Read This Next! July is now available, featuring the perfect collection of independent reads for "Independents Month!"

Southern indie booksellers have selected five books, their hand-sell favorites for the upcoming month, as July 2022 Read This Next titles. The chosen books all release in July and represent the full range of reader interests of the southern bookselling community. Each of the selected titles has the enthusiastic support of southern booksellers, making Read This Next! the ultimate "You've got to read this!" reading list for avid readers looking to discover great new books.

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Here are what booksellers are saying about this month's list:

The Bodyguard by Katherine Center
This was the perfect sweet, feel good and easy summer read! I fell in love with Hannah and Jack. Watching Hannah grow as a person was real life. It shows real is so much better than fake. --Mandy Harris from Angel Wings Bookstore in Stem, NC

The Kingdoms of Savannah by George Dawes Green
I loved The Kingdoms of Savannah. It read like a dark, gothic Conroy novel, concerned as much with the grit of the city as the moonlight and magnolias. The Musgrove family are some rare birds. --Ashley Warlick from M Judson, Booksellers in Greenville, SC

Berry Song by Michaela Goade
This beautiful ode to family and land and the indelible connection between them is a delight to read. Rhythmic text and soft, bright illustrations bring the foraging Tlingit family's love for each other and the land they inhabit to vivid life. --Hannah DeCamp from Avid Bookshop in Athens, GA

A Prayer for the Crown-Shy by Becky Chambers
Once again, Becky Chambers has crafted a book that is just as philosophically resonant and wonderfully generous as its predecessor. Dex and Mosscap have become two of my favorite characters in all literature and I will love them till my dying day. --Caleb Masters from Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, NC

The Crane Wife by CJ Hauser
This book! I loved it! Hauser made me feel less alone in the world, with her wit and frank yet conversational tone, she lets the reader know that life is messy and doesn't always go as planned, and not only is that ok, it can be wonderful. --Jessica Osborne from E. Shaver, bookseller in Savannah, GA

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

Fall into a great book!
Announcing Read This Next! 2021 Fall Edition

(Asheville, North Carolina) Southern indie booksellers have selected the 2021 Fall Read This Next! List: their favorite picks for new summer books. Titles are chosen from books publishing from October through December, representing the full range of reader interests. Each of the fifteen has the enthusiastic support of southern booksellers, marking them as hand-sell favorites for the fall. Read This Next! is the "You've got to read this!" list of the season.

Edelweiss Collection 

Read This Next! Fall 2021

A Spindle Splintered by Alix E. Harrow
Tordotcom, October

If you like a fast-paced, unapologetically feminist, unabashedly nerdy, deliciously inventive read that sucks you into a fever dream of fun, then you must pick up this book. Christen Thompson from Itinerant Literate Books, LLC in North Charleston, SC

Fight Night by Miriam Toews             
Bloomsbury, October

Fight Night brings it. Every corner of human emotion is nudged, awakened, revealed. This novel is a reminder of the full potential of a book to connect us to our humanity and to inspire us to fight another day. Candice Anderson from TOMBOLO BOOKS in St. Petersburg, FL

Sankofa by Chibundu Onuzo
Catapult, October

A master storyteller, Onuzo's third novel is an epic story of belonging and identity. Rachel Watkins from Avid Bookshop in Athens, GA

Frankie & Bug by Gayle Forman
Aladdin, October

New York Times bestselling author Gayle Foreman makes her middle grade debut with the story of Frankie and Bug and the challenges and difficulties they face during the summer the world opens up for them. Angie Tally from The Country Bookshop in Southern Pines, NC

The Boys by Ron Howard William
William Morrow, October

The Boys felt like you were listening in at an extended family reunion of the Howards as Ron and Clint held court, retelling some of their favorite family anecdotes from years gone by. Lisa Yee Swope from Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, NC

Nothing But Blackened Teeth by Cassandra Khaw  
Tor Nightfire, October

Well. That was nuts. Khaw threw together a fast-paced ghost story, the bitter lyricism of her writing conveying the complexity of feelings when you have History with someone, as well as the surreal when an offended ghost decides it's making an example out of you. Alex Mcleod from The Haunted Book Shop in Mobile, AL

Everybody in the Red Brick Building by Anne Wynter
Balzer + Bray, October

An engaging story with lyrical language and wonderful sounds to mimic, we will want to live in the red brick building. We won't get much sleep, but we will have a whole lot of fun! A joy to read for the whole family, Kathy Neff from Square Books in Oxford, MS

