Read This Next! Young Readers for November and December is all about home and friendship and the many different shapes they take. "Warm," "funny," and "adorable" are the watchwords for this list.

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

Why booksellers love these books:

Leap by Simina Popescu
I loved everything about this story! Much more than just a story about dancers we are following Ana who is struggling with her identity, her relationships, being queer, and her struggle to figure herself out.
– Sarah Blackwell, Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, North Carolina

Not for the Faint of Heart by Lex Croucher
A slow burn, grumpy/sunshine romance inspired by Robin Hood, Croucher’s newest novel is a wonderful romp. When Robin’s granddaughter kidnaps a local healer on her father’s orders, both girls - and a new generation of Merry Men - are pulled into an adventure filled with peril, deceit, love, and friendship.
– Matilda McNeely, Little Shop of Stories in Decatur, Georgia

Brown Girl, Brown Girl by Leslé Honoré, Cozbi A. Cabrera (illus)
Cozbi Cabrera’s beautiful illustrations really make this poem by Leslé Honoré sing! This will be a book that all ages can enjoy; as a read aloud for littlest listeners, as a shared read for older kids who can also enjoy the details in the artwork, and as a lovely gift for adults.
– Johanna Albrecht, McIntyre's Books in Pittsboro, North Carolina

Bert, the Bowerbird by Julia Donaldson, Catherine Rayner (illus)
Bert the Bowerbird is just the sweetest little guy. All he wants is a wife to share his bower with. Can Bert find a bird who loves him for who he is? a wonderful tale of bird-based romance and self-acceptance. Don’t settle, Bert!!!
– Charlie Marks, Fountain Bookstore in Richmond, Virginia

A Map for Falasteen by Maysa Odeh, Aliaa Betawi (illus)
A stunning, heartbreaking, story that was well-performed by the voice actor on the audiobook. Every line seemed to tug my heartstrings, and yet this story felt grounded. Beautiful.
– Nyawira Nyota, Page 158 Books in Wake Forest, North Carolina

Bye Forever, I Guess by Jodi Meadows
Being invisible and lonely is better than being seen and ridiculed, right? Warmth, caring, and cozy were all knit together to make this book. Middle school relationships are hard and are often made that much worse with miscommunication. Meadows handles it in a way that I think anyone can relate to and appreciate. Not to mention me giggling and kicking my feet at how sweet this romance is.
– Lana Repic, E. Shaver, Bookseller in Savannah, Georgia

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

Linda-Marie Barrett / Executive Director:
Reading: Everything Glittered by Robin Talley, which has been a nicely distracting read during a chaotic time. Next up is a reread of Shark Heart for my book club, one of the most imaginative and moving novels I’ve experienced in ages.
Listening: To the “Healing Harmonies” station on Calm, and to several very vocal Carolina wrens and a squirrel. We think they may have been displaced during the hurricane and are anxiously rebuilding their winter quarters.
Watching: Old episodes of The Great British Baking Show while we wait for Friday, when this season's newest episode broadcasts. Though I’d love to sample many of the bakes, I’m impressed and sometimes horrified that these judges have to actually ingest what they’re judging.

Candice Huber / Membership:
Reading: Almost finished The Dead Cat Tail Assassins and loving it!
Listening: To the tour buses, people walking, and general traffic outside my office window.
Watching: Down, down, down the road, down the witches' road...

Nicki Leone / Communications:
Reading: Enter Ghost by Isabella Hammad, We're Alone by Edwidge Dandicat. I'm looking for my next big book and trying not to succumb to the call to read The Golden Notebook again.
Listening: I am on to the Shakespeare Unlimited podcast produced by the Folger Library. The episode with Will Tosh on the "Hidden Queer Lives of William Shakespeare" (not about whether Shakespeare was gay) was great. The episode with Ayanna Thompson and Ruben Espinosa on teaching race in Shakespeare was even better.
Watching: The old BBC productions of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and Smiley's People. It always takes me a few minutes to listen to Alec Guinness and not hear Obi-wan Kenobi.

SP Rankin / Website Administrator:
Reading: I am finally three whole pages into Sarah Perry's Enlightenment, which seems like a major accomplishment these days.
Listening: I am gradually finishing the Between the Covers podcast episode featuring Vajra Chandrasekera (which Nicki recommended after I went on a slight rant about a TV show), which is a completely fascinating discussion on genre, history, writing, world-building, and more. And I have just started the audiobook of Chandrasekera's 2023 fantasy novel The Saint of Bright Doors.
Watching: The clock reach 9 PM every Wednesday, which is when new episodes of Agatha All Along are released.

