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The week of February 18, 2025 Super-short reviews!  "More orgies per page than any book I’ve ever read." That is one of the reviews in this week’s Book Buzz feature of Wake Up and Open Your Eyes by Clay McLeod Chapman, from Meagan Smith at Righton Books in St. Simons Island, Georgia. As much as readers appreciate reading a thoughtful, honest review of a book they are thinking about picking up, it is often the short and pithy zingers that tip us over from looking at a book to picking it up and reading it. Here are more favorite recent super-short reviews. Click on the title to read more from the reviewing bookstore: A Tempest of Tea by Hafsah Faizal Among the Bros: A Fraternity Crime Story by Max Marshall Little Freddie Two Pants by Drew Daywalt, Lucy Ruth Cummins (Illus.) Our Infinite Fates by Laura Steven Okchundang Candy by Jung-soon Go, Aerin Park (Trans.) True Failure by Alex Higley Show Don’t Tell: Stories by Curtis Sittenfeld The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest by Aubrey Hartman Read This Now | Read This Next | Book Buzz | The Bookseller Directory |
Read This Now! Recommended by Southern indies… |
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Harlem Rhapsody by Victoria Christopher Murray Adult Fiction, African American & Black, Biographical, Fiction, Historical, Women Murray’s novel of the life of editor Jessie Redmon Fauset takes readers deep into the world of the Harlem Renaissance. The story focuses largely on Fauset’s relationship with W. E. B. DuBois. The novel features cameos by many familiar writers of the time, including Countee Cullen, Langston Hughes, and Nella Larsen. Recommended for historical fiction fans and anyone seeking a deeper understanding of the Harlem Renaissance literary scene. Reviewed by Amanda Grell, Pearl’s Books in Fayetteville, Arkansas |
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But Not Too Bold by Hache Pueyo Dark Fantasy, Fantasy, Gothic, Lesbian, LGBTQ+, Romance Where to even begin with this book other than Wowza. I was not expecting to be given the most thrilling sapphic monster romance in the entire world. But Not Too Bold gave me goosebumps, and I fear that’s all you really need to know about how incredible it was. Reviewed by Caitlyn Vanorder, Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, North Carolina |
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All the Water in the World by Eiren Caffall Adult Fiction, Dystopian All the Water in the World begins in the near future, where catastrophic floods have reshaped cities as we once knew them. On the roof of the American Museum of Natural History, a girl and her family have joined a team of researchers, working not only to survive but to preserve the museum’s history and records. As they are forced to flee the city, the dwindling group confronts the best and worst aspects of humanity, all while searching for hope, community, and belonging. Eiren Caffall weaves a story that both terrifies readers with the stark realities of climate change and reminds us that hope can shine even in the darkest moments. A must-read for fans of Station Eleven, The Lightest Object in the Universe, and Lark Ascending. Reviewed by Beth Seufer Buss, Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, North Carolina |
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Bookseller Buzz |
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Wake Up and Open Your Eyes by Clay McLeod Chapman 
To be honest, every book [I write] has different origins. I remember reading a lot about recruitment videos for Al Qaeda. TikTok and Facebook were being used as recruitment tools for terrorist cells. It was rare, but there was a lot of pearl-clutching when some young suburban white woman was radicalized. To me, that was so fascinating, because on some level, regardless of where these radicalizations came from, there was always a moment where the common refrain from family members was that they weren’t like themselves anymore. They were possessed. You could start listing instances that were said about someone. It was never one thing. It was never just Fox News, or just Facebook. I’ve had family members caught up in the wellness craze that existed before Goop. There’s a mistrust in conventional medicine, where people leap over doctors into untested, unregulated [medicine]. To me, that was alarming, because it was all coming from Facebook ads and memes. It’s like a sinkhole. From doing the deep dive, it’s like wellness culture leads to right-wing extremism. It’s so apparent. There’s like a digital paper trail to maneuver. It’s easy for an outside observer to see it, but if you’re caught in that rabbit hole, it’s terrifying, because you’re just not aware of it. It makes me think “what’s going to be MY rabbit hole?” ― Clay McLeod Chapman, Interview, Macabre Daily What booksellers are saying about Wake Up and Open Your Eyes by Clay McLeod Chapman 
Clay McLeod Chapman writes novels, comic books, and children’s books, as well as for film and TV. He is the author of the horror novels The Remaking, Whisper Down the Lane, Ghost Eaters, and What Kind of Mother. He also co-wrote Quiet Part Loud, a horror podcast produced by Jordan Peele’s Monkeypaw for Spotify. Visit him at claymcleodchapman.com. |
