The books Southern indie booksellers are recommending to readers everywhere!

Young Adult

The Forest of Stolen Girls by June Hur

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The Forest of Stolen Girls by June Hur
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If you are looking for a perfectly eerie and thrilling young adult mystery, then look no further. The Forest of Stolen Girls follows Hwani, a young woman in 15th-century Korea who has returned home to investigate the mysterious disappearance of her detective father. Her return coincides with the vanishing of 13 young women into the dense woods nearby, and Hwani’s search for her father soon becomes entangled with old grudges, festering secrets, and the sinister threat of a killer lurking in the forest. This book is spooky, suspenseful, and atmospheric, and I cannot recommend it enough.

The Forest of Stolen Girls by June Hur, (List Price: $12.99, Square Fish, 9781250821157, May 2025)

Reviewed by Rebecca Speas, One More Page Books in Arlington, Virginia

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Spotlight on: Where the Library Hides by Isabel Ibañez

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Isabel Ibañez, photo courtesy the author

I grew up reading Agatha Christie. Her mysteries are classic and even amidst the dead bodies, oddly nostalgic and comforting for me. I have always wanted to write a mystery with lots of plot twists but do it in a way that feels true to me and my interests. When I was a kid, I wanted to be an Egyptologist, and so when I grew up and writing became my career, I knew I’d one day write a story set in Egypt. The Secrets of the Nile duology has all of my favorite things: a main character who isn’t a warrior but a dreamer, wanting to belong somewhere and yearning to make sense of the world around her. She’s bright and curious and impulsive, a teenager of her time and perhaps with an eye to the future, too. The love interest is morally gray and constantly questioning people and their motives and intentions. He’s cynical and sensitive and probably a little sad all the time. Together, I think they learn to heal and grow up, making mistakes along the way because no one gets it right the first time, or even the second.
― Isabel Ibañez, Interview, She Reads

Where the Library Hides by Isabel Ibañez

What booksellers are saying about Where the Library Hides

  • This was a wonderful conclusion to What the River Knows! It’s a mix of Indiana Jones and Atlantis. This story involves rivals turned lovers and also features a touch of grumpy x persistently-will-give-up-no-matter-what dynamic! It also makes you yearn to see the sights and monuments described! The epilogue was also a nice touch!
      ― Sarah Dimaria, Cavalier House Books in Denham Springs, Louisiana | BUY

  • A fantastic read! This is full of adventure, history, mystery, and romance. There are so many great twists and turns, heartbreaks and swoony scenes! Though it helps if you read book 1 first, I think it works on its own, too. Jump in here and then circle back to the first in the Secrets of the Nile series. You won’t regret it!
      ― Jamie Southern, Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, North Carolina | BUY

  • Get ready to head back to Egypt as you get swept into the final book in this series. Ibañez does it again with beautiful imagery and wonderful banter between the two main characters. As Inez tries to unlock the secrets behind her mothers betrayal she has to overcome the fact that her new husband Whit also used her for her money. Despite the fact he stole from her Whit desperately wants to stay with Inez and help her, so he makes her a deal that if they work together he will let her have a quiet devoice, even if that is not what he wants. Enjoy being swept away into this world that Ibañez has built as this beautiful adventure and love story unfold.
      ― Kelli Dynia, Copperfish Books in Punta Gorda, Florida | BUY

  • Loved these books!!! Ready to hear more about the other characters and their adventures!
      ― Sandra Huff, Virginia Highland Books in Atlanta, Georgia | BUY

  • This story is overflowing with an abundance of betrayal that can only be described as luscious! I found myself gasping at reveals, only for the next twist to shock me further. My heart was pulled in all directions, and ultimately ended with me in love Egypt as much as the characters.
      ― Halli Heinmets, Underbrush Books in Rogers, Arkansas | BUY

About Isabel Ibañez

Isabel Ibañez is the author of the Secrets of the Nile duology (Wednesday Books), and Woven in Moonlight (Page Street), a finalist for the William C. Morris Award, and listed among Time Magazine’s 100 Best Fantasy Books Of All Time. She is the proud daughter of Bolivian immigrants and has a profound appreciation for history and traveling. She currently lives in Asheville, North Carolina, with her husband, twin sons, their adorable dog, and a serious collection of books. Say hi on social media at @IsabelWriter09.

