The books Southern indie booksellers are recommending to readers everywhere!

Fiction

Smothermoss by Alisa Alering

, , ,
Smothermoss by Alisa Alering
buy this book

Buy from your local indie.
Get the audiobook

A hauntingly eerie tale about two sisters, Shelia and Angie, set in the 1980s Appalachia. When two hikers turn up brutally murdered, Shelia and Angie get roped into hunting the killer. The imagery in this novel is raw and creepy. I haven’t looked at rabbits the same since finishing this book. Angie draws creepy tarot cards with images you would see in your worst nightmare. This is a weird novel but a fun one, trust me!

Smothermoss by Alisa Alering, (List Price: $17.95, Tin House Books, 9781959030584, July 2024)

Reviewed by Anna Anabseh, Underground Books in Carrollton, Georgia

Smothermoss by Alisa Alering Read More »

Tell It to Me Singing by Tita Ramirez

, ,
Tell It to Me Singing by Tita Ramirez
buy this book

Buy from your local indie.
Get the audiobook

A family drama that centers on a mother’s secret, this novel is honeyed with warmth, truth, and the secrets that–once revealed–eventually bring us closer together. Author Tita Ramirez weaves back and forth between a mother’s and daughter’s voices, illustrating each of the characters’ deep hunger for a meaningful life. This book flew by for me, my heart racing along with Monica’s as she figured out what it meant to choose herself, even if it made the people around her uncomfortable or unhappy. A beautiful book about finding happiness, no matter our paths.

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

Reviewed by Julia Paganelli Marin, Pearl’s Books in Fayetteville, Arkansas

Tell It to Me Singing by Tita Ramirez Read More »

The Lost Story by Meg Shaffer

, , ,
The Lost Story by Meg Shaffer
buy this book

Buy from your local indie.
Get the audiobook

Reading The Lost Story reminded me of being a kid, and of the many hours I spent immersed in magical faraway worlds. Inspired by the classic Narnia novels, Meg Shaffer’s second novel is both a fairytale for grown-ups and a love story. As teenagers, Jeremy and Rafe vanished for six months in the forests of West Virginia. As adults, enlisted by Emilie to search for her missing sister, they return to the scene of their disappearance: a tree that opens onto Shenandoah, a fantastical realm where they are greeted as long-lost royalty, and where Rafe must grapple with the demons of his past in order to reclaim his future. Recommended reading for anyone seeking to reawaken a sense of wonder.

The Lost Story by Meg Shaffer, (List Price: $29, Ballantine Books, 9780593598870, July 2024)

Reviewed by Jude Burke-Lewis, Square Books in , Mississippi

The Lost Story by Meg Shaffer Read More »

Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer

, , , , ,
Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer
buy this book

Buy from your local indie.
Get the audiobook

Vandermeer’s twisted worlds have a way of sinking their teeth into you, dragging you right down the tower steps. Part sci-fi mystery, part psychological eco-horror, Area X had me hooked from the first page and questioning the foundations of my reality by the last.

Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer, (List Price: $18, FSG Originals, 9780374104092, February 2014)

Reviewed by Morgan Holub, E. Shaver Bookseller in Savannah, Georgia

Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer Read More »

The Tyranny of Flies by Elaine Vilar Madruga

, ,
The Tyranny of Flies by Elaine Vilar Madruga
buy this book

Buy from your local indie.
Get the audiobook

This really took me by surprise. Incredibly funny, in a way so unique to its horror and its political and familial commentary, that it feels almost illegal to laugh but also impossible not to. A marvelous portrait of juvenilia and madness, thick with a mania unlike anything I’ve read before.

The Tyranny of Flies by Elaine Vilar Madruga, (List Price: $18.99, HarperVia, 9780063330733, June 2024)

Reviewed by Emily Tarr, Thank You Books in Birmingham, Alabama

The Tyranny of Flies by Elaine Vilar Madruga Read More »

Sandwich by Catherine Newman

, ,
Sandwich by Catherine Newman
buy this book

Buy from your local indie.
Get the audiobook

In some light, this a sandy-toed frolic of a family’s week at the beach; in others, it’s a turbulent accounting of the family’s lifetime of joys and sorrows. Anyone with a family beach tradition will relate. Actually, anyone with a family will relate. Newman deftly sandwiches comedy and tragedy between the sweet pastels of the book’s summery covers. A deceptively powerful book!

Sandwich by Catherine Newman, (List Price: $26.99, Harper, 9780063345164, June 2024)

Reviewed by Frank Reiss, A Cappella Books in Atlanta, Georgia

Sandwich by Catherine Newman Read More »

The Guncle Abroad by Steven Rowley

, ,
The Guncle Abroad by Steven Rowley
buy this book

Buy from your local indie.
Get the audiobook

Guncle fans rejoice, this sequel brings back all the wry humor, human frailty, miscommunication, grief, and joy of connection. Patrick’s career is thriving even if his love life isn’t. His brother’s impending marriage reunites the family even as threatens to split them apart. It falls to Patrick to save the day in his own stumbling fashion. So much heart, such a reader’s delight.

The Guncle Abroad by Steven Rowley, (List Price: $29, G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 9780593540459, May 2024)

Reviewed by Jan Blodgett, Main Street Books in Davidson, North Carolina

The Guncle Abroad by Steven Rowley Read More »

Love Letters to a Serial Killer by Tasha Coryell

, , ,
Love Letters to a Serial Killer by Tasha Coryell
buy this book

Buy from your local indie.
Get the audiobook

Coryell’s debut will have you captivated even as you groan along at Hannah’s poor decision-making. Aimless and unhappy, Hannah gets pulled deep into the true crime case of the moment – a serial killer case where the accused is a handsome lawyer. The two begin a correspondence, and once he’s acquitted, a romance. Is Hannah setting herself up for murder, or is she the one who can see the truth? Hannah is a hot mess, but you can’t help but hope it all works out for her – and what a ride she takes you on!

