The books Southern indie booksellers are recommending to readers everywhere!

Women

The Mother of All Things by Alexis Landau

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The Mother of All Things by Alexis Landau
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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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The Body Farm by Abby Geni

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The Body Farm by Abby Geni
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Abby Geni’s short stories in The Body Farm are each deliciously different in scope, subject matter, tone, and voice. What they have in common is an exploration of being human, of having feelings that are confusing, and the physical manifestations these emotions can trigger. Being alive is messy and examining the complications of loving, aging, and simply living are some of the things Geni writes best.

The Body Farm by Abby Geni, (List Price: $27, Counterpoint, 9781640096264, May 2024)

Reviewed by Rachel Watkins, Avid Bookshop in Athens, Georgia

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The Husbands by Holly Gramazio

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The Husbands by Holly Gramazio
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A wonderful romp of a debut novel. Lauren’s search for “the right man” becomes hilarious drama when she discovers her attic has the magical ability to spit out one “husband” after another for her to “try on.” She sends one man after another back up the attic stairs, hoping the next one will be that “perfect man.” Every page is both fun and funny and the suspense for how she’ll finalize things will keep you reading.

The Husbands by Holly Gramazio, (List Price: $29, Doubleday, 9780385550611, April 2024)

Reviewed by Patience Allan-Glick, Underground Books and Hills & Hamlets Bookshop in Carrollton, Georgia

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Wedding Issues by Elle Evans

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Wedding Issues by Elle Evans
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Laugh out-loud funny book just in time for wedding season. This book engages family, friends, the wedding industry, and a fast-paced plot perfect for the beach. I gave this to my future daughter-in-law, hoping she can find the fun in the planning. A must-read for any bride.

Wedding Issues by Elle Evans, (List Price: $17.99, Zibby Books, 9781958506745, April 2024)

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

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The Road from Belhaven by Margot Livesey

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The Road from Belhaven by Margot Livesey
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Born in 1873, Lizzie Craig is raised by her grandparents at Belhaven Farm in Scotland. Lizzie discovers that she can see small pieces of the future but doesn’t always understand when and how these events will take place. Lizzie falls in love with a young man helping with the harvest and her devotion to him causes her to make some disastrous personal choices. This compelling story of choices, regrets and second chances is wonderfully written and hard to put down.

The Road from BelhavenThe Road from Belhaven by Margot Livesey, (List Price: $29, Knopf, 9780593537046, February 2024)

Reviewed by Mary Patterson, The Little Bookshop in Midlothian, Virginia

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Memory Piece by Lisa Ko

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Memory Piece by Lisa Ko
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Get ready Memory Piece starts out slow and personal and then takes a whirlwind turn into the intense. Centered around three childhood friends spanning 40 years, Ko weaves together a connection through art, technology advancement, and what society considers valuable. For fans of stories that center around the near distant future, coming-of-age, and female friendships.

Memory PieceMemory Piece by Lisa Ko, (List Price: $28, Riverhead Books, 9780593542101, March 2024)

Reviewed by Jenny Gilroy, E. Shaver Bookseller in Savannah, Georgia

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The Other Side of Disappearing by Kate Clayborn

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The Other Side of Disappearing by Kate Clayborn
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This is a poignant about family and all the ways those closest to you can do the most harm. Jess knows her mother for who she is, a woman who deserted her family for a con artist recently met. One so infamous he is the subject of a popular podcast. Jess has first-hand experience with her Mother’s priorities and knows her daughters are low on the list. What Jess doesn’t know is that her sister Tegan, whom she has raised, is determined to find their Mother. So much so that she has been communicating with a podcast host who wants to tell the story. By the ways Tegan has been communicating as Jess, an adult. The pressure to keep Tegan safe and not destroy their relationship is a desperate struggle for a “surrogate Mother” who is really just a sister. An obnoxious and pushy podcast host is not a benefit to Jess, nor the host’s handsome and kind assistant. This is a sweet story of finding family through love.

The Other Side of DisappearingThe Other Side of Disappearing by Kate Clayborn, (List Price: $17.95, Kensington, 9781496737311, March 2024)

Reviewed by Jackie Willey, Fiction Addiction in Greenville, South Carolina

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The Magic All Around by Jennifer Moorman

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The Magic All Around by Moorman, Jennifer
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This book is a delight for both intellect and emotion. The characters are sensitive and believable. Family relationships resemble those in Practical Magic, but are more focused on understanding one’s place in life. Each individual has a specific purpose and intent… life happens the way it was intended (eventually). Highly recommend!