Andrea Richardson / Sales:
Reading: All the spooky things! I'm about halfway into The Best American Mystery & Suspense 2024 (edited by the amazing SA Cosby) and it's a fabulous collection - so many of my favorites are featured.
Listening: Since it's spooky season I'm back into my true crime podcast and Generation Why is currently in my ears.
Watching: My coworker recommended Chimp Crazy and OMG it is a wild ride. Think Tiger King with chimps.

Annual Meeting moved to November 14 at 4:00 PM Eastern / 3:00 PM Central

In light of the struggles in our territory because of the two hurricanes, the SIBA board has elected to change the date of SIBA's annual meeting to Thursday, November 14 at 4PM ET, to allow stores more time to focus on recovery and store operations.

Anyone who has already registered for the meeting will still be able to use their Zoom confirmation links to attend on the new date.

To attend the annual meeting, click here to register.

There is something about having a new book at hand as the evenings come more quickly and the temperatures drop. Fantasy, fun, experimental, inspirational – the books on the November Read This Next! list are all curl-up-in-an-armchair worthy.

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

What SIBA Booksellers have to say:

Blood Over Bright Haven by M. L. Wang
Well damn, I'm going to be thinking about it for awhile. Blood Over Bright Haven is the perfect story for the person who wants to rage at the system of oppression against women and also the way in which religion and history are often used to tell a story that continues to make a person or people group be regarded as less than. Perfect for fall, perfect for the reader who wants to RAGE at the impacts of colonialism, racism, sexism.
– Morgan DePerno, Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, North Carolina

Pony Confidential by Christina Lynch
Pony Confidential galloped straight into my heart from page one. This cozy mystery is narrated by a ornery pony trying to clear the name of his beloved former owner Penny. It features rats, cats, birds and dogs aiding our hero in his redemptive quest and - oh, did I mention - this is based on The Odyssey? Easter eggs galore for the clever classicist.
– Maggie Robe, Flyleaf Books in Chapel Hill, North Carolina

The Burrow by Melanie Cheng
The Burrow is a compact, moving story of a family tragedy. Beautifully written words show all believable family members as they deal with the death of the infant Ruby in a tragic accident.
– Nancy Pierce, Bookmiser, Inc. in Marietta, Georgia

The Serviceberry by Robin Wall Kimmerer, John Burgoyne (illus.)
Can a book be cozy, loving, encouraging, compassionate AND a threat to the brutal and cutthroat consumer capitalism of our era? The serviceberry is a bushy, underappreciated fruit tree native to Eastern North America that Kimmerer uses as inspiration to muse broadly on “abundance and reciprocity in the natural world.”
– Josh Niesse, Underground Books in Carrollton, Georgia

On the Calculation of Volume (Book I) by Solvej Balle, Barbara J. Haveland (trans.)
Following the day-to-day minutiae of a woman continually reliving the 18th of November, Balle finds the beauty and torment in repetition and recursion and revision. Balle’s writing turns the reader into a balloon hitting a powerline—bright, weightless, fluorescent, until the shock comes. An absolutely stunning piece of fiction.
– Charlie Marks, Fountain Books in Richmond, Virginia

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

Linda-Marie Barrett / Executive Director:
Reading: Everything Glittered by Robin Talley. I picked up a galley at NVNR and am enjoying this queer historical murder mystery set in DC during Prohibition. Next up is a reread of Shark Heart for my book club, one of the most imaginative and moving novels I’ve experienced in ages.
Listening: Healing Harmonies station on Calm, somewhat bland but soothingly perfect for this moment.
Watching: The Great British Baking Show, an hour of goodness, silliness, and inspiring bakes.

Candice Huber / Membership:
Reading: Just started The Dead Cat Tail Assassins by P. Djeli Clark and loving it so far! I will read anything Clark writes. His writing is so compelling!
Listening: To my favorite band, Jukebox the Ghost, after seeing them in concert last week! Watching: I patiently wait all week for Agatha All Along to drop!

Nicki Leone / Communications:
Reading:Enter Ghost by Isabella Hammad, We're Alone by Edwidge Dandicat, and Ta-Nehisi Coates' The Message, which I just started because I've gotten interested in "craft" books by writers.
Listening: Between the Covers remains my favorite "think deep thoughts" podcast (David Naiman has the perfect job!), but this week Slightly Foxed talks to Adam Sisman about, his "secret annex" followup to his biography about David Cornwell, The Secret Life of John Le Carre (the women of Hoxton Square were all aflutter). Also Katie Hessel, host of The Great Women Artists podcast, has a lovely discussion with the niece of Tove Jansson, and a more breathtaking talk with Emerson Bowyer on the sculpture and life of Camille Claudel that is just...just. I mean, I knew about her, but I didn't really know about her.
Watching: The DVD of Cold Comfort Farm is in the player.

