Southern Book Prize Finalists: What Booksellers are Saying
It is early days, but votes are already pouring in for the Southern Book Prize ballot. This year's prize has a shortened voting period: the ballot closes on November 6, and winners will be announced on November 16 in time for the peak 4th Quarter shopping season.
The books on the Southern Book Prize ballot are all "handsell" favorites; books that booksellers become cheerleaders for, written by authors who bookstores love and go the extra distance to support. The Southern Book Prize not only recognizes and honors great Southern books, but also shows what indie bookseller support can do for the books they love.
Southern Book Prize Resources | Vote
Here's what SIBA booksellers are saying about the books on this year's SBP ballot:
Fiction
Brawler by Lauren Groff [Riverhead Books]
These stories operate with an incredible economy of words, making the depth and forceful nature of the characters’ emotions all the more impressive. There’s not a single one I didn’t enjoy. —Morgan, Auburn Oil Co. Booksellers, Auburn, Alabama
The Calamity Club by Kathryn Stockett [Spiegel & Grau]
You'll be immersed in the plot of this both humorous and heartbreaking novel while also etching each of these women on your heart. It turns out that hard times can push ordinary people to take outrageous risks and I loved seeing how these women used all of the resources available to them, including their intelligence, wit, and hard work, to change their fate. —Kandi, Wordsworth Books, Little Rock, Arkansas
Kin by Tayari Jones [Knopf]
Jones’s beautiful prose transported me into the world of Annie and Niecey, two motherless, "cradle friends,” searching for their place in the world. The novel confronts race, class, and womanhood with honesty and nuance, while never losing sight of the tenderness and complexity of its characters. —Tyler, Wild Aster, Chamblee, Georgia
Last First Kiss by Julian Winters [St. Martin's Griffin]
Watching Jordan grow and figure himself out felt so personal and I loved his relationships with others and watching those grow, too. A perfect book to binge read if you want to laugh and cry in equal parts. —Ellie, A Novel Romance, Louisville, Kentucky
Where the Wildflowers Grow by Terah Shelton Harris [Sourcebooks Landmark]
My heart breaks for Leigh....but at the same time it as on fire to read her story a watch her bloom. A wildflower, a survivor! Wow I'm just in awe of her and her resilience. —Morgan, The Book Worm, Powder Springs, Georgia
Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke [Knopf]
Absolutely riveting. Spiked my cortisol levels EXPONENTIALLY. This author has cultivated such a fascinating character in Natalie —Shelby, Cavalier House Books, Denham Springs, Louisiana
Nonfiction
All That's Unseen by Emilee Hackney [Penguin Press]
Very well written, timely and compelling, All That's Unseen helps explain why America's most rural areas have been hurt again and again by a government they support unceasingly. —Jamie, Duck's Cottage Coffee & Books, Duck, North Carolina
In the Days of My Youth I Was Told What It Means to Be a Man by Tom Junod [Doubleday]
Tom Junod elegantly shows us the man who was his father with an impressive honesty and vulnerability, digging through the layers of his legacy and its impact on him and those around him — a beautiful and powerful read. —Nicole, Novel, Memphis, Tennessee=
The Irish Goodbye by Beth Ann Fennelly [W. W. Norton & Company]
I'll always hang out where poetry and memoir meet. Beth Ann Fennelly twists the memoir genre upside down and inside out, weaving stories and memories into a satisfying whole. —Liz, E. Shaver, Bookseller, Savannah, Georgia
On Witness and Respair by Jesmyn Ward [Scribner]
Jesmyn Ward presents us with a series of essays which give us a peek into the skeletons upon which her stunning fiction is built, the sweet and sour life and experiences and family which lead her to lament in the opening piece: "Sometimes, I wish I could write easier stories..." —Doron, Octavia Books LLC, New Orleans, Louisiana
The Ritz of the Bayou by Nancy Lemann [Hub City Press]
This is a true tale of a Louisiana governor and his Tennessee attorney in a wild drama that plays out in courtrooms by day and New Orleans bars and restaurants at night. —Rae Ann Parker, Parnassus Books, Nashville, Tennessee
Salt, Sweat & Steam by Brigid Washington [St. Martin's Press]
Attending the Culinary Arts Institute is a grueling experience, more so for students of color, and more so if you are trying to mend a broken heart. Filled with personal and culinary ups and downs, this is both a cautionary tale and a romantic journey. Not just for foodies.—Jan, Main Street Books, Davidson, North Carolina
Young Readers
Change of Plans by Sarah Dessen [Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers]
Dessen traverses the unexpected so beautifully. Her characters are always—and I mean ALWAYS—so realistic. Her stories are often driven by dialogue, because she's a master at it, but it's the subtle but impactful sentences she seamlessly weaves into a seemingly normal paragraph that grips you, that reminds you why her books feel so timeless. —Tamara, M Judson, Booksellers, Greenville, South Carolina
Ghost in the Night by Tiffany D. Jackson [Scholastic Press]
Jackson is as good as ever in this spooky upper-middle-grade book! Nothing is as it seems, and the danger becomes all too real as the kids learn lessons about what may - or may not - be out there. —Andrea, Fountain Booksstore, Richmond, Virginia
Phoenix by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley [Dial Books]
Bradley is one of the best children’s authors writing today. She doesn’t shy away from the hard situations that kids sometimes face. She clearly has great respect for her young readers. —Amanda, Pearl's Books, Fayetteville, Arkansas
The Spiritualists by Kristin O'Donnell Tubb [Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers]
Centering a heist perfect for fans of Gilded Wolves, Tubbs’ YA debut offers both a touching found family story and an immersive high stakes tale. —Matilda, Little Shop of Stories, Decatur, Georgia
Squirrel Lock Holmes #1: The Pet Rock Mystery by Ashley Belote [Random House Graphic]
Ashley Belote has a tremendous gift connecting with children of all ages through her incredible illustrations and simple messages. —Alissa, South Main Book Company, Salisbury, North Carolina
The Weedy Garden by Margaret Renkl [Greenwillow Books]
With stunning illustrations, this book is an absolute work of art, and perfect for spring and summer. Take a ground level trip through a weedy garden as a ‘busy bumblebee, twisty snake, a sleepy firefly’ and MORE. The most beautiful adventure awaits you. —Mallory, Square Books, Oxford, Mississippi