Current Newsletter: Celebrating Hispanic and Latine Heritage Month

Bookstores with reviews in this week's newsletter:

• Kathy Clemmons, Sundog Books in Santa Rosa Beach, Florida
• Ian McCord, Avid Bookshop in Athens, Georgia
• Anna Trevathan, The Bottom in Knoxville, Tennessee
• Carroll Gelderman, Garden District Book Shop in New Orleans, Louisiana
• Jessica Nock, Main Street Books in Davidson, North Carolina
• Michael Yetter, Joseph-Beth Booksellers in Louisville, Kentucky
• Claire McWhorter, River & Hill Books in Rome, Georgia
• Angela Redden, Reading Rock Books in Dickson, Tennessee
• Amanda Grell, Pearl’s Books in Fayetteville, Arkansas
• Jennifer Jones, Bookmiser in Marietta, Georgia
• Candice Conner, The Haunted Book Shop in Mobile, Alabama
• Jamie Kovacs, Flyleaf Books in Chapel Hill, North Carolina
• Cristina Russell, Books & Books in Coral Gables, Florida

Book Buzz Feature: Blue Sisters by Coco Mellors
Certain themes really choose writers. Addiction is a theme I never really chose to write about, but I cannot escape it. I’ve been sober for eight years and I come from a family of addicts and alcoholics, almost all of whom are sober as well, so I was interested in writing about addiction in families. I’m also interested in sobriety in families and how that can get passed down through generations. What does it look like to be long-term sober but still self-destructive? What does it look like to be newly sober and starting to heal? What does it look like to have never drunk or done drugs, but still have the impulse to escape yourself, which I think Bonnie has.
–Coco Mellors, Interview, The Guardian

Decide For Yourself Banned Book Feature:
Islandborn by Junot Díaz
It means the world that stories like this exist throughout children’s literature these days, and Islandborn is a book that tells the tale so wonderfully. This is the story of an immigrant who moved here as a baby, or maybe even a child born in the States, who is surrounded by talk of “home” and of the “old days” all their life. This is the story of how that can be alienating and painful and how learning more about where and who you’re made of can bring you strength and joy untold. The illustrations are vibrant and lovely, each page full of story and tiny, beautiful details.
― Cristina Russell, Books & Books in Coral Gables, Florida

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