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Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo

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Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo
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1950s San Francisco is not the safest place for seventeen-year-old Lily Hu to realize she’s a lesbian, and the danger is only amplified by the anti-Chinese sentiment of the Red Scare. It starts with Lily’s infatuation over the male impersonator Tommy Andrews, and the companionship and understanding of Kathleen Miller, a friend from her math class. It coalesces with love found under the neon sign of the Telegraph Club, a lesbian bar that is equally as threatened by the paranoia of the Cold War. Last Night at the Telegraph Club is beautifully written and utterly transcendent, and serves as a testament to the power and necessity of queer love even in times of danger and intolerance.

Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo, (List Price: $11.99, Dutton Books for Young Readers, 9780525555278, December 2021)

Reviewed by Jordan April, Flyleaf Books in Chapel Hill, North Carolina

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Spotlight On: Compound Fracture by Andrew Joseph White

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Andrew Joseph White, photo credit Alice Scott

Horror will always be the genre that feels the most like home to me, largely because it’s the only genre that will let me get away with the sort of stuff I want to write. It’s messy, and visceral, and gut-churning! (Plus, once you include a single horror element in, say, a romance novel, it becomes a horror-romance by definition; horror infects everything it touches, and isn’t that wonderful?)
–Andrew Joseph White, Interview, F(r)iction

Compound Fracture by Andrew Joseph White

What booksellers are saying about Compound Fracture

  • Andrew Joseph White has taken us to an eco-Christofascist apocalypse, a Victorian asylum full of spirits and mediums, and now an Appalachia haunted by blood feuds and class war. This is his most unputdownable book yet, a bloody tour-de-force, mining and queering West Virginia’s buried socialist history, with a lovable, neurodivergent, rage-fueled transboy at the center and a whole lot of gore all around him. Prepare to be hurt, haunted, and ultimately heartened.
      ― Megan Bell, Underground Books in Carrollton, Georgia | BUY

  • Another stunning read from Andrew Joseph White, this time set in Appalachian coal country. White does a masterful job of weaving the throughlines of generational trauma and rage that simmer, boil, and ultimately explode off the page. As always, the portrayal of trans characters is thoughtful and authentic – with important reminders that trans identity is not new. It is merely increasingly visible. The violence is, at time, shocking – but not gratuitous. The visceral descriptions are essential to the story being told. A great read.
      ― Kate Snyder, Plaid Elephant Books in Danville, Kentucky | BUY

  • Andrew Joseph White continues to deliver sharp, compelling writing with his third novel, Compound Fracture. There hasn’t been a novel from White that I haven’t loved– his previous two releases are equally phenomenal– but Compound Fracture has earned the spot of my favorite Andrew Joseph White book. Andrew Joseph White delivers an edge-of-your-seat thriller that will keep readers hooked until the final page. At the same time, White utilizes his characters to address the lasting impacts of trauma, poverty, and economic exploitation on both individuals and communities. Compound Fracture is equal parts blood-soaked and beautiful, a testament to the resiliency and power of community organization. This is easily my favorite book of 2024!
      ― Charlie Williams, Square Books in Oxford, Mississippi | BUY

  • Having loved The Spirit Bares its Teeth with my whole heart, I snatched this book as soon as the ARC came in and nearly devoured it, but I’m so glad I forced myself to take it slow. Just like his other two books, this is something to be savored and really taken in deeply as you read it. It’s a love letter of the most brutal, loud, and angry variety, and I love how raw this writing is. This time it’s for the working class fighting against those exploiting them for profit over centuries, and for Appalachia. It’s a story about doing whatever it takes to survive, about the strength of community and family and even more beneath the layers. Like his other work it’s unsetting, violent, and heartbreaking – though I think this is probably the lightest on the graphic violence – but there’s an undeniable ray of hope at the end that refuses to be diminished. I adore this story.
      ― Winter Goldsmith, E. Shaver, Bookseller in Savannah, Georgia | BUY

About Andrew Joseph White

Andrew Joseph White is the New York Times and #1 Indie bestselling author of Hell Followed with Us and The Spirit Bares its Teeth. A queer, trans writer from Virginia, he grew up falling in love with monsters and wishing he could be one too. He received his MFA in Creative Writing from George Mason University in 2022.

