In This Issue

Lady Banks' Commonplace Book | Read This! | The Pat Conroy Prize | Okra Picks | The Trailer Park | Book and Author Gossip | The Southern Bookstore | STARS Author Feature | Special to the Southern List | Southern Indie Bestsellers | Event Calendar

Dearest Readers,

This week her ladyship, the editor, is entertaining visitors. More specifically, her folks have come to stay awhile. This means her ladyship is cooking (white bean and kale soup and apple-rosemary upside down skillet cake), and cleaning (see last week's note about whacking carpets with sticks), and exchanging books with her mother. Once a week her ladyship is in the habit of calling her parent to see how they are doing and more importantly, find out what they are reading. But it is vastly more pleasurable to be able to have that conversation in person, over slices of warm apple-rosemary upside-down cake. 

Lately, the talks have centered around short story collections. Living as she does far enough north that she can see Canada from her back porch, her ladyship's mother never fails to arrive for a visit with a stack of books (laughable in itself, considering where she will be spending the next two weeks) by Canadian and New England writers. She will be met by her ladyship, with a stack of story collections from Southern authors. We will each argue the merits of our stack, exchange books, and then spend forthcoming phone calls discussing why we did or did not like this or that writer. 

What is never in question, however, is how much her ladyship and her mother enjoy short stories. Her ladyship's stack is a half dozen story collections found on the long list of the Pat Conroy Southern Book prize:

 If it were a competition -- north vs. south, a short story Civil War -- her ladyship would win.

Read independently! And shop local, for obvious reasons.

her ladyship, the editor

Lady Banks' Pick of the Week

Lady Banks' Commonplace Book

Noteworthy poetry and prose from her ladyship's bedside reading stack.

One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five days after Joshua Hamilton went missing, the State of Tennessee declared him legally dead.

Aubrey, his wife—or former wife, or ex-wife, or widow, she had no idea how to refer to herself anymore—received the certified letter on a Friday. It came to the Montessori school where she taught, the very one she and Josh had attended as children. Came to her door in the middle of reading time, borne on the hands of Linda Pierce, the school’s long-standing principal, who looked as if someone had died.

Which, in a way, they had.

He had.

Or so the State of Tennessee had officially declared.

Aubrey had been against the declaration-of-death petition from the beginning. She didn’t want Josh’s estate settled. Didn’t want a date engraved on that stupid family stone obelisk that loomed over the graves of his ancestors at Mount Olivet Cemetery. Didn’t want to say good-bye forever.

But Josh’s mother had insisted. She wanted closure. She wanted to move on with her life. She wanted Aubrey to move on with hers, too. She’d petitioned the court for the early ruling, and clearly the courts agreed.

Everyone was ready to move on. Everyone but Aubrey.

--J.T. Ellison, No One Knows (Gallery Books, 2016)  9781501118470

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Read This!

Recommended reading from Southern Indie Booksellers

from Fiction Addiction, Greenville, SC:

Mosquitoland by David Arnold 

On a Greyhound bus headed from Jackson, MS (aka Mosquitoland) back to Cleveland, Ohio, 16-year-old Mim knows that if she can get to her sick mother by Labor Day, then all the confusion of the divorce, her new stepmom, and the recent move will no longer matter. Mim's voice in this amazing amalgam of a love story, a road trip novel, and a coming-of-age story, will stay with you long after you finish Mosquitoland. -Jill Hendrix

The Carlin Home Companion by Kelly Carlin

A vivid and compelling insight into the family life of one of the most brilliant and revered comics of the last half century. On a purely narrative level, Kelly Carlin's book is wholly engrossing; as a companion to her father's body of work, it's indispensable. -Ike, store employee 

Flying Circus by Susan Crandall

A fascinating love triangle among the members of a flying circus in the 1920s. A chance encounter brings Gil, Cora, and Henry together. They are each running from their own demons that threaten to undo them. They soon learn that the exhilaration of flying will never wipe out the truths that need to be faced. -Linda H., store volunteer

Reign of Shadows by Sophie Jordan

Luna has lived her life in darkness. When she was born, a perpetual eclipse started. In the ensuing chaos, Luna's parents, the king and queen of Relhok, were murdered, and Luna was secreted away to a hidden tower, allowing everyone to believe her dead. But now Luna wants more than life in her tower, and her chance comes when Fowler shows up just before an attack on the tower. Now Luna and Fowler are on the run together and must learn to rely on each other in ways neither of them has needed or wanted to before, fighting the monsters born of the darkness and the humans who would tear them apart. But they both have secrets that could tear their blossoming love apart. The start of a new YA fantasy series with plenty of romance and surprises to keep you turning the pages. -Melissa O., store employee

More bookseller recommendations

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Okra Picks

In an obsessive mystery as thrilling as "The Girl on the Train" and "The Husband's Secret," "New York Times" bestselling author J.T. Ellison will make you question every twist in her page-turning novel and wonder which of her vividly drawn characters you should trust.

The day Aubrey Hamilton's husband is declared dead by the state of Tennessee should bring closure so she can move on with her life. But Aubrey doesn't want to move on; she wants Josh back. It's been five years since he disappeared, since their blissfully happy marriage they were happy, weren't they? screeched to a halt and Aubrey became the prime suspect in his disappearance. Five years of emptiness, solitude, loneliness, questions. Why didn t Josh show up at his friend's bachelor party? Was he murdered? Did he run away? And now, all this time later, who is the mysterious yet strangely familiar figure suddenly haunting her new life?

In "No One Knows," the "New York Times" bestselling coauthor of the Nicholas Drummond series expertly peels back the layers of a complex woman who is hiding dark secrets beneath her unassuming exterior. This masterful thriller for fans of Gillian Flynn, Liane Moriarty, and Paula Hawkins will pull readers into a you ll-never-guess merry-go-round of danger and deception. Round and round and round it goes, where it stops no one knows. 

From Parnassus Musings, the Parnassus Bookstore Blog:

"I’m fascinated by choices. I’d like to think I have a pretty steady moral compass, so when someone does something unethical, or criminal, I’m always aghast. And then I want to sit them down and find out why. What drove you to that decision? Was it easier to cheat? Weren’t you worried about how it would look? You weren’t afraid of going to jail? The idea that our society is split in two — law-abiders and criminals — makes novels like mine come to life. I love Nashville as the palette for this kind of story, too. The juxtapositions in this town are fabulous."

Buy from an indie | Read the first chapter

The Southern Bookstore

A few nights ago, I attended a signing at the wonderful Parnassus Books in Nashville. The signing author was Ariel Lawhon, who was launching her brilliant story chronicling the doomed flight of the Hindenburg, Flight of Dreams. As Ariel and I hugged and kissed hello, bookseller extraordinaire Bill Long-Innes smiled benevolently and asked, “Do you guys have a writer tribe? It seems like Nashville authors really make an effort to support one another. I wonder if any other cities have such a tight knit group?”

Ariel and I nodded, because we do have a tribe here in Nashville.

Our literary community, dubbed the Nashville Literati, is tight. There are cliques within it‑young adult writers in the SCBWI, crime fiction in Sisters in Crime, romance writers in MCWR, literary authors big with Salon 615 and Humanities Tennessee and The Porch Writers’ Collective. But when it comes to supporting another author, we cross genres like a boss. We lunch together. We attend each other’s signings. We hang out in East Nashville at East Side Storytellin’. We pull together all our writing buddies when a writer friend comes to town. We even go on writing retreats together.

And now one constant we all have in common is our indie store, Parnassus. I think the store’s staff has made it such a welcoming, open place for writers of all genres, of all stripes, that we can’t help but want to gather there.

When our beloved former indie, Davis-Kidd, closed its doors in 2010 (and Parnassus didn’t yet exist), it suddenly became much harder to get everyone together. We have the annual Southern Festival of Books, which is always well-represented with local authors. We did lunches and cocktails, drove out to other counties to attend signings, but not having an indie store that represented and celebrated all the writers in town was hard. A town without an indie store is a sad one indeed. It’s been very fun to watch Parnassus take hold in our community, to see stories being made there.

Davis-Kidd had a long history in this town. As a matter of fact, it was one of the reasons I was okay with moving here. When my then boyfriend (now husband) brought me to Nashville in 1993 to meet his parents, he drove me around, and our last stop was Davis-Kidd. “See?” he said. “This is the best bookstore in town. You’ll have plenty to read if we ever move here.”

(I’m not sure if I was more entranced by the idea of books‑books!—or the fact that my boyfriend had just hinted strongly he wanted a long future with me.)

Davis-Kidd was everything you could ask for in a bookstore: great staff, great events, a huge, diverse collection of titles. I attended my very first author signing there (John Connolly! My writing hero!). At that signing, I met a woman who became my other mother, who mentored me through years of writing, getting an agent, getting a deal. I did one of my first signings at David-Kidd. I hit my first bestseller list while I was launching my fourth book there. I attended Sisters in Crime meetings there. I wept with everyone else when it closed.

So to have an indie in our midst again is incredible. The Nashville Literati grows stronger day-by-day, with new writers coming up to join the established ones. And Parnassus is our hub. Several writers are booksellers there (And one co-owns it. You might have heard of her . . . her name is Ann.). This lends a verisimilitude unmatched anywhere else.

Yes, Nashville has a writer tribe, just as strong as Chicago, New York, and L.A. And thanks to our favorite indie, we have a place to call our own, too.

Writer J.T. Ellison lives and writes in Nashville, Tennessee. She is the New York Times bestselling author of fifteen critically acclaimed novels, including WHAT LIES BEHIND, WHEN SHADOWS FALL, and ALL THE PRETTY GIRLS, and is the coauthor of the Nicholas Drummond series with #1 New York Times bestselling author Catherine Coulter. Her latest novel, NO ONE KNOWS, is available March 22.

Lady Banks' Book Trailer Park

"A heartfelt no-holds-barred ode . . . hopefully others will discover this man's brilliance through this powerful book." - Karen Hayes, Parnassus books

Friend, asshole, angel, mutant, singer-songwriter Vic Chesnutt came along and made us gross and broken people seem . . . I dunno, cooler, I guess. A quadriplegic who could play only simple chords on his guitar, Chesnutt recorded seventeen critically acclaimed albums before his death in 2009, including "About to Choke," "North Star Deserter," and "At the Cut." In 2006, NPR placed him in the top five of the ten best living songwriters, along with Bob Dylan, Tom Waits, Paul McCartney, and Bruce Springsteen. Chesnutt's songs have also been covered by many prominent artists, including Madonna, the Smashing Pumpkins, R.E.M., Sparklehorse, Fugazi, and Neutral Milk Hotel.

Kristin Hersh toured with Chesnutt for nearly a decade and they became close friends, bonding over a love of songwriting and mutual struggles with mental health. In "Don t Suck, Don t Die," she describes many seemingly small moments they shared, their free-ranging conversations, and his tragic death. More memoir than biography, Hersh's book plumbs the sources of Chesnutt's pain and creativity more deeply than any conventional account of his life and recordings ever could. Chesnutt was difficult to understand and frequently difficult to be with, but, as Hersh reveals him, he was also wickedly funny and painfully perceptive. This intimate memoir is essential reading for anyone interested in the music or the artist.

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The Pat Conroy Southern Book Prize:
Exploring the Long List

Short Story Collections in the Long List

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Book & Author Gossip

No One Knows

“People might compare it to ‘Gone Girl,’ but I wrote it before that book ever came out, back in 2011,” Ellison said. “It was based on a dream I had when my husband and I went to a wedding at the Opryland Hotel in Tennessee. After sending me a drink he disappeared. I was looking for him and as I rushed into the parking lot I saw the author Harlan Coben, who wanted to give me career advice. Unfortunately I never got it because I woke up. I did not have it published then because Catherine Coulter popped up in 2012. She wanted me to start writing with her so I shelved this book. Of course ‘Gone Girl’ came out a few months later. But now after numerous revisions I have published my first stand alone.” 

Virginia Festival of the Book

“There is at least one book being published every day and so many topics that we can choose from that I’m not sure it’s possible to run out of new ideas,” said Jane Kulow, the festival’s director. “This year we have topics on drones, pandemics, science and black holes and others. There’s a lot going on.”  One topic both in the news and on the festival events schedule is immigration and its impact on society. “This year is especially cool because we have a doubleheader series of programs on immigration, about the impact of “hyphen-Americans” and how they change the culture,” Kulow said. “It helps us think about how the makeup of Virginia has changed and how we react to it.”

My Southern Journey

I may be in the minority, but I’m actually partial to Bragg’s writing in essay form, rather than the memoirs for which he’s best known. Bragg’s words come together to form sentences so sumptuous and rich, I prefer them packaged in short bon mots that whet my appetite for more. Before “My Southern Journey,” my favorite Bragg book was “Somebody Told Me,” a collection of his best newspaper stories. 

Parnassus on Wheels

Nashville’s popular Parnassus Books is hitting the road. The bookstore, owned by Karen Hayes and author Ann Patchett, has a new bookmobile. Hayes found the retired bookmobile on eBay and purchased it. After a complete makeover, the truck is ready to roll. Customers will be able to find the bookmobile at businesses and in neighborhoods throughout the city. “It’s another fun way to weave literature into everyday life and to be where people are,” said Mary Laura Philpott, social media director at Parnassus Books. “Kind of take what’s happening in the store out onto the streets of Nashville.”

Inside one of history's forgotten nightmares

Working with those story elements, Tom Franklin and Beth Ann Fennelly could have written a pretty good yarn in which most readers would find something to like: romance, danger, heartbreak, corruption, unrequited longing, unexpected tenderness. Instead, the two authors unleashed a raging deluge in The Tilted World, set amidst the devastation of the Mississippi River flood of 1927—a near-forgotten historical nightmare comparable to Hurricane Katrina. 

NC Writers call for a political rewrite

“those of us who are entrusted by both publishers and the people to tell the stories of our place and our time firmly believe that North Carolina needs — and deserves — a far, far better story for itself and its people than the one that has been coming out of Raleigh in recent years.”

It was like an overdose of porn

“My Father, the Pornographer” is much more than a look at a man who is regarded as one of the most prolific writers of pornography. In the book, the pornographer’s son carefully goes through his father’s astonishing legacy: more than 1,800 pounds of writing. Meanwhile, he also recounts his childhood with a man whom he found terrifying. “My father was a brilliant man, a true iconoclast,” Offutt writes, “fiercely self-reliant, a dark genius, cruel, selfish, and eternally optimistic.” His memoir is a tender and compassionate book that takes on a specific premise while revealing the universal complexities of child-parent relationships and the struggle of having family members whom we must accept can never love us properly. 

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Meet Whitney L. Grady

Award-Winning author Whitney L. Grady is author to the Young Adult adventure series "I Am Currency" where knowledge is not only power...it is currency. Her books "I Am Currency" and "Pass of the Crow-I Am Currency Book II" are available NOW everywhere books are sold! The third and final book of the series is due out this fall (2016)!

I am Currency

Would you turn in your books to a corrupt government, or would you join the Underground Book Movement? When a meteor slams into the earth causing a shift in the planet's magnetic core, the age of technology ends and economies across the globe crash. Years later, knowledge is not only power...it is currency. Bookkeepers are invaluable in this post-apocalyptic world. Nevel can never tell anyone he is a bookkeeper. His photographic memory is his secret. With a dystopian government that keeps all known books under lock and key looming as a constant threat and with parents involved as agents in the U.B.M. (Underground Book Movement) to protect the books that still secretly exist, Nevel is in a dangerous position. Never does this cause an issue until the day a fellow classmate, Quinn, appears at his door and proves to know more than she should.

Request an author appearance

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Southern Indie Bestsellers

For the week ending March 13. Books on the Southern Indie Bestseller List that are southern in nature or have been recently recommended by southern indie booksellers.

- A STARS Author | - A SIBA Okra Pick 
Titles in red are SIBA Book Award winners and finalists!
Printable versions: Hardcover | Paperback | Children.