Love Letters to a Serial Killer by Tasha Coryell, (List Price: $29, Berkley, 9780593640272, June 2024)

Reviewed by Andrea Richardson, Fountain Bookstore in Richmond, Virginia

Love Letters to a Serial Killer by Tasha Coryell Read More »

Just Some Stupid Love Story by Katelyn Doyle

, , ,
Just Some Stupid Love Story by Katelyn Doyle
buy this book

Buy from your local indie.
Get the audiobook

Just Some Stupid Love Story by Katelyn Doyle is an epic saga romance between two people who have been it for each other since they were young, but things have never been right. Two people with very different approaches to love, screenwriter Molly and divorce lawyer Seth, kept me turning page after page in this steamy second-chance romance with snappy dialog. It might be my favorite read this month and for sure is to be one everyone is talking about this summer!

Just Some Stupid Love Story by Katelyn Doyle, (List Price: $28.99, Flatiron Books, 9781250328090, June 2024)

Reviewed by Preet Singh, Eagle Eye Book Shop in Chapel Hill, Georgia

Just Some Stupid Love Story by Katelyn Doyle Read More »

Swift River by Essie Chambers

, ,
Swift River by Essie Chambers
buy this book

Buy from your local indie.
Get the audiobook

Swift River is one of those books that will take me a while to process and digest. The characters and setting are both so complex and richly written. Reading Swift River is akin to being transported to another time and place, into another person’s perspective. Swift River is such an emotional story, effortlessly intermingling American history with one young woman’s personal history. You will fall in love with Diamond and find yourself rooting for her! You’ll also find yourself turning the pages, eager to find answers. Highly recommend Swift River!

Swift River by Essie Chambers, (List Price: $27.99, Simon & Schuster, 9781668027912, June 2024)

Reviewed by Emily Lessig, The Violet Fox Bookshop in Winston-Salem, Virginia

Swift River by Essie Chambers Read More »

A Good Life by Virginie Grimaldi

, ,
A Good Life by Virginie Grimaldi
buy this book

Buy from your local indie.
Get the audiobook

Virginie Grimaldi’s A Good Life was just what I needed at the beginning of the year. At first glance, you might think that this book won’t rip your heart out, but I can tell you that it absolutely does! Themes of grief, mental health, sisterhood, and family converge in gorgeous prose to create a story that feels familiar. Emma and Agathe’s deep love for each other will tug at the heartstrings of any girl who grew up with a sister. It is often time the everyday intricacies and complexities of life that can move us. These two ordinary women become extraordinary through their bond. Fans of Valerie Perrin here in the States are going to LOVE this novel!

A Good Life by Virginie Grimaldi, (List Price: $28, Europa Editions, 9798889660248, June 2024)

Reviewed by Kelsey Jagneaux, Tombolo Books in St. Petersburg, Florida

A Good Life by Virginie Grimaldi Read More »

Fire Exit by Morgan Talty

, ,
Fire Exit by Morgan Talty
buy this book

Buy from your local indie.
Get the audiobook

Morgan Talty’s debut novel Fire Exit has an unmistakable pace that leaves you as unsettled as the main character, Charles Lamosway. This story about grief and mental illness is woven around struggles to understand family, both biological and nurtured. Brilliantly written, Fire Exit bears witness to what a birthright and culture mean when you were denied what felt like home.

Fire Exit by Morgan Talty, (List Price: $28.95, Tin House Books, 9781959030553, June 2024)

Reviewed by Rachel Watkins, Avid Bookshop in Athens, Georgia

Fire Exit by Morgan Talty Read More »

Anna Bright Is Hiding Something by Susie Orman Schnall

, ,
Anna Bright Is Hiding Something by Susie Orman Schnall
buy this book

Buy from your local indie.
Get the audiobook

This is a compelling book that will do absolutely nothing to affirm any faith in corporate America. Anna, not really best friend material, is hiding more than you can imagine. Perhaps inspired by actual events, the behind-the-scenes events are all too believable. The current AI landscape gives the plot even more relevance. Plan to be enthralled from the start at what happens when unbridled ambition and forward-looking science collide.

Anna Bright Is Hiding Something by Susie Orman Schnall, (List Price: $17.95, SparkPress, 9781684632527, June 2024)

Reviewed by Jackie Willey, Fiction Addiction in Greenville, South Carolina

Anna Bright Is Hiding Something by Susie Orman Schnall Read More »

Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler

, , , , , , , ,
Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler
buy this book

Buy from your local indie.
Get the audiobook

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

Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler Read More »

April May June July by Alison B. Hart

, , , ,
April May June July by Alison B. Hart
buy this book

Buy from your local indie.
Get the audiobook

I have never read a book quite like this. This close family of six is like any other family until tragedy strikes when their father disappears in the Middle East with no trace. So many times, tragedy can rip a family apart, and so this family comes apart. The CIA gets involved, and people are actively trying to find their beloved father, but time passes and he is not found. Years later one of the daughters is getting married and wants her family involved. Her mom tries to help out to no avail. Life has taken each of the four siblings on a ride, and they are caught up in their own drama. What will unravel the negativity they have for each other? Is their dad alive? How can they go on without knowing? This thriller is like no other I have ever read. You will love it.

April May June July by Alison B. Hart, (List Price: $28.99, Graydon House, 9781525804274, May 2024)

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

April May June July by Alison B. Hart Read More »

Scroll to Top