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Pet by Akwaeke Emezi

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Pet by Akwaeke Emezi
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“Angels can look like many things… and so can monsters.” This book has a simple premise that is used to discuss more complex meanings and was done very successfully. It has a pretty straightforward plot, and older audiences will probably guess where it’s going, but I enjoyed it for letting how the characters reckon with this society and the choices they make be the focus. True monsters can hide in plain sight and we must be vigilant to the warning signs we might not want to see.

Pet by Akwaeke Emezi, (List Price: $11.99, Knopf Books for Young Readers, 9780593175446, January 2021)

Reviewed by Olivia Stacey, E. Shaver Bookseller in Savannah, Georgia

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The Grief Keeper by Alexandra Villasante

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The Grief Keeper by Alexandra Villasante
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The Grief Keeper is an incredibly unique and powerful debut novel; my heart is still in my throat even a day after finishing it. Marisol is a wonderful character, and her journey to and in America, as an immigrant and grief keeper will captivate you. I really enjoyed the unique premise of grief keeping and Villasante’s careful but frank investigation of what it truly means for a human being to be illegal.

The Grief Keeper by Alexandra Villasante, (List Price: $19.99, Nancy Paulsen Books, 9780525514022, June 2019)

Reviewed by Cristina Russell, Books & Books in , Florida

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Beneath These Cursed Stars by Lexi Ryan

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Beneath These Cursed Stars by Lexi Ryan
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Lexi Ryan knows how to ramp up the tension and keep you guessing. I absolutely loved being back in the Fae world from These Hollow Vows again! (Which I do recommend reading before diving into this book. Not that you have to, but it does offer insights that otherwise might get missed or feel confusing while reading this book). Beneath These Cursed Stars centers around Brie’s sister Jas (Jasalyn) and a new character, Felicity (who took me a little longer to feel invested in, but now I’m hooked). It took no time at all for me to jump right back into this world, and I was thrilled to experience it from a whole new perspective. Jasalyn’s story is heartbreaking and traumatizing; the loss of hope and representation of PTSD throughout was done well and had me either holding my breath or crying at certain parts. I will say this book really took off right at the very end. That CLIFFHANGER! My word. Lexi Ryan what are you doing to us?! But now, I obviously can’t wait to read the next book.

Beneath These Cursed Stars by Lexi Ryan, (List Price: $19.99, HarperTeen, 9780063311909, July 2024)

Reviewed by Brianne Wik, Main Street Books in , North Carolina

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Punching the Air by Ibi Zoboi, Yusef Salaam

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Punching the Air by Ibi Zoboi, Yusef Salaam
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This book can eat away at you. So beautiful, written in verse with such vivid, raw and gripping emotion. What happens one night when teenagers get in a fight and one white boy ends up in a coma? Everyone involved is part of the tragic story, but what continues to the wrongly accused is heart-thumping and beyond wrong. This is a story 400 years in the making, and why we still have to tell it is the real tragedy. How can our country get better? How can we heal? I wish everyone would read it so we can have some much-needed conversations. The butterflies scattered throughout the book helped me breathe through some tough parts and offered real hope. “Butterfly, if you’re in here with me, then you have to go back out there and change the world” I hope the butterfly succeeds.

Punching the Air by Ibi Zoboi, Yusef Salaam, (List Price: $15.99, Balzer + Bray, 9780062996497, December 2021)

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

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Watch Over Me by Nina LaCour

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by Nina LaCour
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A powerful ghost story about transformative healing. I could not put it down. Beautiful.

Watch Over Me by Nina LaCour, (List Price: $11.99, Rocky Pond Books, 9780593108994, January 2022)

Reviewed by Abbe Townsend, Quail Ridge Books in Raleigh, North Carolina

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Unholy Terrors by Lyndall Clipstone

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Unholy Terrors by Lyndall Clipstone
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Clipstone’s Unholy Terrors takes us to a Wuthering Heights-esque setting, wildly beautiful in its ruin, and drops us off with only the honey and ash prose we fell in love with in her Lake’s Edge duology to guard our hearts and souls against the monsters of truth and generational loyalty that howl in the Thousandfold. A beautiful and haunting read for fans of transforming girls and kissable monsters.

