The books Southern indie booksellers are recommending to readers everywhere!

Magical Realism

Mystery Royale by Kaitlyn Cavalancia

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Mystery Royale by Kaitlyn Cavalancia
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I’m noticing a trend with either my reading preferences or books coming out soon because this is the second locked-room, Glass Onion murder mystery Clue game book I’ve read this past couple of weeks. I AM NOT COMPLAINING. I loved how it opened up with Esther, then Mullory and the strange. I was instantly pulled into the intrigue. But then, when everyone came together at the Stoutmire Mansion for the game to begin, I couldn’t really get behind any of the characters. They were all “whimpering” or “screaming.” Like I get that it’s scary and we’re all angry but it just put distance between the reader, the characters, and the plot. (Seriously, if I had played a drinking game with those two dialogue tags I probably wouldn’t have made it through the start of the story. I’d be like Saffron Stoutmire with her martinis) Fortunately, those character arcs started kicking in and I began to really get into the story. Their worries were my worries, their stakes were my stakes sort of thing. I started caring about what happened to them, especially Mullory and Lyric. They turned into a grumpy x sunshine done right. So if you feel the same way, STICK WITH IT. Those clues won’t solve themselves.

Mystery Royale by Kaitlyn Cavalancia, (List Price: $18.99, Disney Hyperion, 9781368099080, January 2025)

Reviewed by Candice Conner, The Haunted Book Shop in Mobile, Alabama

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The City and Its Uncertain Walls by Haruki Murakami

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The City and Its Uncertain Walls by Haruki Murakami
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This novel is uber-Murakami, the author back to the magical best of his earlier novels such as Hardboiled Wonderland and the End of the World (note: this makes sense, as the author writes in an afterword that this novel was a second attempt at reworking a novella, the first attempt being Hardboiled Wonderland). You don’t read a Murakami novel; you live it, holding on for dear life until it lets you off at the end, slightly confused but highly entertained. A magical world slowly unravels through an unnamed girl, while everyday life interweaves with it, featuring all the traditional Murakami Bingo tropes (loneliness, high school, jazz, pasta recipes, The Beatles, wells, libraries, cats…all the greatest hits!) There were a few minor logical bugbears, but plot logic was never Murakami’s strong suit. The simplicity of his language has long been a feature, but lately has felt more like a bug at times, with the repetition of banal thoughts (‘it was just my conjecture, but I was sure of it’; I nodded vaguely’ etc.) – perhaps as one of my all-time favourite authors I have come to expect more, but it was still great to be back in Murakami world.

The City and Its Uncertain Walls by Haruki Murakami, (List Price: $35, Knopf, 9780593801970, November 2024)

Reviewed by Doron Klemer, Octavia Books in New Orleans, Louisiana

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Women! In! Peril! by Jessie Ren Marshall

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Women! In! Peril! by Jessie Ren Marshall
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I’m happy to report that Women! In! Peril! lives up to its obsession-worthy title and cover. This short story debut is full of smart, fresh fiction that I wanted to savor. Marshall brings a hilarious voice to inventive literary stories about women whose struggles range from divorce to the destruction of the human race. Singular characters like a former ballerina with memory loss and a lesbian whose girlfriend thinks she’s carrying the baby Jesus make up this exciting and unabashedly queer collection!

Women! In! Peril! by Jessie Ren Marshall, (List Price: $17.99, Bloomsbury Publishing, 9781639732272, April 2024)

Reviewed by Julia Lewis, Fountain Bookstore in Richmond, Virginia

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The Magic All Around by Jennifer Moorman

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The Magic All Around by Moorman, Jennifer
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This book is a delight for both intellect and emotion. The characters are sensitive and believable. Family relationships resemble those in Practical Magic, but are more focused on understanding one’s place in life. Each individual has a specific purpose and intent… life happens the way it was intended (eventually). Highly recommend!

