The books Southern indie booksellers are recommending to readers everywhere!

Coming of Age

Book Buzz: Peck & Peck by Bonnie Garmus

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Bonnie Garmus, photo courtesy the author“I think we’re all born with potential, and while it takes thousands of hours of practice to turn that potential into something real, making that kind of commitment is what life is all about. That’s one of the reasons Gen A.I. bothers me so much. There is no effort, no practice, no learning, no growth.”

  ― Bonnie Garmus, Interview, New York Times

Peck & Peck by Bonnie Garmus

What booksellers are saying about Peck & Peck

  • Who writes a fabulous novel centered around poetry? Bonnie Garmus does! This is another captivating original story of a family-owned publishing company that puts out a quarterly issue of poetry. Hold on to your hat when you’re reading this one!
      ― Beth, The Country Bookshop, Southern Pines, North Carolina | BUY

  • I was leery about this one. Lessons in Chemistry, which I loved, is a very hard act to follow and I was hoping Peck & Peck didn’t try to hard to tread the same path. My fears were completely unfounded. This is magic of a completely different kind and I loved it so much. The setting—1982 New York at the offices of an elite and eccentric poetry magazine—provided the most relaxing mental vacation for me as a former English major from a bygone analog era. While it shares a few similarities with Lessons in Chemistry (exceptional dog? Check.) I found it to be a completely different reading experience that I won’t soon forget.
      ― Kat, Novel., Memphis, Tennessee | BUY

  • A delightful story revolving around the importance of poetry and poets. As in Lessons in Chemistry, Garmus’ cast of characters includes a wise and heroic dog. This novel is not as tightly written as her first and without the more serious themes of Lessons in Chemistry but it is a fun witty novel.
    ― Jean, Thornwell Books, Morganton, North Carolina | BUY

  • Bonnie Garmus’s follow-up to Lessons in Chemistry is an absolute joy to read. Lifelong poetry lover Batter Gray is thrilled to land a job at the distinguished poetry journal Peck & Peck – but neither the job nor the company turns out to be quite what he was expecting. What follows is part coming-of-age story, part mystery, part tongue-in-check exploration of the value of poetry in a commercial world – and ultimately a love song to art, in all its forms, for art’s sake. Oh, and it features a dog every bit a match to Lessons in Chemistry’s Six-Thirty. I loved it!
    ― Jude, Square Books, Oxford, Mississippi | BUY

About Bonnie Garmus

Bonnie Garmus is a coffee-dependent American novelist. Her debut novel, Lessons in Chemistry, was a Good Morning America Book Club Pick, a Goodreads Choice Best Book of the Year, spent nearly two years on the New York Times bestseller list and was named by Times readers as one of the top 100 books of the 21st century. Translated into over forty languages, Lessons in Chemistry was honored with sixteen international literary awards and made into an Apple TV limited series. Peck & Peck is her second novel.

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The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison

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

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

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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Taipei Story by R. F. Kuang

Kuang never misses, and this insanely bingeable story was quickly added to my favorites. Kuang expertly depicts the specific brand of grief that arises from an unexpected loss of a family member that you wish you were closer to. Read this book if you want to be inspired to pick up your language studies again.

Taipei Story by R. F. Kuang, (List Price: $32, William Morrow, 9780063583597, August 2026)

Reviewed by Em, Bookmiser in Marietta, GA

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A Real Animal by Emeline Atwood

A coming-of-age tale of Homeric Odysseian proportions, A Real Animal is a typhonic stunner of a debut. If Lily King wrote the screenplay for an Ari Aster film, it would look ALMOST something like A Real Animal, but it is also totally original. Not one to miss.

A Real Animal by Emeline Atwood, (List Price: $29, Catapult, 9781646222964, July 2026)

Reviewed by Dominic, Book & Bottle in St. Petersburg, FL

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The Summer Boy by Philippe Besson

How haunting and beautiful. That epilogue hit me like a freight train. This beautiful and tragic coming of age story will stay with me for a long time. From the very beginning, you can just feel that something is waiting to happen and you hope it doesn’t happen but you don’t really know for sure until you keep reading. The suspense is clear throughout and it had me on the edge of my seat the whole time. I was thinking it would be one character but it ended up being a different character, which in a way, hurt more. The way Besson writes is absolutely beautiful and truly enriches not only the plot but the characters. You really feel for this unlikely group of characters and want them to feel joy in their adolescence but you also know that life never turns out that way. There’s so much emotion pouring from this complex novel and I have no doubt that readers will fall in love with Besson’s writing style.