HARDCOVER FICTION

1. All the Light We Cannot See
Anthony Doerr, Scribner, $27, 9781476746586
2. The Nightingale
Kristin Hannah, St. Martin's, $27.99, 9780312577223
3. The Swans of Fifth Avenue
Melanie Benjamin, Delacorte, $28, 9780345528698
4. The Girl on the Train
Paula Hawkins, Riverhead, $26.95, 9781594633669
5. Off the Grid
C.J. Box, Putnam, $27, 9780399176609
6. Rogue Lawyer
John Grisham, Doubleday, $28.95, 9780385539432
7. My Name Is Lucy Barton
Elizabeth Strout, Random House, $26, 9781400067695
8. Midnight Sun
Jo Nesbo, Knopf, $23.95, 9780385354202
9. The Widow
Fiona Barton, NAL, $26, 9781101990261
10. The High Mountains of Portugal
Yann Martel, Spiegel & Grau, $27, 9780812997170
11. Cometh the Hour
Jeffrey Archer, St. Martin's, $27.99, 9781250061621
12. The Opposite of Everyone
Joshilyn Jackson, Morrow, $26.99, 9780062105684
13. Fates and Furies
Lauren Groff, Riverhead, $27.95, 9781594634475
14. Free Men
Katy Simpson Smith, Harper, $26.99, 9780062407597
15. The Steel Kiss
Jeffery Deaver, Grand Central, $28, 9781455536344

HARDCOVER NONFICTION

1. When Breath Becomes Air
Paul Kalanithi, Random House, $25, 9780812988406
2. The Road to Little Dribbling
Bill Bryson, Doubleday, $28.95, 9780385539289
3. Dimestore: A Writer's Life
Lee Smith, Algonquin, $24.95, 9781616205027
4. The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up
Marie Kondo, Ten Speed Press, $16.99, 9781607747307
5. Between the World and Me
Ta-Nehisi Coates, Spiegel & Grau, $24, 9780812993547
6. Being Mortal
Atul Gawande, Metropolitan, $26, 9780805095159
7. My Southern Journey
Rick Bragg, Oxmoor House, $27.95, 9780848746391
8. Conspiracies of the Ruling Class: How to Break Their Grip Forever
Lawrence Lindsey, Simon & Schuster, $26, 9781501144233
9. Seven Brief Lessons on Physics
Carlo Rovelli, Riverhead, $18, 9780399184413
10. Big Magic
Elizabeth Gilbert, Riverhead, $24.95, 9781594634710
11. Dark Money
Jane Mayer, Doubleday, $29.95, 9780385535595
12. On My Own
Diane Rehm, Knopf, $23.95, 9781101875285
13. The Legends Club
John Feinstein, Doubleday, $27.95, 9780385539418
14. In Other Words
Jhumpa Lahiri, Knopf, $26.95, 9781101875551
15. Thomas Jefferson and the Tripoli Pirates
Brian Kilmeade, Don Yaeger, Sentinel, $27.95, 9781591848066

TRADE PAPERBACK FICTION

1. My Brilliant Friend
Elena Ferrante, Europa Editions, $17, 9781609450786
2. Brooklyn
Colm Toibin, Scribner, $15, 9781501106477
3. A Man Called Ove
Fredrik Backman, Washington Square Press, $16, 9781476738024
4. A Little Life
Hanya Yanagihara, Anchor, $17, 9780804172707
5. Me Before You
Jojo Moyes, Penguin, $16, 9780143124542
6. Room
Emma Donoghue, Back Bay, $16.99, 9780316391344
7. The Story of a New Name
Elena Ferrante, Europa Editions, $18, 9781609451349
8. The Revenant
Michael Punke, Picador USA, $16, 9781250101198
9. Orphan Train
Christina Baker Kline, Morrow, $14.99, 9780061950728
10. The Great Gatsby
F.Scott Fitzgerald, Scribner, $15, 9781451689433
11. The Martian
Andy Weir, Broadway, $15, 9781101903582
12. Ready Player One
Ernest Cline, Broadway, $16, 9780307887443
13. The Buried Giant
Kazuo Ishiguro, Vintage, $16, 9780307455796
14. The Alchemist (25th Anniversary Edition)
Paulo Coelho, HarperOne, $16.99, 9780062315007
15. A Paris Apartment
Michelle Gable, St. Martin's Griffin, $15.99, 9781250067777

TRADE PAPERBACK NONFICTION

1. H Is for Hawk
Helen Macdonald, Grove Press, $16, 9780802124739
2. The Mindfulness Coloring Book
Emma Farrarons, Experiment, $9.95, 9781615192823
3. Alexander Hamilton
Ron Chernow, Penguin, $20, 9780143034759
4. The Boys in the Boat
Daniel James Brown, Penguin, $17, 9780143125471
5. The Big Short
Michael Lewis, Norton, $15.95, 9780393353150
6. In the Garden of Beasts
Erik Larson, Broadway, $16, 9780307408853
7. The Devil in the White City
Erik Larson, Vintage, $16, 9780375725609
8. Doctor Who Coloring Book
Price Stern Sloan, $14.99, 9780399542299
9. The Churchill Factor
Boris Johnson, Riverhead Books, $18, 9781594633980
10. I Am Malala
Malala Yousafzai, Back Bay, $16, 9780316322423
11. Empire of Cotton
Sven Beckert, Vintage, $17.95, 9780375713965
12. Healing After Loss
Martha Whitmore Hickman, Harper Perennial, $13.99, 9780380773381
13. The Mindfulness Coloring Book: Volume Two
Emma Farrarons, Experiment, $9.95, 9781615193028
14. You Are a Badass
Jen Sincero, Running Press, $16, 9780762447695
15. Yes Please
Amy Poehler, Dey Street, $16.99, 9780062268358

MASS MARKET

1. 1984
George Orwell, Signet, $9.99, 9780451524935
2. A Game of Thrones
George R.R. Martin, Bantam, $9.99, 9780553593716
3. To Kill a Mockingbird
Harper Lee, Grand Central, $8.99, 9780446310789
4. Animal Farm
George Orwell, Signet, $9.99, 9780451526342
5. Lord of the Flies
William Golding, Perigee, $9.99, 9780399501487
6. The Stranger
Harlan Coben, Dutton, $9.99, 9780451414137
7. The Catcher in the Rye
J.D. Salinger, Little Brown, $8.99, 9780316769488
8. The Name of the Wind
Patrick Rothfuss, DAW, $8.99, 9780756404741
9. A Clash of Kings
George R.R. Martin, Bantam, $9.99, 9780345535429
10. The Diary of a Young Girl
Anne Frank, Bantam, $7.99, 9780553577129

CHILDREN'S ILLUSTRATED

1. Pat the Bunny
Dorothy Kunhardt, Golden, $9.99, 9780307120007
2. Finding Winnie
Lindsay Mattick, Sophie Blackall (Illus.), Little Brown, $18, 9780316324908
3. Goodnight Moon
Margaret Wise Brown, Clement Hurd (Illus.), Harper, $8.99, 9780694003617
4. Where the Wild Things Are
Maurice Sendak, Harper, $18.99, 9780060254926
5. Green Eggs and Ham
Dr. Seuss, Random House, $8.99, 9780394800165
6. The Day the Crayons Came Home
Drew Daywalt, Oliver Jeffers (Illus.), Philomel, $18.99, 9780399172755
7. The Day the Crayons Quit
Drew Daywalt, Oliver Jeffers (Illus.), Philomel, $17.99, 9780399255373
8. Easter Egg
Jan Brett, Putnam, $17.99, 9780399252389
9. What Pet Should I Get?
Dr. Seuss, Random House, $17.99, 9780553524260
10. Happy Easter, Curious George
Margret Rey, H.A. Rey, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, $9.99, 9780547048253

CHILDREN'S INTEREST

1. Lady Midnight
Cassandra Clare, Margaret K. McElderry Books, $24.99, 9781442468351
2. Pax
Sara Pennypacker, Jon Klassen (Illus.), Balzer + Bray, $16.99, 9780062377012
3. Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard: The Sword of Summer
Rick Riordan, Hyperion, $19.99, 9781423160915
4. Salt to the Sea
Ruta Sepetys, Philomel, $18.99, 9780399160301
5. I'll Give You the Sun
Jandy Nelson, Speak, $10.99, 9780142425763
6. Minecraft: Construction Handbook
Matthew Needler, Phil Southam, Scholastic, $8.99, 9780545823258
7. If I Stay
Gayle Forman, Speak, $10.99, 9780147514530
8. The Giver
Lois Lowry, Harcourt, $9.99, 9780544340688
9. Minecraft: Redstone Handbook
Nick Farwell, Scholastic, $8.99, 9780545823241
10. The One and Only Ivan
Katherine Applegate, Patricia Castelao (Illus.), Harper, $7.99, 9780061992278

CHILDREN'S FICTION SERIES TITLES

1. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
J.K.Rowling, Scholastic, $10.99, 9780590353427
2. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Old School
Jeff Kinney, Amulet, $13.95, 9781419717017
3. The Maze Runner
James Dashner, Delacorte, $10.99, 9780385385206
4. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules
Jeff Kinney, Amulet, $13.95, 9780810994737
5. Big Nate Blasts Off
Lincoln Peirce, Balzer + Bray, $13.99, 9780062111111
6. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Harry Potter)
Newt Scamander, Arthur A. Levine Books, $9.99, 9780545850568
7. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul
Jeff Kinney, Amulet, $13.95, 9781419711893
8. The Sea of Monsters (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 2)
Rick Riordan, Hyperion, $7.99, 9781423103349
9. Stars Above: A Lunar Chronicles Collection
Marissa Meyer, Feiwel & Friends, $17.99, 9781250091840
10. The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 1)
Rick Riordan, Hyperion, $7.99, 9781423134947

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Special to the Southern List

Click on a book to purchase from a great indie bookstore! See the full Southern Indie Bestseller list here.

Events

Events at Southern Indie Bookstores

UNC Humanities in Action: Muslim Societies since 1945  (other event)
03/23/2016, 04:30 pm | Flyleaf Books | Chapel Hill, NC

ERIK LARSON in conversation with DENISE KIERNAN -ticketed event at UNCA's Humanities Lecture Hall  (author appearance)
Erik Larson | 03/23/2016, 07:00 pm | Malaprop's Bookstore/Cafe | Asheville, NC

William Brettmann discusses War Poets of the Western Front  (author appearance)
William Brettmann | 03/23/2016, 04:00 pm | McIntyre's Fine Books | Pittsboro, NC

Lee Smith - 'Dimestore: A Writer's Life' (off-site event; free admission; signing line ticket)  (author appearance)
Lee Smith | 03/23/2016, 07:00 pm | Quail Ridge Books & Music | Raleigh, NC

Henry Petroski -The Road Taken  (author appearance)
Henry Petroski | 03/23/2016, 07:00 pm | Regulator Bookshop | Durham, NC

Happy Hours Book Club  (book club)
03/24/2016, 03:00 pm | Page & Palette | Fairhope, AL

Global Georgia Initiative: Paul Sutter – LET US NOW PRAISE FAMOUS GULLIES: PROVIDENCE CANYON AND THE SOILS OF THE SOUTH  (author appearance)
Paul Sutter | 03/24/2016, 05:00 pm | Avid Bookshop | Athens, GA

Laurent Dubois, -The Banjo: America's African Instrument  (author appearance)
Laurent Dubois | 03/24/2016, 07:00 pm | Regulator Bookshop | Durham, NC

Erik Larson: Dead Wake  (author appearance)
Erik Larson | 03/24/2016, 05:00 pm | The Country Bookshop | Southern Pines, NC

Ross Howell Jr.  (author appearance)
Ross Howell Jr. | 03/24/2016, 05:00 pm | Hub City Bookshop | Spartanburg, SC

Author event with Alison Goodman, Alwyn Hamilton, Rachel Hawkins, Sabaa Tahir and April Genevieve Tucholke  (author appearance)
Alison Goodman | 03/24/2016, 06:30 pm | Parnassus Books | Nashville, TN

Avid Poetry Series: Lydia Conklin and Amber Dermont  (author appearance)
Lydia Conklin | 03/25/2016, 06:30 pm | Avid Bookshop | Athens, GA

Erik Larson - Dead Wake (off-site ticketed event)  (author appearance)
Erik Larson | 03/25/2016, 07:00 pm | Quail Ridge Books & Music | Raleigh, NC

Jan Ellison - Author of A Small Indiscretion  (author appearance)
Jan Ellison | 03/25/2016, 11:00 am | Litchfield Books | Pawleys Island, SC

Author Philip R. Wright: A GEECHEE HOMECOMING  (author appearance)
Philip R. Wright | 03/26/2016, 06:30 pm | Avid Bookshop | Athens, GA

J.T. Ellison, No One Knows; Ariel Lawhon, Flight of Dreams  (author appearance)
J.T. Ellison | 03/26/2016, 01:00 pm | FoxTale Book Shoppe | Woodstock, GA

Sacrificial Poets Voicebox Youth Slam  (other event)
03/26/2016, 06:30 pm | Flyleaf Books | Chapel Hill, NC

Erik Larson – Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania  (author appearance)
Erik Larson | 03/26/2016, 11:00 am | McIntyre's Fine Books | Pittsboro, NC

Lindsay Starck – Noah’s Wife  (author appearance)
Lindsay Starck | 03/26/2016, 02:00 pm | McIntyre's Fine Books | Pittsboro, NC

Double Book Signing: Gail Z. Martin - Shadow and Flame & Vendetta  (author appearance)
Gail Z. Martin | 03/26/2016, 02:00 pm | Park Road Books | Charlotte, NC

KIDS' Book Club - Special VIP Q&A with author Greg Neri! Book signing to follow  (author appearance)
Greg Neri | 03/28/2016, 06:30 pm | Inkwood Books | Tampa, FL

Baz Dreisinger - INCARCERATION NATIONS: A Journey to Prisons Around the World  (author appearance)
03/28/2016, 06:00 pm | Octavia Books | New Orleans, LA

There’s a Story Here with Jordy Searcy  (other event)
03/29/2016, 07:00 pm | Page & Palette | Fairhope, AL

Author Raymond Arroyo: WILL WILDER: THE RELIC OF PERILOUS FALLS  (author appearance)
Raymond Arroyo | 03/29/2016, 06:30 pm | Avid Bookshop | Athens, GA

MATTHEW GRIFFIN presents HIDE  (author appearance)
Matthew Griffin | 03/29/2016, 07:00 pm | Malaprop's Bookstore/Cafe | Asheville, NC

Francine Bryson Launch Party   (author appearance)
Francine Bryson | 03/29/2016, 07:00 pm | Fiction Addiction | Greenville, SC

UNC Humanities in Action: The Challenges to Democracy in Latin America  (other event)
03/30/2016, 04:30 pm | Flyleaf Books | Chapel Hill, NC

Susan Higginbotham discusses her historical novel Hanging Mary  (author appearance)
Susan Higginbotham | 03/30/2016, 07:00 pm | Flyleaf Books | Chapel Hill, NC

KEITH LEE MORRIS presents TRAVELERS REST  (author appearance)
Keith Morris | 03/30/2016, 07:00 pm | Malaprop's Bookstore/Cafe | Asheville, NC

Book Signing: Katherine Clark - Expressions of Poetry in Season  (author appearance)
Katherine Clark | 03/30/2016, 07:00 pm | Park Road Books | Charlotte, NC

Michael Muhammad Knight -Why I am a Salafi  (author appearance)
Michael Muhammad Knight | 03/30/2016, 07:00 pm | Regulator Bookshop | Durham, NC

DAVID KUSHNER discusses and signs ALLIGATOR CANDY  (author appearance)
David Kushner | 03/31/2016, 07:00 pm | Inkwood Books | Tampa, FL

Book Party: THE WILD TREASURY OF NATURE - Philip Juras, Dorinda Dallmeyer, and Janice Simon  (author appearance)
Philip Juras | 03/31/2016, 06:30 pm | Avid Bookshop | Athens, GA

WORKS IN TRANSLATION BOOK CLUB discusses THE ISLANDERS  (author appearance)
03/31/2016, 07:00 pm | Malaprop's Bookstore/Cafe | Asheville, NC

Steve Jurovics - Hospitable Planet (at QRB On the Fly)  (author appearance)
Steve Jurovics | 03/31/2016, 07:00 pm | Quail Ridge Books & Music | Raleigh, NC

Darnelle Arnoult -Galaxie Wagon  (author appearance)
Darnelle Arnoult | 03/31/2016, 07:00 pm | Regulator Bookshop | Durham, NC

Keith Lee Morris  (author appearance)
Keith Lee Morris | 03/31/2016, 07:00 pm | Hub City Bookshop | Spartanburg, SC

Raising a Healthy, Happy Eater Lunchtime Free Demo Event with Authors!  (author appearance)
Nimali Fernando | 03/31/2016, 01:00 pm | Fountain Bookstore | Richmond, VA

Meet the Author: Evania Rose  (author appearance)
Evania Rose | 04/01/2016, 05:00 pm | Page After Page Bookstore | Elizabeth City

First Friday Author Round Up - Adrienne Cooley & Phillip Otts  (author appearance)
Adrienne Cooley | 04/01/2016, 06:00 pm | Page & Palette | Fairhope, AL

Matthew Griffin discusses his debut novel Hide  (author appearance)
Matthew Griffin | 04/01/2016, 07:00 pm | Flyleaf Books | Chapel Hill, NC

Poets Jaimee Hills & Jennifer Whitaker  (author appearance)
Jennifer Whitaker | 04/01/2016, 07:00 pm | Regulator Bookshop | Durham, NC

Taylor Brown - Author of Fallen Land  (author appearance)
Taylor Brown | 04/01/2016, 11:00 am | Litchfield Books | Pawleys Island, SC

Author event with Nashville's Youth Poet Laureate Lagnajita Mukhopadhyay  (author appearance)
Lagnajita Mukhopadhyay | 04/01/2016, 06:00 pm | Parnassus Books | Nashville, TN

An Evening of Mystery with Bryan Robinson  (author appearance)
Bryan Robinson | 04/02/2016, 07:00 pm | Joe's Place | Greenville, SC

Author event with Josh Bledsoe author of Hammer and Nails  (author appearance)
Josh Bledsoe | 04/02/2016, 02:00 pm | Parnassus Books | Nashville, TN

Robin Conley -Confronting the Death Penalty: How Language Influences Jurors in Capital Cases  (author appearance)
Robin Conley | 04/03/2016, 04:30 pm | Regulator Bookshop | Durham, NC

Author event with Jacquelyn Mitchard author of Two if by Sea  (author appearance)
Jacquelyn Mitchard | 04/03/2016, 02:00 pm | Parnassus Books | Nashville, TN

Local Author G. Derek Adams Launch Party: ASTEROID MADE OF DRAGONS  (author appearance)
G. Derek Adams | 04/05/2016, 06:30 pm | Avid Bookshop | Athens, GA

Kurt Gray -The Mind Club  (author appearance)
Kurt Gray | 04/05/2016, 07:00 pm | Regulator Bookshop | Durham, NC

Author event with Emery Lord author of When We Collided  (author appearance)
Emery Lord | 04/05/2016, 06:30 pm | Parnassus Books | Nashville, TN

Brett Busang Presents I Shot Bruce: A Novel  (author appearance)
Brett Busang | 04/05/2016, 06:30 pm | Fountain Bookstore | Richmond, VA

Ann Packer discusses her novel The Children's Crusade  (author appearance)
Ann Packer | 04/06/2016, 07:00 pm | Flyleaf Books | Chapel Hill, NC

Tim Johnston – Descent  (author appearance)
Tim Johnston | 04/06/2016, 06:30 pm | McIntyre's Fine Books | Pittsboro, NC

James S. House -Beyond Obamacare: Life, Death, and Social Policy  (author appearance)
James S. | 04/06/2016, 07:00 pm | Regulator Bookshop | Durham, NC

