Where will you be on Independent Bookstore Day?
April 25 is Independent Bookstore Day, which may not be an official national holiday, but certainly deserves to be a worldwide party. Have you checked in with your local bookstore to see what they are planning? Over 2000 independent bookstores are celebrating (there is a map), and there are a number of “bookstore crawls,” which is like a pub crawl, only you get drunk on literature. Bookstore events range from raffles to author readings, games to free snacks, storytimes to open mics. Many stores invite other local businesses to celebrate with them — local restaurants and food vendors, brew pubs, artists and artisans, and in one case, a local plant nursery. As the Book Wyrm and Other Oddities in Douglasville, GA says, “Come for the books, stay for the community.”A Reading List for Arab American Heritage Month
Homeland by Hannah Moushabeck A love letter to a people and place we see far too little of in books and media. It is time for more books like Hannah’s to teach us about Palestinians and their beautiful culture. – Rayna, Blue Cypress Books in New Orleans, Louisiana Silken Gazelles by Jokha Alharthi Perfect for Ferrante and Rooney fans, for anyone who’s lost a friend and searched for her in every shadow of their life. A haunting and dazzling story. – Emily, Thank You Books in Birmingham, Alabama The Coin by Yasmin Zaher Zaher ruminates on statelessness, nature, opulence, and beauty in the narrator’s slow spiral. The Coin is an incredible debut! – Kelsey, Tombolo Books in St. Petersburg, Florida Song for the Missing by Pierre Jarawan This one here is a perfectly paced and passionate ode to Lebanon, family drama and young friendship, served up like a mystery. – Ian McCord, Avid Bookshop in Athens, Georgia Bride of the Sea by Eman Quotah Full of longing and regret, Bride of the Sea tells the story of Muneer and Saeedah, a newly married couple from Saudi Arabia living in Ohio. – Jessica, Main Street Books in Davidson, North Carolina Find more recommendations at SBRFeaturing reviews of:
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- Gilgamesh translated by Simon Armitage, reviewed by Doron, Octavia Books in New Orleans, Louisiana
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- Almost Life by Kiran Millwood Hargrave, reviewed by Sarah, E. Shaver, Booksellers in Savannah, Georgia
- The Feather Wars by James McCommons, reviewed by Jim, Righton Books in St Simons Island, Georgia
- The Verdant Cage by Jess Lourey, reviewed by Itzy, M. Judson Booksellers in Greenville, South Carolina
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- Serafina Makes Waves by Matthew Burgess, reviewed by Rae Ann, Parnassus Books in Nashville, Tennessee
- Minor Detail by Adania Shibli, reviewed by Olivia, Shelf Life Books in Richmond, Virginia
- Bookseller Buzz: Seasons of Glass and Iron by Amal El-Mohtar, reviewed by Erika, Righton Books, St. Simon’s Island, Georgia; Flora, Epilogue Books, Chapel Hill, North Carolina; Rachel, Parnassus Books in Nashville, Tennessee