The books Southern indie booksellers are recommending to readers everywhere!

LGBTQ+

Arcana: The Lost Heirs by Sam Prentice-Jones

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Arcana: The Lost Heirs by Sam Prentice-Jones
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A hidden society of witches? An orphan with a strong lineage to a long-gone family? Cute queer romances and yearning? Tarot card foreshadowing? What more could one want? This is a world where witches work to keep the balance between natural and unnatural forces, and the Arcana is one of the specific societies that does this. But when four students’ lives are thrown together, they realize there is something connecting their blood, and it smells like murder, it smells like power, it smells like secrets. You won’t be able to put this one down!

Arcana: The Lost Heirs by Sam Prentice-Jones, (List Price: $19.99, 8. Feiwel & Friends, 9781250290229, June 2025)

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

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The Dry Season by Melissa Febos

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The Dry Season by Melissa Febos
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Truly, everyone should read this book. I’m happy that it found me in this moment of my life. As Melissa Febos travels back through an inventory of her past relationships, each section imparted so much on me as I considered my own relationship to sex and love. There is a delicious sort of ache in each chapter as she reflects on personal desire and the things we deny ourselves for the sake of those we love. In the same way that you shouldn’t scarf down a decadent meal, I could not push myself to read this book quickly. I savored and reflected on each chapter. She teaches the reader so much, using her own story as a guide to pull me in and point me towards histories of powerful women (beguines, mystics, writers) I hadn’t yet considered. I am left satisfied and inspired.

The Dry Season by Melissa Febos, (List Price: $29, Knopf, 9780593537237, June 2025)

Reviewed by Alyssa Sotelo, Tombolo Books in St Petersburg, Florida

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Nobody in Particular by Sophie Gonzales

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Nobody in Particular by Sophie Gonzales
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Forbidden romance? Multi-class relationship? AND it’s Sapphic?! I knew from the get-go that I would LOVE this book. While I obviously found the relationship between Danni and Rose endearing, Nobody in Particular also offered an unexpectedly heartwarming exploration of grief and the pressures of expectation.

Nobody in Particular by Sophie Gonzales, (List Price: $21, Wednesday Books, 9781250352491, June 2025)

Reviewed by Eden Haymon, Cavalier House Books in Denham Springs, Louisiana

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Ollie In Between by Jess Callans

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Ollie In Between by Jess Callans
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I LOVE this book. I crawled into the head of my younger self and thoroughly enjoyed this take on a young girl named Ollie who isn’t into fashion or boys. She is growing into herself and feels alone in her insecurities (oh, to be a friend to a kid this age and have them listen). This is funny, relatable, and very timely.

Ollie In Between by Jess Callans, (List Price: $17.99, Feiwel & Friends, 9781250331342, April 2025)

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

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Disco Witches of Fire Island by Blair Fell

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Disco Witches of Fire Island by Blair Fell
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A magical, moving, and wildly fun novel, The Disco Witches of Fire Island blends queer history, grief, self-discovery, and disco-fueled witchcraft into an unforgettable story. Set in Fire Island Pines during the HIV/AIDS epidemic, Blair Fell masterfully balances heavy themes with humor, heart, and a vibrant cast of characters. Drawing from some of his real-life experiences and relationships, Fell’s book will break your heart while lifting your spirit, and maybe even make you want to dance.

Disco Witches of Fire Island by Blair Fell, (List Price: $19.99, Alcove Press, 9798892420341, May 2025)

Reviewed by Bianca Eckhoff, Epilogue: Books Chocolate Brews in Chapel Hill, North Carolina

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Kill Creatures by Rory Power

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Kill Creatures by Rory Power
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Kill Creatures is the exact reason why I love teen thrillers. Impossible-to-put-down from the very first page with a twist that will leave readers of all ages reeling, Kill Creatures is a sun-soaked-fever-dream thriller that’s perfect for summer reading.

