The books Southern indie booksellers are recommending to readers everywhere!

Fiction

Bright and Tender Dark by Joanna Pearson

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Bright and Tender Dark by Joanna Pearson
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Karlie was a beautiful and well-liked college student, so who would want to kill her? The book is set in two time frames, 1999, when the crime occurred, and 2019 when the case is reinvestigated by Karlie’s ex-roommate, Joy. Bright and Tender Dark leads the reader into the world of true crime and its ability to both explore and exploit cases for the benefit of its followers. Although a man has been convicted of the crime, Joy doggedly exhumes information that leads her in another direction and nearly upends her life. This is a multifaceted mystery with an array of compelling secondary characters, a college town setting, an evangelical student group, and the ghost of the victim. In other words, a thoroughly absorbing read that will both engage and intrigue you.

Bright and Tender Dark by Joanna Pearson, (List Price: $28.99, Bloomsbury Publishing, 9781639732890, June 2024)

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

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James by Percival Everett

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James by Percival Everett
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This reimagining of Mark Twain’s classic tale takes you on a journey unlike any other. Forced into a life of slavery, Jim makes a daring escape, navigating a treacherous path down the Mississippi River. Along the way, he forms an unlikely bond with Huck Finn, a young boy grappling with his own ideas of right and wrong. Together, they encounter a cast of colorful characters, some helpful, some not so much. But Jim’s unwavering determination to reunite with his wife and children fuels his every step. Prepare to be enthralled by twists and turns. This powerful story explores themes of friendship, courage, and the enduring power of the human spirit in the fight for freedom

James by Percival Everett, (List Price: $28, Doubleday, 9780385550369, March 2024)

Reviewed by Kimberly Todd, Square Books in Oxford, Mississippi

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Shae by Mesha Maren

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Shae by Mesha Maren
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How does someone end up falling down the hole of opioid abuse? In this tender-hearted and revealing novel by the acclaimed author of Sugar Run, she compassionately explores addiction, poverty, isolation, queerness, and family in a riveting tale that embraces complex and sometimes tragic characters with open arms.

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

Reviewed by Seth Tucker, Carmichael’s Bookstore in Louisville, Kentucky

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A Letter to the Luminous Deep by Sylvie Cathrall

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A Letter to the Luminous Deep by Sylvie Cathrall
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Somehow comforting and aching all at once, this book feels like a hug from a long-distance best friend. Cozy love stories and gentle friendships twine between the mystery of a past tragedy and the thrum of impending adventure to come. Though the pacing and epistolary style may not be for everybody, the lush, fantastical underwater world this book introduces is worth every minute spent reading. If you’re an audiobook listener, tune in to this one for an excellent full cast that all fully embody the voice and personality of their characters.

A Letter to the Luminous Deep by Sylvie Cathrall, (List Price: $18.99, Orbit, 9780316565530, April 2024)

Reviewed by Izzy Bell, Birch Tree Bookstore in Leesburg, Virginia

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Her Best Self by Mindy Friddle

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Her Best Self by Mindy Friddle
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Janelle Wolf’s life changed forever the night of her car accident. Left with a blank memory of the events of that night, Janelle turns to Lana, a self-proclaimed psychic healer, to help bring back exactly what happened. Mindy Friddle sets this story of family secrets and past mistakes in the small Southern town of Haven, South Carolina, that is both comforting and suffocating to residents. The untangling of the past and the future prospects of the Wolf family make this a compelling story ripe for discussion.

Her Best Self by Mindy Friddle, (List Price: $20.95, Regal House Publishing, 9781646034635, May 2024)

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

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The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley

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The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley
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Bureaucracy meets time travel in Kaliane Bradley’s brilliantly imagined and hugely entertaining debut novel. A civil servant working for the British government is recruited to work as a bridge, tasked with helping one of the ‘expats’ extracted from history – in this case, a commander from an ill-fated Arctic expedition in 1847 – to acclimatize to life in 21st century London. What starts out being quite lighthearted fun – as the expats grapple with such modern concepts as Spotify, germ theory, online dating and feminism – gains depth to become a commentary on colonialism and power. I absolutely loved it.

The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley, (List Price: $28.99, Avid Reader Press / Simon & Schuster, 9781668045145, May 2024)

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

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The Mother of All Things by Alexis Landau

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The Mother of All Things by Alexis Landau
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A lovely book about a woman leaning to find herself after losing her moorings in motherhood and marriage. This book is good. The suggestions of Greek Myth woven into the story are interesting but the story is much more about the marriage and motherhood than it is about Goddess and Greek Myth. The selected sources in the back are of great interest to anyone interested in those subjects and the story stands strong on its own as one woman reckoning with her choices in the past and every day.

The Mother of All Things by Alexis Landau, (List Price: 29, Pantheon, 9780593700792, May 2024)

Reviewed by Kimberly Daniels, The Country Bookshop in Southern Pines, North Carolina

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The Water Outlaws by S. L. Huang

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The Water Outlaws by S. L. Huang
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This is a long book and took me forever to read, but I really fell in love with the bandits of Liangshan, and the second half of the book is packed with action. Worth a read for sure, especially if you like Chinese martial arts!

The Water Outlaws by S. L. Huang, (List Price: $18.99, Tordotcom, 9781250847980, May 2024)

Reviewed by Candice Huber, Tubby & Coo’s Traveling Book Shop in New Orleans, Louisiana

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The Body Farm by Abby Geni

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The Body Farm by Abby Geni
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Abby Geni’s short stories in The Body Farm are each deliciously different in scope, subject matter, tone, and voice. What they have in common is an exploration of being human, of having feelings that are confusing, and the physical manifestations these emotions can trigger. Being alive is messy and examining the complications of loving, aging, and simply living are some of the things Geni writes best.

