The books Southern indie booksellers are recommending to readers everywhere!

Banned Books

Yolk by Mary H. K. Choi

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Yolk by Mary H. K. Choi
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“Sisters never stand a chance to be friends. We’re pitted against each other from the moment we’re born. A daughter is a treasure. Two is a tax. God, how they must have wanted a boy when they tried a do-over after a dead baby girl.” One of the most fraught relationships in humanity is sisterhood. In Yolk, Choi takes on that relationship and explores it through both the joy and pain. Coming of age, learning to live on one’s own, and navigating modern romance are all tackled in turn with the grace and realism for which readers have learned to love her writing. Come for the angst, stay for the characters you may just love like sisters. Content warnings for disordered eating, depression and anxiety, absent parent, and cancer.

Yolk by Mary H. K. Choi, (List Price: $12.99, Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers, 9781534446014, March 2022)

Reviewed by Faith Parke-Dodge, Page 158 Books in Wake Forest, North Carolina

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Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler

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Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler
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I didn’t think it was possible to read a book and feel both completely hopeless and hopeful at the end but leave it up to Octavia Butler to write the impossible.

Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler, (List Price: $16.99, Grand Central Publishing, 9781538732182, April 2019)

Reviewed by Ndobe Foletia, Epilogue: Books Chocolate Brews in Chapel Hill, North Carolina

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The Testaments by Margaret Atwood

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The Testaments by Margaret Atwood
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I wasn’t entirely sure whether I wanted to read this one or not; I didn’t want my impression of The Handmaid’s Tale to be ruined or tainted if I didn’t enjoy it. Luckily for me, I LOVED it. It was definitely a lighter/easier read and – while answered some questions – it still left a lot of room for imagination (which I love).

The Testaments by Margaret Atwood, (List Price: $18, Anchor, 9780525562627, September 2020)

Reviewed by Niamh Kenny, E. Shaver Bookseller in Savannah , Georgia

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Kneel by Candace Buford

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Kneel by Candace Buford
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I have never cared so much about football as I have while reading Kneel. This is a fantastic debut.

Kneel by Candace Buford, (List Price: $11.95, Inkyard Press, 9781335454355, July 2022)

Reviewed by Cat Chapman, Oxford Exchange in Tampa, Florida

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Batman: White Knight by Sean Murphy

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Batman: White Knight by Sean Murphy
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This arc follows a man named Jack Napier who is bent on taking down Batman and exposing Gotham’s corruption-but is he a savior or a doomsman? Murphy does an excellent job making you go back and forth with this idea until the end. The art is serious and dark, setting the tone of the story well. A fun read, and one you’ll want to return to again and again.

Batman: White Knight by Sean Murphy, (List Price: $19.99, DC Black Label, 9781401279592, October 2018)

Reviewed by Hilton Airall, Carmichael’s Bookstore in Louisville, Kentucky

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Damsel by Elana K. Arnold

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Damsel by Elana K. Arnold
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This definitely crosses over to adult readers who grew up on Patricia Wrede and loved Naomi Novik’s Uprooted. Extremely well-written and smart fantasy.

Damsel by Elana K. Arnold, (List Price: $17.99, Balzer + Bray, 9780062742322, October 2018)

Reviewed by Jill Hendrix, Fiction Addiction in Greenville, South Carolina

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Beetle & the Hollowbones by Aliza Layne

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Beetle & the Hollowbones by Aliza Layne
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I read Beetle & the Hollowbones in one sitting over morning coffee. The art and story charmed me to no end! This middle-grade graphic novel is a perfect recommendation for fans of Corpse Bride and Halloweentown, a creepy-cute and sweet tale of growing up, friendship, magic, and love. A must-read for fellow year-round Halloween lovers!

Beetle & the Hollowbones by Aliza Layne, (List Price: $12.99, Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 9781534441545, April 2020)

Reviewed by Cristina Russell, Books & Books in Coral Gables, Florida

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A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas

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A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas
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Can I just live in this book please? A perfect book boyfriend, lovely world-building, just the right amount of spice….what more can we ask for? There is a reason it’s the most beloved book in the fantasy realm.