Kill Creatures by Rory Power, (List Price: $19.99, Delacorte Press, 9780593302316, June 2025)

Reviewed by Courtney Ulrich Smith, Underbrush Books in Rogers, Arkansas

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Freakslaw by Jane Flett

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Freakslaw by Jane Flett
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A roiling and intense debut featuring an untamable traveling freak show and the small, narrow-minded Scottish town it invades. What follows are unpredictable celebrations of freakishness, intoxicating forays into carnivals unknown, and the flickering flames of brutality. A furious mob is looming. Which side will you be on?

Freakslaw by Jane Flett, (List Price: $28, Zando, 9781638932666, April 2025)

Reviewed by Joshua Lambie, Underground Books in Carrollton, Georgia

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In Case You Read This by Edward Underhill

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In Case You Read This by Edward Underhill
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Underhill once again pens a delightful queer romcom. Arden is moving from LA to Michigan and isn’t happy about it at all. He’s used to being invisible as a trans person, and that’s not going to be possible in his new home. Meanwhile Gabe is moving from Illinois to Pasadena and is ecstatic to finally have some queer friends and where he won’t stand out as the only queer, let alone trans, person. As both boys are moving cross-country, they spend one perfect evening together at a hotel in Nebraska. They leave without exchanging information and immediately regret it. What follows is their journey to fit into their new lives, as well as trying to find each other when all they have are their first names and their favorite band. Another five-star read from this author cements him on my “always read” list!

In Case You Read This by Edward Underhill, (List Price: $19.99, Quill Tree Books, 9780063373778, May 2025)

Reviewed by Jennifer Jones, Bookmiser in Marietta, Georgia

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Marsha by Tourmaline

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Marsha by Tourmaline
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I snatched this as soon as I saw it at the bookshop. This book captures a feeling I’ve been struggling to articulate for so long: showing joy in who you are as a form of defiance when the world does everything it can to push you down. Everything about Marsha’s life embodies that idea, she’s an amazing subject for a biography. Tourmaline does an amazing job telling Marsha’s story – and at giving a good overview of LGBTQIA history in the U.S. as well – but what separates this from other biographies for me is just how much love, passion, and radiance spills out from the pages; Tourmaline clearly has such a deep appreciation for Marsha that makes the writing so engaging and vivid. There’s a wealth of information here but there’s never a moment where the book feels bogged down or heavy. Tourmaline also goes beyond Marsha’s life, going into the impact and legacy she’s left for the LGBTQIA community, in activism and everyday life. It’s made clear that the progress made to equality for LGBTQIA people has happened over a short length of time, and there’s still so much work to be done – especially for Trans people – but Tourmaline makes sure every nook and cranny of this book is filled with hope and joy. I think this should be essential reading for anyone remotely interested in LGBTQIA history and activism, and anyone who just needs some hope and joy right now.

Marsha by Tourmaline, (List Price: $30, Tiny Reparations Books, 9780593185667, May 2025)

Reviewed by Winter Goldsmith, E. Shaver Bookseller in Savannah, Georgia

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Ecstasy: Poems by Alex Dimitrov

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Ecstasy: Poems by Alex Dimitrov
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Ecstasy reads like a film, shot on an iPhone, bone-crushing and mesmerizing. Dimitrov is THE contemporary poet, and his work is unforgettably original.

Ecstasy: Poems by Alex Dimitrov, (List Price: $29, Knopf, 9780593802922, April 2025)

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

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Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz

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Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz
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This book is perfect for anyone who wants to read beautiful prose while being absolutely wrecked in the process. Two boys so different you would think they wouldn’t work, but their care for each other runs deeper than their differences. Follow Aristotle and Dante as they grow together and apart. A story about growth and learning to love all the pieces you hated about yourself. A story about healing from the past and letting those feelings be expressed.