The Body Farm by Abby Geni, (List Price: $27, Counterpoint, 9781640096264, May 2024)

Reviewed by Rachel Watkins, Avid Bookshop in Athens, Georgia

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Green Frog by Gina Chung

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Green Frog by Gina Chung
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This short story collection sparkles in its deft explorations of womanhood, identity, and family. Gina Chung interweaves the fantastical with the mundane throughout these stories that invite you to contemplate girlhood, womanhood, and motherhood in new and unique ways. I am taken with “Attachment Processes,” a meditation on grief, motherhood, and AI and “Mantis.”

Green Frog by Gina Chung, (List Price: $17, Vintage, 9780593469361, March 2024)

Reviewed by Mikey LaFave, Avid Bookshop in Athens, Georgia

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Sipsworth by Simon Van Booy

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Sipsworth by Simon Van Booy
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“On her eightieth birthday, Helen spent the day moving things in the kitchen cupboard. Three years pass with nothing to fill their pockets. Then, early one morning, something happens.” Helen Cartwright is waiting to die. Her husband and son have passed, and she is ready to go. She has returned to her childhood town in an English village and she has been living a quiet life. This love story begins with her finding a mouse in her house and as the love grows with the mouse Sipsworth, so does Helen’s contacts. This is such a loving, moving story told with such skill and heart. This reviewer can’t wait to reread this tiny tale perhaps many times. Anyone who reads it will never look at a mouse or an octogenarian the same way.

Sipsworth by Simon Van Booy, (List Price: $26.95, David R. Godine, Publisher, 9781567927948, May 2024)

Reviewed by Nancy Pierce, Bookmiser in Marietta, Georgia

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The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley

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The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley
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I am a former diplomat who worked on immigration to the U.S. for years, and this book spoke to me on so many levels. I haven’t been so moved by a fantasy novel since The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by VE Schwab, maybe even Exit West by Mohsin Hamid, both of which I will use as a basis of comparison while handselling the hell out of this book. The premise is not simple, but this world is incredibly easy to enter. The UK government of the near future has discovered time travel and is testing its impact on the bodies and minds of five “expats,” rescued from certain deaths in large-scale calamities of history. Each expat is assigned a “bridge,” a civil servant who will help them acclimatize to modernity (while reporting on their every move to the Ministry). At its heart, this novel is an often hilarious romance between one bridge and her expat. But the depth of world-building around their relationship, the back stories of each character, and the tremendous emotion on display through Ms. Bradley’s exquisite way with words make this anything but your run-of-the-mill love story. Come for the Bond-like moments of adventure. Stay for the pearls of wisdom Ms. Bradley drops on how our futures are truly built, one sealed door of possibility, hope, and forgiveness at a time.

The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley, (List Price: $28.99, Avid Reader Press / Simon & Schuster, 9781668045145, May 2024)

Reviewed by Alissa Redmond, South Main Book Company in Salisbury, North Carolina

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Swiped by L.M. Chilton

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Swiped by L.M. Chilton
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What a fun read! It is a good thing I had a long car ride and nothing else to do because I couldn’t put it down. Swiped is a delightful rom-com murder mystery. Romance may be stretching it a little as the “Rom” part was Gwen trying to get over a breakup by swiping right on a dating app to hook up with six different dates, none of whom rated a second date. Comedy, definitely, as the dialogue was smart and witty, and definitely a murder mystery as Gwen’s dates were being murdered one by one and she soon became the prime suspect. I thought I had this one figured out at least three different times, but boy was I wrong.

Swiped by L.M. Chilton, (List Price: $27.99, Gallery/Scout Press, 9781668045701, May 2024)

Reviewed by Nancy McFarlane, Fiction Addiction in Greenville, South Carolina

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Exhibit by R. O. Kwon

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Exhibit by R. O. Kwon
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Sexy sentences, startling images, and complicated and unexpected characters flesh out Kwon’s impressionistic peek inside the art world and the people who inhabit it. I kept finding myself picking up this book and flipping back to sections, re-reading them, and feeling like they were perfect little arias. Two women, with different art forms, brush up against one another at just the right time and form something larger than the sum of their parts. Not for those who need fast-paced, plot heavy action – but this book 100% rewards the lover of graceful language and intricate interiority. Loved, loved, loved.

Exhibit by R. O. Kwon, (List Price: $28, Riverhead Books, 9780593190029, May 2024)

Reviewed by Rachel Knox, Tombolo Books in St. Petersburg, Florida

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Crow Talk by Eileen Garvin

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Crow Talk by Eileen Garvin
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I read Crow Talk very slowly not wanting the words to ever end. Between the beauty of Beauty Bay and the cozy caretaker cottage and the facts about birds and especially crows, the story of Frankie was a touching tale of nature and love. Frankie has suffered a set back with her dissertation on spotted owls and sadly doesn’t know what to do next except escape to her family’s old summer home on the bay. Every page glows with the breathtaking view of the natural world and when Frankie rescues a young crow, the healing begins for Frankie and the neighbor Anne with her son Aiden. Besides the wonder of nature, this story dwells on family and healing and love and will be remembered by all who luckily read these words.

Crow Talk by Eileen Garvin, (List Price: $28, Dutton, 9780593473887, April 2024)

Reviewed by Nancy Pierce, Bookmiser in Marietta, Georgia

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