Dr. Jason Miller Discusses Origins of the Dream: Hughes's Poetry and King's Rhetoric  (author appearance)
Jason Miller | 04/06/2016, 06:30 pm | Fountain Bookstore | Richmond, VA

Emery Lord discusses her new YA novel, When We Collided  (author appearance)
Emery Lord | 04/07/2016, 12:45 pm | Flyleaf Books | Chapel Hill, NC

Danielle Ofri, 2016 Emerson Lecture  (other event)
04/07/2016, 05:45 pm | Regulator Bookshop | Durham, NC

Author event with Stuart Gibbs author of Spaced Out  (author appearance)
Stuart Gibbs | 04/07/2016, 06:30 pm | Parnassus Books | Nashville, TN

Meet Author Peter Selgin  (author appearance)
Peter Selgin | 04/08/2016, 06:30 pm | Avid Bookshop | Athens, GA

Stephanie Storey -Oil & Marble  (author appearance)
Stephanie Storey | 04/08/2016, 07:00 pm | Regulator Bookshop | Durham, NC

Sara Foster In-Store Book Signing  (author appearance)
Sara Foster | 04/08/2016, 02:00 pm | Fiction Addiction | Greenville, SC

Carl Galante Photography Exhibition  (other event)
04/08/2016, 06:00 pm | Joe's Place | Greenville, SC

Susan Boyer - Author of Lowcountry Bordello  (author appearance)
Susan M. Boyer | 04/08/2016, 11:00 am | Litchfield Books | Pawleys Island, SC

Ten Minute Tarot featuring Phil Powers  (other event)
04/09/2016, 06:00 pm | Joe's Place | Greenville, SC

Author event with Ross Howell Jr. author of Forsaken  (author appearance)
Ross Howell Jr. | 04/09/2016, 02:00 pm | Parnassus Books | Nashville, TN

Matt Gallager -Youngblood  (author appearance)
Matt Gallager | 04/11/2016, 07:00 pm | Regulator Bookshop | Durham, NC

2016 Teen Writing Seminar   (writers group)
04/11/2016, 04:30 pm | Fiction Addiction | Greenville, SC

Author event with Ginger Manley author of Proud Flesh  (author appearance)
Ginger Manley | 04/11/2016, 06:30 pm | Parnassus Books | Nashville, TN

Author M.O. Walsh: MY SUNSHINE AWAY  (author appearance)
M.O. Walsh | 04/12/2016, 06:30 pm | Avid Bookshop | Athens, GA

Jason Miller -Origins of the Dream: Hughes's Poetry and King's Rhetoric  (author appearance)
Jason Miller | 04/12/2016, 07:00 pm | Regulator Bookshop | Durham, NC

Ann B. Ross Talk and Signing  (author appearance)
Ann B. Ross | 04/12/2016, 02:00 pm | Fiction Addiction | Greenville, SC

Stephanie Storey - Oil and Marble   (author appearance)
04/12/2016, 05:00 pm | Hub City Bookshop | Spartanburg, SC

Sit. Sip. Write. Creative Writing Group  (other event)
04/12/2016, 06:00 pm | Joe's Place | Greenville, SC

Author event with Julie Buxbaum in conversation with Jeff Zentner  (author appearance)
Julie Buxbaum | 04/12/2016, 06:30 pm | Parnassus Books | Nashville, TN

Kristy Woodson Harvey Book Talk and Signing  (author appearance)
Kristy Woodson Harvey | 04/13/2016, 06:00 pm | Fiction Addiction | Greenville, SC

Author event with Steve Berry author of The 14th Colony  (author appearance)
Steve Berry | 04/13/2016, 06:30 pm | Parnassus Books | Nashville, TN

Kathleen Grissom  (author appearance)
Kathleen Grissom | 04/14/2016, 07:00 pm | Bookmiser | Roswell, GA

Lee Smith - Dimestore: A Writer's Life  (author appearance)
Lee Smith | 04/14/2016, 07:00 pm | Regulator Bookshop | Durham, NC

Dan Santat Book Talk & Signing   (author appearance)
Dan Santat | 04/14/2016, 06:00 pm | Fiction Addiction | Greenville, SC

Author event with Tom Bissell author of Apostle  (author appearance)
Tom Bissell | 04/14/2016, 06:30 pm | Parnassus Books | Nashville, TN

JABBIES: Judge-A-Book-By-Its-Spine with Craig Popelars and Michael Reynolds  (other event)
04/14/2016, 06:30 pm | Fountain Bookstore | Richmond, VA

Signing with Author Kristy Woodson Harvey  (author appearance)
Kristy Woodson Harvey | 04/15/2016, 06:00 pm | Literary BookPost | Salisbury, NC

South Carolina Academy of Authors 30th Anniversary  (other event)
04/15/2016, 10:00 am | Fiction Addiction | Greenville, SC

Bo Petersen - Author of Washing Our Hands in the Clouds  (author appearance)
Bo Petersen | 04/15/2016, 11:00 am | Litchfield Books | Pawleys Island, SC

Author event with Alicia Ybarbo and Mary Ann Zoellner  (author appearance)
Alicia Ybarbo | 04/15/2016, 05:30 pm | Parnassus Books | Nashville, TN

Kathleen Grisson, Glory Over Everything  (author appearance)
Kathleen Grisson | 04/16/2016, 01:00 pm | FoxTale Book Shoppe | Woodstock, GA

Book Signing with Jamie Mason  (author appearance)
Jamie Mason | 04/16/2016, 02:00 pm | Joe's Place | Greenville, SC

Author event with Brooks Benjamin author of My Seventh Grade Life in Tights  (author appearance)
Brooks Benjamin | 04/16/2016, 02:00 pm | Parnassus Books | Nashville, TN

Author event with Jessica Knoll author of Luckiest Girl Alive  (author appearance)
Jessica Knoll | 04/17/2016, 02:00 pm | Parnassus Books | Nashville, TN

Parnassus Book Club - The Color of Water  (book club)
04/18/2016, 06:30 pm | Parnassus Books | Nashville, TN

DAVID SEDARIS!!!!!!!  (author appearance)
David Sedaris | 04/18/2016, 07:00 pm | Fountain Bookstore | Richmond, VA

Fred Chappell - A Shadow All of Light  (author appearance)
Fred Chappell | 04/19/2016, 07:00 pm | Regulator Bookshop | Durham, NC

Ken Ilgunas - Trespassing Across America  (author appearance)
Ken Ilgunas | 04/21/2016, 07:00 pm | Regulator Bookshop | Durham, NC

Author event with Robyn Carr author of What We Find  (author appearance)
Robyn Carr | 04/21/2016, 06:30 pm | Parnassus Books | Nashville, TN

National Poetry Month Event - John Guzlowski Reads from Echoes of Tattered Tongues: Memory Unfolded  (author appearance)
John Guzlowski | 04/21/2016, 06:30 pm | Fountain Bookstore | Richmond, VA

Kim Michele Richardson, GodPretty in the Tobacco Field Book Launch  (author appearance)
Kim Michele | 04/22/2016, 06:30 pm | FoxTale Book Shoppe | Woodstock, GA

Facts and Fiction: Literary Trivia at Joe’s Place  (other event)
04/22/2016, 07:00 pm | Joe's Place | Greenville, SC

Kristy Woodson Harvey - Author of Lies and Other Acts of Love  (author appearance)
Kristy Woodson Harvey | 04/22/2016 | Litchfield Books | Pawleys Island, SC

Belmont University's Spring Leadership Luncheon with Arianna Huffington  (author appearance)
Arianna Huffington | 04/22/2016, 11:00 am | Parnassus Books | Nashville, TN

Kristy Woodson Harvey, Lies and Other Acts of Love  (author appearance)
Kristy Woodson Harvey | 04/23/2016, 01:00 pm | FoxTale Book Shoppe | Woodstock, GA

Author Kristy Woodson Harvey: LIES AND OTHER ACTS OF LOVE  (author appearance)
Kristy Woodson Harvey | 04/24/2016, 06:30 pm | Avid Bookshop | Athens, GA

Author event with middle grade authors Kristin O'Donnell Tubb, Gail Nall and Lois Stephban  (author appearance)
Gail Nall | 04/24/2016, 02:00 pm | Parnassus Books | Nashville, TN

Author event with J.A. Jance author of Clawback  (author appearance)
J.A. Jance | 04/25/2016, 06:30 pm | Parnassus Books | Nashville, TN

Author event with NOFX authors of The Hepatitis Bathtub and Other Stories  (author appearance)
NOFX Authors | 04/26/2016, 06:30 pm | Parnassus Books | Nashville, TN

Kathleen Grissom - Glory Over Everything  (author appearance)
Kathleen Grissom | 04/27/2016, 07:00 pm | Regulator Bookshop | Durham, NC

Author event with Richard Zacks author of Chasing the Last Laugh  (author appearance)
Richard Zacks | 04/27/2016, 06:30 pm | Parnassus Books | Nashville, TN

Robin Kirk - Peculiar Motion  (author appearance)
Robin Kirk | 04/28/2016, 07:00 pm | Regulator Bookshop | Durham, NC

Author event with Roy Neel author of The Electors  (author appearance)
Roy Neel | 04/28/2016, 06:30 pm | Parnassus Books | Nashville, TN

Independent Bookstore Day featuring Kathleen Grissom and Gil Allen  (author appearance)
Kathleen Grissom | 04/30/2016, 09:00 am | Fiction Addiction | Greenville, SC

Author event with S. Teague and Shana Thornton authors of Seasons of Balance  (author appearance)
Shana Thornton | 04/30/2016, 02:00 pm | Parnassus Books | Nashville, TN

Independent Bookstore Day 2016!  (other event)
04/30/2016, 10:00 am | Fountain Bookstore | Richmond, VA

Authors Round the South
www.authorsroundthesouth.com

In This Issue

Lady Banks' Commonplace Book | Read This! | The Pat Conroy Prize | Okra Picks | The Trailer Park | Book and Author Gossip | The Southern Bookstore | STARS Author Feature | Special to the Southern List | Southern Indie Bestsellers | Event Calendar

Dearest Readers,

"My very first memory is of downtown Grundy," writes Lee Smith in her new memoir, Dimestore. "I'm standing up in my crib, gripping its spool railings, looking out an upstairs dormer window of my grandparents' house at the flickering colored lights of the Morgan Theater, reflected in th waters of Slate Creek. First green, then yellow, then blue and red and green again, they twinkle through the distance like fairy lights in an enchanted kingdom, promising everything."

The Morgan theater no longer twinkles where Lee Smith remembers it. Nor does her father's Ben Franklin store stand in the spot it had on the main thoroughfare when Smith was growing up. In fact, the dimestore was blown up, along with a big chunk of downtown Grundy, in 2005, in a determined bid to save the town from the dangerous flooding of the Levisa River, which decimated whatever was left of the local economy that hadn't already been killed once the coals mines closed. The town was saved, or perhaps re-incarnated, on higher ground with a Walmart instead of the Ben Franklin store at its hub to see it through into a new era.  So the town of Grundy Smith remembers in her memoir is very much a place no longer to be found on maps, only in memories.

But not only Lee Smith's memories. Fifteen years ago, and five years before the town would abandon its historic location, hoist its skirts and march uphill to higher ground, the people of Grundy realized that the town was dying and in the ambitious plan to save it, many things -- many stories -- would be lost forever. So Lee Smith, her good friend Debbie Raines (the English teacher at Grundy High School) and Ms. Raines's students, conceived of a project to create an oral history of Grundy, Virginia, to hopefully capture the stories and memories of a place that was soon to disappear. Earnest young students fanned out into the town, interviewing everyone from shopkeepers to miners, doctors to preachers, railroad men to church women to teachers. They talked to the man who founded the Mountain Mission School because he saw a young boy crying and cold and it reminded him of how he had grown up. To the preacher who married folk in the Old English style, and had to explain to the soon-to-be-husbands what the word "troth" meant, and why it was in the vows. To self-made millionaire furniture makers and country doctors who never turned away a patient.

The interviews and recollections were collected and published in a book called "Sitting on the Courthouse Bench" -- a fond memorial to a place full of history and story that was soon to be gone from this world, if not from the hearts of the people who lived there

Sitting on the Courthouse Bench is not an easy book to find -- an oral history of a small Virginia mountain town not being the kind of thing big publishers in New York City would see a market for. It was printed and published locally, and if you can find a copy it is well worth the effort -- it is a good companion to Lee Smith's memoir -- the memories behind her own memories, so to speak. The soul of any town is in the memories of its people, and Grundy, Virginia was full up to the brim with soul.

Read independently! And shop local, for obvious reasons.

her ladyship, the editor

Lady Banks' Pick of the Week

Lady Banks' Commonplace Book

Noteworthy poetry and prose from her ladyship's bedside reading stack.

Grundy nestled in its mountains "like a play-pretty cotched in the hand of God," as an old woman once described it. Surely I could always count on these mountains, this river behind our house, this town where I grew up in my father's dimestore and across the street in my grandfather's office at the courthouse and in the Methodist Church and in my grandparents' house just across Slate Creek, right next to my school. "Honey, the only thing you can count on in this world," my granddaddy used to say, "is death and taxes." But that couldn't be true, I felt. This was my geography. It would be like this forever. My daddy knew. He called it his "standing ground."

--Lee Smith, Dimestore: A Writer's Life (Algonquin Books, 2016)  9781616205027

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Read This!

Recommended reading from Southern Indie Booksellers

from Flyleaf Books, Chapel Hill, NC:

Sweetgirl by Travis Mulhauser

I really enjoyed Sweetgirl. The dialogue is reminiscent of Elmore Leonard's; erudite comments from seemingly lowbrow characters introduce humor in the bleakest of situations. A plucky sixteen-year-old heroine who has more sense than most of the adults around her. Really well-written and seamless storytelling. I look forward to reading more of Mulhauser's work.  --Jamie

Spill Simmer Falter Wither by Sara Baume

This book, it's hard to say how deep it is. It's the story of a couple of outcasts-- a man and a dog who survive for each other-- yet this is no sweet dog-friend book. In some ways it's as hard as a bark. But the writing is incandescent, the story inimitable. The heart: it snaps.  --Erica

Margaret the First by Danielle Dutton

There are novels so good that they leave you kind of desolate, wondering how you could ever read anything again.  Margaret the First belongs to a different, though equal, category of good-- the book that makes you want to read other books! Its heroine is Margaret Cavendish, Duchess of Newcastle, the first woman in England to write for publication, surviving civil war, exile, marriage, and a reading public that didn't quite know what to make of her daring and original writings. Danielle Dutton's sumptuous novel of Margaret's life, though slim, contains worlds.  -- Travis

More bookseller recommendations

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Okra Picks

"When I saw that Lee Smith had a new book-- and a memoir!-- I got so happy. Dimestore did not disappoint. Reading it is like sitting with Lee and listening to all her memories and stories. Such a treat. And added fun for us Chapel Hill folks who will recognize our town in these pages." -- Sarah Dessen

In her first work of nonfiction, Lee Smith deploys the wit, wisdom, and graceful prose for which she is beloved to conjure her early days in the small coal town of Grundy, Virginia and beyond. For the inimitable Lee Smith, place is paramount. For forty-five years, her fiction has lived and breathed with the rhythms and people of the Appalachian South. But never before has she written her own story. Set deep in the rugged Appalachian Mountains, the Grundy of Lee Smith's youth was a place of coal miners, mountain music, and her daddy's dimestore. It was in that dimestore--listening to customers and inventing life histories for the store's dolls--that she began to learn the craft of storytelling. Even though she adored Grundy, Smith's formal education and travels took her far from Virginia, though her Appalachian upbringing never left her. "Dimestore"'s fifteen essays are crushingly honest, always wise, and superbly entertaining. Smith has created both a moving, personal portrait and a broader meditation on embracing one's heritage. Hers is an inspiring story of the birth of a writer and a poignant look at a way of life that has all but vanished. You know how in Lee Smith's fiction there's always something so fresh, crazy, and loving? In "Dimestore "is the essence of Lee. Roy Blount Jr., author of "Alphabetter Juice: or, The Joy of Text"

• Lee Smith - Dimestore: A Writer's Life  (author appearance)
  Lee Smith | 04/14/2016, 07:00 pm | Regulator Bookshop | Durham, NC

Buy from an indie | Read the first chapter

The Southern Bookstore

M. Judson, Booksellers & Storytellers and Ashley Warlick

We’ve adopted Mary Camilla as our patron saint, our guiding light at the bookstore, and tried to imagine her into the 21st century. Our M. Judson might still wear high boots and long skirts, but she's also irreverent, opinionated, brilliant, and a little bad-ass. Our name ties us to our history and our place, and our namesake gives us a bit of Victorian backbone in this very modern age.

Read more

via Jon Mayes, Advance Reading Copy

Lady Banks' Book Trailer Park

""I'm not really a writer, I'm a storyteller --stories come to me in a human voice."" - Lee Smith on NC Bookwatch

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The Pat Conroy Southern Book Prize:
Exploring the Long List

Life Stories in the List

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Book & Author Gossip

Nancy Olson, founder of Quail Ridge Books, dies

Nancy Olson, founder and former owner of Raleigh's popular independent bookstore, Quail Ridge Books, died early Sunday, a store representative said. Olson died peacefully in hospice care, at about 4 a.m., following a protracted battle with kidney disease, family members said. Her store became known not just as a place to buy books, but also as a place where the written word came to life. Quail Ridge played host to national and local writers alike, with the store and its owner serving as a regional draw for those with a new book or a big idea. Musical merchandise and performances were also welcomed.

What makes a Southern writer a Southern writer?

