The books Southern indie booksellers are recommending to readers everywhere!

Fiction

Shae by Mesha Maren

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Shae by Mesha Maren
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Gorgeous and honest and heartrending. In compassionate, clear-eyed prose, Shae falls in love, gives birth, and descends into a tunnel of opioid addiction in rural Appalachia. Maren masterfully balances hope and despair on both community and personal levels, examining how identity—especially as someone who is young and queer—is shaped by place and its people as much as by the choices we make (and the ones we don’t).

Shae by Mesha Maren, (List Price: $28, Algonquin Books, 9781643755663, May 2024)

Reviewed by MIRANDA SANCHEZ, Epilogue: Books Chocolate Brews in , North Carolina

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Rednecks by Taylor Brown

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Rednecks by Taylor Brown
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Rednecks is the dark and moving story of big coal, broken lives, love, and loyalty. The book chronicles the demands for dignity, fair wages and workplace safety in the coal mines of West Virginia that lead to a bloody, infuriating war you were probably never before aware of. The themes of family, labor’s value, and economic freedom are as prescient today as during the novel’s time period. Rednecksis well-researched and engrossing. I felt like I was in the cold, muddy camps along with the families.

Rednecks by Taylor Brown, (List Price: $29, St. Martin’s Press, 9781250329332, May 2024)

Reviewed by Susan Williams, M. Judson Booksellers in Greenville, South Carolina

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When the Jessamine Grows by Donna Everhart

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When the Jessamine Grows by Donna Everhart
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Historical fiction at its absolute best! Everhart’s carefully crafted female protagonist shows strength, courage, and resolve in the face of the many cruelties of the Civil War. Joetta McBride is not your usual demure Southern Belle. She refuses to take sides in a conflict she feels has nothing to do with her family, while her oldest son is eager to fight for the Southern cause. Once her son flees to fight for the Confederacy, Joetta’s husband also gets caught up in the fight while searching for their son, leaving Joetta to care for the farm and remaining family on her own. Facing isolation and destruction from the townspeople for offering water to a Union soldier, Joetta deals with grief, starvation, and ruin with grace and grit. Even though she could face dire consequences, she still shows compassion to a young Union soldier who is on the verge of death. Everhart has created a new hero with the unflinching, steadfast, and ever-courageous Joetta McBride!

When the Jessamine Grows by Donna Everhart, (List Price: $17.95, Kensington, 9781496740700, January 2024)

Reviewed by Sharon Davis, Book Bound Bookstore in Blairsville, Georgia

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The Heartbeat Library by Laura Imai Messina

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The Heartbeat Library by Laura Imai Messina
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“Preserving our memory….because people come back to life only in the memory of others.” The Heartbeat Library is about those we have lost but remember with grief and healing and good memories. It is a book that will never be forgotten but remembered as all readers live their lives with hopes and dreams and pain and grief and loves and sorrows. This book will touch the soul of all who turn its pages. Shuichi, a 40-year-old illustrator, returns to his hometown to ready the house of his recently deceased mother for sale. He meets Kenta, an 8-year-old boy who wanders his mother’s house like a shadow. The two help each other through difficult days of their lives. Hearing the heartbeat of his mother and deceased son, Shingo will forever impress these beats on all readers and have all thinking about happiness and memories and loss and hopes.

The Heartbeat Library by Laura Imai Messina, (List Price: $27, The Overlook Press, 9781419772498, October 2024)

Reviewed by Nancy Pierce, Bookmiser in Marietta, Georgia

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The Scholar and the Last Faerie Door by H. G. Parry

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The Scholar and the Last Faerie Door by H. G. Parry
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Are you on the H. G. Parry train? If not, get on! Her books are amazing! To read one of her books is a gift to yourself as you fall into her wonderfully crafted places and worlds where humans, fairies, and magical creatures and objects overlap and collide. In The Scholar and the Last Faerie Door, Clover enters a school of magic, hoping to learn enough magic to heal her brother, who was cursed on a WWI battlefield when a fairie door was opened, and the fairie that came through killed and cursed hundreds of men. Afterwards, the magical community destroyed all the fairie doors. Clover feels out of place at the school until she joins a group of friends led by wealthy student Alden. Her friends change her life and she loves the school. But there’s more than one secret in this group and at the school, and one of them could destroy the world. Because it’s possible that not every fairie door was destroyed.

