The books Southern indie booksellers are recommending to readers everywhere!

Banned Books

The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison

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The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
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Absolute devastation firmly grounded in the ordinary. Through the seasons, a reading primer, a family, a neighborhood, Morrison explores all that the ordinary can build by all it can destroy. Claudia’s fury and Pecola’s longing are presented as two responses to the same wound, a loneliness that never got to be innocence, not just for these girls but for a society that props itself up by allowing these cycles to repeat.

The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison, (List Price: $19, Vintage, 9780307278449, May 2007)

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

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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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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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The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han

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The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han
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The Summer I Turned Pretty is a coming-of-age book that tells the story of the main character’s first love. The story itself has so many fun aspects, including the family dynamics along with the friendships between characters. This book is perfect for someone looking for a series that starts off lighthearted and then leads into more depth as the series progresses.

The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han, (List Price: $11.99, Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 9781665922074, May 2022)

Reviewed by Grace, The Bookshelf on Church in Kilmarnock, VA

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What If It’s Us by Becky Albertalli

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What If It's Us by Becky Albertalli
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I absolutely loved this book. Becky Albertalli is one of my favorite authors and never disappoints, and this was no different. I also am now ready to go read literally every Adam Silvera book because I’m obviously missing out! This book made me laugh, and cry, and smile nonstop. I especially love the fact that Becky always plugs in references to Atlanta because that’s where she was from, and I am also from there, so it’s super cool reading about places that I regularly go to. I also appreciated that the parts of the book are named after “Only Us” from Dear Evan Hansen, because that’s my favorite Broadway show and one of my favorite songs from it. I am so excited to start telling people about this book and for it to come out so I can talk about it with people!

What If It’s Us by Becky Albertalli, (List Price: $12.99, HarperTeen, 9780062795236, May 2020)

Reviewed by Emily, Read It Again Bookstore in Suwanee, Georgia

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Perfect on Paper by Sophie Gonzales

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Perfect on Paper by Sophie Gonzales
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Darcy tries to keep her head down and stay under the radar in her high school. No one can ever know that she’s the person behind Locker 89, the place her schoolmates write for anonymous relationship advice. Handsome and popular Alexander Brougham catches her collecting letters one afternoon and turns to blackmail – he will keep her secret if she helps him win back the girl that broke his heart. Desperate to keep her past less-than-great advice to her BFF (with whom she’s secretly in love) under wraps, she goes along with the scheme – with surprising results. This is a sweet, funny book about queer love and facing up to mistakes to try and be a better person. It’s the perfect snuggly read for cold winter months when you’re too stressed to read anything too heavy.

Perfect on Paper by Sophie Gonzales, (List Price: $13, Wednesday Books, 9781250830081, December 2022)

Reviewed by Andrea, Fountain Bookstore in Richmond, VA

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The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

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The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
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The Great Gatsby is so good that it plays on your terms, whatever they may be. It never feels as complex as it is; the many metaphors are never overbearing. You may come to Gatsby as someone who studies literature or someone who simply enjoys it, and the novel will deliver its ample gifts to you.

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, (List Price: $9.99, Pocket Books, 9781982146702, November 2020)

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

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The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones

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The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones
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This is my favorite Stephen Graham Jones novel to date; this writing is the most poetic I’ve ever read in a horror novel. I felt so invested in Good Stab’s journey and experiences, in a way that includes the more “monstrous” feelings he has. Jones perfectly balances the horror of his becoming a vampire and eventually reconciling his life by the end. And his take of a vampire narrative is so unique and new; it will make you think about the effects of colonialism in a new way.