For me, the definition of any regional writing is, could a particular work of fiction have taken place anywhere else? If the answer is no, you’ve got a world of regional literature—think Elizabeth Strout’s Olive Kitteridge, set in Maine; Alice Munro’s Canadian stories; or James Joyce’s Dublin, among others. Place is the most important element of my fiction, and my particular place is the Appalachian South, where I grew up and first heard language. Place determines who my characters are, how they live, what they believe and think, how they speak—often determining the narrative voice and tone of the whole novel. I grew up in a storytelling mountain family so I’m more of a storyteller than a “writerly” writer.

A Life spent developing character

“I was uncomfortable the whole time doing this book,” she says. “In fiction, you have a control you never could in real life. I’m real glad I did it, but it was very unsettling.” Handling friends and family is not the same as handling characters. Her husband, the writer Hal Crowther, describes the process as watching her work with explosives.

It's not the drinking water

“It’s not the drinking water, it’s not the barbecue, it’s the education,” he said, noting that the state has dropped in national rankings of state spending per student. “We seem to be in a race to replace Mississippi at the bottom of the list.”

Okraphobia

When the rock-and-roll band of authors known as the Rock Bottom Remainders got together recently, I learned that my friend and bandmate Stephen King is horrified by okra. Someone—not me, maybe Greg Iles, the only other Southern member of the band—happened to bring up okra, just in passing, you know, as one will. And Steve reacted as another person might to a vengeful psychokinetic wallflower, or a runaway rabid Saint Bernard, or an insanely jealous Plymouth Fury. “Nooo,” he said. “I don’t want okra. No okra. No.”

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Meet Danny Bernstein

I’m a hiker, hike leader, and outdoor writer. I’ve been a committed hiker for over 40 years, having completed the Appalachian Trail, all the trails in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the South beyond 6000, and the Mountains-to-Sea Trail across North Carolina.

I’ve written two hiking guides for the Southern Appalachians, and a travel narrative on hiking the Mountains-to-Sea Trail. My book Forests, Alligators, Battlefields: My Journey through the National Parks of the South will come out in 2016, to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service.

Mountains -to-Sea

The Mountains-to-Sea Trail shows off the most spectacular, historic and quirky elements of the North Carolina landscape. Stretching one thousand miles from Clingmans Dome in the Smokies to Jockey's Ridge State Park in the Outer Banks, the route takes in Fraser fir trees and pelicans, old grist and textile mills, working cotton and tobacco farms, Revolutionary War sites and two British cemeteries complete with Union Jacks. The trail is half on footpaths and half on back roads, offering experiences not only in nature but also in small towns, at historic monuments, in family cemeteries and in local shops. Author Danny Bernstein has taken it all in and shares her knowledge for those who might follow in her footsteps.

Request an author appearance

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Southern Indie Bestsellers

For the week ending March 20. Books on the Southern Indie Bestseller List that are southern in nature or have been recently recommended by southern indie booksellers.

- A STARS Author | - A SIBA Okra Pick 
Titles in red are SIBA Book Award winners and finalists!
Printable versions: Hardcover | Paperback | Children.

HARDCOVER FICTION

HARDCOVER NONFICTION

TRADE PAPERBACK FICTION

TRADE PAPERBACK NONFICTION

MASS MARKET

CHILDREN'S ILLUSTRATED

CHILDREN'S INTEREST

CHILDREN'S FICTION SERIES TITLES

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Special to the Southern List

Click on a book to purchase from a great indie bookstore! See the full Southern Indie Bestseller list here.

Events

Events at Southern Indie Bookstores

There’s a Story Here with Jordy Searcy  (other event)
03/29/2016, 07:00 pm | Page & Palette | Fairhope, AL

Author Raymond Arroyo: WILL WILDER: THE RELIC OF PERILOUS FALLS  (author appearance)
Raymond Arroyo | 03/29/2016, 06:30 pm | Avid Bookshop | Athens, GA

MATTHEW GRIFFIN presents HIDE  (author appearance)
Matthew Griffin | 03/29/2016, 07:00 pm | Malaprop's Bookstore/Cafe | Asheville, NC

Francine Bryson Launch Party   (author appearance)
Francine Bryson | 03/29/2016, 07:00 pm | Fiction Addiction | Greenville, SC

UNC Humanities in Action: The Challenges to Democracy in Latin America  (other event)
03/30/2016, 04:30 pm | Flyleaf Books | Chapel Hill, NC

Susan Higginbotham discusses her historical novel Hanging Mary  (author appearance)
Susan Higginbotham | 03/30/2016, 07:00 pm | Flyleaf Books | Chapel Hill, NC

KEITH LEE MORRIS presents TRAVELERS REST  (author appearance)
Keith Morris | 03/30/2016, 07:00 pm | Malaprop's Bookstore/Cafe | Asheville, NC

Book Signing: Katherine Clark - Expressions of Poetry in Season  (author appearance)
Katherine Clark | 03/30/2016, 07:00 pm | Park Road Books | Charlotte, NC

Michael Muhammad Knight -Why I am a Salafi  (author appearance)
Michael Muhammad Knight | 03/30/2016, 07:00 pm | Regulator Bookshop | Durham, NC

DAVID KUSHNER discusses and signs ALLIGATOR CANDY  (author appearance)
David Kushner | 03/31/2016, 07:00 pm | Inkwood Books | Tampa, FL

Book Party: THE WILD TREASURY OF NATURE - Philip Juras, Dorinda Dallmeyer, and Janice Simon  (author appearance)
Philip Juras | 03/31/2016, 06:30 pm | Avid Bookshop | Athens, GA

WORKS IN TRANSLATION BOOK CLUB discusses THE ISLANDERS  (author appearance)
03/31/2016, 07:00 pm | Malaprop's Bookstore/Cafe | Asheville, NC

Steve Jurovics - Hospitable Planet (at QRB On the Fly)  (author appearance)
Steve Jurovics | 03/31/2016, 07:00 pm | Quail Ridge Books & Music | Raleigh, NC

Darnelle Arnoult -Galaxie Wagon  (author appearance)
Darnelle Arnoult | 03/31/2016, 07:00 pm | Regulator Bookshop | Durham, NC

Keith Lee Morris  (author appearance)
Keith Lee Morris | 03/31/2016, 07:00 pm | Hub City Bookshop | Spartanburg, SC

Raising a Healthy, Happy Eater Lunchtime Free Demo Event with Authors!  (author appearance)
Nimali Fernando | 03/31/2016, 01:00 pm | Fountain Bookstore | Richmond, VA

Meet the Author: Evania Rose  (author appearance)
Evania Rose | 04/01/2016, 05:00 pm | Page After Page Bookstore | Elizabeth City

First Friday Author Round Up - Adrienne Cooley & Phillip Otts  (author appearance)
Adrienne Cooley | 04/01/2016, 06:00 pm | Page & Palette | Fairhope, AL

Matthew Griffin discusses his debut novel Hide  (author appearance)
Matthew Griffin | 04/01/2016, 07:00 pm | Flyleaf Books | Chapel Hill, NC

Poets Jaimee Hills & Jennifer Whitaker  (author appearance)
Jennifer Whitaker | 04/01/2016, 07:00 pm | Regulator Bookshop | Durham, NC

Taylor Brown - Author of Fallen Land  (author appearance)
Taylor Brown | 04/01/2016, 11:00 am | Litchfield Books | Pawleys Island, SC

Author event with Nashville's Youth Poet Laureate Lagnajita Mukhopadhyay  (author appearance)
Lagnajita Mukhopadhyay | 04/01/2016, 06:00 pm | Parnassus Books | Nashville, TN

An Evening of Mystery with Bryan Robinson  (author appearance)
Bryan Robinson | 04/02/2016, 07:00 pm | Joe's Place | Greenville, SC

Author event with Josh Bledsoe author of Hammer and Nails  (author appearance)
Josh Bledsoe | 04/02/2016, 02:00 pm | Parnassus Books | Nashville, TN

Robin Conley -Confronting the Death Penalty: How Language Influences Jurors in Capital Cases  (author appearance)
Robin Conley | 04/03/2016, 04:30 pm | Regulator Bookshop | Durham, NC

Author event with Jacquelyn Mitchard author of Two if by Sea  (author appearance)
Jacquelyn Mitchard | 04/03/2016, 02:00 pm | Parnassus Books | Nashville, TN

Local Author G. Derek Adams Launch Party: ASTEROID MADE OF DRAGONS  (author appearance)
G. Derek Adams | 04/05/2016, 06:30 pm | Avid Bookshop | Athens, GA

Kurt Gray -The Mind Club  (author appearance)
Kurt Gray | 04/05/2016, 07:00 pm | Regulator Bookshop | Durham, NC

Author event with Emery Lord author of When We Collided  (author appearance)
Emery Lord | 04/05/2016, 06:30 pm | Parnassus Books | Nashville, TN

Brett Busang Presents I Shot Bruce: A Novel  (author appearance)
Brett Busang | 04/05/2016, 06:30 pm | Fountain Bookstore | Richmond, VA

Ann Packer discusses her novel The Children's Crusade  (author appearance)
Ann Packer | 04/06/2016, 07:00 pm | Flyleaf Books | Chapel Hill, NC

Tim Johnston – Descent  (author appearance)
Tim Johnston | 04/06/2016, 06:30 pm | McIntyre's Fine Books | Pittsboro, NC

James S. House -Beyond Obamacare: Life, Death, and Social Policy  (author appearance)
James S. | 04/06/2016, 07:00 pm | Regulator Bookshop | Durham, NC

Dr. Jason Miller Discusses Origins of the Dream: Hughes's Poetry and King's Rhetoric  (author appearance)
Jason Miller | 04/06/2016, 06:30 pm | Fountain Bookstore | Richmond, VA

Emery Lord discusses her new YA novel, When We Collided  (author appearance)
Emery Lord | 04/07/2016, 12:45 pm | Flyleaf Books | Chapel Hill, NC

Danielle Ofri, 2016 Emerson Lecture  (other event)
04/07/2016, 05:45 pm | Regulator Bookshop | Durham, NC

Author event with Stuart Gibbs author of Spaced Out  (author appearance)
Stuart Gibbs | 04/07/2016, 06:30 pm | Parnassus Books | Nashville, TN

Meet Author Peter Selgin  (author appearance)
Peter Selgin | 04/08/2016, 06:30 pm | Avid Bookshop | Athens, GA

Stephanie Storey -Oil & Marble  (author appearance)
Stephanie Storey | 04/08/2016, 07:00 pm | Regulator Bookshop | Durham, NC

Sara Foster In-Store Book Signing  (author appearance)
Sara Foster | 04/08/2016, 02:00 pm | Fiction Addiction | Greenville, SC

Carl Galante Photography Exhibition  (other event)
04/08/2016, 06:00 pm | Joe's Place | Greenville, SC

Susan Boyer - Author of Lowcountry Bordello  (author appearance)
Susan M. Boyer | 04/08/2016, 11:00 am | Litchfield Books | Pawleys Island, SC

Ten Minute Tarot featuring Phil Powers  (other event)
04/09/2016, 06:00 pm | Joe's Place | Greenville, SC

Author event with Ross Howell Jr. author of Forsaken  (author appearance)
Ross Howell Jr. | 04/09/2016, 02:00 pm | Parnassus Books | Nashville, TN

Matt Gallager -Youngblood  (author appearance)
Matt Gallager | 04/11/2016, 07:00 pm | Regulator Bookshop | Durham, NC

2016 Teen Writing Seminar   (writers group)
04/11/2016, 04:30 pm | Fiction Addiction | Greenville, SC

Author event with Ginger Manley author of Proud Flesh  (author appearance)
Ginger Manley | 04/11/2016, 06:30 pm | Parnassus Books | Nashville, TN

Author M.O. Walsh: MY SUNSHINE AWAY  (author appearance)
M.O. Walsh | 04/12/2016, 06:30 pm | Avid Bookshop | Athens, GA

Jason Miller -Origins of the Dream: Hughes's Poetry and King's Rhetoric  (author appearance)
Jason Miller | 04/12/2016, 07:00 pm | Regulator Bookshop | Durham, NC

Ann B. Ross Talk and Signing  (author appearance)
Ann B. Ross | 04/12/2016, 02:00 pm | Fiction Addiction | Greenville, SC

Stephanie Storey - Oil and Marble   (author appearance)
04/12/2016, 05:00 pm | Hub City Bookshop | Spartanburg, SC

Sit. Sip. Write. Creative Writing Group  (other event)
04/12/2016, 06:00 pm | Joe's Place | Greenville, SC

Author event with Julie Buxbaum in conversation with Jeff Zentner  (author appearance)
Julie Buxbaum | 04/12/2016, 06:30 pm | Parnassus Books | Nashville, TN

Kristy Woodson Harvey Book Talk and Signing  (author appearance)
Kristy Woodson Harvey | 04/13/2016, 06:00 pm | Fiction Addiction | Greenville, SC

Author event with Steve Berry author of The 14th Colony  (author appearance)
Steve Berry | 04/13/2016, 06:30 pm | Parnassus Books | Nashville, TN

Kathleen Grissom  (author appearance)
Kathleen Grissom | 04/14/2016, 07:00 pm | Bookmiser | Roswell, GA

Lee Smith - Dimestore: A Writer's Life  (author appearance)
Lee Smith | 04/14/2016, 07:00 pm | Regulator Bookshop | Durham, NC

Dan Santat Book Talk & Signing   (author appearance)
Dan Santat | 04/14/2016, 06:00 pm | Fiction Addiction | Greenville, SC

Author event with Tom Bissell author of Apostle  (author appearance)
Tom Bissell | 04/14/2016, 06:30 pm | Parnassus Books | Nashville, TN

JABBIES: Judge-A-Book-By-Its-Spine with Craig Popelars and Michael Reynolds  (other event)
04/14/2016, 06:30 pm | Fountain Bookstore | Richmond, VA

Signing with Author Kristy Woodson Harvey  (author appearance)
Kristy Woodson Harvey | 04/15/2016, 06:00 pm | Literary BookPost | Salisbury, NC

South Carolina Academy of Authors 30th Anniversary  (other event)
04/15/2016, 10:00 am | Fiction Addiction | Greenville, SC

Bo Petersen - Author of Washing Our Hands in the Clouds  (author appearance)
Bo Petersen | 04/15/2016, 11:00 am | Litchfield Books | Pawleys Island, SC

Author event with Alicia Ybarbo and Mary Ann Zoellner  (author appearance)
Alicia Ybarbo | 04/15/2016, 05:30 pm | Parnassus Books | Nashville, TN

Kathleen Grisson, Glory Over Everything  (author appearance)
Kathleen Grisson | 04/16/2016, 01:00 pm | FoxTale Book Shoppe | Woodstock, GA

Book Signing with Jamie Mason  (author appearance)
Jamie Mason | 04/16/2016, 02:00 pm | Joe's Place | Greenville, SC

Author event with Brooks Benjamin author of My Seventh Grade Life in Tights  (author appearance)
Brooks Benjamin | 04/16/2016, 02:00 pm | Parnassus Books | Nashville, TN

Author event with Jessica Knoll author of Luckiest Girl Alive  (author appearance)
Jessica Knoll | 04/17/2016, 02:00 pm | Parnassus Books | Nashville, TN

Parnassus Book Club - The Color of Water  (book club)
04/18/2016, 06:30 pm | Parnassus Books | Nashville, TN

DAVID SEDARIS!!!!!!!  (author appearance)
David Sedaris | 04/18/2016, 07:00 pm | Fountain Bookstore | Richmond, VA

Fred Chappell - A Shadow All of Light  (author appearance)
Fred Chappell | 04/19/2016, 07:00 pm | Regulator Bookshop | Durham, NC

Ken Ilgunas - Trespassing Across America  (author appearance)
Ken Ilgunas | 04/21/2016, 07:00 pm | Regulator Bookshop | Durham, NC

Author event with Robyn Carr author of What We Find  (author appearance)
Robyn Carr | 04/21/2016, 06:30 pm | Parnassus Books | Nashville, TN

National Poetry Month Event - John Guzlowski Reads from Echoes of Tattered Tongues: Memory Unfolded  (author appearance)
John Guzlowski | 04/21/2016, 06:30 pm | Fountain Bookstore | Richmond, VA

Kim Michele Richardson, GodPretty in the Tobacco Field Book Launch  (author appearance)
Kim Michele | 04/22/2016, 06:30 pm | FoxTale Book Shoppe | Woodstock, GA

Facts and Fiction: Literary Trivia at Joe’s Place  (other event)
04/22/2016, 07:00 pm | Joe's Place | Greenville, SC

Kristy Woodson Harvey - Author of Lies and Other Acts of Love  (author appearance)
Kristy Woodson Harvey | 04/22/2016 | Litchfield Books | Pawleys Island, SC

Belmont University's Spring Leadership Luncheon with Arianna Huffington  (author appearance)
Arianna Huffington | 04/22/2016, 11:00 am | Parnassus Books | Nashville, TN

Kristy Woodson Harvey, Lies and Other Acts of Love  (author appearance)
Kristy Woodson Harvey | 04/23/2016, 01:00 pm | FoxTale Book Shoppe | Woodstock, GA

Author Kristy Woodson Harvey: LIES AND OTHER ACTS OF LOVE  (author appearance)
Kristy Woodson Harvey | 04/24/2016, 06:30 pm | Avid Bookshop | Athens, GA

Author event with middle grade authors Kristin O'Donnell Tubb, Gail Nall and Lois Stephban  (author appearance)
Gail Nall | 04/24/2016, 02:00 pm | Parnassus Books | Nashville, TN

Author event with J.A. Jance author of Clawback  (author appearance)
J.A. Jance | 04/25/2016, 06:30 pm | Parnassus Books | Nashville, TN

Author event with NOFX authors of The Hepatitis Bathtub and Other Stories  (author appearance)
NOFX Authors | 04/26/2016, 06:30 pm | Parnassus Books | Nashville, TN

Kathleen Grissom - Glory Over Everything  (author appearance)
Kathleen Grissom | 04/27/2016, 07:00 pm | Regulator Bookshop | Durham, NC

Author event with Richard Zacks author of Chasing the Last Laugh  (author appearance)
Richard Zacks | 04/27/2016, 06:30 pm | Parnassus Books | Nashville, TN

Robin Kirk - Peculiar Motion  (author appearance)
Robin Kirk | 04/28/2016, 07:00 pm | Regulator Bookshop | Durham, NC

Author event with Roy Neel author of The Electors  (author appearance)
Roy Neel | 04/28/2016, 06:30 pm | Parnassus Books | Nashville, TN

Independent Bookstore Day featuring Kathleen Grissom and Gil Allen  (author appearance)
Kathleen Grissom | 04/30/2016, 09:00 am | Fiction Addiction | Greenville, SC

Author event with S. Teague and Shana Thornton authors of Seasons of Balance  (author appearance)
Shana Thornton | 04/30/2016, 02:00 pm | Parnassus Books | Nashville, TN

Independent Bookstore Day 2016!  (other event)
04/30/2016, 10:00 am | Fountain Bookstore | Richmond, VA

Authors Round the South
www.authorsroundthesouth.com

In This Issue

Lady Banks' Commonplace Book | Read This! | The Pat Conroy Prize | Okra Picks | The Trailer Park | Book and Author Gossip | STARS Author Feature | Special to the Southern List | Southern Indie Bestsellers | Event Calendar

Dearest Readers,

Her ladyship, the editor, has yet to plant her tomato seedlings, but Southern indie booksellers have already harvested a new peck of Okra picks -- a batch of great new Southern books to look forward to this spring:

. . . as if your beside stack wasn't already top-heavy with the books from the last season's list. Read about all the Okra Picks (and see the ones from earlier seasons) at

http://www.authorsroundthesouth.com/okra

Read independently! And shop local, for obvious reasons.

her ladyship, the editor

Lady Banks' Pick of the Week

Lady Banks' Commonplace Book

Noteworthy poetry and prose from her ladyship's bedside reading stack.