The Scholar and the Last Faerie Door by H. G. Parry, (List Price: $19.99, Redhook, 9780316383905, October 2024)

Reviewed by Mary Patterson, The Little Bookshop in Midlothian, Virginia

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On the Calculation of Volume (Book I) by Solvej Balle

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On the Calculation of Volume (Book I) by Solvej Balle
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The first book in Solvej Balle’s brilliant (and forthcoming in English) septology On the Calculation of Volume is, in a word, stunning. Following the day-to-day minutia of a woman continually reliving the 18th of November, Balle finds the beauty and torment in repetition and recursion and revision. In all honesty, nothing actually happens in this book. But that doesn’t matter. Balle’s writing turns the reader into a balloon hitting a powerline—bright, weightless, fluorescent until the shock comes. An absolutely stunning piece of fiction.

On the Calculation of Volume (Book I) by Solvej Balle, (List Price: $15.95, New Directions, 9780811237253, November 2024)

Reviewed by Charlie Marks, Fountain Bookstore in Richmond, Virginia

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Blood Over Bright Haven by M. L. Wang

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Blood Over Bright Haven by M. L. Wang
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Well damn, I going to be thinking about it for awhile. Blood Over Bright Haven is the perfect story for the person who wants to rage at the system of oppression against women and also the way in which religion and history are often used to tell a story that continues to make a person or people group be regarded as less than. Just add a technical magic system called “siphoning” and a group of mages who use their skills to learn where to siphon magic in order to power their city. Sciona is fueled by her desire to be the first woman accepted into this society of mages. She cares about nothing and no one else other than her work and her ability to be the best and make a name for herself when the majority believe as a woman, her delicate disposition will be her downfall. Nothing could be further from the truth because truth and magic are her focus, and nothing will stop her from seeking it. But what if the truth reveals something that completely changes the lens and paradigm of how you view the world? What then? Perfect for fall, perfect for the reader who wants to RAGE at the impacts of colonialism, racism, sexism.

Blood Over Bright Haven by M. L. Wang, (List Price: $29.99, Del Rey, 9780593873359, November 2024)

Reviewed by Morgan DePerno, Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, North Carolina

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Pony Confidential by Christina Lynch

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Pony Confidential by Christina Lynch
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Pony Confidential galloped straight into my heart from page one. This cozy mystery is narrated by an ornery pony trying to clear the name of his beloved former owner Penny. It features rats, cats, birds, and dogs aiding our hero in his redemptive quest, and – oh, did I mention – this is based on The Odyssey? Easter eggs galore for the clever classicist. If you enjoyed playing spot-the-character in Demon Copperhead, just wait until you meet Circe the goat. Perfect for lovers of Remarkably Bright Creatures and Lessons in Chemistry.

Pony Confidential by Christina Lynch, (List Price: $28, Berkley, 9780593640364, November 2024)

Reviewed by Maggie Robe, Flyleaf Books in Chapel Hill, North Carolina

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The Burrow by Melanie Cheng

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The Burrow by Melanie Cheng
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Melanie Cheng’s novel The Burrow is a compact, moving story of a family tragedy. Beautifully written words show all believable family members as they deal with the death of the infant Ruby in a tragic accident. Each member of the family becomes intimately known to the reader as each relates their private feelings about each other and the trauma and grief. Relief is brought by the rabbit, Fiver, as Grandma Pauline and ten-year-old daughter Lucie bond with the new pet. The father Jin and mother Amy show their weaknesses, guilt, and imperfections in this realistic telling of a family’s pain and love, and hope.

The Burrow by Melanie Cheng, (List Price: $16.95, Tin House Books, 9781959030867, November 2024)

Reviewed by Nancy Pierce, Bookmiser in Marietta, Georgia

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Rednecks by Taylor Brown

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Rednecks by Taylor Brown
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Fascinating and gripping! I didn’t think I would like it, but I absolutely LOVE it. Taylor Brown is and has been a favorite of mine, and I was excited to see a new one from him. I was amazed at all the information he provides in this novel. Well-researched and totally enveloping!

