Southern indie booksellers have selected five books, their hand-sell favorites for the upcoming month, as October 2022 Read This Next! titles. The chosen books all release in September and have the enthusiastic support of southern booksellers, This month Read Different! Read These Next!

Edelweiss Collection | Flyer | Flyer Front (JPG)

What SIBA Booksellers have to say:

Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver (Harper)
A brilliant retelling of the David Copperfield story from the perspective of the poor son of a teenage mother living in rural Appalachia. From the first sentence, Demon’s voice grabs us and takes us on an unforgettable journey through his early life. This novel about a resilient boy develops empathy for families and children so frequently dismissed in the national discourse. It is a masterful American story.
–Lia Lent in Wordsworth Books in Little Rock, Arkansas

Mistakes Were Made by Meryl Wilsner (St. Martin's Griffin)
There is something that happens when you take an age old trope (age-gap or best friend's dad) and make it queer that breathes new life into the story. So many chili peppers for this book. Sheesh.
– Katie Garaby in Parnassus Books in Nashville, Tennessee

This Story Is Not About a Kitten by Randall de Sève, Carson Ellis (Illus.) (Random House Studio)
Many hands make light work, and many hearts working together can accomplish great things. This is not a story about a kitten, its a story about community, the language of caring, and of the incredible powers of kindness group effort can bring.
–Angie Tally in The Country Bookshop in Southern Pines, North Carolina

Our Missing Hearts by Celeste Ng (Penguin Press)
In addition to being an all-too-believable near-future dystopian novel in the tradition of The Handmaid's Tale, Our Missing Hearts is also a subtle call to action to those of us who recognize how essential stories and art are to freedom. Celeste Ng's previous books were terrific. This is her most important work yet.
–Frank Reiss in A Cappella Books in Atlanta, Georgia

Which Side Are You On by Ryan Lee Wong
Which Side Are You On is a dialogue-heavy book with prose that is sharp, thought-provoking, and humorous at times. The reader sees the subjects of race, policing, politics, and privilege through the eyes of a young activist as he pries into his parents’ own personal history of activism in their younger days. Filled with interesting anecdotes and hard-learned lessons, this book shows that sometimes personal growth is best attained through deep conversation and self-reflection.
–Stuart McCommon in Novel in Memphis, Tennessee

Current Read This Next! books and what SIBA booksellers have to say about them can always be found at The Southern Bookseller Review