The Magic All Around by Jennifer Moorman, (List Price: $17.99, Harper Muse, 9781400240487, January 2024)

Reviewed by Liz Perkins, Blinking Owl Books in Fort Myers, Florida

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I Love You So Much It’s Killing Us Both by Mariah Stovall

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I Love You So Much It's Killing Us Both by Mariah Stovall
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A beautiful punch in the gut like one from the mosh pit on a Saturday night. Mariah Stovall’s full-length debut sweeps her readers into the tender yet vicious embrace of teenage friendship and meditates on putting on your own life jacket before trying to help others. Stovall reveals connections and personal history slowly, moving between past, present, and future, all woven through with the heroes of post-hardcore, punk, and emo. This novel bears a re-read to untangle the ways that music and fiction intertwine.

I Love You So Much It’s Killing Us Both by Mariah Stovall, (List Price: $28, Soft Skull, 9781593767600, 2024-02-13)

Reviewed by Mikey LaFave, Avid Bookshop in Athens, Georgia

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The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois by Honoree Fanonne Jeffers

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The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois by Honoree Fanonne Jeffers
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Yes, this book is 790 pages. Yes, I thought that was more than a little daunting, but I’m so happy that I challenged my attention span and read this novel. Part coming-of-age story, part examination of racial injustice in higher education, part sweeping historical saga, and part family drama, The Love Songs of W.E.B Du Bois spans centuries yet somehow still feels so focused and pictorial. Apparently, Jeffers is an accomplished poet, and the language here definitely reflects that. I’m going to stop this blurb here because if I talk too much, I won’t be able to stop for 800 pages myself, but if you commit to this book, it won’t disappoint you.

The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du BoisThe Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois by Honoree Fanonne Jeffers, (List Price: $20, Harper Perennial, 9780062942951, May 2022)

Reviewed by Sam Edge, Epilogue: Books Chocolate Brews in Chapel Hill, North Carolina

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The Magic All Around by Jennifer Moorman

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The Magic All Around by Moorman, Jennifer
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Sometimes we just need a little magic like this! Mattie returns to the Russell family home for a brief stay at the sudden passing of her mom, Lilith. But Lilith’s will keeps Mattie in Ivy Ridge longer. In carrying out her mom’s wishes, Mattie and her aunt Penelope uncover secrets in the old Victorian house that unsettle them both and lead to new possibilities. I enjoyed this wonderful story of homecoming, family, and love!

The Magic All Around by Jennifer Moorman, (List Price: $17.99, Harper Muse, 9781400240487, January 2024)

Reviewed by Cathy Graham, Copperfish Books in Punta Gorda, Florida

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The Women by Kristin Hannah

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The Women by Kristin Hannah
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Yet another powerful book from Kristin Hannah. Like most of her novels, it not only taught me about a time period, it made me feel it. She somehow manages to make you feel like you have experienced an entire life, full of rich experiences with everything explored, without being a gigantic book. It’s truly a talent of hers. As a former history major that specifically studied this time period, I still learned a ton from this book. It’s kind of shocking how many fiction books we have about WWII and how little we have about Vietnam. I found myself making a list of non fiction books after to explore more about the women in Vietnam, who as this book beautifully points out, were horribly ignored. It is a story that both needed to be told and was a treat to read.

The Women by Kristin Hannah, (List Price: $30, St. Martin’s Press, 9781250178633, February 2024)

Reviewed by Kelley Dykes, Main Street Reads in Summerville, South Carolina

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The Other Valley by Scott Alexander Howard

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The Other Valley by Scott Alexander Howard
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In a world where one may travel 20 years into the future or 20 years into the past just to take a look at what happened/will happen, which would you choose? This is the world where The Other Valley exists. Would you go back to just see the face of a loved one no longer with you? Would you go forward to see the future? For readers of David Mitchell, Kazuo Ishiguro, this book has you asking yourself “what would I do?”. And what would you do if your job was to police the time trips of those who wished to visit the other Valleys? Great choice for book clubs!

The Other Valley by Scott Alexander Howard, (List Price: $27.99, Atria Books, 9781668015476, February 2024)

Reviewed by Kelly Justice, Fountain Bookstore in Richmond, Virginia

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Holiday Country by Inci Atrek

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Holiday Country by Inci
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The coast of Turkey was the perfect backdrop for this tragic coming of age story. It was refreshing to see the older man/young woman trope from the young woman’s perspective as well as the complexities of growing up, finding one’s place, and cultivating relationships with the people around you. This was a refreshing look at an age old theme.

Holiday Country by Inci Atrek, (List Price: $28.99, , 9781250889461, January 2024)

Reviewed by Sara Putman, Bookish: An Indie Shop For Folks Who Read in Fort Smith, Arkansas

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Happily by Sabrina Orah Mark

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Happily by Sabrina Orah Mark
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In Happily, Mark spins magically surreal sketches of motherhood, art, and life. Woven from fairy tales refracted into reality, each essay shimmers with wit, candor, and whimsy. As sharp as a spindle, as ethereal as an eggshell—this gemlike collection of memoir-fables will leave you enchanted.

Happily by Sabrina Orah Mark, (List Price: $27, Random House, 9780593242476, March 2023)

Reviewed by Hannah DeCamp, Avid Bookshop in Athens, Georgia

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