Rednecks by Taylor Brown, (List Price: $29, St. Martin’s Press, 9781250329332, May 2024)

Reviewed by Suzanne Lucey, Page 158 Books in Wake Forest, North Carolina

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Rednecks by Taylor Brown

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Rednecks by Taylor Brown
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With each book he writes, I always think Taylor Brown just keeps getting better and better at his craft. Rednecks is no exception, beautifully written (I reread the prologue twice it was that good) and exquisitely researched. Taylor treats the plight of the miners of West Virginia with an expert hand, educating us about a little-known piece of our country’s history. Taylor is truly one of the best modern American writers, imbuing his work with humanity and heart.

Rednecks by Taylor Brown, (List Price: $29, St. Martin’s Press, 9781250329332, May 2024)

Reviewed by Melissa Taylor, E. Shaver Bookseller in Savannah, Georgia

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Hard Copy by Fien Veldman

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Hard Copy by Fien Veldman
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Wholly original, perfect for fans of Convenience Store Woman. A lonely young woman who has isolated herself from her family, friends, and colleagues turns to the one (semi)reliable relationship left in her life: her office printer. She dusts it lovingly, protects it from leaks, troubleshoots its needs. Is she delusional? Is it a fairy tale? Does that even matter? I came for the love story and stayed to see if she gets her HEA…and I’m not saying anything else because you should obviously read it if you’ve stayed with me this far. No spoilers.

Hard Copy by Fien Veldman, (List Price: $28.99, Apollo, 9781035906444, September 2024)

Reviewed by Maggie Robe, Flyleaf Books in Chapel Hill, North Carolina

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The Night We Lost Him by Laura Dave

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The Night We Lost Him by Laura Dave
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The Night We Lost Him is such a good read! I didn’t want to put it down, but felt none of the anxiety or nail-biting tension that can often come with thrillers. It’s atmospheric, insightful, and reflective – all while giving us an emotional mystery. While the book does focus on a kind of maybe murder mystery, it’s also very much about who we are versus who we want to be, both publicly and privately. It’s about the choices we make again and again and how we can change those choices and our path in life. It’s a love story but also a story about grief. Laura Dave’s writing is lovely; the characters are wonderfully three-dimensional, and I loved the architectural bits as well. Highly recommend!

The Night We Lost Him by Laura Dave, (List Price: $28.99, S&S / Marysue Rucci Books, 9781668002933, September 2024)

Reviewed by Emily Lessig, The Violet Fox Bookshop in Virginia Beach, Virginia

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Haunted Ever After by Jen DeLuca

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Haunted Ever After by Jen DeLuca
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If you’ve ever found yourself longing for a spooky beach read, this is it! Set in a quiet beach town, Haunted Ever After brings all of the deliciously warm ambiance that comes from a seaside setting while also balancing the paranormal element of meddling ghosts.

Haunted Ever After by Jen DeLuca, (List Price: $19, Berkley, 9780593641217, August 2024)

Reviewed by Tara Leimkuehler, Parnassus Books in Nashville, Tennessee

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Tell It to Me Singing by Tita Ramirez

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Tell It to Me Singing by Tita Ramirez
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The Campo family has weathered all kinds of adversity, but nothing prepares them for the secrets that the matriarch, Mirta, has been keeping. Daughter Monica is facing her own trials with an unexpected pregnancy and questions about her future when her mother shares life-changing information about who her father really is. Add in that Mirta is dealing with heart surgery and memory-clouding aftereffects, a father who regularly disappears when he feels threatened, and two potential suitors for Monica and you have the tender and warm family story that Tita Ramirez has created. Cuban history is deftly woven into the making of the Campo family, adding an additional layer of interest and understanding of the choices that were made.

Tell It to Me Singing by Tita Ramirez, (List Price: $28.99, S&S/ Marysue Rucci Books, 9781982157319, July 2024)

Reviewed by Mary Jane Michels, Fiction Addiction in Greenville, South Carolina

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