The Summer Boy by Philippe Besson, (List Price: $26, Scribner, 9781668204047, May 2026)

Reviewed by Itzy, M. Judson, Booksellers in Greenville, SC

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Decomposition Book by Sara van Os

Ooooh, yes. The premise grabbed me immediately, the cover is perfection, and the story is engrossing, if a wee bit unfulfilling at the end. College student Savannah is reeling (well, spiraling) after a friendship breakup and has retreated to an isolated cabin to drink away her woes. It’s not going particularly well, given her OCD and other mental health challenges. One morning, she wakes up next to a corpse in the woods. Awkward. There’s a journal next to the corpse, which recounts the harrowing set of circumstances that led to the young woman’s death. Instead of reporting the body, Savannah…bonds with it? For lack of a better phrasing. She starts reading the journal and visiting the corpse, and before long, she has formed an emotional attachment with the ghost of the dead hiker. If it sounds trippy, it is. It’s wild and unhinged and occasionally messy and gory. And I’m here for the mess. We also get to read along in the hiker’s journal. Her name is Ava, and watching her story unfold keeps you on the edge of your seat, even as you know where the story ends. The ending was a bit unsatisfying, but not so much that it detracts from the thrill of the story to that point. Great themes of mental health, toxic friendship, and how we heal.

Decomposition Book by Sara van Os, (List Price: $30, Hanover Square Press, 9781335001894, May 2026)

Reviewed by Kate, Plaid Elephant Books in Danville, KY

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Landing in Place: A Graphic Novel by Sherine Hamdy

A longer graphic novel with an incredibly poignant story about discovering who you are & using your voice. With themes of identity, being “Muslim enough,” familial expectation, alongside the realities of colonialism, genocide, and Eurocentric ideals. A family story, a coming-of-age story. This book did so much so well.

Landing in Place: A Graphic Novel by Sherine Hamdy, (List Price: $25.99, Kokila, 9780735229440, May 2026)

Reviewed by Morgan, Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, NC

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Just Watch Me by Lior Torenberg

Just Watch Me has a certain flaming-car-crash-you-can’t-look-away-from quality that I really admire in a book. In a painfully accurate depiction of how it feels to be young and very stupid in New York City, we watch human raccoon Dell rise to niche livestream fame eating very spicy peppers. We root for her, despite the fact that she seems to be sabotaging herself and every single one of her relationships. On purpose. But that’s what we grow to love about her, as do her livestream viewers… until one rogue account threatens to bring Dell’s spicy food empire toppling down.

Just Watch Me by Lior Torenberg, (List Price: $28.99, Avid Reader Press, Simon & Schuster, 9781668091180, January 2026)

Reviewed by Ryan, Quail Ridge Books in Raleigh, North Carolina

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Normal People by Sally Rooney

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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Fustuk by Robert Mgrdich Apelian

Fustuk is a compelling story of a complicated family trying to staying true to their heritage in more ways than one. I loved this art, I loved these characters, and the overarching story – Katah making a magical deal to save his mother’s life – had me on the edge of my seat. Memories play a huge role in this graphic novel, and Apelian did an amazing job at portraying the perfect mix of past and present in his story and art.

Fustuk by Robert Mgrdich Apelian, (List Price: $25.99, Penguin Workshop, 9780593658895, January 2026)

Reviewed by Mallory Sutton, Bards Alley in Vienna, Virginia

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Self Portrait by Ludwig Volbeda

Self Portrait is a sweet and introspective story that follows a teen’s gender exploration. Told from the internal monologue of Jip, Ludwig portrays teenage thoughts, potentially from a neurodivergent lens, in an endearing way. The story also does a good job of initially not placing too much emphasis on gender identity at all, which evolves as the protagonist realizes that he is trans. This novella would be a great choice for any YA readers looking for a queer coming of age.

Self Portrait by Ludwig Volbeda, (List Price: $19.99, Levine Querido, 9781646145775, November 2025)

Reviewed by Aidan Walker, The Snail on the Wall in Huntsville, Alabama

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Dandelion Is Dead by Rosie Storey

Perfect for readers of Dolly Alderton’s Good Material. Wild story that is full of heart. I fell in love with Poppy, Jake AND Dandelion. Twisty family drama with themes of sisterhood, friendship, grief, and full of life-imploding moments. I can see this one on the big screen. I’ll be thinking about this one for a long time. Should be HUGE with the indies!

Dandelion Is Dead by Rosie Storey, (List Price: $30, Berkley, 9780593954348, January 2026)

Reviewed by Jessica Nock, Main Street Books in Davidson, North Carolina

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How to Commit a Postcolonial Murder by Nina McConigley

Spend a year in Wyoming in this one sitting read and you might just end up blaming the British, too. Dark, quirky, and complete with all the snarkiness of ’80s tween energy, How to Commit a Postcolonial Murder will force you to confront the uncomfortable experiences of The Others. Agatha and Georgie’s story is so much more than a murder mystery; it’s about saving yourself and creating your own independence. Nina McConigley’s storytelling will stay with you for a long time — but most of all if teen magazine quizzes could be the solution to all things.

How to Commit a Postcolonial Murder by Nina McConigley, (List Price: $26, Pantheon, 9780593702246, January 2026)

Reviewed by Jenny Gilroy, E. Shaver, Booksellers in Savannah, Georgia

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