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April 5, 2022 Make the stories sing. The first book spotlighted from the April list of "Read This Next!" titles is a debut novel called Memphis by Tara M. Stringfellow. The term "debut" here deserves an explaination, however, because Tara Stringfellow is a well-established poet who has been writing since she was ten years old, making her a fitting author to feature for the first week of Poetry Month. Memphis is her first novel. The first time, as she says in her interview with Book Pipeline, that she could think in terms of stanzas instead of chapters, sentences instead of lines. She called it freeing. And daunting. "I grew up with devastating, grief-laced stories about gorgeous and unknown Black folk," she writes, "All I had as proof were quilts and stories. But I knew, instrinsically, that it would be my lifelong duty like my mother in our kitchen, to make those tales sing." Poems Origins: A Prose Poem in Apogee Journal My Ex-Husband, in Jet Fuel Review Read This Now | Read This Next | The Bookseller Directory |
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Read This Now! Recommended by Southern indies… |
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Bless the Daughter Raised by a Voice in Her Head by Warsan Shire Adult Nonfiction, Poetry, Women Authors I cant put into words how much this poetry collection affected me, and how I am completely infatuated with every word on every page. Shire truly left me speechless with her prose and poems centering around being a refugee, maternal relationships, and what it means to be a woman. It’s poetry that’s so full of emotion you feel every word she says, and it’s impeccable. Reviewed by Grace Sullivan, Fountain Bookstore in Richmond, Virginia |
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Song for the Missing by Pierre Jarawan Adult Fiction, Fiction, Middle East, World Literature I’m still on a globetrotty search for coming-of-age stories set in the 1990s (specifically 92-96) to hold up my bland high school soft-serve experience-machine. This one here is a perfectly paced and passionate ode to Lebanon, family drama and young friendship, served up like a mystery. Reviewed by Ian McCord, Avid Bookshop in Athens, Georgia |
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Bookseller Buzz |
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Spotlight on: Memphis by Tara M. Stringfellow
"With poetry, your entire message, the duende of the poem, the catharsis of the readers all needs to fit in the space of a few lines. I spent years—years—trying to master this and will spend many, many more. With prose, I felt the freedom of the entire page, of entire chapters to speak my truth. I was no longer confined to the space of a stanza. I found it incredibly liberating and refreshing. But also incredibly daunting. "–Tara M. Stringfellow, interview in Book Pipeline What booksellers are saying about Memphis 
Tara M. Stringfellow Poet, former attorney, Northwestern University MFA graduate, and semifinalist for the Fulbright Fellowship, Tara M. Stringfellow has written for Collective Unrest, Minerva Rising, Jet Fuel Review, Women Arts Quarterly Journal, and Apogee Journal, among other publications. After having lived in Okinawa, Ghana, Chicago, Cuba, Spain, Italy, and Washington, D.C., she moved back home to Memphis, where she sits on her porch swing every evening with her hound, Huckleberry, listening to records and chatting with neighbors. |
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The Younger Wife by Sally Hepworth Adult Fiction, Domestic, Thrillers, Women The twists, the turns, the traumas! A family tale of suspense that hooks the reader from page one. Hepworth creates a world of privilege and ease where nothing is what it seems including your own perceptions. Reviewed by Susan Williams, M Judson Booksellers and Storytellers in Greenville, South Carolinaa |
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The Modern Proper by Holly Erickson Adult Nonfiction, Cooking, Quick & Easy A chapter devoted to dips, spreads, and dressings… and a chapter on meatballs? We were instantly smitten! And we continued to return to this collection of unfussy, from-scratch recipes designed for family meals or entertaining (but definitely scalable down: I’m talking about you, Saucy Grilled Cheese with Asparagus.) The Modern Proper will bring fun, imaginative food into your world. Reviewed by Anne Peck, Righton Books in St Simons Island, Georgia |
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All My Rage by Sabaa Tahir Adult Fiction, Family Life, Siblings Once you are captured into this story, you cannot help but ache for these characters. This is a beautiful story about two teens who are trying to balance the weight of the world on their shoulders, and Sabaa Tahir delivers their stories with poignance and grace once again. At this point, there is nothing she could write that I would not read. Seemingly able to traverse from fantasy into fiction, Tahir delivers a novel that is at times a stunningly accurate description of teenagers and their grief, while at others touching on relationships and the sway they hold over us. Bravo to her for being able to write such a gorgeous story. Reviewed by Hallie Smith, Main Street Books in Davidson, North Carolina |
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Hundred Years of Happiness by Thanhhà Lai, Children, Family, Multigenerational Hundred Years of Happiness is a remarkable picture book. Teeming with stunning illustrations and storytelling, this book tugs at the heartstrings. I adored the mixture of family, culture, and food at the center of this story. The inclusion of the recipe at the end of the book was such a fun surprise! Reviewed by Lauren Kean, Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, North Carolina |
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Read This Next! Books on the horizon: Forthcoming favorites from Southern indies… |
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The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi Adult Fiction, African American & Black, Literary, Literary Fiction An April 2022 Read This Next! Title Memphis is a wonderful, intriguing book about a family of black women in Memphis. Primarily centering on two sisters, both with much tragedy but amazing resilience, and one of their daughters. They carry on the strong tradition of their mother. Skipping around between different years and various characters, it weaves what undoubtedly is the story of so many black women in Memphis. Beautifully written. Reviewed by Lynne Phillips, Wordsworth Books in Little Rock, Arkansas |
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Southern Bestsellers What’s popular this week with Southern Readers. |
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Parting Thought “Poetry is a political act because it involves telling the truth.” |
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