The books in on the Read This Next! May list speak in a glorious variety of voices: Indigenous, Latine, Generational, Anxious, Adventurious, Queer, Rebellious, Rural, and River. At a time when people are frequently reduced to labels these stories resist stereotypes and celebrate our many complexities.

RTNX Bookseller Resources:
Edelweiss Collection | Flyer | Flyer Graphic

What SIBA Booksellers have to say:

Old School Indian by Aaron John Curtis
I am certain that Its potent mix of honesty, urgency, and hope, laced with a perfectly wicked dose of humor, will resonate deeply with readers everywhere.
– Mitchell Kaplan, Books & Books in Coral Gables, Florida

My Name Is Emilia del Valle by Isabel Allende, Frances Riddle (trans.)
I didn’t know I wanted to read about the Chilean civil war until Isabel Allende had me hooked. I loved Emilia’s character; she’s not only a fierce woman ahead of her time, but someone I could see myself being friends with. Allende does a remarkable job.
– Bianca Eckhoff, Epilogue Books Chocolate Brews in Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Run for the Hills by Kevin Wilson
A different kind of sibling drama–one in which the siblings in question don’t even know the others exist. That is, until they’re thrown together in a PT Cruiser on a road trip. With heart, humor, and empathy, Kevin Wilson explores the divide between the family we’re born with and the family we choose, and what happens when they intersect.
– Joyce McKinnon, Thank You Books in Birmingham, Alabama

Is a River Alive? by Robert Macfarlane
Nature writer par excellence Robert Macfarlane’s latest work is a treat for all the senses. In it, he visits three rivers - one in Ecuador, one in India, one in Canada; one protected, one dying and one under threat. Drawing upon both indigenous and Western knowledge, Is a River Alive? is erudite and eloquent, intelligent and passionate - and much needed.
– Jude Burke-Lewis, Square Books in Oxford, Mississippi

Spent by Alison Bechdel
Poking fun at cliches of those aligned on far and opposite ends of the political spectrum, Bechdel, with humor, tugs at the impossible and insane moral quandaries of trying to make meaning, make art, make anything--focus! I enjoyed reading SPENT, couldn't look away from the train wreck we're in.
– Julie Jarema, Hub City Bookshop in Spartanburg, South Carolina

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

About Read This Next!

Based on our booksellers' conviction that you can never have too many good books, Read This Next! is a list of books coming out next month that booksellers are especially excited about. Read This Next! Kids is a bimonthly list of forthcoming Children's and Young Adult Books receiving Southern indie bookseller love. Each list includes resources for booksellers, including an Edelweiss collection, downloadable flyer, and sharable graphic. All the included books are featured in The Southern Bookseller Review newsletter, and promoted as "Weekend Reads" on SIBA's social media channels, along with the bookstore which wrote the review.