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Strange Pictures by Uketsu Adult Fiction, Amateur Sleuth, Fiction, Mystery& Detective If you are looking for a fresh and unique horror/mystery, then you have come to the right place. This book is fairly slow-paced, but it lays out such an intricate and layered story that you have to make sure you are paying attention to every detail. While also talking about the many complex emotions humans feel and the sometimes deadly, decisions we make because of them. Reviewed by Brianna Lloyd, Epilogue Books Chocolate Brews in Chapel Hill, North Carolina |
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Jane Austen’s Bookshelf by Rebecca Romney Adult Nonfiction, Biography & Autobiography, Literary Figures Your favorite author’s favorite authors are here rediscovered, read, and collected by America’s favorite rare bookseller, Rebecca Romney!For centuries, we’ve hailed Jane Austen as the sole woman literary genius of her era…so why have we been spurning her favorite books by fellow women writers for nearly as long? Romney invites readers on a thrillingly feminist literary adventure as she searches for the books Jane Austen had on her shelf, the women who wrote them, and how they disappeared from the literary canon. Along the way, Romney offers her guidance as a rare bookseller, and, as a reader and collector herself, shares her delight in discovering new favorite authors, new depths to Austen’s novels, and desirable editions of both, ultimately showing, as she builds a bookshelf of her own, how you can develop your own distinct collection too. Reviewed by Megan Bell, Underground Books in Carrollton, Georgia |
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Recommended Reading by Paul Coccia Coming of Age, LGBTQ+, Own Voices, Romance, Romantic Comedy, Young Adult Fiction The Shop Around the Corner vibes around in Ali Brady’s newest novel about rival bookstore owners! Josie manages a literary bookstore just two doors down from the romance bookstore that Ryan manages. But now, the owner of both stores is planning to combine them, but there’s only room for one manager. The one who has the best sales during the next three months wins. They clash instantly after they first meet. But neither realizes that this isn’t the first time they’ve met. They’re actually really good friends on a booksellers’ forum online. Reviewed by Jennifer Jones, Bookmiser in Marietta, Georgia |
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Night Walk by Jason Cockcroft Children, Juvenile Fiction, Science & Nature Night Walk is a beautiful story about a boy and his grandfather who go on a night walk, observing nature and remembering his Grandma and her favorite spots. The artwork is gorgeous, and the story is sure to tug at heartstrings. Highly recommend! Reviewed by Jessica Nock, Main Street Books in Davidson, North Carolina |
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The Kiss Bet Volume One by Ingrid Ochoa Comics & Graphic Novels, Coming of Age, Young Adult Fiction Just how far are you willing to go for a bet? Would you kiss a cute stranger on the subway? I have followed this comic for so so long and I’m elated to see it in print! Team subway boy all the way! Reviewed by Lana Repic, E. Shaver Bookseller in Savannah, Georgia |
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Decide for Yourself Books that appear on PEN America’s list of challenged books. |
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Iron Widow (Book 1) by Xiran Jay Zhao Banned Books, Diversity & Multicultural, Girls & Women, Science Fiction, Young Adult Fiction In a world where the remains of civilization are menaced by enormous, spirit-powered monsters, boys with large spirit-force can become the pilots of the Chrysalises, giant machines that provide humanity’s only defense and the hope to retake the lost provinces. Girls with strong spirit-force can become concubine pilots: the second pilot necessary to power up the Chrysalises, but destined to be used up and die in battle. Wu Zetian’s older sister was sent to be a concubine pilot but when she died outside of battle no pay-out was given to the family. Now the family is sending Wu Zetian, but she’s not planning to go out by herself: she’s going to kill the pilot responsible for her sister’s death first. As Wu Zetian maneuvers through the machinations behind the scenes in both the military and the civilian media, she questions all the country’s received knowledge about the strength and value of women relative to men – and aims herself at a bigger opponent than one single pilot. Reviewed by Ginger Kautz, Quail Ridge Books in Raleigh, North Carolina |
Southern Bestsellers What’s popular this week with Southern Readers. |
[ See the full list ] |
Parting Thought “I am reading six books at once, the only way of reading; since, as you will agree, one book is only a single unaccompanied note, and to get the full sound, one needs ten others at the same time.” |
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Publisher:
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