The books Southern indie booksellers are recommending to readers everywhere!

Women in Translation

Behind the Gate by Amparo Davila

, , , ,
Behind the Gate by Amparo Davila
buy this book

As the world grows more and more deranged, I find myself seeking the most bizarre, oppressive, incomprehensible horror available. But there’s something strangely comforting about horror like Amparo Dávila’s. Stories that seem mostly normal, albeit odd, until something twists at the last moment and you’re left wondering. Seeing things in the corner of your vision, shadows on the walls, yawning eye sockets. Dávila’s writing makes the terrifying feel quiet, almost intimate.

Behind the Gate by Amparo Davila, (List Price: $16.95, New Directions, 9780811240581, October 2026)

Reviewed by Charlie, Fountain Bookstore in Richmond, VA

Behind the Gate by Amparo Davila Read More »

Superstars by Ann Scott

, , ,
Superstars by Ann Scott
buy this book

Buy from your local indie.
Get the audiobook

Happy Women in Translation Month! This long-awaited cult classic novel is finally available in English, thanks to the incredible Jonathan Woollen. Superstars is an intimate portrait of a life in the 90s Parisian techno subculture. In three words: French, lesbian, DJs.

Superstars by Ann Scott, (List Price: $22, Astra House, 9781662603471, April 2026)

Reviewed by Abigail, Parnassus Books in Nashville, TN

Superstars by Ann Scott Read More »

Sakura by Kanako Nishi

, , ,
Sakura by Kanako Nishi
buy this book

Buy from your local indie.
Get the audiobook

A unique take on a coming-of-age narrative, Sakura weaves through complex family dynamics and the ways only time can change perspective, while using the childhood family pet as an anchor of innocence. Kauro returns to his childhood home and is flooded with memories of growing up with his siblings, of all the good times and the bad times- all the memories of becoming an adult, and being forced to grow up too soon, and of realizing how limited a young perspective can be. But through it all, the whole family benefits from the simple joy of having a loving pet that keeps them grounded. It’s a really lovely and relatable take on perspective, family, aging, and the pure innocent love of a pet.

Sakura by Kanako Nishi, (List Price: $26.99, HarperVia, 9780063389946, March 2026)

Reviewed by Jenny, Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, NC

Sakura by Kanako Nishi Read More »

I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman

, , ,
I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman
buy this book

Buy from your local indie.
Get the audiobook

This is a book about humanity. About what it means to be human even when you aren’t even sure you’re human yourself. The unnamed narrator is as uncertain of her origin as she is of her destiny, but she still hopes, she still wants, she still grows. There is a hefty amount of ambiguity, but its purpose to the novel and its characters is more important. I’d argue it’s what makes the book so impactful. If I could give this book a thousand stars—no, a million—I would. It’s one of those books I tell everyone about, and one that I think about all the time.

I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman, (List Price: $16.95, Transit Books, 9781945492600, May 2022)

Reviewed by Tamara, M. Judson Booksellers in Greenville, South Carolina

I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman Read More »

The Wax Child by Olga Ravn

, , , ,
The Wax Child by Olga Ravn
buy this book

Buy from your local indie.
Get the audiobook

This story deepens into itself; it spreads into the darkest corners and sinks into the dirt beneath your feet. An eerily original portrait of 1600s Denmark, plagued by witch trials and the doom that follows thick paranoia and cursed accusations. It’s told in a way I’ve never quite witnessed before: from the perspective of a tiny wax doll whose maker was just accused. It feels as though these pages have been waiting for a reader for hundreds of years…just aging, fuming, materializing until now. A perfect, pleading horror story.

The Wax Child by Olga Ravn, (List Price: $19.95, New Directions, 9780811238830, September 2025)

Reviewed by Emma, Flyleaf Books in Chapel Hill, NC

The Wax Child by Olga Ravn Read More »

Sisters in Yellow by Mieko Kawakami

, , ,
Sisters in Yellow by Mieko Kawakami
buy this book

Buy from your local indie.
Get the audiobook

Is there any better feeling than falling immediately into the familiar cadence and rhythm of a book from an author you love? I have read and loved Mieko Kawakami’s work for many years now, and her ability to delve into the minds of her narrators and shift through human emotion, insecurity, quiet joy, and the small moments of life continues to captivate me. But she does not do all the work for the reader. Her gift is crafting dialogue, both internal and external, that allows the reader to dig deeper. Sisters in Yellow delivers on all of these fronts. Hana, our young narrator whose anxiety surrounding her financial instability and drive for security permeates the novel, is one of my favorites of Kawakami’s leads yet. Kawakami probes poverty, vulnerability, and the deep longing to belong to a family and community. The action really ramps up in the second half of the book where the stakes are raised, and I couldn’t stop turning the pages. Fans of Kawakami will not be disappointed, and this book will be a great entry point for new readers!

Sisters in Yellow by Mieko Kawakami, (List Price: $30, Knopf, 9780593537732, March 2026)

Reviewed by Kelsey, Tombolo Books in St. Petersburg, FL

Sisters in Yellow by Mieko Kawakami Read More »

Electric Shamans at the Festival of the Sun by Mónica Ojeda

, , , ,
Electric Shamans at the Festival of the Sun by Mónica Ojeda
buy this book

Buy from your local indie.

Electric Shamans at the Festival of the Sun is hard to describe. Ostensibly, it follows two young women fleeing their home in Guayaquil, Ecuador, to attend a week-long experimental noise festival held at the foot of an active volcano. Their experience is strange, frightening, and revelatory. But this book is so much more than a bad trip. Ojeda’s writing forces emotion on you. It’s brutal, and beautiful, it contorts your brain into a shape you didn’t know it could fit into. As the story progresses, the lines between reader and character blur, and you become part of the noise, the fear, the feeling, the cruelty, the obliteration.

Electric Shamans at the Festival of the Sun by Mónica Ojeda, (List Price: $20, Coffee House Press, 9781566897556, May 2026)

Reviewed by Charlie, Fountain Bookstore in Richmond, VA

Electric Shamans at the Festival of the Sun by Mónica Ojeda Read More »

The Night Trembles by Nadia Terranova

, , , ,
The Night Trembles by Nadia Terranova
buy this book

Buy from your local indie.

Beautifully written and haunting, with hints of magical realism. This short novel left a major impression on me and sent me down a rabbit hole trying to find out more about the 1908 earthquake.

The Night Trembles by Nadia Terranova, (List Price: $26.95, Seven Stories Press, 9781644214091, May 2025)

Reviewed by Gaelan, Page 158 Books in Wake Forest, NC

The Night Trembles by Nadia Terranova Read More »

Mount Verity by Therese Bohman

, , ,
Mount Verity by Therese Bohman
buy this book

Buy from your local indie.

I loved how this book unfolded, and reading it made me realize why I love a short novel. Therese Bohman (and translator Marlaine Delargy) use their words wisely, with sharp insights on the meaning of life, art, and beauty. The plot got me sucked in, and while the book returns to the inciting event (missing child), the story is really more character-driven. I could’ve spent so much more time with Hanna, but the ending was near perfection.

Mount Verity by Therese Bohman, (List Price: $17.99, Other Press, 9781635425666, April 2026)

Reviewed by Daniel, Pearl’s Books in Fayetteville, AR

Mount Verity by Therese Bohman Read More »

Scroll to Top