Based on our booksellers' conviction that you can never have too many good books, Read This Next! is adding a bimonthly Kids list for 2024. Along with the monthly list of five titles for adults, every two months Read This Next! will highlight six books for young readers which have been receiving exception buzz and enthusiasm from Southern indie booksellers.

The January 2024 Adult List is an eclectic collection of literary fiction, cautionary tales, found love, and writerly advice. Read what booksellers have to say here

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

What SIBA Booksellers have to say:

Last Call at the Local by Sarah Grunder Ruiz
An enthralling, and wonderful story about two people who have issues of their own working through them and still living life on a daily basis. It also takes place in Ireland, what's not to love about that?
– Mandy Harris from Angel Wings Bookstore in Stem, North Carolina

1000 Words : A Writer's Guide to Staying Creative, Focused, and Productive All Year Round by Jami Attenberg
1000 Words is a guide for writers, but I think anyone interested in reading would truly enjoy this one. I loved the features from some of my favorite authors.
– Jessica Nock from Main Street Books in Davidson, North Carolina

Only If You're Lucky by Stacy Willingham
This book paints a tale where you can believe given the right circumstances anyone can resort to the most extreme actions of self-preservation. This is not a heart lifting book of survival, more a spine chilling book of survival.
– Jackie Willey from Fiction Addiction in Greenville, South Carolina

The Tusks of Extinction by Ray Nayler
The Tusks of Extinction hurt me, inspired me, and taught me. Nayler's conservationist novella reaches into depths of human empathy and bares it all for examination. Nothing so short has ever made me cry so much.
– Isabel Agajanian from Oxford Exchange in Tampa, Florida

Come and Get It by Kiley Reid
Come and Get It has everything I love about Kiley Reid (her ear for dialog is unparalleled, and she does realistic social cringe so. well.) with an added layer of tenderness towards her characters -- most of which are a whole entire aggravating MESS -- that blew me out of the water. I did NOT expect to be sobbing at the end, but sobbing I was.
– Kat Leache from Novel, Inc. 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

The January/February Kids List is all about being yourself and making a difference, and includes books for all ages, from picture books up to young adult stories.

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

Here is why Southen indie booksellers love them:

Like So by Ruth Forman, Raissa Figueroa (Illus.)
With gorgeous illustrations, this is a sweet story about the love between a grandmother and child. This one will tug at your heart strings!
– Jessica Nock from Main Street Books in Davidson, North Carolina

José Feeds the World by Marta Álvarez Miguéns (Illus.), David Unger
This book highlights the power of one person's idea and the way one can mobilize and inspire many. This would be a great book to share with a young reader who has questions about why disasters happen and what we can do to help those affected.
– Kate Storhoff from Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, North Carolina

How the Boogeyman Became a Poet by Tony Keith, Jr.
A truer than most story written in verse like it should be. Tony relates how he became the first person in his family to become openly gay and a university graduate. It is a moving story of his trials and tribulations.
– Judith Lafitte from Octavia Books in New Orleans, Louisiana

We Got the Beat by Jenna Miller
Jordan is not sporty and her nemesis has just been named captain of the volleyball team. Could it get any worse? This fun, sweet YA romcom was a delight to read!
– Jennifer Jones from Bookmiser, Inc. in Marietta, Georgia

The Wild by Yuval Zommer
This book is absolutely gorgeous. It is a gentle introduction to the concept of why conservation is important. Perfect for Earth Day readalouds.
– Jill Hendrix from Fiction Addiction in Greenville, South Carolina

Both lists, with full reviews from SIBA booksellers, will be published at The Southern Bookseller Review on January 1st. Current Read This Next! books can be found here.

And books on past lists make an interesting and unusual "best of the year" reading list for book clubs choosing their picks for the new year.