Stacey Abrams does it again with another scintillating page-turner. Rogue Justice picks up right where While Justice Sleeps left off, and this time Avery is thrown into a plot involving hacking, cryptocurrency, and energy grids. I definitely learn something every time I read a book by Stacey Abrams!
Rogue Justice by Stacey Abrams, (List Price: 29, Doubleday, 9780385548328, May 2023)
Reviewed by Kate Storhoff, Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Out of necessity, Laura has chosen to live a simpler, yet, courageous life in a secluded, rustic cabin in the woods on the outskirts of an Italian village. Necessity turns into a reorganization of priorities, which I wholly admire, as Laura shares her thoughts with the reader on living with nature, interacting with others, and what it means to survive. Beautiful.
At the Edge of the Woods by Kathryn Bromwich, (List Price: 26, Two Dollar Radio, 9781953387318, June 2023)
Reviewed by Jill Naylor, Novel. in Memphis, Tennessee
A deftly experimental book that seeks to portray a world sans humans, Nature Book borrows from a history of rich, descriptive prose to reconstruct the cycles of days, seasons, and migrations as they continue quiet and unobserved, separate from human society. And yet, human description and literary convention make up the entirety of this story! This beautifully avant garde novel from an organic and unfettered nonbinary perspective is an awe-inducing teleportation into a beautiful cosmos and a rapidly changing climate as captured throughout the history of literature. Great for reading piecemeal or overwhelmingly all at once.
The Nature Book by Tom Comitta, (List Price: $17.95, Coffee House Press, 9781566896634, March 2023)
Reviewed by Amanda Depperschmidt, Fountain Bookstore in Richmond, Virginia
I’ve had a hard time trying to decide what to say about this book. I don’t want to say anything about the plot because I don’t want to give anything away. This is a post-apocalyptic novel unlike any I have read. David’s writing is beautiful and propulsive though the story is kind of a slow burn. Like most of my favorite books, this one left me both heartbroken and hopeful.
City of Orange by David Yoon, (List Price: 18, G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 9780593422182, May 2023)
Reviewed by Gaby Iori, E. Shaver, Bookseller in Savannah, Georgia
I love when queer women make bad choices. Natalie is eighteen, freshly independent, and painfully naive when she starts an all-consuming relationship with Nora, an older woman who is connected to her own life in surprising ways. Fischer perfectly captures that enraptured feeling of first love, especially with someone older and more experienced. There are parts of this book that are also deeply melancholy; bits and pieces that made me exhale and set the book aside for a minute or two. A little bit heart-wrenching, this one will be perfect for Sally Rooney fans and sad gay people alike.
The Adult by Bronwyn Fischer, (List Price: 27, Algonquin Books, 9781643752723, May 2023)
Reviewed by Gaby Iori, Epilogue Books Chocolate Brews in Chapel Hill, North Carolina
The Double Life of Benson Yu is a clever novel about art, childhood trauma, and survival. Comic book artist Benson Yu found commercial success with his Iggy Samurai series, but a letter from someone from his past prompts him to start a new project. This project, an autobiographical graphic novel about growing up in 1980s Chinatown, forces him to revisit his pre-teen self (and vice versa). Different versions of characters from his past seem to coexist as Benson writes and rewrites his past to try to deal with traumatic experiences. For fans of complex stories (with a little time travel).
The Double Life of Benson Yu by Kevin Chong, (List Price: 27, Atria Books, 9781668005491, April 2023)
Reviewed by Elizabeth Hardin, The Snail On the Wall in Huntsville, Alabama
Holly Goldberg Sloan has written the PERFECT beach book. With a little family drama, a handsome stranger who can rewire a crumbling hotel, a recent widow trying to help her three children find their place in the world, resident chickens, a beach ( of course) and a wicked twist that strikes out of the blue, Pieces of Blue begs to be in every beach bag this summer.
Pieces of Blue by Holly Goldberg Sloan, (List Price: 28.99, Flatiron Books, 9781250847300, May 2023)
Reviewed by Angie Tally, The Country Bookshop in Southern Pines, North Carolina
For a book that claims to “chart the downfall” of its protagonist, I knew the ride I was potentially in for. However, the end of the book seems to kick the reader down a notch as well. The trainwreck rubbernecker in me really loved the first 3/4ths of this one: just-a-guy, content with his simple job, generic work friends, paint-by-most-numbers marriage and run-of-the-offbrand-mill child(ren), marking off each on his failure checklist. These tragedies are handled in such off kilter ways, laced with a stealthy wit, to keep the story fresh and engaging without the need to step it up to a fast pace. And though I didn’t NOT like the final quarter, where people are just plain disgusting (the reader just as lackadaisically unobservant as our “hero” to the clues displayed throughout), the final lap just felt like the author rubbing your face in the filth of life. But then again, the book’s a self-proclaimed downfall chart. Please watch your feet as you exit the ride.
Good Men by Arnon Grunberg, (List Price: 18.95, Open Letter, 9781948830652, May 2023)
Reviewed by Ian McCord, Avid Bookshop in Athens, Georgia
I’ve been impatiently waiting for the second book in Sunny Hostin’s Oak Bluff series! Summer on the Bluffs left me wanting more of the drama, secrets, and jealousy from the three goddaughters of the iconic Ama and Omar. This is Olivia’s story, set once again in an exclusive Black beach community in the North East, this time it’s The Hamptons. I’m sure it won’t disappoint!
