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July 13, 2021 The Summer Reading List, reviewed 
Last week former President Obama published his summer reading list. This is an event many indie booksellers look forward to -- not just because the list always means a surge in sales, (although that is nice) -- but because they find the list, well, interesting. This is a group of people who are unapologetically nosy about what other people are reading, so much so they have turned it into a career. "What are you reading?" is a phrase that comes second only to "You've got to read this!" What do they think about the books on Obama's summer reading list? Read for yourself: Land of Big Numbers by Te-Ping Chen Things We Lost to the Water by Eric Nguyen Leave the World Behind by Rumaan Alam The Sweetness of Water by Nathan Harris Read This Now | Read This Next | The Bookseller Directory Coming up on the Reader Meet Writer Author Series:
Lydia Dugdale MD, MAR, is associate professor of medicine and director of the Center for Clinical Medical Ethics at Columbia University. Prior to her 2019 move to Columbia, she was Associate Director of the Program for Biomedical Ethics and founding Co-Director of the Program for Medicine, Spirituality, and Religion at Yale School of Medicine. She is an internal medicine primary care doctor and medical ethicist. Her first book, Dying in the Twenty-First Century, provides the theoretical grounding for this current book. She lives with her husband and daughters in New York City. |
The Lost Art of Dying with Lydia Dugdale, MD|
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Read This Now! Recommended by Southern indies... |
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A Passage North by Anuk Arudpragasam Adult Fiction, Literary Award-winning Sri Lankan author Anuk Arudpragasam’s second novel is a profound meditation on love, desire, war, mortality, and the human condition. Krishan, an NGO worker based in the capital Colombo, receives an email out of the blue from a former girlfriend, on the same day he learns that his grandmother’s former carer has died. The journey that follows – through the heart of a country still recovering from a decades-long civil war – is as much through the mind as it is physical. Highly recommended. Reviewed by Jude Burke-Lewis, Square Books in Oxford, Mississippi |
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Bookseller Buzz |
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Spotlight on: Razorblade Tears by S.A. Cosby
In his new book Cosby returns to the town of Red Hill, Virginia, the setting for his breakout novel, Blacktop Wasteland. But while the place may be familiar, the story is something new. Two fathers, one Black and one white, band together to seek justice--and revenge-- for their murdered gay sons. "For me it was as much about challenging myself as it was challenging my readers," says Cosby about the complicated forces at work in the novel, "...I think there are situations where any person with an ounce of empathy or sympathy would feel justified in taking mortal revenge. But, this is the big thing — the effects of that decision can be worse than the motivation for that revenge. I personally believe most people are not wired to take another person's life." See S.A. Cosby on Reader Meet Writer 
What booksellers are saying about Razorblade Tears
About S.A.Cosby S. A. Cosby is a writer from Southeastern Virginia. He recently won an Anthony Award for Best Short Story. He resides in Gloucester, VA. |
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After the Ink Dries by Cassie Gustafson Sexual Abuse, Social Themes, Young Adult Fiction Erica and Thomas love each other. It’s promising that they can look forward to a new relationship together–until Erica wakes up one morning to see her body vandalized with vulgar drawings, offensive words, and several names, including Thomas’. This debut is enhanced through Erica and Thomas’ own perspectives, in which Gustafson fleshes them out very well and provides two sides to this engrossing story. I’m positive that After the Ink Dries will inspire somebody, as it succeeds in illustrating the struggle-but also the possibility- of having courage and hope when it seems like the world is against you. Reviewed by Flyleaf Books in Chapel Hill, North Carolina |
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Books Promiscuously Read by Heather Cass White Adult Nonfiction, Biography & Autobiography, Literary Figures Because I work in the book world, sometimes I forget that not every person is a reading-obsessed nerd. This book put into words what I’ve never been able to: reading takes you to another place. Reading changes your entire world in a literal way and in figurative ways. I loved reading quotes from my favorite writers about how reading transformed their worlds. Reviewed by Sissy Gardner, Parnassus Books in Nashville, Tennessee |
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City Problems by Steve Gobler Adult Fiction, Fiction, Mystery& Detective, Police Procedural Ed Runyan is an ex-NYPD detective who left the big apple for the relative quiet of rural Ohio after a particularly gruesome case involving the brutal murder of a young woman. Now it seems his past has caught up with him when he finds himself in a case of another missing young woman on his own turf in the quiet fields of Ohio. The girl, Megan Beemer was reported missing from the Columbus area and was last seen at a party where a high school band from Ed’s area was performing. Between the band and the local kids who were or may have been at the same event, and with the help of a woman detective from Columbus, Ed has to unfold the story of who was at the party and how they might have interacted with Megan. When Megan’s body is found in a local creek, Ed has to struggle with his past and the demons that have stayed with him from the earlier murder in NY which has been the center of his nightmares for years. Ed Runyon is a damaged character, but one who shows his human side in his empathy and depth of commitment to solve this crime and find justice for the victim. We can only hope we’ll see more of Ed Runyon. This one was a great read! Reviewed by Brent Bunnell, Fiction Addiction in Greenville, South Carolina |
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Kiki Kallira Breaks a Kingdom by Sangu Mandanna
This is it! My favorite middle-grade book of 2021. Full of adventure, humor, and friendship, Kiki’s story had me hooked from start to finish. I laughed, cried, and audibly gasped as the story unfolded through the lens of her vivid imagination. I particularly liked the handling and validation of Kiki’s struggles with anxiety. Great for fans of Aru Shah, Inkheart, or anything by Rick Riordan- Kiki Kallira Breaks a Kingdom is not to be missed! Reviewed by Mary Louise Callaghan, Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, North Carolina |
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Read This Next! Books on the horizon: Forthcoming favorites from Southern indies... |
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The Final Girl Support Group by Grady Hendrix
Adult Fiction,, Horror A Summer 2021 Read This Next! Title It turns out all those hours I spent watching 1980s (and beyond) horror films weren’t wasted. From the detritus of popular culture and our own obsession with nostalgia comes up a blistering horror novel that savages society with the same precision and bloodletting as the killers savage their victims. Hendrix’s fans will be ecstatic, and we all will enjoy puzzling out who these final girls are! (Julia and Dani were the easiest, and I’m still puzzling out some references) Reviewed by Tracie Harris, The Book House in Mableton, Georgia |
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Southern Bestsellers What's popular this week with Southern Readers. |
[ See the full list ] |
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Parting Thought “Children are made readers on the laps of their parents.” – Emilie Buchwald |
Publisher:
The Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance /
siba@sibaweb.com |
SIBA | 51 Pleasant Ridge Drive | Asheville, NC 28805
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