Orwell's Roses by Rebecca Solnit
Viking, October

Whether you are deeply interested in Orwell and his milieu or just a fan of Solnit's incisive writing, you will find this biography/essay collection bears flowers scented with hope, resistance, and pleasure.  Hannah DeCamp from Avid Bookshop in Athens, GA

The Memoirs of Stockholm Sven by Nathaniel Ian Miller
Little, Brown and Company, October

I don’t know that I’ve ever come across a book more satisfying to my inner-misanthrope. Anyone who constantly longs for quiet, feels prickly in an overcrowded space, loves the idea of unfettered alone time: this book is for you. Lindsay Lynch from Parnassus Books in Nashville, TN

All Her Little Secrets by Wanda Morris
William Morrow, November

This fast-paced legal thriller hooked me from page one. Definitely a book for fans of Stacey Abrams and Laura Lippman. Lia Lent from Wordsworth Books in Little Rock, AR

Five Tuesdays in Winter by Lily King
Grove Press, November

Original, literary, human and peppered with heart wrenching, high stakes moments that jolt the reader’s emotions in the best way possible. A wonderful collection. Melissa Summers from Main Street Books in Davidson, NC

Tidesong by Wendy Xu
Quill Tree Books, November

Xu's beautiful artwork in combination with such strong storytelling makes for an enchanting graphic novel. I can see this story so clearly in my mind's eye as a Studio Ghibli film. Grace Quinn from Foggy Pine Books in Boone, NC

Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan
Grove Press, November

This is the book that you will reread every year. Heartwarming and eloquent, it epitomizes the holiday season in all its form and beauty. Easty Lambert-Brown from Ernest & Hadley Booksellers in Tuscaloosa, AL

Murder Under Her Skin by Stephen Spotswood
Doubleday, December

I was already a fan of the series at the first book but this second really sold me on it. Great character development and originality make for a fun read.  Jamie Fiocco from Flyleaf Books in Chapel Hill, NC

Twenty Years Later by Charlie Donlea
Kensington, December

A great plot that incorporates family, lifelong friendship, betrayal and the specter of 9/11. Jackie Willey from Fiction Addiction in Greenville, SC

Read more about Read This Next! at The Southern Bookseller Review
https://thesouthernbooksellerreview.org/category/read-this-next/

The Summer Reading List, Energized!
Announcing Read This Next! 2021 Summer Edition

(Asheville, North Carolina) Southern indie booksellers have selected the 2021 Summer Read This Next! List: their favorite picks for new summer books. Titles are chosen from books publishing from July through September, representing the full range of reader interests. Each of the fifteen has the enthusiastic support of southern booksellers, marking them as hand-sell favorites for the summer. Read This Next! is the "You've got to read this!" list of the season.

Edelweiss Collection | All SIBA Bookseller Reviews

Read This Next! Summer 2021

This Poison Heart by Kalynn Bayron
Bloomsbury YA, July

"A queer, Black book inspired by The Secret Garden and Little Shop of Horrors with a flower-powerful, badass girl at the center trying to unravel a family mystery. I simply can’t love it more. It’s amazing and you need it in your life."  --Rayna Nielsen from Garden District Book Shop in New Orleans, LA

The Way She Feels by Courtney Book
Tin House Books, July

"When I picked up Courtney Cook's book, I immediately read from start to finish. Cook's personality is bright and poppy, friendly and relatable, and somehow this book maintains a level of kindness and vulnerability even when talking about the scary parts of living with Borderline personality disorder. The Way She Feels is the representation of BPD--from confusing and distressing, to joyful and funny--that is needed right now." --Cat Chapman from Oxford Exchange in Tampa, FL

Hell of a Book by Jason Mott
Dutton, July

"Mott's latest is no joke. Charlie Kauffman-esque in its surrealism that devolves into almost fever dream with the most unreliable narrator I've ever read. Fantastic writing, and meaning, and it should be read by the masses. 'Memory and death are countries that know no geography.'" -- Amber Brown from Quail Ridge Books in Raleigh, NC

