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A lovely book about a woman leaning to find herself after losing her moorings in motherhood and marriage. This book is good. The suggestions of Greek Myth woven into the story are interesting but the story is much more about the marriage and motherhood than it is about Goddess and Greek Myth. The selected sources in the back are of great interest to anyone interested in those subjects and the story stands strong on its own as one woman reckoning with her choices in the past and every day.

The Mother of All Things by Alexis Landau, (List Price: 29, Pantheon, 9780593700792, May 2024)

Reviewed by Kimberly Daniels, The Country Bookshop in Southern Pines, North Carolina

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This is a long book and took me forever to read, but I really fell in love with the bandits of Liangshan, and the second half of the book is packed with action. Worth a read for sure, especially if you like Chinese martial arts!

The Water Outlaws by S. L. Huang, (List Price: $18.99, Tordotcom, 9781250847980, May 2024)

Reviewed by Candice Huber, Tubby & Coo’s Traveling Book Shop in New Orleans, Louisiana

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This short story collection sparkles in its deft explorations of womanhood, identity, and family. Gina Chung interweaves the fantastical with the mundane throughout these stories that invite you to contemplate girlhood, womanhood, and motherhood in new and unique ways. I am taken with “Attachment Processes,” a meditation on grief, motherhood, and AI and “Mantis.”

Green Frog by Gina Chung, (List Price: $17, Vintage, 9780593469361, March 2024)

Reviewed by Mikey LaFave, Avid Bookshop in Athens, Georgia

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What do we do with the work of monstrous artists? Can we separate it from their reprehensible actions and the suffering they cause? Claire Dederer doesn’t have an exact answer, but boy, was it thrilling to see her try to work it out on the page, using figures like Roman Polanski, JK Rowling, Woody Allen, Pablo Picasso, and others as her sparring partners. My favorite kind of nonfiction: thoughtful writing about tough stuff through the lens of the personal. More, please!

Monsters by Claire Dederer, (List Price: $17, Vintage, 9780525564188, April 2024)

Reviewed by Rachel Knox, Tombolo Books in St. Petersburg, Florida

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This pocket-size book takes just an hour or two to read, structurally spans a day and a night, but holds half a century’s wisdom about bookselling. Paul Yamazaki has been the principal book buyer at Lawrence Ferlinghetti’s iconic City Lights bookstore in San Francisco for 50 years. This brief but complex and consequential collection of interviews with a venerable bookseller of color who’s experienced so much is a gift to all who love bookstores.

Reading the Room by Paul Yamazaki, (List Price: $13.95, Ode Books, 9781958846698, May 2024)

Reviewed by Megan Bell, Underground Books in Carrollton , Georgia

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Well! I was so excited to be asked to be a part of this book! I wasn’t sure what to expect but it exceeded expectations! I am humbled to be in such great company. One of the best things about my job is the people. Book people are the actual best! This book proves it. Fierce, intelligent people across the country were interviewed about their jobs in the book world. We may live far apart, but the message is the same. We care about people reading. We will move heaven and earth to get children to read. We are compassionate and empathetic people who take the time to listen to customers’ stories. I love this world and am so excited to get people to understand how important books and their book pimps are.

The Secret Lives of Booksellers and LibrariansThe Secret Lives of Booksellers and Librarians by James Patterson, (List Price: $30, Little Brown and Company, 9780316567534, April 2024)

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

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So many stories. It reminds me of The Undefeated by Kwame Alexander, and the rhymes and cadence of I Heard make it a wonderful pick for a read-aloud. One of our storyteller friends says some picture books are meant to be read with the people sitting right next to you, and others translate up from that to be told to a big crowd of listeners. This one, with its sonorous title, is meant to be proclaimed, and the detail in the illustrations by Walthall begs another go-through to see all the faces.

I Heard by Jaha Nailah Avery, (List Price: $17.99, Charlesbridge, 9781623543822, April 2024)

Reviewed by Lisa Yee Swope, Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, North Carolina

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Next Stop is an endearing graphic novel that made me laugh out loud on one page, then tear up on the next. Fong’s ability to discuss grief and loss without sacrificing charm makes Next Stop a must-read for children and adults.

Next Stop by Debbie Fong, (List Price: $13.99, Random House Graphic, 9780593425183, March 2024)

Reviewed by Courtney Ulrich Smith, Underbrush Books in Rogers, Arkansas

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Battles defending honor and fighting sexism, this graphic novel has it all. Set in samurai times with a modern twist, The Worst Ronin shows the progression of a young girl learning how to fight for her life and a worn-down drunken warrior learning how to be kind.

The Worst Ronin by Maggie Tokuda-Hall, (List Price: $18.99, HarperAlley, 9780358464938, May 2024)

Reviewed by Sara Dimaria, Cavalier House Books in Denham Springs, Louisiana