A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas, (List Price: $19, Bloomsbury Publishing, 9781635575583, June 2020)

Reviewed by Kelley Dykes, Main Street Reads in , South Carolina

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November 9 by Colleen Hoover

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November 9 by Colleen Hoover
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Colleen Hoover writes another fantastic story. I read this book in two days. I could not put it down. I couldn’t wait until the end to know what was going to happen. I highly recommend this book.

November 9 by Colleen Hoover, (List Price: $16.99, Atria Books, 9781501110344, 2015-11-10)

Reviewed by Amy McNabb, Reading Rock Books in Dickson, Tennessee

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The Magic Fish by Trung Le Nguyen

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by Trung Le Nguyen
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This gorgeously illustrated graphic novel deftly weaves traditional fairy tales into the life of a young, gay teen just trying to figure everything out.

The Magic Fish by Trung Le Nguyen, (List Price: $17.99, Random House Graphic, 9781984851598, October 2020)

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

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We Are Okay by Nina LaCour

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We Are Okay by Nina LaCour
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In We Are Okay Nina LaCour carefully reveals Marin’s grief and coming of age with depth and clarity. LaCour’s work is striking and memorable, with a singular attention to detail and arresting emotional honesty. This novel is beautifully executed and will resonate with every one of its readers.

We Are Okay by Nina LaCour, (List Price: $17.99, Dutton Books for Young Readers, 9780525425892, February 2017)

Reviewed by Johanna Albrecht, McIntyre’s Books in Pittsboro, North Carolina

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A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

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A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
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I LOVED this book. It begins as a loose retelling of “Beauty and the Beast”, but you’re constantly faced with the differences between the tale as old as time and “A Court of Thorns and Roses”. Feyre is a strong, wild character. She’s willing to risk it all to save the people she loves. The ending had me on the edge of my seat!

A Court of Thorns and RosesA Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas, (List Price: $18, Bloomsbury Publishing, 9781635575569, June 2020)

Reviewed by Melissa Gray, The Blytheville Book Company in Blytheville, Arkansas

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Darius the Great is Not Okay by Adib Khorram

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by Adib Khorram
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This is one of the best YA novels I have read recently. Darius is an utterly relatable character who just feels like he never fits in: he’s too Persian for America, too American for Iran. When he travels to Iran for the first time, Darius could not feel more out of place, yet he meets a boy who finally makes him feel okay. This book is a powerful story of friendship and does a beautiful job of normalizing depression and discussing the experience of growing up with multiple cultural identities.

Darius the Great is Not Okay by Adib Khorram, (List Price: $8.99, Dial Books, 9780593857052, April 2024)

Reviewed by Tenley Soergel, Carmichael’s Bookstore in Louisville, Kentucky

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Grown by Tiffany D. Jackson

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by Tiffany D. Jackson
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Korey Fields is dead and Enchanted Jones wakes up next to him covered in blood. Open and shut case? Nah, fam. Korey is an international star, and when he takes 17-year-old Enchanted under his wing, it seems like all of her dreams are coming true. Against her parents’ better judgment, Enchanted joins Korey’s tour entourage and obeys his every demand in the hopes of not only being a star in her own right, but also capturing his heart. Things quickly turn bad and Enchanted finds herself drugged, assaulted, insulted, and abused in countless ways. She’s trapped with no way out and as her desperation grows, she will do anything to get away from him. This book is a powerful look at victim blaming, parent blaming, and how people will overlook so many horrible things to keep their paycheck or their vision of a successful artist intact. Fiction, but taken from some very prominent headlines (no need to mention anyone by name here, we all know the reference) I can only hope that this will open people’s eyes to the injustice that victims face every day, and why so many abusers go unpunished.

Grown by Tiffany D. Jackson, (List Price: $11.99, Katherine Tegen Books, 9780062840363, July 2021)

Reviewed by Andrea Richardson, Fountain Bookstore in , Virginia

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Watch Over Me by Nina LaCour

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by Nina LaCour
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A powerful ghost story about transformative healing. I could not put it down. Beautiful.

Watch Over Me by Nina LaCour, (List Price: $11.99, Rocky Pond Books, 9780593108994, January 2022)

Reviewed by Abbe Townsend, Quail Ridge Books in Raleigh, North Carolina

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