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz, (List Price: $24.99, Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers, 9781665925419, November 2022)

Reviewed by Gabriela Warner, Epilogue: Books Chocolate Brews in Chapel Hill, North Carolina

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Pride or Die by CL Montblanc

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Pride or Die by CL Montblanc
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If you want the Scooby gang, but queer and a little dark, then boy do I have a treat for you. A couple of chapters into this book, I found myself laughing out loud. The characters are funny, the mystery is intriguing, and the representation is fantastic. I’m sure you’ll find yourself rooting for this group just like I did.

Pride or Die by CL Montblanc, (List Price: $20, Wednesday Books, 9781250340474, April 2025)

Reviewed by Brianna Lloyd, Epilogue: Books Chocolate Brews in Chapel Hill, North Carolina

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Run Away With Me by Brian Selznick

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Run Away With Me by Brian Selznick
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Look, whatever Brian Selznick does, I’m here for it–and his first YA novel is no exception! I loved watching Danny and Angelo’s story unfold as they discover the city of Rome, stories hidden across art history, and their love for one another.

Run Away With Me by Brian Selznick, (List Price: $24.99, Scholastic Press, 9781339035529, April 2025)

Reviewed by Lindsay Lynch, Parnassus Books in Nashville, Tennessee

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Book Buzz: Stag Dance by Torrey Peters

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Torrey Peters, photo credit Hunter AbramsWhen I first conceived of these stories, around 2016, a lot of trans writing was very sure that it had to be a specific thing: In order to capture the trans experience, we have to invent a totally new narrative for this wild and different style of life that has strange punctuation and asterisks and parentheses in it! And I was very resistant to this because I was like, I actually think that trans lives are built out of the exact same things that any other life is built out of. The emotions that are operative for a trans person are the exact same emotions that are operative for anybody else. It may be arranged slightly differently or with slightly different balances, but 99 percent of them are all the same. And so, there was a way in which I was like, You know what? I’m going to just write trans stories to show that you don’t need to invent some othering form to explain a trans life. You can explain a trans life in a teen romance. Then, I just started finding them fun.

― Torrey Peters, Interview, The Cut

Stag Dance by Torrey Peters

What booksellers are saying about Stag Dance

  • Peter’s is really pushing the bounds of everything gender and sex in such a unique and weird literary experience. I was pretty confused some times but it spoke to me, even as a cis, straight woman. Because who the hell tells us we are only on thing? Gender experience isn’t just this or that, it fluctuates through life and experiences.
      ― Meghan Haile, The Lynx in Gainesville, Florida | BUY

  • Stag Dance presses against the fringes of humanity, asking characters to confront the limits of their knowledge and their self-concepts. Moving between genres with ease, what links these four stories is the way that Torrey Peters asks her audience to reconfigure their attitude towards shame and fear.
      ― Mikey LaFave, Avid Bookshop in Athens, Georgia | BUY

  • Erotic and quietly touching, instinctive and temperamental, this novella and added short stories delight as much as they disturb. Lumberjack jamborees, dehumanizing skin suits, the shrieks of baby pigs, and a world wracked by a hormone famine come together to make an unsettling experience highlighting the complexities of the queer/femme experience.
      ― Joshua Lambie, Underground Books in Carrollton, Georgia | BUY

  • The risks are high and outcomes are brutal in STAG DANCE, all circling around big questions of is it worth it? Survival, masking, and the consequences–and you feel the punch in every direction each time. Torrey Peters captures the nuances of these spiraling feelings so well, but allows them to play out in painful but satisfying ways.
      ― Julie Jarema, Hub City Bookshop in Spartanburg, South Carolina | BUY

About Torrey Peters

Torrey Peters is the bestselling author of the novel Detransition, Baby, which won the PEN/Hemingway award for debut fiction. It was also a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Awards, a finalist for the Brooklyn Public Library Award, and was longlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction. She has an MFA from the University of Iowa and an MA in Comparative Literature from Dartmouth. Torrey rides a pink motorcycle and splits her time between Brooklyn and an off-grid cabin in Vermont.

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