My grandmother, Lovey, says that there are two types of people in the world: the kind who flee to the shelters at the first threat of a hurricane, and the kind who wait it out, hovering over their possessions as if their fragile lives offer any protection against a natural mother that can take them out of the world as quickly as she brought them into it.

I come from a long line of the hovering kind.

As I sit across from my grandmother in her stately living room, the dimmed bulbs of the chandeliers reflecting off the scotch that I most certainly will not drink, I laugh as she says, "Well, why wouldn't I go to the beach? I've ridden out every other hurricane of the last half century there. Haven't blown away yet."

--Kristy Woodson Harvey, Lies and Other Acts of Love (Berkley, 2016) 9781101987063

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Read This!

Recommended reading from Southern Indie Booksellers

from Avid Bookshop, Athens, GA:

Tyler loves The Vegetarian by Han Kang: This book is so weird. So creepy. And I can't stop thinking about it.  9780553448184

Will loves Innocents and Others by Dana Spiotta:  Absolutely, 100% engrossing. A story about friendship, purpose, and the peaks and pitfalls of ambition, Innocents and Others unspools multiple threads from its central narrative, the lifelong friendship of two acclaimed filmmakers, and not a single one of them is any less compelling than the last.  9781501122729

Rachel K. loves What is Not Yours is Not Yours by Helen Oyeyemi: The author's sly wit and enchanting prose masterfully build characters who are at once both completely extraordinary and disarmingly realistic, and the paths she takes readers down are gloriously wild with briars, wolves, and sinister swamps. Those who love their stories a little off-kilter and fable-like will find themselves captivated and not a little unsettled by these spellbinding tales.  9781594634635

Will loves Margaret the First by Danielle Dutton: To read this book is to dream it. We swallow fish, melt into snow, burst into stardust, and swell along with the currents of the ocean. Daring, impressive, lovely, compelling, and deeply, deeply heartfelt, Danielle Dutton's Margaret the First is a classic for our time.  9781936787357

Hannah loves Uprooted by Naomi Novik: The book is both unlike and fairy tale you've read and reminiscent of the best fairy tales you've ever read. You'll find yourself sucked in to Novik's carefully crafted world, where the Dragon is a man, the woods are wicked, and the hero is a quick-witted village girl.  9780804179058

Tyler loves The Turner House by Angela Flournoy: This is the story of a house in Detroit, and of the Turner family, two parents and thirteen children, who grew up there and moved away. As we read to learn the fate of the house itself, you fall in love with the people who have inhabited it, and hurt when they struggle and dream when they dream.  9780544705166

Rachel K. loves All Tomorrow's Parties by Rob Spillman: I have never read a book quite like this one. I wanted not just to travel to the time periods and places Rob Spillman was living in, but to be in his shoes and inhabit his experiences. His lively, enrapturing prose made that nearly possible. Spillman has incredible insight; here is someone laying bare for you many of his youthful aspirations, mistakes, and acquired knowledge, always with the intent of expressing to the reader that a true artist’s calling, the chasing of a dream, is never easy, but always necessary.  9780802124838

Rachel W. loves Hammer Head: The Making of a Carpenter by Nina MacLaughlin:  I love reading memoirs and Nina MacLaughlin's was one of the best I've read in awhile. Tightly written with plenty of context on the many layers involved in a woman working as a carpenter, this book was a great read. Hand this book to a friend who is feeling stuck in their current career path. It's possible to take a totally different route and find yourself fulfilled in ways you might not imagine.  9780393352320

Rachel K. loves Lust and Wonder by Augusten Burroughs: I have been reading Augusten’s books since I was an adolescent, struggling with self-discovery and feeling like my experiences as a marginalized person isolated me. Like many lives, Augusten’s is riddled with wrong turns and bad choices, but the same path has led him to bliss. This book offers hope to those who still haven’t quite figured out this thing called life, and who, despite it all, are still determined to view it through a lens of lust and wonder.  9780312342036

More bookseller recommendations

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Okra Picks

DEAR CAROLINA author Kristy Woodson Harvey presents a new novel about what it really means to tell the truth . . .

After sixty years of marriage and five daughters, Lynn “Lovey” White knows that all of us, from time to time, need to use our little white lies. 

Her granddaughter, Annabelle, on the other hand, is as truthful as they come. She always does the right thing—that is, until she dumps her hedge fund manager fiancé and marries a musician she has known for three days. After all, her grandparents, who fell in love at first sight, have shared a lifetime of happiness, even through her grandfather’s declining health.

But when Annabelle’s world starts to collapse around her, she discovers that nothing about her picture-perfect family is as it seems. And Lovey has to decide whether one more lie will make or break the ones she loves . . .

BUY FROM AN INDIE  |  Read the first chapter

Lady Banks' Book Trailer Park

The Pat Conroy Southern Book Prize:
Exploring the Long List

Thrillers on the Long List

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Book & Author Gossip

Children's authors write open letter to NC young people in response to new law

As artists, we strive to create books that promote acceptance of all people regardless of race, religion, or gender identity. We will continue to do so; however, we cannot and will not support a state government that promotes discrimination. Each one of us will have to consider our participation in conferences and festivals in North Carolina while this law is in place. But you have our word that we will never abandon our thousands and thousands of readers in North Carolina. We stand with those who share our guiding principles and fundamental beliefs of equality, inclusion, and fair treatment. Thus, we will continue to visit your schools and libraries. We will spread kindness and inspire compassion and hope, as we believe books, in their best moments, always have and always will.

Scuppernong Books presents "Gender and Soxuality in North Carolina

A cook's tribute to Pat Conroy

Pat Conroy is my favorite contemporary writer. When I read this poignant passage from his most recent novel, The Prince of Tides I considered it to be the most exquisitely enticing culinary prose I had ever read and became intent upon reproducing the recipe. The very words scuppernong grapes resounded with magic that I had to know first hand and the phrase "the meat was the color of wild roses" all but sent me into anticipatory culinary ecstasy. So I wrote what is probably my very first fan letter and a year later when I still had received no response, wrote again.  9780553381542

Would you like to buy a bookstore?

The Book Worm, which "has occupied a prominent spot in the heart of our community," Powder Springs, Ga., is for sale, Authors 'Round the South wrote. Owned by Susan Smelser, the Book Worm began as an online store but was doing so well that in 2005, Smelser opened its bricks-and-mortar location, which stocks about 30,000 new and used titles, CDs and DVDs. Smelser said she is looking for a new owner who is, "above all, someone who has their heart in the community. Merchants in Powder Springs are a close-knit group. We're all just two doors down."

A writer's Appalachian roots

However, Smith makes clear: “This is my story, then, but it is not a sob story.”Dimestore also contains a wealth of humor and joyful memories, such as an account of a 1966 rafting trip Smith took down the Mississippi River with 15 of her college classmates from Hollins, the inspiration for her novel The Last Girls. She writes beautifully of her epiphany upon meeting Eudora Welty and realizing that this master storyteller wrote “[p]lain stories about country people and small towns, my own ‘living world.’ ”  9781616205027

SBF gets new Director

Kim Bockius-Suwyn has been named executive director of the Savannah Book Festival, replacing Robin Gold, who left the position after this year's festival. A longtime resident of Savannah, Bockius-Suwyn was mostly recently COO and co-owner of Enriched Business Strategies and earlier was development director for the Historic Savannah Foundation. She has held several leadership positions in many local community organizations and chaired the annual Savannah Tour of Homes and Gardens.

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Meet Adam W. Jones

Adam W. Jones was born in Raleigh, NC and is one of five siblings who all were brought up to be free thinkers. After a year-long sojourn across Europe after high school, he attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. After finishing with a degree in Journalism and Mass Communications he worked for fifteen years in advertising and marketing before starting his own real estate firm in 2002. Adam has had children's and travel stories published in a variety of local and regional magazines throughout the years, and Fate Ball is his first drafted novel. Adam is a husband and a father of two young girls. He lives in Chapel Hill, NC with his family and their two dogs.

Fate Ball

Fate Ball, by breakout author Adam W. Jones, recounts the love story between Able Curren and Ava Dubose, whose relationship ignites in Savannah, Georgia. Able is entranced by the beautiful Ava's devil-may-care spirit, and the two become inseparable. As their story unfolds, however, it becomes apparent that Ava's spirit includes a destructive and addictive side that injects a tortured element into their relationship. Although love keeps them connected despite all obstacles, this youthful love story becomes Able's determined quest to save his first love from herself. Fate Ball tells the all-important story of the many sides of an intense and enduring love.

Readers Favorite has recognized Fate Ball with many 5-star reviews. Cheryl E. Rodriguez writes, "Fate Ball is an unforgettable romantic tragedy [. . .] Jones elegantly portrays love and calamity, faith and fate, and heartache and despair. How can love be so wonderful and so horrible? Fate Ball magnifies the eternal truth—love never fails." Tracy E. Fisher writes, "Wow. Just, wow. That's almost all I can say after finishing...[It is] a story so searing that a reader's heart will actually ache."

Request an author appearance

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Southern Indie Bestsellers

For the week ending March 20. Books on the Southern Indie Bestseller List that are southern in nature or have been recently recommended by southern indie booksellers.

- A STARS Author | - A SIBA Okra Pick 
Titles in red are SIBA Book Award winners and finalists!
Printable versions: Hardcover | Paperback | Children.

HARDCOVER FICTION

HARDCOVER NONFICTION

TRADE PAPERBACK FICTION

TRADE PAPERBACK NONFICTION

MASS MARKET

CHILDREN'S ILLUSTRATED

CHILDREN'S INTEREST

CHILDREN'S FICTION SERIES TITLES

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Special to the Southern List

Click on a book to purchase from a great indie bookstore! See the full Southern Indie Bestseller list here.

Events

Events at Southern Indie Bookstores

Book Club -- The Flying Circus  (book club)
Susan Crandall | 04/06/2016, 06:00 pm | Copperfish Books, LLC | Punta Gorda, FL

Bad Dyke Allison Moon Reads From Girl Sex 101  (author appearance)
Allison Moon | 04/06/2016, 07:30 pm | Charis Books & More | Atlanta, GA

Ann Packer discusses her novel The Children's Crusade  (author appearance)
Ann Packer | 04/06/2016, 07:00 pm | Flyleaf Books | Chapel Hill, NC

Tim Johnston – Descent  (author appearance)
Tim Johnston | 04/06/2016, 06:30 pm | McIntyre's Fine Books | Pittsboro, NC

James S. House -Beyond Obamacare: Life, Death, and Social Policy  (author appearance)
James S. | 04/06/2016, 07:00 pm | Regulator Bookshop | Durham, NC

Story Time at Joe’s Place  (other event)
04/06/2016, 10:30 am | Joe's Place | Greenville, SC

Story Time at Joe’s Place  (other event)
04/06/2016, 03:30 pm | Joe's Place | Greenville, SC

Dr. Jason Miller Discusses Origins of the Dream: Hughes's Poetry and King's Rhetoric  (author appearance)
Jason Miller | 04/06/2016, 06:30 pm | Fountain Bookstore | Richmond, VA

Kathleen Grissom  (author appearance)
Kathleen Grissom | 04/07/2016, 06:00 pm | Page & Palette | Fairhope, AL

APR Local Chef Rebecca Lang Cookbook Launch: THE SOUTHERN VEGETABLE BOOK  (author appearance)
Rebecca Lang | 04/07/2016, 06:30 pm | Avid Bookshop | Athens, GA

Emery Lord discusses her new YA novel, When We Collided  (author appearance)
Emery Lord | 04/07/2016, 12:45 pm | Flyleaf Books | Chapel Hill, NC

John Donovan and Caren Zucker discuss their book In a Different Key: The Story of Autism at the Chapel Hill Public Library  (author appearance)
John Donovan | 04/07/2016, 06:30 pm | Flyleaf Books | Chapel Hill, NC

Emery Lord and Renee Ahdieh discuss their new YA releases  (author appearance)
Emery Lord | 04/07/2016, 08:00 pm | Flyleaf Books | Chapel Hill, NC

Danielle Ofri, 2016 Emerson Lecture  (other event)
Shari Smith | 04/07/2016, 05:45 pm | Regulator Bookshop | Durham, NC

Author event with Stuart Gibbs author of Spaced Out  (author appearance)
Stuart Gibbs | 04/07/2016, 06:30 pm | Parnassus Books | Nashville, TN

Meet Author Peter Selgin  (author appearance)
Peter Selgin | 04/08/2016, 06:30 pm | Avid Bookshop | Athens, GA

Rob Bell discusses his new book How to Be Here  (author appearance)
Rob Bell | 04/08/2016, 06:00 pm | Flyleaf Books | Chapel Hill, NC

Ann Ross - Miss Julia Inherits a Mess (Morning event at QRB On the Fly)  (author appearance)
Ann B. Ross | 04/08/2016, 10:00 am | Quail Ridge Books & Music | Raleigh, NC

Stephanie Storey -Oil & Marble  (author appearance)
Stephanie Storey | 04/08/2016, 07:00 pm | Regulator Bookshop | Durham, NC

Sara Foster In-Store Book Signing  (author appearance)
Sara Foster | 04/08/2016, 02:00 pm | Fiction Addiction | Greenville, SC

Carl Galante Photography Exhibition  (other event)
Shari Smith | 04/08/2016, 06:00 pm | Joe's Place | Greenville, SC

Susan Boyer - Author of Lowcountry Bordello  (author appearance)
Susan M. Boyer | 04/08/2016, 11:00 am | Litchfield Books | Pawleys Island, SC

Special Story Time: Local Authors & Illustrators: Bart King, Dodd Ferrell, Jacob Wenzka, and Cameron Bliss Ferrelle  (other event)
Bart King, | 04/09/2016, 10:30 am | Avid Bookshop | Athens, GA

Southern Cookbook Author & Restaurateur Sara Foster: FOSTER'S MARKET FAVORITES  (author appearance)
Sara Foster | 04/09/2016, 06:30 pm | Avid Bookshop | Athens, GA

Free Prompt Writing Class with Nancy Peacock  (writers group)
Nancy Peacock | 04/09/2016, 10:00 am | Flyleaf Books | Chapel Hill, NC

Sara Foster  (author appearance)
Sara Foster | 04/09/2016, 01:00 pm | Hub City Bookshop | Spartanburg, SC

Ten Minute Tarot featuring Phil Powers  (other event)
Shari Smith | 04/09/2016, 06:00 pm | Joe's Place | Greenville, SC

Author event with Ross Howell Jr. author of Forsaken  (author appearance)
Ross Howell Jr. | 04/09/2016, 02:00 pm | Parnassus Books | Nashville, TN

TOM HART - ROSALIE LIGHTNING author talk & book signing  (author appearance)
Tom Hart | 04/10/2016, 03:00 pm | Inkwood Books | Tampa, FL

John Hanson: Farewell to an Angel: It All Began in Old New Orleans  (author appearance)
John Hanson | 04/10/2016, 03:00 pm | Garden District Book Shop | New Orleans, LA

Jeff Zentner discusses his debut YA novel The Serpent King  (author appearance)
Jeff Zentner | 04/10/2016, 02:00 pm | Flyleaf Books | Chapel Hill, NC

Erik Larson  (author appearance)
Erik Larson | 04/11/2016, 06:00 pm | Page & Palette | Fairhope, AL

William Joyce: Ollie's Odyssey  (author appearance)
William Joyce | 04/11/2016, 06:00 pm | Garden District Book Shop | New Orleans, LA

Quincy Whitney discusses her book American Luthier: Carleen Hutchins-- the Art and Science of the Violin  (author appearance)
Quincy Whitney | 04/11/2016, 07:00 pm | Flyleaf Books | Chapel Hill, NC

Matt Gallager -Youngblood  (author appearance)
Matt Gallager | 04/11/2016, 07:00 pm | Regulator Bookshop | Durham, NC

2016 Teen Writing Seminar   (writers group)
Shari Smith | 04/11/2016, 04:30 pm | Fiction Addiction | Greenville, SC

Author event with Ginger Manley author of Proud Flesh  (author appearance)
Ginger Manley | 04/11/2016, 06:30 pm | Parnassus Books | Nashville, TN

