A seasonal list of the favorite books of Southern indie booksellers, for your reading pleasure!
[PREVIOUS READ THIS NEXT! TITLES]
Exhibit by R. O. Kwon
Sexy sentences, startling images, and complicated and unexpected characters flesh out Kwon’s impressionistic peek inside the art world and the people who inhabit it. I kept finding myself picking up this book and flipping back to sections, re-reading them, and feeling like they were perfect little arias. Two women, with different art forms, brush up against one another at just the right time and form something larger than the sum of their parts. Not for those who need fast-paced, plot heavy action – but this book 100% rewards the lover of graceful language and intricate interiority. Loved, loved, loved.
Exhibit by R. O. Kwon, (List Price: $28, Riverhead Books, 9780593190029, May 2024)
Reviewed by Rachel Knox, Tombolo Books in St. Petersburg, Florida
Cactus Country by Zoë Bossiere
Cactus Country is a lucid and tender coming-of-age memoir of class and gender expression. With an enjoyable ease, Zoë Bossiere vividly paints the Tucson desert, the colorful residents of the trailer park, which gives the memoir its title, and the search for understanding and acceptance. Explores a young person’s gender journey without prescriptiveness but rather sensitivity and care.
Cactus Country by Zoë Bossiere, (List Price: $27, Abrams Press, 9781419773181, May 2024)
Reviewed by Luis Correa, Avid Bookshop in Athens, Georgia
Swiped by L.M. Chilton
What a fun read! It is a good thing I had a long car ride and nothing else to do because I couldn’t put it down. Swiped is a delightful rom-com murder mystery. Romance may be stretching it a little as the “Rom” part was Gwen trying to get over a breakup by swiping right on a dating app to hook up with six different dates, none of whom rated a second date. Comedy, definitely, as the dialogue was smart and witty, and definitely a murder mystery as Gwen’s dates were being murdered one by one and she soon became the prime suspect. I thought I had this one figured out at least three different times, but boy was I wrong.
Swiped by L.M. Chilton, (List Price: $27.99, Gallery/Scout Press, 9781668045701, May 2024)
Reviewed by Nancy McFarlane, Fiction Addiction in Greenville, South Carolina
The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley
I am a former diplomat who worked on immigration to the U.S. for years, and this book spoke to me on so many levels. I haven’t been so moved by a fantasy novel since The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by VE Schwab, maybe even Exit West by Mohsin Hamid, both of which I will use as a basis of comparison while handselling the hell out of this book. The premise is not simple, but this world is incredibly easy to enter. The UK government of the near future has discovered time travel and is testing its impact on the bodies and minds of five “expats,” rescued from certain deaths in large-scale calamities of history. Each expat is assigned a “bridge,” a civil servant who will help them acclimatize to modernity (while reporting on their every move to the Ministry). At its heart, this novel is an often hilarious romance between one bridge and her expat. But the depth of world-building around their relationship, the back stories of each character, and the tremendous emotion on display through Ms. Bradley’s exquisite way with words make this anything but your run-of-the-mill love story. Come for the Bond-like moments of adventure. Stay for the pearls of wisdom Ms. Bradley drops on how our futures are truly built, one sealed door of possibility, hope, and forgiveness at a time.
The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley, (List Price: $28.99, Avid Reader Press / Simon & Schuster, 9781668045145, May 2024)
Reviewed by Jude Burke-Lewis, Square Books in Salisbury, Mississippi
Sipsworth by Simon Van Booy
“On her eightieth birthday, Helen spent the day moving things in the kitchen cupboard. Three years pass with nothing to fill their pockets. Then, early one morning, something happens.” Helen Cartwright is waiting to die. Her husband and son have passed, and she is ready to go. She has returned to her childhood town in an English village and she has been living a quiet life. This love story begins with her finding a mouse in her house and as the love grows with the mouse Sipsworth, so does Helen’s contacts. This is such a loving, moving story told with such skill and heart. This reviewer can’t wait to reread this tiny tale perhaps many times. Anyone who reads it will never look at a mouse or an octogenarian the same way.
Sipsworth by Simon Van Booy, (List Price: $26.95, David R. Godine, Publisher, 9781567927948, May 2024)
Reviewed by Nancy Pierce, Bookmiser in Marietta, Georgia
With Love, Miss Americanah by Jane Igharo
This semi-autobiographical YA story follows a Nigerian teen and her family as they emigrate to the U.S. after the unexpected death of her father. Enore is a planner, and preps herself for American high school by watching classic teen movies. I loved all the references to some of my favorite films! I enjoyed tagging along on Enore’s journey, as she learns that the kids at her school are more than just their movie stereotypes, finds endearing first love, and learns to use her voice and stand up for the things she wants. There were a couple of cringy moments, but overall this is a heartfelt story, told with an authentic and relatable voice!
With Love, Miss Americanah by Jane Igharo, (List Price: $20.99, Feiwel & Friends, 9781250873378, June 2024)
Reviewed by Emma Tara, E. Shaver Bookseller in Savannah, Georgia
The Dos and Donuts of Love by Adiba Jaigirdar
Literally one of my favorite books I have ever read! Represents the LGBTQ community, talks about racism, and the trials and errors of friends and lovers. Must read!
The Dos and Donuts of Love by Adiba Jaigirdar, (List Price: $12.99, Square Fish, 9781250842121, June 2024)
Reviewed by Jennifer Jones, Bookmiser in Savannah, Georgia
Finding the Way to Faraway Valley by Cecilia Heikkila
A lovely story of a grandfather and his grandson who go searching for Faraway Valley; a place that his grandfather visited when he was younger. This is a sensitive story of the connection they share in order to find this most amazing location.
Finding the Way to Faraway Valley by Cecilia Heikkila, (List Price: $17.95, Floris Books, 9781782508540, May 2024)
Reviewed by Judith Lafitte, Octavia Books in Athens, Louisiana
The Secret Library by Kekla Magoon
When Dally steps inside the Secret Library, her life changes. Each book whisks her through time and connects her with her family’s past. From a seafaring pirate adventure to a connection closer to home, new stories open and reveal where she is meant to be. An adventure story with depth.
The Secret Library by Kekla Magoon, (List Price: $18.99, Candlewick, 9781536230888, May 2024)
Reviewed by Rae Ann Parker, Parnassus Books in Nashville, Tennessee
Summer Is Here by Renée Watson
Summer is Here is a beautiful story about a girl’s perfect summer day. Watson’s words are light and feel like sunshine, while Jackson’s beautiful illustrations make you want to experience that summer day as a child again.
Summer Is Here by Renée Watson, (List Price: $18.99, Bloomsbury Children’s Books, 9781547605866, May 2024)
Reviewed by Jennifer Jones, Bookmiser in Marietta, Georgia
Built to Last by Minh Lê
A delightful story about friendship and the power of imagination! I love that even after their grand plans fail again and again, the two protagonists rely on each other and trust in their friendship. This book is so beautifully illustrated, like all books Dan Santat illustrates!
Built to Last by Minh Lê, (List Price: $18.99, Knopf Books for Young Readers, 9780593569177, April 2024)
Reviewed by Kate Storhoff, Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, North Carolina