The Magic All Around by Jennifer Moorman, (List Price: $17.99, Harper Muse, 9781400240487, January 2024)

Reviewed by Liz Perkins, Blinking Owl Books in Fort Myers, Florida

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The Magic All Around by Jennifer Moorman

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The Magic All Around by Moorman, Jennifer
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Sometimes we just need a little magic like this! Mattie returns to the Russell family home for a brief stay at the sudden passing of her mom, Lilith. But Lilith’s will keeps Mattie in Ivy Ridge longer. In carrying out her mom’s wishes, Mattie and her aunt Penelope uncover secrets in the old Victorian house that unsettle them both and lead to new possibilities. I enjoyed this wonderful story of homecoming, family, and love!

The Magic All Around by Jennifer Moorman, (List Price: $17.99, Harper Muse, 9781400240487, January 2024)

Reviewed by Cathy Graham, Copperfish Books in Punta Gorda, Florida

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Other Birds by Sarah Addison Allen

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Other Birds by Sarah Addison Allen
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This book was made for autumn. A community who clings to ghosts, unable to move on, stuck in their grief, comes together in such a lovely way with the introduction of a new resident. Revisiting this brought such a warmth to my heart, and is one I’ll keep in my back pocket for quiet days.

Other Birds by Sarah Addison Allen, (List Price: $18, St. Martin’s Griffin, 9781250019875, September 2023)

Reviewed by Jamie Kovacs, Flyleaf Books in Chapel Hill, North Carolina

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The Totally True Story of Gracie Byrne by Shannon Takaoka

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The Totally True Story of Gracie Byrne by Shannon Takaoka
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Gracie Byrne is a has a real way with words, so when she finds a blank journal in the drawer of her new house, of course she writes in it and the result leaves her, well, kind of speechless. The Totally True Story of Gracie Byrne perfectly captures the perplexing world of high school, the complex nature of families, and the giddy delight of basorexia. I learned a few new words, grooved on the 1980’s vibe, and absolutely wish I had been in High School with Gracie Byrne.

The Totally True Story of Gracie Byrne by Shannon Takaoka, (List Price: 19.99, Candlewick, 9781536228786, October 2023)

Reviewed by Angie Tally, The Country Bookshop in Southern Pines, North Carolina

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Shark Heart by Emily Habeck

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Shark Heart by Emily Habeck
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An August 2023 Read This Next! Book

In a debut as profound as it is strange, Emily Habek explores what happens when a newlywed couple is split apart by a strange mutation–one of them is turning rapidly, limb by fin, into a great white shark. With imagination and heart, Habek startles the reader awake with the questions we all have living in us: can I survive loss in my life? How do I remain open when I am suffering? What does it mean to learn myself again?

Shark Heart by Emily Habeck, (List Price: 28, S&S/ Marysue Rucci Books, 9781668006498, August 2023)

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

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Victory City by Salman Rushdie

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Victory City by Salman Rushdie
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A woman who suffers a horrifying childhood trauma is transformed into the creator of a city, buildings and denizens alike. Who else but Salman Rushdie has the imagination required to create this woman, who has an almost endless imagination? Rushdie is a modern, male Scheherazade, spinning his fanciful tales of romance, religion, politics, and corruption, with dollops of laugh-out-loud humor and magical realism.

Victory City by Salman Rushdie, (List Price: $30, Random House, 9780593243398, February 2023)

Reviewed by Anne Peck, Righton Books in St Simons Island, Georgia

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The Boy with a Bird in His Chest by Emme Lund

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The Boy with a Bird in His Chest by Emme Lund
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Owen has an exposed space in his chest where Gail, a wise and chatty java sparrow, has lived since he was a newborn. His mother has hidden him from those who would hurt him because of his difference, but he’s a teenager now and must figure out who to trust and how to be — or even if he CAN be. I really enjoyed this sensitive and heartbreaking coming-of-age story about a queer boy, his bird, and their friends. Though not usually drawn to magical realism, I found myself almost believing in the possibility of Gail, and that was a real joy.