Author M.O. Walsh: MY SUNSHINE AWAY  (author appearance)
M.O. Walsh | 04/12/2016, 06:30 pm | Avid Bookshop | Athens, GA

Pajama Story Time Book Launch with Dan Santat for ARE WE THERE YET?  (author appearance)
Dan Santat | 04/12/2016, 06:30 pm | Avid Bookshop | Athens, GA

Josh Rosenthal discusses his book The Record Store of the Mind in conversation with Steven Weiss  (author appearance)
Josh Rosenthal | 04/12/2016, 07:00 pm | Flyleaf Books | Chapel Hill, NC

Fred Chappell - A Shadow All of Light (off-site event)  (author appearance)
Fred Chappell | 04/12/2016, 07:00 pm | Quail Ridge Books & Music | Raleigh, NC

Jason Miller -Origins of the Dream: Hughes's Poetry and King's Rhetoric  (author appearance)
Jason Miller | 04/12/2016, 07:00 pm | Regulator Bookshop | Durham, NC

Ann B. Ross Talk and Signing  (author appearance)
Ann B. Ross | 04/12/2016, 02:00 pm | Fiction Addiction | Greenville, SC

Stephanie Storey - Oil and Marble   (author appearance)
04/12/2016, 05:00 pm | Hub City Bookshop | Spartanburg, SC

Stephanie Storey  (author appearance)
Stephanie Storey | 04/12/2016, 05:00 pm | Hub City Bookshop | Spartanburg, SC

Sit. Sip. Write. Creative Writing Group  (other event)
Shari Smith | 04/12/2016, 06:00 pm | Joe's Place | Greenville, SC

Author event with Julie Buxbaum in conversation with Jeff Zentner  (author appearance)
Julie Buxbaum | 04/12/2016, 06:30 pm | Parnassus Books | Nashville, TN

Garden District Book Shop Book Club  (book club)
Nell Zink | 04/13/2016, 06:00 pm | Garden District Book Shop | New Orleans, LA

M.O. Walsh discusses his New York Times bestselling debut novel, My Sunshine Away  (author appearance)
M.O. Walsh | 04/13/2016, 07:00 pm | Flyleaf Books | Chapel Hill, NC

Kristy Woodson Harvey Book Talk and Signing  (author appearance)
Kristy Woodson Harvey | 04/13/2016, 06:00 pm | Fiction Addiction | Greenville, SC

Author event with Steve Berry author of The 14th Colony  (author appearance)
Steve Berry | 04/13/2016, 06:30 pm | Parnassus Books | Nashville, TN

Local Author Frances Kwiatkowski Launch Party: KINGDOM OF LONGLEAF  (author appearance)
Frances Kwiatkowski | 04/14/2016, 06:30 pm | Avid Bookshop | Athens, GA

Kathleen Grissom  (author appearance)
Kathleen Grissom | 04/14/2016, 07:00 pm | Bookmiser | Roswell, GA

Katie Parla: Tasting Rome: Fresh Flavors and Forgotten Recipes from an Ancient City  (author appearance)
Katie Parla | 04/14/2016, 06:00 pm | Garden District Book Shop | New Orleans, LA

Lee Smith - Dimestore: A Writer's Life  (author appearance)
Lee Smith | 04/14/2016, 07:00 pm | Regulator Bookshop | Durham, NC

Dan Santat Book Talk & Signing   (author appearance)
Dan Santat | 04/14/2016, 06:00 pm | Fiction Addiction | Greenville, SC

The Writing Show: Writing the Mystery  (author appearance)
Carla Damron | 04/14/2016, 07:00 pm | Hub City Bookshop | Spartanburg, SC

Author event with Tom Bissell author of Apostle  (author appearance)
Tom Bissell | 04/14/2016, 06:30 pm | Parnassus Books | Nashville, TN

JABBIES: Judge-A-Book-By-Its-Spine with Craig Popelars and Michael Reynolds  (other event)
Shari Smith | 04/14/2016, 06:30 pm | Fountain Bookstore | Richmond, VA

Charlie Price  (author appearance)
Charlie Price | 04/15/2016, 04:00 pm | Page & Palette | Fairhope, AL

AMBER TAMBLYN discusses and signs DARK SPARKLER  (author appearance)
Amber Tamblyn | 04/15/2016, 06:00 pm | Inkwood Books | Tampa, FL

Signing with Author Kristy Woodson Harvey  (author appearance)
Kristy Woodson Harvey | 04/15/2016, 06:00 pm | Literary BookPost | Salisbury, NC

South Carolina Academy of Authors 30th Anniversary  (other event)
Shari Smith | 04/15/2016, 10:00 am | Fiction Addiction | Greenville, SC

Singer Ashley Hale & her ukelele  (other event)
04/15/2016, 07:00 pm | Joe's Place | Greenville, SC

Bo Petersen - Author of Washing Our Hands in the Clouds  (author appearance)
Bo Petersen | 04/15/2016, 11:00 am | Litchfield Books | Pawleys Island, SC

Author event with Alicia Ybarbo and Mary Ann Zoellner  (author appearance)
Alicia Ybarbo | 04/15/2016, 05:30 pm | Parnassus Books | Nashville, TN

Kathleen Grisson, Glory Over Everything  (author appearance)
Kathleen Grisson | 04/16/2016, 01:00 pm | FoxTale Book Shoppe | Woodstock, GA

Ann B. Ross Presents New Miss Julia Novel  (author appearance)
Ann B. Ross | 04/16/2016, 03:00 pm | City Lights Bookstore | Sylva, NC

Jennifer L. Collins  (author appearance)
Jennifer L. | 04/16/2016, 01:00 pm | Hub City Bookshop | Spartanburg, SC

Book Signing with Jamie Mason  (author appearance)
Jamie Mason | 04/16/2016, 02:00 pm | Joe's Place | Greenville, SC

Saluda River Strings: Live Band  (other event)
04/16/2016, 06:00 pm | Joe's Place | Greenville, SC

Author event with Brooks Benjamin author of My Seventh Grade Life in Tights  (author appearance)
Brooks Benjamin | 04/16/2016, 02:00 pm | Parnassus Books | Nashville, TN

Singer/Songwriter Michael Buffalo Smith  (other event)
04/17/2016, 02:00 pm | Joe's Place | Greenville, SC

Author event with Jessica Knoll author of Luckiest Girl Alive  (author appearance)
Jessica Knoll | 04/17/2016, 02:00 pm | Parnassus Books | Nashville, TN

Parnassus Book Club - The Color of Water  (book club)
Shari Smith | 04/18/2016, 06:30 pm | Parnassus Books | Nashville, TN

DAVID SEDARIS!!!!!!!  (author appearance)
David Sedaris | 04/18/2016, 07:00 pm | Fountain Bookstore | Richmond, VA

Ross Howell  (author appearance)
Ross Howell | 04/19/2016, 06:00 pm | Page & Palette | Fairhope, AL

Multiple Autisms: Spectrums of Advocacy and Genomic Science with Jennifer Singh  (author appearance)
Jennifer Singh | 04/19/2016, 07:30 pm | Charis Books & More | Atlanta, GA

William Barnwell: Called to Heal the Brokenhearted: Stories from Kairos Prison Ministry International  (author appearance)
William Barnwell | 04/19/2016, 06:00 pm | Garden District Book Shop | New Orleans, LA

Ernest Cline discusses his sci-fi novel Armada  (author appearance)
Ernest Cline | 04/19/2016, 07:00 pm | Flyleaf Books | Chapel Hill, NC

Fred Chappell - A Shadow All of Light  (author appearance)
Fred Chappell | 04/19/2016, 07:00 pm | Regulator Bookshop | Durham, NC

Terry Barr  (author appearance)
Terry Barr | 04/19/2016, 07:00 pm | Hub City Bookshop | Spartanburg, SC

Books & Beyond: Book Club  (book club)
Liane Moriarty | 04/19/2016, 06:30 pm | Joe's Place | Greenville, SC

Sam Trull discusses her photo book Slothlove  (author appearance)
Sam Trull | 04/20/2016, 07:00 pm | Flyleaf Books | Chapel Hill, NC

Story Time at Joe's Place  (other event)
04/20/2016, 10:30 am | Joe's Place | Greenville, SC

Story Time at Joe’s Place  (other event)
04/20/2016, 03:30 pm | Joe's Place | Greenville, SC

Book Signing with NOFX - TICKETED  (author appearance)
NOFX Authors | 04/21/2016, 05:30 pm | Inkwood Books | Tampa, FL

Mandala Launch Party  (other event)
various authors | 04/21/2016, 06:30 pm | Avid Bookshop | Athens, GA

Melissa Ginsburg: Sunset City  (author appearance)
Melissa Ginsburg | 04/21/2016, 06:00 pm | Garden District Book Shop | New Orleans, LA

Coffee with the Poet Featuring Jonathan K. Rice  (author appearance)
Jonathan K. Rice | 04/21/2016, 10:30 am | City Lights Bookstore | Sylva, NC

Award-winning novelist Robert Morgan reads from his new novel, Chasing the North Star  (author appearance)
Robert Morgan | 04/21/2016, 07:00 pm | Flyleaf Books | Chapel Hill, NC

Ken Ilgunas - Trespassing Across America  (author appearance)
Ken Ilgunas | 04/21/2016, 07:00 pm | Regulator Bookshop | Durham, NC

Author event with Robyn Carr author of What We Find  (author appearance)
Robyn Carr | 04/21/2016, 06:30 pm | Parnassus Books | Nashville, TN

National Poetry Month Event - John Guzlowski Reads from Echoes of Tattered Tongues: Memory Unfolded  (author appearance)
John Guzlowski | 04/21/2016, 06:30 pm | Fountain Bookstore | Richmond, VA

David Sedaris at the Straz!  (author appearance)
David Sedaris | 04/22/2016, 08:00 pm | Inkwood Books | Tampa, FL

Local Author Book Launch for Melia Keeton-Digby's THE HEROINES CLUB  (author appearance)
Melia Keeton-Digby | 04/22/2016, 06:30 pm | Avid Bookshop | Athens, GA

Kim Michele Richardson, GodPretty in the Tobacco Field Book Launch  (author appearance)
Kim Michele | 04/22/2016, 06:30 pm | FoxTale Book Shoppe | Woodstock, GA

Launch Party for Hub City's Spring Titles  (other event)
Julia Franks | 04/22/2016, 07:00 pm | Hub City Bookshop | Spartanburg, SC

Facts and Fiction: Literary Trivia at Joe’s Place  (other event)
Shari Smith | 04/22/2016, 07:00 pm | Joe's Place | Greenville, SC

Kristy Woodson Harvey - Author of Lies and Other Acts of Love  (author appearance)
Kristy Woodson Harvey | 04/22/2016 | Litchfield Books | Pawleys Island, SC

Belmont University's Spring Leadership Luncheon with Arianna Huffington  (author appearance)
Arianna Huffington | 04/22/2016, 11:00 am | Parnassus Books | Nashville, TN

Kristy Woodson Harvey, Lies and Other Acts of Love  (author appearance)
Kristy Woodson Harvey | 04/23/2016, 01:00 pm | FoxTale Book Shoppe | Woodstock, GA

Josh Franks Discusses Paranormal Events  (author appearance)
Josh Franks | 04/23/2016, 03:00 pm | City Lights Bookstore | Sylva, NC

Kim Michele Richardson Presents Her New Novel  (author appearance)
Kim Michele | 04/23/2016, 06:00 pm | City Lights Bookstore | Sylva, NC

Reflexology Session with Carlos O’Neal  (other event)
04/23/2016, 11:00 am | Joe's Place | Greenville, SC

Author Kristy Woodson Harvey: LIES AND OTHER ACTS OF LOVE  (author appearance)
Kristy Woodson Harvey | 04/24/2016, 06:30 pm | Avid Bookshop | Athens, GA

Author event with middle grade authors Kristin O'Donnell Tubb, Gail Nall and Lois Stephban  (author appearance)
Gail Nall | 04/24/2016, 02:00 pm | Parnassus Books | Nashville, TN

KIDS' Book Club - Special VIP Q&A with author Shannon Hitchcock! Book signing to follow  (author appearance)
Shannon Hitchcock | 04/25/2016, 06:30 pm | Inkwood Books | Tampa, FL

Author event with J.A. Jance author of Clawback  (author appearance)
J.A. Jance | 04/25/2016, 06:30 pm | Parnassus Books | Nashville, TN

Kidliterate Book Club Reads Modern Classic The Great Gilly Hopkins  (book club)
Katherine Paterson | 04/26/2016, 07:00 pm | Charis Books & More | Atlanta, GA

An Evening with Stephen Corey and The Georgia Review  (author appearance)
Stephen Corey | 04/26/2016, 07:00 pm | Hub City Bookshop | Spartanburg, SC

Author event with NOFX authors of The Hepatitis Bathtub and Other Stories  (author appearance)
NOFX Authors | 04/26/2016, 06:30 pm | Parnassus Books | Nashville, TN

Black Feminist Book Club Facilitated by Susana Morris  (book club)
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie | 04/27/2016, 07:00 pm | Charis Books & More | Atlanta, GA

Darlyn Finch Kuhn - Sewing Holes  (author appearance)
Darlyn Finch | 04/27/2016, 06:00 pm | Garden District Book Shop | New Orleans, LA

Felicia Day signs her memoir YOU'RE NEVER WEIRD ON THE INTERNET (ALMOST) at the Cat's Cradle  (author appearance)
04/27/2016, 06:00 pm | Flyleaf Books | Chapel Hill, NC

Adam Skolnick discusses his book One Breath: Freediving, Death, and the Quest to Shatter Human Limits  (author appearance)
Adam Skolnick | 04/27/2016, 07:00 pm | Flyleaf Books | Chapel Hill, NC

Kathleen Grissom - Glory Over Everything  (author appearance)
Kathleen Grissom | 04/27/2016, 07:00 pm | Regulator Bookshop | Durham, NC

Author event with Richard Zacks author of Chasing the Last Laugh  (author appearance)
Richard Zacks | 04/27/2016, 06:30 pm | Parnassus Books | Nashville, TN

Author Jason Reynolds Meet & Greet  (author appearance)
Jason Reynolds | 04/28/2016, 05:00 pm | Avid Bookshop | Athens, GA

Author J. Aaron Sanders: SPEAKERS OF THE DEAD: A WALT WHITMAN MYSTERY  (author appearance)
Aaron Sander | 04/28/2016, 06:30 pm | Avid Bookshop | Athens, GA

Robin Kirk - Peculiar Motion  (author appearance)
Robin Kirk | 04/28/2016, 07:00 pm | Regulator Bookshop | Durham, NC

Author event with Roy Neel author of The Electors  (author appearance)
Roy Neel | 04/28/2016, 06:30 pm | Parnassus Books | Nashville, TN

William Geroux  (author appearance)
William Geroux | 04/29/2016, 04:00 pm | Page & Palette | Fairhope, AL

Avid Poetry Series: Lindsay Tigue, Jacob Sunderlin & Kameel Mir  (author appearance)
Lindsay Tigue, | 04/29/2016, 06:30 pm | Avid Bookshop | Athens, GA

Sit. Sip. Color.  (other event)
04/29/2016, 07:00 pm | Joe's Place | Greenville, SC

Join the Party: Independent Bookstore Day is Back!  (other event)
Chris Riddell | 04/30/2016, 11:00 am | Charis Books & More | Atlanta, GA

John Shelton Reed discusses his Savor the South book Barbecue  (author appearance)
John Shelton Reed | 04/30/2016, 01:00 pm | Flyleaf Books | Chapel Hill, NC

Independent Bookstore Day featuring Kathleen Grissom and Gil Allen  (author appearance)
Kathleen Grissom | 04/30/2016, 09:00 am | Fiction Addiction | Greenville, SC

Singer/Songwriter Al Watson  (other event)
04/30/2016, 06:30 pm | Joe's Place | Greenville, SC

Independent Bookstore Day  (author appearance)
Lee Brockington | 04/30/2016, 11:00 am | My Sister's Books, Inc. | Pawleys Island, SC

Author event with S. Teague and Shana Thornton authors of Seasons of Balance  (author appearance)
Shana Thornton | 04/30/2016, 02:00 pm | Parnassus Books | Nashville, TN

Independent Bookstore Day 2016!  (other event)
Shari Smith | 04/30/2016, 10:00 am | Fountain Bookstore | Richmond, VA

Francine Bryson- Country Cooking From A Redneck Kitchen  (author appearance)
Francine Bryson | 05/02/2016, 06:30 pm | FoxTale Book Shoppe | Woodstock, GA

Katarina Bivald- The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend  (author appearance)
Katarina Bivald | 05/05/2016, 06:30 pm | FoxTale Book Shoppe | Woodstock, GA

Brian Lies-- Gator Dad  (author appearance)
Brian Lies | 05/09/2016, 04:30 pm | FoxTale Book Shoppe | Woodstock, GA

Mary Kay Andrews  (author appearance)
Mary Kay Andrews | 05/19/2016, 06:00 pm | Page & Palette | Fairhope, AL

Gregg E. Brickman Booksigning  (author appearance)
Gregg E. Brickman | 05/20/2016, 07:00 pm | Murder on the Beach Mystery Bookstore | Delray Beach, FL

Mary Kubica- Don’t You Cry  (author appearance)
Mary Kubica | 05/25/2016, 06:30 pm | FoxTale Book Shoppe | Woodstock, GA

Luncheon with Mary Alice Monroe  (author appearance)
Mary Alice Monroe | 05/26/2016, 11:30 am | Bookmiser | Roswell, GA

WORKS IN TRANSLATION BOOK CLUB discusses OUR LADY OF THE NILE  (book club)
Mukasonga, Scholastique | 05/26/2016, 07:00 pm | Malaprop's Bookstore/Cafe | Asheville, NC

Authors Round the South
www.authorsroundthesouth.com

In This Issue

Lady Banks' Commonplace Book | Read This! | The Pat Conroy Prize | Okra Picks | The Trailer Park | Book and Author Gossip | The Southern Bookstore | Special to the Southern List | Southern Indie Bestsellers | Event Calendar

Dearest Readers,

One of the highlights of last month for her ladyship, the editor, was the opportunity to meet and talk to the incomparable Kate DiCamillo -- an author who has made an indelible impression on thousands with her much-beloved books, The Tale of Desperaux and Because of Winn Dixie. DiCamillo met with a roomful of southern indie booksellers for lunch in Atlanta to talk about her new book, Raymie Nightingale, which goes on sale today.  (Lunch, by the way, was in paper bags -- a sandwich, a piece of fruit, a cookie -- which caused her ladyship to flash back to early school cafeteria meals, with a vividness that would have melted Marcel Proust's madelines.)

