer in a dystopian novel. A larger picture comes into focus through the perspective of Cedar’s individual experience. Quietly disturbing, this story will stick with you long after you’ve read the last page. Though this book is not a new release, I would put it in league with The School for Good Mothers by Jessamine Chan and Our Missing Hearts by Celeste Ng.

Future Home of the Living God by Louise Erdrich, (List Price: $17.99, Harper Perennial, 9780062694065, November 2018)

Reviewed by Krista Roach, E. Shaver, Booksellers in Savannah, Georgia

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The Lesbiana’s Guide to Catholic School by Sonora Reyes

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The Lesbiana's Guide to Catholic School by Sonora Reyes
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Thou shalt read this book for laughs, tears, awesome sibling dynamics, romance, and a comedy of errors. This one’s healing, hopeful, and all about learning how to accept and embrace yourself with a little help from the important people in your life.

The Lesbiana’s Guide to Catholic School by Sonora Reyes, (List Price: $18.99, Balzer + Bray, 9780063060234, May 2022)

Reviewed by Julie Jarema, Avid Bookshop in Athens, Georgia

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Elatsoe by Darcie Little Badger

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Elatsoe by Darcie Little Badger
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An amazing, well-rounded debut with a number of different identities represented. Elatsoe had an impressive combination of Indigenous practices and folklore, paranormal elements, and a classic murder-mystery with necessary discussions of injustice and colonization. PLUS lovable characters!

Elatsoe by Darcie Little Badger, (List Price: $12.99, Levine Querido, 9781646142767, October 2023)

Reviewed by Mallory Sutton, Bards Alley in Vienna, Virginia

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Cool for the Summer by Dahlia Adler

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Cool for the Summer by Dahlia Adler
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Adler knocks it out of the park with this sweet, spicy YA romance. Lara has had a crush on teen dream Chase for her entire high school career, to no avail. After a summer spent on her own in the Outer Banks of NC, she returns to school even more beautiful and full of confidence after a romance with a girl named Jasmine. Chase takes notice of Lara for the first time, and she’s about to jump in with both feet when none other than Jasmine shows up at her school. The girls haven’t spoken since they parted for the fall. Lara is torn between the guy she’s always wanted and the girl she never knew she needed. This hits a previously neglected spot in LGBTQ fiction and romance, and I love the way it explores identity and how teens may not understand who they are and how they feel yet.

Cool for the Summer by Dahlia Adler, (List Price: $12, Wednesday Books, 9781250888471, June 2023)

Reviewed by Andrea Richardson, Fountain Bookstore in Richmond, Virginia

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The Speaker by Traci Chee

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The Speaker by Traci Chee
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I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: The Reader was 2016’s most underrated fantasy title. With vivid world-building, swashbuckling adventure, a softly built romance, and a brilliant heroine, The Reader should have been on every single “Top Books of 2016” list. With The Speaker, Traci Chee builds on her world and crafts a sequel that is enchanting and complex. Driving the story forward is Sefia and Archer’s need for revenge, a task that sends them down a dangerous road. Anger/rage, depression, anxiety, and PTSD are explored and woven into the story beautifully, and with a diverse cast of new characters, Chee’s book answers the call for diverse fantasy.

The Speaker by Traci Chee, (List Price: $10.99, Speak, 9780147518064, June 2018)

Reviewed by Shauna Sinyard, Park Road Books in Charlotte, North Carolina

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The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story by Nikole Hannah-Jones

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The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story by Nikole Hannah-Jones
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The 1619 Project from Nikole Hannah-Jones asserts that to truly understand America today – politically, socially, culturally- and to begin to make repairs, you must move the timeline back to 1619, when the first enslaved people from Africa arrived in Jamestown. In this book—which is 50% more material than the original New York Times project—we hear from all the people who should have been included when we were initially taught American history and social studies. Herein lies a star-studded collection of thinkers, writers, poets and artists and an attempt to fully understand America’s origin story. Required reading for all who care to create a more just America.

The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story by Nikole Hannah-Jones, (List Price: $25, One World, 9780593230596, June 2024)

Reviewed by Jamie Fiocco, Flyleaf Books in Chapel Hill, North Carolina

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The Forest of Stolen Girls by June Hur

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The Forest of Stolen Girls by June Hur
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If you are looking for a perfectly eerie and thrilling young adult mystery, then look no further. The Forest of Stolen Girls follows Hwani, a young woman in 15th-century Korea who has returned home to investigate the mysterious disappearance of her detective father. Her return coincides with the vanishing of 13 young women into the dense woods nearby, and Hwani’s search for her father soon becomes entangled with old grudges, festering secrets, and the sinister threat of a killer lurking in the forest. This book is spooky, suspenseful, and atmospheric, and I cannot recommend it enough.

The Forest of Stolen Girls by June Hur, (List Price: $12.99, Square Fish, 9781250821157, May 2025)

Reviewed by Rebecca Speas, One More Page Books in Arlington, Virginia

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For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Enuf by Ntozake Shange

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For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Enuf by Ntozake Shange
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Ntozake Shange both beautifully and tragically tells stories of Black girlhood that are all too familiar. Shange reminds me to be selfish, that I know my truth and what is true, and to remove white girls from my hopscotch games. “i found god in myself and i loved heri loved her fiercely”

For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Enuf by Ntozake Shange, (List Price: $13.99, Scribner, 9780684843261, September 1997)

Reviewed by Mariah McCann, Epilogue: Books Chocolate Brews in Chapel Hill, North Carolina

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Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas

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Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas
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Filled with wit, culture, and a wonderful depiction of LGBTQ+ youth, Cemetery Boys was a fast-paced and heartwarming read. I would definitely recommend this to any YA reader!

Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas, (List Price: $12.99, Square Fish, 9781250792075, August 2025)

Reviewed by Ashton Ahart, Page 158 Books in Wake Forest, North Carolina

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The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V. E. Schwab

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The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V. E. Schwab
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How far would you go for freedom? Addie’s story is told across continents, over centuries, as she grapples with the consequences of choice. I love a morally gray heroine and seeing her desperation and the lengths she’d go to leave a mark on the world (influencing art and music). Achingly tender as she’s caught between the only man who ever remembered her – and the devil who won’t let her go.

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V. E. Schwab, (List Price: $26.99, Tor Books, 9780765387561, October 2020)

Reviewed by Ellie Hirsch, Copperfish Books in Punta Gorda, Florida

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How Beautiful We Were by Imbolo Mbue

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How Beautiful We Were by Imbolo Mbue
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What a good book! Beautifully written and so forcefully told, this story of the power of corporations over people and governments. And the setting! So alien from what we’re used to, but at the same time recognizable from our own small town battles with corporate malfeasance. A very thought-provoking book that will be great for book clubs and one that reminded me of how I reacted to Homeland Elegies by Ayad Akhtar.

How Beautiful We Were by Imbolo Mbue, (List Price: $18, Random House Trade Paperbacks, 9780593132449, March 2021)

Reviewed by Pete Mock, McIntyre’s Books in Pittsboro, North Carolina

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The Color Purple by Alice Walker

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The Color Purple by Alice Walker
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This is one of my favorite books of all time. Heartwarming and heartbreaking.

The Color Purple by Alice Walker, (List Price: $32, Penguin Classics, 9780143137047, January 2022)

Reviewed by Annastasia Williams, The Bottom in Knoxville, Tennessee

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