Summer on Sag Harbor by Sunny Hostin, (List Price: $30, William Morrow, 9780062994219, May 2023)
Reviewed by Andrea Jasmin, Main Street Books in Davidson, North Carolina
My kinda fare: a colorful palette of characters reminiscent of school days when you mush all the cafeteria food together on the tray then dare your neighbor to eat it. Blushworthy moments galore, like being shot from an early-oeuvre John Waters canon, to land in a Leonora Carrington net. A gourmet gag-fest, even more chokingly delicious in hindsight.
Cousins by Aurora Venturini, (List Price: 17.95, Soft Skull, 9781593767297, May 2023)
Reviewed by Ian McCord, Avid Bookshop in Athens, Georgia
Clover our main character is already a bit of a loner when she experiences her first death at an early age when her teacher dies suddenly while reading Peter Rabbit. She also experiences the death of her parents and is moved to a new city to live with her grandpa who raises her. Shunned by others, because of our societies fear of death and the fact that no one ever speaks about it Clover becomes even more of a loner. She finds that her job makes it hard for her to meet and keep friends as speaking of death makes people extremely uncomfortable. This book definitely had me thinking and reflecting on my life, made me cry, and I walked away loving the characters and rooting for Clover feeling very happy with the way the book ended. I really enjoyed the originality of our main characters job as a death doula it very much intrigued me and peaked my curiosity to pick this book up definitely would recommend.
The Collected Regrets of Clover by Mikki Brammer, (List Price: 28, St. Martin’s Press, 9781250284396, May 2023)
Reviewed by Angela Hudson, A Novel Escape in Franklin, North Carolina
You’ve heard of book boyfriends, but have you heard of book best friends? Let me introduce you to Fizzy Chen – wickedly smart, unabashedly sex positive, and a bit lost in life. I absolutely adored Fizzy. She is wit and feminism and courage – all with an extra sparkle. She may not have had the best luck in relationships lately, but all that’s about to change…I think I made more noises reading this book than any other – laughing out loud, snorting from laughing so hard, squealing at the cuteness, yelling "WHAT!", and telling my husband approximately 1500 times how amazing this book is! I laughed, I cried, and I laughed while crying.
The True Love Experiment by Christina Lauren is the spicy, hopeful, romance that will leave you bursting with joy. Beyond being super cute, funny, and swoon worthy, The True Love Experiment had it’s serious moments that I really appreciated as well. The deep and honest conversations between characters, not just about romantic relationships, but about co-parenting, friendship, and careers added another layer of richness to the story. And the commentary on how the romance genre is so often pigeonholed, misunderstood, and minimized was much needed!
The True Love Experiment is a 5-star read! It’s everything the romance genre should be and more – vulnerable, heartfelt, funny, and full of joy. The romantic and sexual chemistry will have you holding your breath and frantically reading, wanting more. Nobody writes love quite like Christina Lauren. Do yourself a favor and go pre-order The True Love Experiment – you won’t be sorry.
The True Love Experiment by Christina Lauren, (List Price: $27.99, Gallery Books, 9781982173432, May 2023)
Reviewed by Emily Lessig, The Violet Fox Bookshop in Virginia Beach, Virginia
A May 2023 Read This Next! Title
What if a book, written from an imagined childhood story, could unlock mysteries of the past and reunite lost loved ones? That’s precisely what happens in The Secret Book of Flora Lea, and Henry lets it all unfold with expert storytelling. This is a beautiful tale of the powers of stories and love. I loved how this book highlights the use of stories to provide comfort in chaos and create bonds that transcend distance and time. I fell deeply in love with Whisperwood and the characters of this lovely novel. This book is one that, upon finishing it, you close it gently, hold it close to your heart, wipe your tears, and smile before you set it down.
The Secret Book of Flora Lea by Patti Callahan Henry, (List Price: 28.99, Atria Books, 9781668011836, May 2023)
Reviewed by Jess Depew, The Snail On the Wall in Huntsville, Alabama
A May 2023 Read This Next! Title
Crushing like a hammer and sharp as a scythe, Chain-Gang All-Stars is a master class of brutality drenched in grace. From the first page, Adjei-Brenyah exposes our inherent complicity and demands a good, long look inward, and asks what we’re gonna do about it. It’s powerful, exciting, horrifying, and an utterly outstanding feat of contemporary literature. It’s speculative fiction that feels so close to reality that it’s shockingly unsurprising and brilliantly difficult to endure. Damn.
Chain Gang All Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah, (List Price: $27.00, Pantheon, 9780593317334, May 2023)
Reviewed by Carly Crawford, Novel. in Memphis, Tennessee
A May 2023 Read This Next! Title
A dark, satirical mindfuck of discourse and cancellation. Yellowface is cutting and incisive, and Kuang did an excellent job of establishing a contemptible main character (in first person POV, no less) who you still hoped, sickeningly, would find her way out of the situation she put herself in. The last 15% or so bordered on psychological horror, and I found myself genuinely freaked by some of Kuang’s imagery. A doomed, twisted ride.
Yellowface by R. F. Kuang, (List Price: 30, William Morrow, 9780063250833, May 2023)
Reviewed by Gaby Iori, Epilogue Books Chocolate Brews in Chapel Hill, North Carolina