SP Rankin / Website Administrator:
Reading: I am finally three whole pages into Sarah Perry's Enlightenment, which seems like a major accomplishment these days.
Listening: I am gradually finishing the Between the Covers podcast episode featuring Vajra Chandrasekera (which Nicki recommended after I went on a slight rant about a TV show), which is a completely fascinating discussion on genre, history, writing, world-building, and more. And I have just started the audiobook of Chandrasekera's 2023 fantasy novel The Saint of Bright Doors.
Watching: The clock reach 9 PM every Wednesday, which is when new episodes of Agatha All Along are released.

Andrea Richardson / Sales:
Reading: All the spooky things! I'm about halfway into The Best American Mystery & Suspense 2024 (edited by the amazing SA Cosby) and it's a fabulous collection - so many of my favorites are featured.
Listening: Since it's spooky season I'm back into my true crime podcast and Generation Why is currently in my ears.
Watching: My coworker recommended Chimp Crazy and OMG it is a wild ride. Think Tiger King with chimps.

SIBA is augmenting its bookstore contact information

The recent hurricanes have demonstrated that SIBA needs to have back up contact information in place if a crisis causes store closures and bookstore owners and managers are unreachable. So SIBA is collecting emergency and point of contact information for bookstores in its region.

Weather events such as hurricanes, floods, and forest fires are a fact of life in the South. When they occur, SIBA will reach out to its members who have been impacted to offer aid and put them in touch with the resources that can help them survive and recover. When a community is suffering from loss of services, power outages, or downed wifi and cell service, then the business contact information SIBA has on file for stores may not be the best way to reach members in need.

SIBA is also frequently contacted by press, advocacy groups, and other civic organizations for information on its member stores, especially during times of crisis or newsworthy events. Having a store point of contact, spokesperson, or press liaison will allow SIBA to direct queries to the person authorized to answer questions.

SIBA invites bookstores to submit their authorized emergency and point-of-contact information here: SIBA Bookstore Contact Form

The information collected will be used by SIBA to stay in touch with its members during a crisis and provided to authorized relief organizations if SIBA deems it would be helpful to the store..

Current Newsletter: You heard it from us first: Booksellers on the National Book Awards

Bookstores with reviews in this week's newsletter:

• Mia Kilpatrick, Hub City Bookshop in Spartanburg, South Carolina
• Anne Peck, Righton Books in St Simons Island, Georgia
• Stephanie Crowe, Page & Palette in Fairhope, Alabama
• Jackie Davison, The Lynx in Gainesville, Florida
• Jessica Nock, Main Street Books in Davidson, North Carolina
• Charlie Marks, Fountain Bookstore in Richmond, Virginia
• Heather Way, Angel Wings Bookstore in Stem, North Carolina
• Matt Nixon, A Cappella Books in Atlanta, Georgia
• Maya Shenoy, Epilogue Books Chocolate Brews in Chapel Hill, North Carolina 
• Kelley Barnes, Page 158 Books in Wake Forest, North Carolina
• Rachel Knox, Tombolo Books in St. Petersburg, Florida
• Kristen Iskandrian, Thank You Books in Birmingham, Alabama
• Mac Chamberlain, Parnassus Books in Nashville, Tennessee
• Monie Henderson, Square Books in Oxford, Mississippi
• Lana Repic, E. Shaver Bookseller in Savannah, Georgia
• Sol Johnson, Quail Ridge Books in Raleigh, North Carolina
• Susan Williams, M Judson Booksellers in Greenville, South Carolina
• Morgan DePerno, Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, North Carolina
• Rebecca Speas, One More Page Books in Arlington, Virginia

Book Buzz Feature: Intermezzo by Sally Rooney
Interestingly, the first voice that came to the page for me in this project was Margaret’s — the character who becomes entangled in Ivan’s life in the course of the book. It certainly wasn’t that I sat down thinking, I have to write a book where the male voice is central. I just felt my way through the story that seemed to emerge when I encountered these characters, which is what I always try to do. Of course I had moments of self-reflection and self-consciousness, because I was thinking, What do I know about this form of interiority and specifically — which is different from Connell in “Normal People” — relationships between men?

