Romance is in the holiday air with the December Read This Next! list. There is a definite "love and adventure" theme to these most-buzzed books of the month.

Every month Read This Next! highlights new books that are receiving exceptional, and exceptionally enthusiastic, buzz from Southern indie booksellers. Each of the selected books has several enthusiastic cheerleaders among Southern indie booksellers. SIBA always makes a point of putting the store excitement and buzz around these books in front of their publishers, raising store visibility with the industry.

RTNext! Bookseller Resources:
Edelweiss Collection | Flyer | Flyer Front (image)

What SIBA Booksellers have to say:

Raiders of the Lost Heart by Jo Segura
This is the romance I've been yearning for, one that fills all my needs for a romance novel version of Romancing the Stone, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, and Indiana Jones.
– Preet Singh from Eagle Eye Book Shop in Decatur, Georgia

Second Chances in New Port Stephen by TJ Alexander
The perfect mix of heartwarming holiday charm and queer romance...The characters made my heart ache, they made me laugh, and they gave me the warm fuzzies that come from knowing there are wonderful, genuine, and kind people in the world.
– Emily Lessig from The Violet Fox Bookshop in Virginia Beach, Virginia

Airplane Mode : An Irreverent History of Travel by Shahnaz Habib
I found this to be some of the most moving travel writing I've read in recent years -- it's funny, witty, sometimes scathing, but it's also deeply sincere, personal, and imbued with a love of the world and the people who inhabit it.
– Kate Storhoff from Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, North Carolina

Betting on You by Lynn Painter
The perfect slow-burn full of page defying chemistry, witty banter, crazy hijinks, and a whole lot of heart! ...Painter also does an excellent job of exploring themes of anxiety, change, and friendship. It's When Harry Met Sally for a new generation!
– Emma Tara from E. Shaver, bookseller in Savannah, Georgia

Didn't See That Coming by Jesse Q. Sutanto
Kiki is forced by her parents to transfer to a top school for her final year. She is able to escape into gaming where, because of the massive amounts of abuse, she's been playing as a male player. But she's made a great friend in game. When she realizes that her friend actually goes to her new school, she must find out who he is. Didn't See That Coming is both hilarious and heartbreaking while being a fantastic read.
– Jennifer Jones from Bookmiser, Inc. in Marietta, Georgia

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