The Forest of Vanishing Stars by Kristin Harmel
Gallery Books, July

"The Forest of Vanishing Stars is about a young girl kidnapped from her wealthy German parents and raised in the forests of Eastern Europe. From her earliest years, she is taught to survive in the woods. When her captor dies, she is alone until she comes upon a group of Jewish people fleeing from the Nazis. She decides to do whatever she can to protect them until a family secret threatens everything. Atmospheric with hints of fairy tale, The Forest of Vanishing Stars is a stand out in WWII Historical Fiction " -- Jessica Nock from Main Street Books (NC) in Davidson, NC

The Final Girl Support Group by Grady Hendrix
Berkley, July

Such a Quiet Place by Megan Miranda
Simon & Schuster, July

"You can't always believe what you see. Megan Miranda brings the reader to an idyllic neighborhood, but it's what all the porch cameras don't show that makes this story the heart pounding thriller it is. " --Kate Towery from Fountain Books in Richmond, VA

Bring Your Baggage and Don't Pack Light by Helen Elliz
Doubleday, July

"The thing about Helen Ellis is you can feel her delight in her friends, her husband and the world at large with every sentence. Everything she writes is worth reading and Bring Your Baggage and Don't Pack Light might be her best yet." --Chelsea Bauer from union ave books in knoxville, TN

The Past Is Red by Catherynne M. Valente
Tordotcom, July

"The Past Is Red is an electrifying parable for this era of climate change, as bitterly optimistic and cheerfully furious as this dire hour demands. All that, and its hilarious and heroic protagonist is sure to steal that gorgeous garbage patch in your chest you call a heart.." --Megan Bell from Underground Books in Carrollton, GA

My Mistress' Eyes are Raven Black by Terry Roberts
Turner, July

"Roberts creates a spookily atmospheric setting and a gutsy detective duo. But Roberts offers more than a compelling atmosphere. My Mistress’ Eyes explores what brings humans to predicate superiority based on genetic expression. What is behind the belief that this assumed superiority excuses the right to commit violence?" --Erin Fowler from Malaprop's in Asheville, NC

The River Has Teeth by Erica Waters
HarperTeen, July

"Eerie and chilling to the bone, The River Has Teeth is a razor-sharp novel that had me devouring its secrets late into the night. Unique magic and two girls set on their own quests for vengeance will keep readers turning these pages - and looking over their shoulder for any monsters in the night. ." --Brad Sells from Parnassus Books in Nashville, TN

Afterparties by Anthony Veasna So
Ecco, August

"While the ghosts of genocide lurk in the heart of many of the characters in Anthony Veasna So’s Afterparties, what comes through in this beautiful collection is the liveliness, humor, love, and tenderness in every character navigating growing up, sex, loss, and family. " --Luis Correa from Avid Bookshop in Athens, GA

King of Ragtime by Stephen Costanza
Atheneum Books for Young Readers, August

"Gloriously illustrated, this glimpse into the South during Reconstruction made me hear my childhood piano lessons and the syncopations of Scott Joplin's ragtime melodies. " --Lisa Yee Swope from Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, NC

Matrix by Lauren Groff
Riverhead Books, September

"Lauren Groff shows us women's desires in an entirely new way and in a place where desire, especially women's desire, is considered sin. Groff builds a world where the men are periphery, yet the patriarchal structures are still palpable. It is a fine line to walk for any woman who dares to go against the grain, and Groff walks that line beautifully through Marie." --Alsace Walentine from Tombolo Books in St. Petersburg, FL

The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood
Berkley, September

"If, like me, your catnip is the taciturn, brainy, hot hero who is secretly a big squishy marshmallow at heart, you can look nor further than this awesome debut!" --Angela Trigg from The Haunted Book Shop in Mobile, AL

Summer Sons by Lee Mandelo
Tordotcom, September

"Lee Mandelo's Summer Sons, a queer horror that sneaks up on you and then tries to possess your body, forcing you to see truths you'd rather ignore." --Faith Parke-Dodge from Page 158 Books in Wake Forest, NC

Read more about Read This Next! at The Southern Bookseller Review
https://thesouthernbooksellerreview.org/category/read-this-next/

Read This Next! Looking forward to a spring filled with great books!

With the onset of spring comes a whole new kind of recommended reading from Southern Indie Booksellers: Read This Next! Published seasonally, Read This Next! is a collection of new and forthcoming books that Southern Indie Booksellers are particularly excited about, representing the wide and varied range of indie bookseller tastes: Fiction, nonfiction, fantasy, free verse! 