Unholy Terrors by Lyndall Clipstone, (List Price: $19.99, Henry Holt and Co., 9781250887733, January 2023)

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

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Red Hood by Elana K. Arnold

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Red Hood by Elana K. Arnold
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Damsel messed me up beyond all belief, so when I heard about Red Hood, I knew I needed it in my hands immediately. It did not disappoint one bit, and I can’t quite find the words to explain just how it made me feel. It made me cringe, it made me angry, and above all it had me on the tips of my toes the entire time. Arnold has this innate talent to take fairy tales and rip them apart to tell you a new one that you didn’t know you needed, one that actually puts women in a position of power. Men think we want to be queens and princesses when really we just want to be able to protect ourselves and the women that can’t protect themselves. She just gets it.

Red Hood by Elana K. Arnold, (List Price: 10.99, Balzer+Bray, 9780062742360, February 2020)

Reviewed by Caitlyn Vanorder, Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, North Carolina

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Spotlight on: Lo que el río sabe por Isabel Ibáñez

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Isabel Ibañez, photo credit the author

“Amo, amo, historias que cuentan del amor. Creo que más que nada, es la emoción detrás de cada palabra, cada personaje, cómo puede inspirar a alguien a sentir amor y dolor, y alegría y reír a carcajadas o llorar. Hay algo tan hermoso en escribir una historia con la que muchas personas pueden relacionarse o apreciar. Quiero ser escritor porque quiero vivir en mi imaginación, y no en ningún tipo de estructura. Escribir me permite acceder al pozo de mi creatividad y a menudo me sorprende.”

― Isabel Ibañez, Entrevista, American Writers Museum

What the River Knows by Isabel Ibañez

Lo que dicen los libreros de What the River Knows

  • Una carta de amor a la historia, más específicamente a la historia egipcia. Una hermosa ficción histórica con una pizca de magia y la romalidad más deliciosa que jamás hayas leído, y por la que estarás un poco traumatizado. Isabel sabe lo que está haciendo, y todo lo que usted como lector necesita hacer es confiar en ella.
      ― Caitlyn Vanorder from Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, NC | Compra de Bookmarks

  • Inez Olivera tiene un toque de magia y un espíritu aventurero, pero va a necesitar más para sobrevivir a los peligros y engaños que rodean a sus padres perdidos. El ritmo rápido, muchos giros y personajes poco confiables, y un final de suspenso hacen de este un buen comienzo para una nueva serie.
      ― Jan Blodgett from Main Street Books in Davidson, NC | Compra de Main Street Books

  • “Primero, este libro fue una montaña rusa emocional que parecía que no podía dejar. La forma en que el autor escribió el personaje de Inez hizo que me gustara al instante. Cada personaje de la historia fue escrito con una personalidad tan única que las interacciones que tuvieron entre sí me hicieron querer más. En general, las mejores partes de esta historia fueron la forma en que las ambiciones, interacciones y deseos de los personajes fluyeron a través de la trama, haciendo que cada uno de ellos sea adorable (o extremadamente odiable). ¡No puedo esperar a la próxima!
      ― Suzanne Lucey from Page 158 Books in Wake Forest, NC | Compra de Page 158 Books

Sobre Isabel Ibañez

Isabel Ibañez es autora de Together We Burn (Wednesday Books) y Woven in Moonlight (Page Street), finalista del Premio William C. Morris, y figura entre los 100 mejores libros de fantasía de todos los tiempos de la revista Time. Ella es la orgullosa hija de inmigrantes bolivianos y tiene un profundo aprecio por la historia y los viajes. Actualmente vive en Asheville, Carolina del Norte, con su esposo, su adorable perro y una colección seria de libros. Manda tú saludo en las redes sociales en @IsabelWriter09.

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Carry On by Rainbow Rowell

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Carry On by Rainbow Rowell
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This is one of my favorite books of all time. Following Simon and his friends, Rowell’s fantasy centers their fight against the Insidious Humdrum, an evil that’s sucking magic out of the world and Simon is prophesied to defeat (and they’re trying to finish their last year of magic school at Watford). Featuring a ghost story, a love story, and an epic arc, this book has everything a book should have! Inviting queer characters to the forefront of the fight, Simon Snow discovers himself and his limitations, tackles his worst fears, copes with the trauma that comes with being Chosen, and falls in love, working through the pitfalls of a relationship built in the rubble of a war. His journey is incredibly poignant for anyone who has had to face their nightmare and came away scarred, only to discover that wasn’t the end of it. A wonderful, approachable, and shockingly personal fantasy trilogy that’s completely different from what you’d expect, Carry On stole my heart from the first page, and I hope it makes your heart sing the way it makes mine.