There has been quite a bit of early excitement about Raymie among her ladyship's bookseller friends. It is, after all, a new book by Kate DiCamillo. But the book is also, as the author admitted, a very personal one for her. Set in a small Florida town that hearkens back to her own childhood, Raymie is a young girl determined find a way to convince her father -- suddenly gone -- to come back home. The plan she hatches involves winning the Little Miss Central Florida Tire competition, and this in turn created a rather urgent need to learn how to twirl a baton. (There were demonstrations at lunch, and her ladyship can say with confidence that baton twirling is not a talent much in evidence among booksellers).

It is a heart-warming and painfully touching story that made such an impression on Southern booksellers they have chose the title for their inaugural One Book, One South, Jr. southern-wide "one read" program. Stores across the South have been encouraging local teacher and librarians to read the book to their classes and at their story hours. Programs and reading group guides and classroom activities have been developed and Raymie Nightingale is one of the books featured during the upcoming Independent Bookstore Day on April 30th, with all the attendant hoopla and fun activities that go along with that.

But the best part of One Book, One South Jr. is that readers can ask Kate DiCamillo questions about the book directly. There is a form:

Ask Kate!

and as part of the Children's Book Week celebrations on May 6 from 3 - 5 pm Kate DiCamillo will be on Facebook to answer the questions that were submitted. Be sure to RSVP so you can follow along.

Kate DiCamillo Q&A
May 6, 3-5 pm
Facebook.com/ReaderMeetWriter

Read independently! And shop local, for obvious reasons.

her ladyship, the editor

Lady Banks' Pick of the Week

Lady Banks' Commonplace Book

Noteworthy poetry and prose from her ladyship's bedside reading stack.

There were three of them, three girls. 

They were standing side by side.

They were standing at attention.

And then the girl in the pink dress, the one who was standing right next to Raymie, let out a sob and said, "The more I think about it, the more terrified I am. I am too terrified to go on!"

The girl clutched her baton to her chest and dropped to her knees.

Raymie stared at her in wonder and admiration. 

She herself often felt too terrified to go on, but she had never admitted it out loud.

The girl in the pink dress moaned and toppled over sideways.

Her eyes fluttered closed. She was silent. And then she opened her eyes very wide and shouted, "Archie, I'm sorry! I'm sorry I betrayed you!"

She closed her eyes again. Her mouth fell open.

Raymie had never seen or heard anything like it.

"I'm sorry," Raymie whispered. "I betrayed you."

For some reason, the words seemed worth repeating.

"Stop this nonsense immediately," said Isa Nee. 

Ida Nee was the baton-twirling instructor. Even though she was old--over fifty at least -- her hair was an extremely bright yellow. She wore white boots that came all the way up to her knees.

"I'm not kidding," said Ida Nee.

Raymie believed her.

Ida Nee didn't seem like much of a kidder.

--Kate DiCamillo, Raymie Nightingale (Candlewick, 2016) 9780763681173

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Read This!

Recommended reading from Southern Indie Booksellers

Young Adult and Children's recommendations from Avid Bookshop, Athens, GA:

Hannah loves Wink, Poppy, Midnight by April Ginevieve Tucholke:  Reading Wink Poppy Midnight is like walking into a lush yet dangerous vespertine forest, full of magic and mystery and ominous beauty. It winds its way through three remarkably singular (and often unreliable) narratives weaving the threads of love, hate, power, and fear into a surreal, mythic yarn. This book will leave readers spellbound, exploring that wide, nebulous grey area between good and bad, fact and fiction. 9780803740488

Will loves The Serpent King by Jeff Zentner:  Dill, Lydia, and Travis are their own school of out-of-water fish. Dill is the son of a snake-handling pastor, Lydia is a fashionista with big dreams, and Travis lives part-time inside his favorite fictional fantasy world. Luckily, they all have one another. Forged with a tenable love for its characters, it is as unflinching as it warm, as hilarious as it is heartfelt, and as hopeful as it is honest. 9780553524024

Will loves Hour of the Bees by Lindsay Eager:  This debut is so innovative, it’s almost audacious. As you read the final sequence in Hour of the Bees, you will be asking yourself, “Oh my gosh, am I really reading this? Am I really,really reading this?” And the thing is, YES, YOU REALLY ARE! 9780763679224

Hannah loves The Charmed Children of Rookskill Castle by Janet Fox:  This is a wonderfully spooky historical fantasy that will appeal to readers who love their stories cloaked in misty mystery and full of hidden passages and ghostly secrets. Fox skillfully builds tension as the chapters, switching between the distant past and WWII-era present, twist and turn together, intertwining in a dance, revealing flashes of hints and clues to the puzzle that clever readers will relish putting together. Add in a protagonist who will warm your heart with her steadfast commitment to protect her family and friends, and an antagonist who will chill your core and haunt your dreams, and you have a fantastically eerie tale worthy of a place on the shelf next to Aiken’s Wolves of Willoughby Chase and Auxier’s The Night Gardener. 9780451476333

Janet loves The Somewhat True Adventures of Sammy Shine by Henry Cole:  An animal adventure story that will have you rooting for the intrepid Sammy (a mouse) and his crew; the illustrations evoke memories of childhood favorites by E.B. White. This would be a great bedtime read for parents and kids. 9781561458660

Hannah loves Ideas Are All Around by Philip C. Stead: A beautiful, meandering, wholly unique picture book that straddles the line between reality and fantasy in a most meditative way. “I don’t have any ideas today,” Stead begins. As he walks with Wednesday, he (and the reader) revel in the beauty that is the process of creating—ideas are out there (they are, in fact, all around), and they are just waiting for us to notice them, to imagine them. 9781626721814

More bookseller recommendations

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Okra Picks

Raymie Clarke has come to realize that everything, absolutely everything, depends on her.

And she has a plan. If Raymie can win the Little Miss Central Florida Tire competition, then her father, who left town two days ago with a dental hygienist, will see Raymie's picture in the paper and (maybe) come home. To win, not only does Raymie have to do good deeds and learn how to twirl a baton; she also has to contend with the wispy, frequently fainting Louisiana Elefante, who has a show-business background, and the fiery, stubborn Beverly Tapinski, who’s determined to sabotage the contest. But as the competition approaches, loneliness, loss, and unanswerable questions draw the three girls into an unlikely friendship — and challenge each of them to come to the rescue in unexpected ways.

Two-time Newbery Medalist Kate DiCamillo returns to her roots with a moving, masterful story of an unforgettable summer friendship.

BUY FROM AN INDIE

Lady Banks' Book Trailer Park

Three girls. An unforgettable summer of friendship.

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The Pat Conroy Southern Book Prize:
The Short List

The 2016 Pat Conroy Southern Book Prize Finalists Announced

(Columbia, SC) – The votes are in! Southern indie booksellers have chosen the finalists for the Pat Conroy Southern Book Prize. Formerly known as the SIBA Book Award, the Pat Conroy Southern Book Prize features an expanded list of categories – adding Mystery, Thriller, Literary, and History & Life Stories to the traditional categories of Fiction, Nonfiction, Cooking, Children’s and Young Adult.

Finalists were chosen by southern independent booksellers from the long list ballot. The finalist titles will be sent to juried panels of booksellers, who will then decide on the winners in each category. Winners will be announced on July 4, “Independents Day.”

2016 Pat Conroy Southern Book Prize Finalists

GO SET A WATCHMAN | Harper Lee | Harper | 9780062409850
SOIL | Jamie Kornegay | Simon & Schuster | 9781476750811
MY SUNSHINE AWAY | M. O. Walsh | G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 9780399169526
THE SECRET WISDOM OF THE EARTH | Christopher Scotton | Grand Central Publishing | 9781455551927

MISS JULIA LAYS DOWN THE LAW | Ann B. Ross | Viking | 9780525427094
A PATTERN OF LIES | Charles Todd | William Morrow & Company | 9780062386243
BULL MOUNTAIN | Brian Panowich | G.P. Putnam’s Sons | 9780399173967
DON’T GO HOME | Carolyn Hart | Berkley Books | 9780425276549
LOWCOUNTRY BONEYARD | Susan M. Boyer | Henery Press | 9781941962473

WHERE ALL LIGHT TENDS TO GO | David Joy | G.P. Putnam’s Sons | 9780399172779
THE BONE TREE | Greg Iles | William Morrow & Company | 9780062311115
DESCENT | Tim Johnston | Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill | 9781616204778
ROGUE LAWYER | John Grisham | Doubleday Books | 9780385539432
THE SCRIBE | Matthew Guinn | W.W. Norton & Company | 9780393239294

ABOVE THE WATERFALL | Ron Rash | Ecco Press | 9780062349316
WELCOME TO BRAGGSVILLE | T. Geronimo Johnson | William Morrow & Company | 9780062302120
THE NEW & IMPROVED ROMIE FUTCH | Julia Elliott | Tin House Books | 9781941040157
CALLOUSTOWN | George Singleton | Dzanc Books | 9781938103162

DISPATCHES FROM PLUTO: LOST AND FOUND IN THE MISSISSIPPI DELTA | Richard Grant | Simon & Schuster | 9781476709642
LEAVING ORBIT: NOTES FROM THE LAST DAYS OF AMERICAN SPACEFLIGHT | Margaret Lazarus Dean | Graywolf Press | 9781555977092
MY SOUTHERN JOURNEY: TRUE STORIES FROM THE HEART OF THE SOUTH | Rick Bragg | Oxmoor House | 9780848746391
OUR ONLY WORLD: TEN ESSAYS | Wendell Berry | Counterpoint LLC | 9781619024885
THE WORLD IS ON FIRE: SCRAP, TREASURE, AND SONGS OF APOCALYPSE | Joni Tevis | Milkweed Editions | 9781571313478

BAREFOOT TO AVALON: A BROTHER'S STORY | David Payne | Atlantic Monthly Press | 9780802123541
JACKSONLAND: PRESIDENT ANDREW JACKSON, CHEROKEE JOHN ROSS, AND A GREAT AMERICAN LAND GRAB | Steve Inskeep | Penguin Press | 9781594205569
DON’T SUCK, DON’T DIE: GIVING UP VIC CHESNUTT | Kristin Hersh | University of Texas Press | 9780292759473
SAM PHILLIPS: THE MAN WHO INVENTED ROCK ‘N’ ROLL | Peter Guralnick | Little Brown and Company | 9780316042741
THE WORLD’S LARGEST MAN: A MEMOIR | Harrison Scott Key | Harper | 9780062351494

FOSTER’S MARKET FAVORITES: 25th ANNIVERSARY COLLECTION | Sara Foster | Story Farm | 9780990520573
THE SOUTHERNER’S COOKBOOK: RECIPES, WISDOM, AND STORIES | the editors of Garden & Gun | Harper Wave | 9780062242419
SUNDAY DINNER: A SAVOR THE SOUTH COOKBOOK | Bridgette A. Lacy | University of North Carolina Press | 9781469622453
THE JEMIMA CODE: TWO CENTURIES OF AFRICAN-AMERICAN COOKBOOKS | Toni Tipton-Martin | University of Texas Press | 9780292745483
SOUL FOOD LOVE: HEALTHY RECIPES INSPIRED BY ONE HUNDRED YEARS OF COOKING IN A BLACK FAMILY | Alice Randall | Clarkson Potter Publishers | 9780804137935

HAMSTER PRINCESS: OF MICE AND MAGIC | Ursula Vernon | Dial Books | 9780803739840
SERAFINA AND THE BLACK CLOAK | ROBERT BEATTY | DISNEY-HYPERION | 9781484709016
YARD WAR | Taylor Kitchings | Wendy Lamb Books | 9780553507539
SEEDS OF FREEDOM: THE PEACEFUL INTEGRATION OF HUNTSVILLE, ALABAMA | Hester Bass | Candlewick | 9780763669195

ANYTHING COULD HAPPEN | Will Walton | Push | 9780545709545
THE ODDS OF GETTING EVEN | Sheila Turnage | Kathy Dawson Books | 9780803739611
MOSQUITOLAND | David Arnold | Viking Books for Young Readers | 9780451470775
THE WRATH AND THE DAWN | Renee Ahdieh | G.P. Putnam’s Sons | 9780399171611

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Book & Author Gossip

A Memorial Service for Nancy Olson
by Bridgette Lacy

On a spring morning, a community of writers, readers, politicians and residents bid farewell to the beloved bookseller Nancy Olson, who died of kidney disease on March 27, 2016.

Olson was the founder and owner of Quail Ridge Books for 29 years until she sold it in 2013. In 2001, she was named Publishers Weekly’s Bookseller of the Year. Her business savvy and knack of picking bestsellers earned her a local and national reputation as running one of the best independent bookstores in the country.

As photographs flashed on a screen of Olson with her trademark white pageboy hairstyle and mischievous smile during her memorial service, a steady flow of literary and political figures filled the seats of Unitarian Universalist Fellowship in west Raleigh, just a short distance from the former location of Quail Ridge Books. The store has moved to North Hills in Raleigh.

Family and friends from near and far came to honor Olson, who found a way to thrive as the bookselling business shifted from bricks and mortar stores to online retailers. She created a community gathering place, where readers and writers came together to get informed, buy books and hang out.

While Olson attended booksellers conferences, she always followed her own instinct as an avid reader and an astute observer of the community she served. “She believed the bookstore should stand on the side of literature, not commercial writing,” says Sarah Goddin, the store’s longtime store manager.

She wanted everyone to feel comfortable in the store and to be able to explore any ideas, regardless of their beliefs

“Even though she held strong political view, she believed the store should not take a political stand because she wanted everyone to feel comfortable in the store and to be able to explore any ideas, regardless of their beliefs,” Goddin says. “She believed in hosting authors with widely divergent views and respecting that her customers could make up their own minds and do it better if they had an opportunity to hear from many different perspectives.”

Olson was fan of many writers but she especially championed the local ones

“Nancy also believed strongly in good old hospitality, greeting everyone who walked in the door and helping them to the full extent possible,” Goddin says.
Olson was fan of many writers but she especially championed the local ones: Lee Smith, Kaye Gibbons, Angela Davis-Gardner, and Clyde Edgerton. The first signing at her original Books at Quail Corners was for Jill McCorkle of Hillsborough. She sold 6,000 copies of Charles Frazier’s Cold Mountain.

Frazier recalled during the service thinking that Olson’s store was a club of sorts. And that her customers were club members who all seemed to know each other’s names. And Nancy seemed to know all of them and the exact book they were looking for.

In short, the narrative was the same. Nancy Olson touched more lives and enriched them than most of us. She did it with wit and if you were lucky, a good book.

Bridgette A. Lacy is an award-winning journalist with a public love affair with food and culture. She authored a column “Morsels” for The News & Observer in Raleigh for many years and writes about food, chefs and culinary trends for The Independent Weekly and the North Carolina Arts Council.  She's now the author of Sunday Dinner, a part of the Savor the South series by UNC Press and a finalist for the Pat Conroy Southern Book Prize

Alan Gurganus remembers Nancy Olson and Quail Ridge Books

Her store had the cheer of a maintained bulletin board. Nancy presided, salon hostess, den mother. Her white hair she kept in bangs. Nancy Olson was a Unitarian Universalist Grace Paley. Her laugh created other laughs. She sensed when to demonstrate, when to smile, when to try both. Nancy retained even her most far-right customers, hoping they’d “get over themselves” and come around. She and Jim guarded a space where the very outsiders our legislators seek to scare from public toilets always felt valued, welcomed. 9780375726637

Books & Books, Parnassus, among "most beautiful bookshops"

Build it, and they will come.’ After the last major bookstore closed in Nashville, author Ann Patchett took on the responsibility of opening one herself with partner Karen Hayes, seizing the opportunity to create, in place of the usual Borders-type monolith, a bookstore like those she frequented in her youth, where ‘the people who worked there remembered who you were and what you read, even if you were 10.’

The difficult and beautiful poetry of Nikky Finney

Finney's acceptance speech at the awards ceremony was as poetic as anything in her winning book. Finney says she worked on the speech through 39 drafts and she felt good about it, but she's still stunned by the response she's gotten. "People write me. Strangers. North Dakota, Hawaii," she says. "There's a man in Egypt who said, 'Please send me your book, I can't get it. I heard your acceptance speech.' Hundreds of just overtures that have less to do with the poetry and more to do with that acceptance speech." 9780810152168

William Hamilton, New Yorker Cartoonist, dies in crash

William Hamilton, a cartoonist whose work for The New Yorker over more than 50 years was known for skewering the wealthy and the powerful, died on Friday in a car crash in Lexington, Ky. He was 76. His wife, Lucy Young Hamilton, confirmed his death. She said he was driving about four miles from their horse farm when he either passed out or was distracted and drove through a stop sign. His vehicle was struck on the driver’s side by a pickup truck, she said.