The Boy with a Bird in His Chest by Emme Lund, (List Price: $17, Atria Books, 9781982171940, January 2023)

Reviewed by Serena Wyckoff, Copperfish Books in Punta Gorda, Florida

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Other Birds by Sarah Addison Allen

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Other Birds by Sarah Addison Allen
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An August 2022 Read This Next! Title

A poignant tale of wounded souls and their accompanying ghosts finding each other. Tinged with magic, interlaced with loss and longing, each character’s story unfolds in layers creating an intricate puzzle that teases and delights. A must read for fans of magical realism.!

Other Birds by Sarah Addison Allen, (List Price: $27.99, St. Martin’s Press, 9781250019868, August 2022)

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

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Life Ceremony by Sayaka Murata

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Life Ceremony by Sayaka Murata
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Murata, author of the 2016 indie hit Convenience Store Woman, is back with a collection of weird and weirdly relatable short stories. Cannibalism! Alien bodies! Distant worlds! Getting older, and more alone! These and other strange subjects are blown up to speak about the fundamental problems of living today. I especially loved "Hatchling," a story reminiscent of Osamu Dazai’s classic "No Longer Human," but with a feminist sensibility. Life Ceremony further cements Sayaka Murata as one of the world’s most interesting contemporary writers.

Life Ceremony by Sayaka Murata, (List Price: $25, Grove Press, 9780802159588, July 2022)

Reviewed by Conor Hultman, Square Books in Oxford, Mississippi

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The Scent of Burnt Flowers by Blitz Bazawule

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The Scent of Burnt Flowers by Blitz Bazawule
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Bazawule swiftly drops you into an immediate and tumultuous love story between Bernadette and Melvin as they escape the States seeking a fantastical refuge in 1960s Ghana. This piece is deeply heartbreaking, yet manages to hold it together through its magical storytelling. “Queen and Slim” fans will love this novel as its deep cinematic influence encourages evocative visuals and sentient understandings of the character’s interiors.

The Scent of Burnt Flowers by Blitz Bazawule, (List Price: $27, Ballantine Books, 9780593496237, June 2022)

Reviewed by Eden Hakimzadeh, Oxford Exchange in Tampa, Florida

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When We Were Birds by Ayanna Lloyd Banwo

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When We Were Birds by Ayanna Lloyd Banwo
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The destinies of a Rastafarian man prohibited from interacting with the dead and a woman destined to care for their spirits collide in a cemetery full of secrets in this magical realist novel set in a Trinidad “with the volume turned all the way up.” I enjoyed the settings and magical realism throughout the novel. I’d especially recommend for fans of Practical Magic.

When We Were Birds by Ayanna Lloyd Banwo (List Price: $27, Doubleday, 9780385547260,  March 2022)

Reviewed by Megan Bell, Underground Books in Carrollton, Georgia

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An Arrow to the Moon by Emily X.R. Pan

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An Arrow to the Moon by Emily X.R. Pan
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I picked up this book because 1. it has a full moon on the cover. I’m a complete sucker for a moon and as I have yet to be steered wrong by this, it will continue to be an indicator of a great story to me. And 2. I am adoring this retelling trend YA is on right now. Romeo and Juliet meets Chinese mythology had me swiftly plucking this from the arc box. Other favorite motifs include: unearthly fireflies, a mysterious and magical book, & unexplainable “natural” happenings. The romance between Luna and Hunter is so sweet and swoon-worthy and doesn’t veer outside the plot (which is a pet peeve of mine).The story takes place in the early 90s which I forget until someone mentions a windbreaker, lol. I learned SO MUCH about Chinese versus Taiwanese culture–I never knew there was/is an identity issue and found it fascinating as Pan expertly weaves it into the Romeo & Juliet narrative. And speaking of R&J, the closer I got to the ending, the more anxious I was about how close to the play Pan would go. No spoilers here, but the ending is chef’s kiss.

An Arrow to the Moon by Emily X.R. Pan, (List Price: $18.99, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 9780316464055,  April 2022)

Reviewed by Candice Conner, The Haunted Book Shop in Mobile, Alabama

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