—Sally Rooney, Interview, The New York Times

Decide For Yourself Banned Book Feature:
The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzie Lee
This Grand Tour was supposed to be Monty’s last big hurrah before adulthood, but it has quickly turned into an unmitigated disaster. Instead of partying and gambling through Europe in style with his (unfairly handsome) best friend Percy, Monty is stuck with a dour chaperone who’s forbidden him from doing anything fun, his unpleasantly bookish sister, and a growing rift between him and (the still handsome) Percy. And that is before the highwaymen attack, setting Mackenzie Lee’s delightful characters on a swashbuckling caper from the highways of France, through Barcelona’s darkened alleys, to the sparkling (and sinking) islands of Venice. A Room with a View meets The Goonies in waistcoats and cravats, The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice & Virtue is charming, witty, and heartfelt, and it’s bound to become an instant classic!
― Rebecca Speas, One More Page Books in Arlington, Virginia

NEW REVIEWS | SUBSCRIBE | SUBMIT A REVIEW | FOR PUBLISHERS

SOUTHERN INDIE BESTSELLER LIST
For the week ending 10/6/2024

Edelweiss Collections:
(sort by "Catalog Order" to see each list according to rating)

Hardcover Fiction | Hardcover Nonfiction | Trade Paperback Fiction | Trade Paperback Nonfiction | Mass Market | Children's Illustrated | Children's Interest | Children's Series

SIBA has created a page dedicated to information and resources for booksellers who have been affected by Hurricane Helene or would like to help provide relief:

Hurricane Helene Relief and Resources

Booksellers can find links to local on-the-ground relief agencies and fundraising efforts sponsored by SIBA bookstores. There are also some tools available from the Peer Booksellers Resource Library on emergency preparedness, and a list of stores in the path of Helene with notes where we have information about their status.

If you have a resource or information you would like to have included, please email nicki@sibaweb.com

Hello SIBA friends!

Last week, Hurricane Helene tore through SIBA territory with devastating effects. About 200 SIBA stores in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia were affected, with some losing utilities like power, internet, and water, and others sustaining wind and flood damage. Stores in Florida and North Carolina seemed to be hit the hardest by the storm. 

SIBA is reaching out to stores in areas affected by the hurricane, and we’re monitoring social media as well. Fortunately, the majority of stores that have contacted SIBA to check in are physically intact, although most are without power, internet, water, cell service, or some combination of those. Some stores are still trying to reach staff members who are scattered, and cell service is spotty.

Blinking Owl Books in Fort Myers, FL, posted to their Instagram account that the store flooded and will need major renovation, and they have started a GoFundMe campaign to raise the cost of repairs. Sassafras on Sutton in Black Mountain, NC, posted in their newsletter that their stores are physically intact; however, staff cannot make it in, and utilities have mostly not yet been restored. They are also seeking donations to help cover costs while the stores remain closed. Macintosh Books and Paper posted on Instagram that they took on some flooding but were fortunate enough to have minimal loss.

SIBA has also heard about stores organizing within their communities. Firestorm Books in Asheville, NC, posted on Instagram that their store is undamaged and their workers are safe, and they have begun organizing with other groups in the community to get aid and supplies to where it is most needed. They are also offering daily meetings at the store as a space for neighbors to receive updates and coordinate mutual aid efforts. Main Street Books in Davidson, NC, is coordinating hurricane relief drives and has delivered up to 14 loaded trucks and SUVs of donations to western areas of North Carolina. Read Spotted Newt in Hazard, KY, has teamed up with Pathfinders of Perry Co. to collect supplies and donations, and they’re selling t-shirts to raise funds for the Appalachian Helene Impact Fund.

Many SIBA stores have contacted us to see how they can help their fellow booksellers affected by Hurricane Helene. It’s truly inspiring to see our Southern indie bookstore community come together in the face of such devastation. If you or your store would like to help, SIBA has created a dashboard that we will continuously update that includes links and donation requests. If you know of a store that has a fundraiser or needs support, please e-mail Candice Huber, Membership Coordinator, the details at candice@sibaweb.com.

You can also reach SIBA at siba@sibaweb.com with any news or requests. Responses to queries sent directly to Executive Director Linda-Marie Barrett will be delayed as she is based in Asheville, NC, and without power or cell service. 

If your store needs support or you want to offer support, SIBA highly recommends Binc as your first call. Binc is there to help stores and booksellers, and donating to them is one of the best ways to support booksellers. 

Important Links from Binc: Apply online (mobile friendly form) | Email Binc | Call: 866.733.9064 | Donate