The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones, (List Price: $29.99, S&S/Saga Press, 9781668075081, March 2025)

Reviewed by Meghan, The Lynx in Gainesville, FL

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Heavy: An American Memoir by Kiese Laymon

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Heavy: An American Memoir by Kiese Laymon
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Kiese Laymon writes a powerful memoir in which he immerses the reader in the individual experience of growing up Black in the Deep South. Laymon’s coming-of-age story, placed in the 80s and 90s, is layered with observations about body image and body awareness in the context of a geography intent on subjugating those who look like him. The entire book is written in second person, directed toward his mother, which has the effect of drawing the reader close to his story. He beautifully gives access to his own flaws, his family’s wisdom, and imperfections. A must-read for anyone interested in Black stories, Black people, and U.S.-American history.

Heavy: An American Memoir by Kiese Laymon, (List Price: $18, Scribner, 9781501125669, March 2019)

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

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Call Me by Your Name by André Aciman

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Call Me by Your Name by André Aciman
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Beautiful, beautiful, absolutely beautiful. This absolutely broke me and yet stitched me back together all the same. Aciman does an amazing job capturing the love and fascination we have with other humans when we are young and awestruck. It is an absolutely brilliant coming-of-age novel about sexual identity, deep-rooted connections, and everything in between. It’s frustrating, it’s delightful, it’s utterly absorbing, and I need everyone to read this as well; to know how much it means to me.

Call Me by Your Name by André Aciman, (List Price: $18, Picador, 9781250169440, October 2017)

Reviewed by Itzy, M. Judson Booksellers in Greenville, South Carolina

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Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston

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Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
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When I first read this novel, it was as if scales fell from my eyes. As Hurston writes, I began to see life “like a great tree in leaf with the things suffered, things enjoyed, things done and undone. Dawn and Doom in the branches.” Get it. Read it. Period.

Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston, (List Price: $27.99, Amistad, 9780063068537, January 2021)

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

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Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli

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Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli
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I really loved Simon’s voice, but I loved all of the characters and truly wish that there were more folks like Simon’s group of friends and supporters. Becky Albertalli has given us a beautiful coming-of-age story that leaves the reader with much to think about. Through the voices of her characters, she has done a fine job of pointing out the many outdated prejudices and assumptions still held by too many in today’s world and how unfair and unnecessary they are. I have long believed that it will be the current generation that will finally achieve the change that we need and allow issues of sexual identity to become a thing of the past, and this book and these wonderful characters give voice to many insights that are spot on. Absolutely everyone should read this book!

Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli, (List Price: $17.99, HarperCollins, 9780062839701, January 2018)

Reviewed by Emoke, Malaprop’s Bookstore/Cafe in Asheville, North Carolina

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Minor Detail by Adania Shibli

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Minor Detail by Adania Shibli
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Within a dual timeline, Shibli collapses 50 years into one another through the lens of settler colonialism and Israeli apartheid of the Palestinian people while remaining deeply human. The ending of this book has haunted me for three days straight.

Minor Detail by Adania Shibli, (List Price: $15.95, New Directions, 9780811229074, May 2020)

Reviewed by Olivia, Shelf Life Books in Richmond, Virginia

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A Map for Falasteen by Maysa Odeh

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A Map for Falasteen by Maysa Odeh
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A stunning, heartbreaking, story that was well-performed by the voice actor on the audiobook. Every line seemed to tug my heartstrings, and yet this story felt grounded. Beautiful.

A Map for Falasteen by Maysa Odeh, (List Price: $19.99, Henry Holt and Co. (BYR), 9781250896704, November 2024)

Reviewed by Nyawira Nyota, Page 158 Books in Wake Forest, North Carolina

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And Tango Makes Three by Justin Richardson, Peter Parnell, Henry Cole (illus.)

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And Tango Makes Three by Justin Richardson, Peter Parnell, Henry Cole (illus.)
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So glad to see a new edition of this classic at such an important time for diverse stories to be told widely.

And Tango Makes Three by Justin Richardson, Peter Parnell, Henry Cole (illus.), (List Price: $19.99, Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 9780689878459, June 2005)

Reviewed by Alissa, South Main Book Company in Salisbury, North Carolina

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