Information and resources for for Booksellers

Read This Next online

Read This, Books with Street Cred

Shelf Talkers | Flyer

Read These Next:

Tangerine by Christine Mangan
Ecco Press | 9780062686664 | April 2018

"Take nothing for granted in this debut that is more than the sum of its influences." — Olga Onal, Bookmiser, Marietta, GA

The Oracle Year by Charles Soule
Harper Perennial | 9780062686633 | April 2018

"A beautiful study on the interconnected nature of life on planet Earth and a thoughtful funny look at human foibles, especially those of the young." — Kelly Justice, Fountain Bookstore, Richmond, VA

The Perfume Burned His Eyes by Michael Imperioli
Akashic Books | 9781617756207 | April 2018

"If you walk away from having read this book without feeling the deepest of empathy for teenagers and your own teenage self, you're just a stone, man." — Kelly Justice, Fountain Bookstore, Richmond, VA

Space Opera by Catherynne M. Valente
Saga Press | 9781481497497 | April 2018

"I found myself sending entire pages to my friends" — Amber Brown, Quail Ridge Books, Raleigh, NC

The Female Persuasion by Meg Wolitzer
Riverhead Books | 9781594488405 | April 2018

"I never could have anticipated this book, and now I can't imagine a world without it" — Megan Bell, Underground Books, Carrollton, GA

Not Here by Hieu Minh Nguyen
Coffee House Press | 9781566895095 | April 2018

". . . a brutally beautiful collection of poems that considers home, queerness, Vietnamese American identity, whiteness, trauma. It is imbued with a hungry wit, seeking belonging, seeking existence, seeking survival." — Elizabeth Willis, Avid Bookshop, Athens, GA

Sky in the Deep by Adrienne Young
Wednesday Books | 9781250168450 | April 2018

". . . above all, this is a novel about humanity and heart— and how it is in our nature, first, to love and accept our fellow man given only space and time." — Chrstina Russell, Books and Books, Coral Gables, FL

Love and Ruin by Paula McClain
Ballantine Books | 9781101967386 | May 2018

"This story captures the nuances of the relationship between Ernest Hemingway and his third wife, Martha Gellhorn . . . Beautifully written, we are given a intimate look at what brought them together and then what tore them apart." — Stephanie Crowe, Page and Palette, Fairhope, AL

The Map of Salt and Stars by Jennifer Zeynab Joukhadar
Touchstone Books | 9781501169038 | May 2018

"There are parts that will make your heart stop and parts that will make it beat again." — Broche Fabian, Quail Ridge Books, Raleigh, NC

The Mars Room by Rachel Kushner
Scribner Book Company | 9781476756554 | May 2018
"Love the Kushner-esque devotion to grit, concrete, motors, and steely, sexy women."  — Melanie McNair, Malaprop's Bookstore/Café, Asheville, NC

Furyborn by Claire Legrand
Sourcebooks | 9781492656623 | May 2018

"Wow! Grabs you from the opening scene in the book. Twists, turns, characters, action, world building, cool magic system, suspense, friendship, romance, costumes, threats, you name it."— Erin O'Neil, Page 158 Books, Wake Forest, NC

How Hard Can It Be?  by Allison Pearson
St. Martin's Press | 9781250086082 | June 2018

"Her descriptions of her symptoms are hilarious, leaving me gasping with laughter, and at one point, "snort/laughing" wine through my nose."  — Damita Nocton, The Country Bookshop, Southern Pines, NC

The Cardboard Kingdom by Chad Sell
Alfred A. Knopf | 9781524719371 | June 2018

"My 8-year-old daughter and 10-year-old son fight over who gets to read this book every day." — Melissa Oates, Fiction Addiction, Greenville, SC

There There by Tommy Orange
Knopf Publishing Group | 9780525520375 | June 2018

"A magnificent and thunderous debut - Tommy Orange has announced himself as a powerful new voice in American letters." — Steve Iwanski, Turnrow Books, Greenwood, MS

Who Is Vera Kelly? by Rosalie Knecht
Tin House Books | 9781947793019 | June 2018

"Finally, a female spy who's not a Mata Hari knock-off!" — Pete Mock, McIntyre's Books, Fearrington, NC

The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai
Viking | 9780735223523 | June 2018

"The kind of book you make time for, the kind you cancel plans and turn your phone off for." — Tyler Goodson, Avid Bookshop, Athens, GA

Find more books to Read Next! at AuthorsRoundtheSouth.com/read-this