Carry On by Rainbow Rowell, (List Price: $19.99, Wednesday Books, 9781250806918, July 2021)

Reviewed by Shae Jordan, Avid Bookshop in Athens, Georgia

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Spotlight on: What the River Knows by Isabel Ibañez

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Isabel Ibañez, photo credit the author

“I love love love telling stories. I think more than anything, it’s the emotion behind every word, every character, how it can inspire someone to feel love and hurt, and joy and to laugh out loud or cry. There is something so beautiful about writing a story that many people can relate to or cherish. I want to be a writer because I want to live in my imagination, and not in any kind of structure. Writing allows me to access the well of my creativity and it often surprises me.”
― Isabel Ibañez, Interview, American Writers Museum

What the River Knows by Isabel Ibañez

What booksellers are saying about What the River Knows

  • A love letter to history, most specifically Egyptian history. A beautiful historical fiction with a sprinkling of magic and the most delicious rivalmance you’ll ever read, and be slightly traumatized by. Isabel knows what she’s doing, and all you as the reader need to do is trust her.
      ― Caitlyn Vanorder from Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, NC | Buy from Bookmarks

  • Inez Olivera has a touch of magic and an adventurous spirit but she’s going to need more to survive the dangers and deceits surrounding her lost parents. Fast pacing, plenty of twists and unreliable characters, and a cliffhanger ending make this a good start to a new series.
      ― Jan Blodgett from Main Street Books in Davidson, NC | Buy from Main Street Books

  • First, this book was an emotional roller coaster that I couldn’t seem to put down. The way the author wrote Inez’s character made me like her instantly. Every character in the story was written with such a unique personality that the interactions they had with each other had me wanting more. Overall, the best parts of this story were the way the characters’ ambitions, interactions, and desires flowed through the plot, making each one of them lovable (or extremely hateable). Can’t wait for the next one!
      ― Suzanne Lucey from Page 158 Books in Wake Forest, NC | Buy from Page 158 Books

About Isabel Ibañez

Isabel Ibañez is the author of Together We Burn (Wednesday Books), and Woven in Moonlight (Page Street), a finalist for the William C. Morris Award, and listed among Time Magazine’s 100 Best Fantasy Books Of All Time. She is the proud daughter of Bolivian immigrants and has a profound appreciation for history and traveling. She currently lives in Asheville, North Carolina, with her husband, their adorable dog, and a serious collection of books. Say hi on social media at @IsabelWriter09.

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Spotlight on: A Study in Drowning by Ava Reid

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Ava Reid, photo credit the author

“I am always very interested in the deconstruction of fairy tales, the relationship between folklore and nationalism, and the role of stories in shaping identity on both the personal and political level. If The Wolf and the Woodsman is about the pain of being excluded from the narrative, and Juniper & Thorn is about the pain of being forced into a narrative against your will, then A Study in Drowning is about crafting an intricate, epic narrative of your own, in order to protect yourself from the pain of life’s daily, banal cruelties.” ― Ava Reid, Interview, Books Forward

A Study in Drowning by Ava Reid

What booksellers are saying about A Study in Drowning

  • What’s more dangerous—a sinking mansion full of secrets, a vicious and enthralling Fairy King, or the forces that have historically silenced and subjugated young women in academia? Fans of Mexican Gothic and The Hazel Wood, this Welsh folklore-infused dark academia fantasy will sweep you under and leave you drowning in all its lush and eerie, mysterious and romantic, utterly immersive, gothic splendor.
      ― Megan Bell, Underground Books in Carrollton, Georgia | Buy from Underground Books

  • Ava Reid’s YA debut will surely be one of my favorite reads of 2023. Reid’s work is steeped in literary and folkloric reference, worth countless re-reads and further dissection. Their prose is unmatched; dark, delicious, and dreamy all at once. Reid is a remarkable talent—I will read anything they write.
      ― Reviewed by Isabel Agajanian, Oxford Exchange in Tampa, Florida | Buy from Oxford Exchange

  • A haunting story full of magic and heart. I was hooked from the very beginning. I loved falling so completely into the world Ava Reid created.
      ― Rayna Nielsen, Blue Cypress Books in New Orleans, Louisiana | Buy from Blue Cypress Books

About Ava Reid

Ava Reid was born in Manhattan and raised right across the Hudson River in Hoboken but currently lives in Palo Alto. She has a degree in political science from Barnard College, focusing on religion and ethnonationalism.

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