Malaprop's Open Letter to Authors

Because of HB2, authors are canceling events at our store. Sherman Alexie is the first to cancel an event we'd scheduled in May. Although we very much respect the reason he canceled, the result is that we have lost an opportunity to connect this charismatic, inspiring author with those young readers who were going to see him on school visits. We also lost the opportunity to host him at a large venue, which would have connected him with fans in a city that stands with him and could have used his support. Our event could have served as a platform to address an audience that would be empowered by his outrage. We lost all these opportunities, and we are suffering financially because we anticipated selling 300-500 copies of his newest book, Thunder Boy, Jr. 9780316013727

The only thing better than a book at the beach is a bookstore at the beach

I'm aware that some readers enjoy the pleasure of going to the beach and indulging in a book while there (in between naps, of course).  For those who enjoy this experience along with visiting bookstores, have I got the place for you.  The BookMark in Neptune Beach is located in an area of small, independent businesses and private residences, all of which are very tourist friendly and unique.  But best of all, you can buy your book and walk one block to access the beach.  And it's a short block.  You've just found your ideal beach bookstore and you will love it.

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The Southern Bookstore

Southern Indie Bestsellers

For the week ending April 3. Books on the Southern Indie Bestseller List that are southern in nature or have been recently recommended by southern indie booksellers.

- The Pat Conroy Southern Book Prize | - A SIBA Okra Pick 
Printable versions: Hardcover | Paperback | Children.

HARDCOVER FICTION

HARDCOVER NONFICTION

TRADE PAPERBACK FICTION

TRADE PAPERBACK NONFICTION

MASS MARKET

CHILDREN'S ILLUSTRATED

CHILDREN'S INTEREST

CHILDREN'S FICTION SERIES TITLES

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Special to the Southern List

Click on a book to purchase from a great indie bookstore! See the full Southern Indie Bestseller list here.

Events

Events at Southern Indie Bookstores

Garden District Book Shop Book Club  (book club)
Nell Zink | 04/13/2016, 06:00 pm | Garden District Book Shop | New Orleans, LA

M.O. Walsh discusses his New York Times bestselling debut novel, My Sunshine Away  (author appearance)
M.O. Walsh | 04/13/2016, 07:00 pm | Flyleaf Books | Chapel Hill, NC

Kristy Woodson Harvey Book Talk and Signing  (author appearance)
Kristy Woodson Harvey | 04/13/2016, 06:00 pm | Fiction Addiction | Greenville, SC

Author event with Steve Berry author of The 14th Colony  (author appearance)
Steve Berry | 04/13/2016, 06:30 pm | Parnassus Books | Nashville, TN

Dedo: The Faces of Punta Gorda  (author appearance)
04/14/2016, 05:00 pm | Copperfish Books, LLC | Punta Gorda, FL

Local Author Frances Kwiatkowski Launch Party: KINGDOM OF LONGLEAF  (author appearance)
Frances Kwiatkowski | 04/14/2016, 06:30 pm | Avid Bookshop | Athens, GA

Kathleen Grissom  (author appearance)
Kathleen Grissom | 04/14/2016, 07:00 pm | Bookmiser | Roswell, GA

Katie Parla: Tasting Rome: Fresh Flavors and Forgotten Recipes from an Ancient City  (author appearance)
Katie Parla | 04/14/2016, 06:00 pm | Garden District Book Shop | New Orleans, LA

Lee Smith - Dimestore: A Writer's Life  (author appearance)
Lee Smith | 04/14/2016, 07:00 pm | Regulator Bookshop | Durham, NC

Dan Santat Book Talk & Signing   (author appearance)
Dan Santat | 04/14/2016, 06:00 pm | Fiction Addiction | Greenville, SC

The Writing Show: Writing the Mystery  (author appearance)
Carla Damron | 04/14/2016, 07:00 pm | Hub City Bookshop | Spartanburg, SC

It’s Waining Whites: Wine Tasting  (other event)
04/14/2016 | Joe's Place | Greenville, SC

Author event with Tom Bissell author of Apostle  (author appearance)
Tom Bissell | 04/14/2016, 06:30 pm | Parnassus Books | Nashville, TN

JABBIES: Judge-A-Book-By-Its-Spine with Craig Popelars and Michael Reynolds  (other event)
Shari Smith | 04/14/2016, 06:30 pm | Fountain Bookstore | Richmond, VA

Charlie Price  (author appearance)
Charlie Price | 04/15/2016, 04:00 pm | Page & Palette | Fairhope, AL

AMBER TAMBLYN discusses and signs DARK SPARKLER  (author appearance)
Amber Tamblyn | 04/15/2016, 06:00 pm | Inkwood Books | Tampa, FL

Signing with Author Kristy Woodson Harvey  (author appearance)
Kristy Woodson Harvey | 04/15/2016, 06:00 pm | Literary BookPost | Salisbury, NC

Book Signing: Mo Walsh - My Sunshine Away  (author appearance)
Mo Walsh | 04/15/2016, 07:00 pm | Park Road Books | Charlotte, NC

South Carolina Academy of Authors 30th Anniversary  (other event)
Shari Smith | 04/15/2016, 10:00 am | Fiction Addiction | Greenville, SC

Singer Ashley Hale & her ukelele  (other event)
04/15/2016, 07:00 pm | Joe's Place | Greenville, SC

Bo Petersen - Author of Washing Our Hands in the Clouds  (author appearance)
Bo Petersen | 04/15/2016, 11:00 am | Litchfield Books | Pawleys Island, SC

Author event with Alicia Ybarbo and Mary Ann Zoellner  (author appearance)
Alicia Ybarbo | 04/15/2016, 05:30 pm | Parnassus Books | Nashville, TN

Kathleen Grisson, Glory Over Everything  (author appearance)
Kathleen Grisson | 04/16/2016, 01:00 pm | FoxTale Book Shoppe | Woodstock, GA

Ann B. Ross Presents New Miss Julia Novel  (author appearance)
Ann B. Ross | 04/16/2016, 03:00 pm | City Lights Bookstore | Sylva, NC

Jennifer L. Collins  (author appearance)
Jennifer L. | 04/16/2016, 01:00 pm | Hub City Bookshop | Spartanburg, SC

Saluda River Strings: Live Band  (other event)
04/16/2016, 06:00 pm | Joe's Place | Greenville, SC

Author event with Brooks Benjamin author of My Seventh Grade Life in Tights  (author appearance)
Brooks Benjamin | 04/16/2016, 02:00 pm | Parnassus Books | Nashville, TN

Poetry from the Inside Out: A Poetry Workshop with Alice Osborn  (writers group)
Alice Osborn | 04/17/2016, 02:00 pm | Page 158 Books | Wake Forest, NC

Poetry Reading & Book Signing: Jonathan Rice - Killing Time  (author appearance)
Jonathan K. Rice | 04/17/2016, 02:00 pm | Park Road Books | Charlotte, NC

Singer/Songwriter Michael Buffalo Smith  (other event)
04/17/2016, 02:00 pm | Joe's Place | Greenville, SC

Author event with Jessica Knoll author of Luckiest Girl Alive  (author appearance)
Jessica Knoll | 04/17/2016, 02:00 pm | Parnassus Books | Nashville, TN

Author Event - Carolyn Zahnow Save the Teens  (author appearance)
Carolyn Zahnow | 04/18/2016, 06:30 pm | Page 158 Books | Wake Forest, NC

Book Signing: Robert Morgan - Chasing the North Star  (author appearance)
Robert Morgan | 04/18/2016, 07:00 pm | Park Road Books | Charlotte, NC

Parnassus Book Club - The Color of Water  (book club)
Shari Smith | 04/18/2016, 06:30 pm | Parnassus Books | Nashville, TN

DAVID SEDARIS!!!!!!!  (author appearance)
David Sedaris | 04/18/2016, 07:00 pm | Fountain Bookstore | Richmond, VA

Ross Howell  (author appearance)
Ross Howell | 04/19/2016, 06:00 pm | Page & Palette | Fairhope, AL

Multiple Autisms: Spectrums of Advocacy and Genomic Science with Jennifer Singh  (author appearance)
Jennifer Singh | 04/19/2016, 07:30 pm | Charis Books & More | Atlanta, GA

William Barnwell: Called to Heal the Brokenhearted: Stories from Kairos Prison Ministry International  (author appearance)
William Barnwell | 04/19/2016, 06:00 pm | Garden District Book Shop | New Orleans, LA

Ernest Cline discusses his sci-fi novel Armada  (author appearance)
Ernest Cline | 04/19/2016, 07:00 pm | Flyleaf Books | Chapel Hill, NC

Meet the Author John Claude Bemis Out of Abaton: The Wooden Prince  (author appearance)
John Claude | 04/19/2016, 08:30 pm | Page 158 Books | Wake Forest, NC

Fred Chappell - A Shadow All of Light  (author appearance)
Fred Chappell | 04/19/2016, 07:00 pm | Regulator Bookshop | Durham, NC

Terry Barr  (author appearance)
Terry Barr | 04/19/2016, 07:00 pm | Hub City Bookshop | Spartanburg, SC

Books & Beyond: Book Club  (book club)
Liane Moriarty | 04/19/2016, 06:30 pm | Joe's Place | Greenville, SC

Sam Trull discusses her photo book Slothlove  (author appearance)
Sam Trull | 04/20/2016, 07:00 pm | Flyleaf Books | Chapel Hill, NC

Author Event: Jennifer Harris - War By Other Means  (author appearance)
Jennifer Harris | 04/20/2016, 07:00 pm | Park Road Books | Charlotte, NC

Story Time at Joe's Place  (other event)
04/20/2016, 10:30 am | Joe's Place | Greenville, SC

Story Time at Joe’s Place  (other event)
04/20/2016, 03:30 pm | Joe's Place | Greenville, SC

Book Signing with NOFX - TICKETED  (author appearance)
NOFX Authors | 04/21/2016, 05:30 pm | Inkwood Books | Tampa, FL

Mandala Launch Party  (other event)
various authors | 04/21/2016, 06:30 pm | Avid Bookshop | Athens, GA

Melissa Ginsburg: Sunset City  (author appearance)
Melissa Ginsburg | 04/21/2016, 06:00 pm | Garden District Book Shop | New Orleans, LA

Coffee with the Poet Featuring Jonathan K. Rice  (author appearance)
Jonathan K. Rice | 04/21/2016, 10:30 am | City Lights Bookstore | Sylva, NC

Award-winning novelist Robert Morgan reads from his new novel, Chasing the North Star  (author appearance)
Robert Morgan | 04/21/2016, 07:00 pm | Flyleaf Books | Chapel Hill, NC

Book Signing: Jason Miller - Origins of the Dream: Hughes's Poetry and Kings Rhetoric  (author appearance)
Jason Miller | 04/21/2016, 07:00 pm | Park Road Books | Charlotte, NC

Ken Ilgunas - Trespassing Across America  (author appearance)
Ken Ilgunas | 04/21/2016, 07:00 pm | Regulator Bookshop | Durham, NC

Author event with Robyn Carr author of What We Find  (author appearance)
Robyn Carr | 04/21/2016, 06:30 pm | Parnassus Books | Nashville, TN

National Poetry Month Event - John Guzlowski Reads from Echoes of Tattered Tongues: Memory Unfolded  (author appearance)
John Guzlowski | 04/21/2016, 06:30 pm | Fountain Bookstore | Richmond, VA

David Sedaris at the Straz!  (author appearance)
David Sedaris | 04/22/2016, 08:00 pm | Inkwood Books | Tampa, FL

Local Author Book Launch for Melia Keeton-Digby's THE HEROINES CLUB  (author appearance)
Melia Keeton-Digby | 04/22/2016, 06:30 pm | Avid Bookshop | Athens, GA

Kim Michele Richardson, GodPretty in the Tobacco Field Book Launch  (author appearance)
Kim Michele | 04/22/2016, 06:30 pm | FoxTale Book Shoppe | Woodstock, GA

Cookbook Club/Author Event with Fanny Slater  (book club)
Fanny Slater | 04/22/2016, 07:00 pm | Page 158 Books | Wake Forest, NC

Author Event: Victor Carrington - Just When You Thought You Knew Me  (author appearance)
Victor Carrington | 04/22/2016, 07:00 pm | Park Road Books | Charlotte, NC

Launch Party for Hub City's Spring Titles  (other event)
Julia Franks | 04/22/2016, 07:00 pm | Hub City Bookshop | Spartanburg, SC

Facts and Fiction: Literary Trivia at Joe’s Place  (other event)
Shari Smith | 04/22/2016, 07:00 pm | Joe's Place | Greenville, SC

Kristy Woodson Harvey - Author of Lies and Other Acts of Love  (author appearance)
Kristy Woodson Harvey | 04/22/2016 | Litchfield Books | Pawleys Island, SC

Belmont University's Spring Leadership Luncheon with Arianna Huffington  (author appearance)
Arianna Huffington | 04/22/2016, 11:00 am | Parnassus Books | Nashville, TN

Kristy Woodson Harvey, Lies and Other Acts of Love  (author appearance)
Kristy Woodson Harvey | 04/23/2016, 01:00 pm | FoxTale Book Shoppe | Woodstock, GA

Josh Franks Discusses Paranormal Events  (author appearance)
Josh Franks | 04/23/2016, 03:00 pm | City Lights Bookstore | Sylva, NC

Kim Michele Richardson Presents Her New Novel  (author appearance)
Kim Michele | 04/23/2016, 06:00 pm | City Lights Bookstore | Sylva, NC

Book Signing: Paul Ray - Pink is a Superpower/ Boogers are Brain Food  (author appearance)
Paul Ray | 04/23/2016, 11:00 am | Park Road Books | Charlotte, NC

Author Signing: Alexander Stick - Her Little Angel  (author appearance)
Alexander Stick | 04/23/2016, 02:00 pm | Park Road Books | Charlotte, NC

Reflexology Session with Carlos O’Neal  (other event)
04/23/2016, 11:00 am | Joe's Place | Greenville, SC

Author Kristy Woodson Harvey: LIES AND OTHER ACTS OF LOVE  (author appearance)
Kristy Woodson Harvey | 04/24/2016, 06:30 pm | Avid Bookshop | Athens, GA

Author Event: Nick Knardirell - Minnesota  (author appearance)
Nick Knardirell | 04/24/2016, 03:00 pm | Park Road Books | Charlotte, NC

Author event with middle grade authors Kristin O'Donnell Tubb, Gail Nall and Lois Stephban  (author appearance)
Gail Nall | 04/24/2016, 02:00 pm | Parnassus Books | Nashville, TN

KIDS' Book Club - Special VIP Q&A with author Shannon Hitchcock! Book signing to follow  (author appearance)
Shannon Hitchcock | 04/25/2016, 06:30 pm | Inkwood Books | Tampa, FL

Author Event: Adrienne and Stephanie Vendetti - How to Be a Red Head  (author appearance)
Adrienne and | 04/25/2016, 06:00 pm | Park Road Books | Charlotte, NC

Author event with J.A. Jance author of Clawback  (author appearance)
J.A. Jance | 04/25/2016, 06:30 pm | Parnassus Books | Nashville, TN

Kidliterate Book Club Reads Modern Classic The Great Gilly Hopkins  (book club)
Katherine Paterson | 04/26/2016, 07:00 pm | Charis Books & More | Atlanta, GA

An Evening with Stephen Corey and The Georgia Review  (author appearance)
Stephen Corey | 04/26/2016, 07:00 pm | Hub City Bookshop | Spartanburg, SC

Author event with NOFX authors of The Hepatitis Bathtub and Other Stories  (author appearance)
NOFX Authors | 04/26/2016, 06:30 pm | Parnassus Books | Nashville, TN

Black Feminist Book Club Facilitated by Susana Morris  (book club)
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie | 04/27/2016, 07:00 pm | Charis Books & More | Atlanta, GA

Darlyn Finch Kuhn - Sewing Holes  (author appearance)
Darlyn Finch | 04/27/2016, 06:00 pm | Garden District Book Shop | New Orleans, LA

Felicia Day signs her memoir YOU'RE NEVER WEIRD ON THE INTERNET (ALMOST) at the Cat's Cradle  (author appearance)
04/27/2016, 06:00 pm | Flyleaf Books | Chapel Hill, NC

Adam Skolnick discusses his book One Breath: Freediving, Death, and the Quest to Shatter Human Limits  (author appearance)
Adam Skolnick | 04/27/2016, 07:00 pm | Flyleaf Books | Chapel Hill, NC

Kathleen Grissom - Glory Over Everything  (author appearance)
Kathleen Grissom | 04/27/2016, 07:00 pm | Regulator Bookshop | Durham, NC

Author event with Richard Zacks author of Chasing the Last Laugh  (author appearance)
Richard Zacks | 04/27/2016, 06:30 pm | Parnassus Books | Nashville, TN

Author Jason Reynolds Meet & Greet  (author appearance)
Jason Reynolds | 04/28/2016, 05:00 pm | Avid Bookshop | Athens, GA

Author J. Aaron Sanders: SPEAKERS OF THE DEAD: A WALT WHITMAN MYSTERY  (author appearance)
Aaron Sander | 04/28/2016, 06:30 pm | Avid Bookshop | Athens, GA

Author Event: Timothy Boyce - From Day to Day  (author appearance)
Timothy Boyce | 04/28/2016, 07:00 pm | Park Road Books | Charlotte, NC

Robin Kirk - Peculiar Motion  (author appearance)
Robin Kirk | 04/28/2016, 07:00 pm | Regulator Bookshop | Durham, NC

Author event with Roy Neel author of The Electors  (author appearance)
Roy Neel | 04/28/2016, 06:30 pm | Parnassus Books | Nashville, TN

William Geroux  (author appearance)
William Geroux | 04/29/2016, 04:00 pm | Page & Palette | Fairhope, AL

Avid Poetry Series: Lindsay Tigue, Jacob Sunderlin & Kameel Mir  (author appearance)
Lindsay Tigue, | 04/29/2016, 06:30 pm | Avid Bookshop | Athens, GA

Author Event: Lucy Daniels - Maritime Mystery  (author appearance)
Lucy Daniels | 04/29/2016, 07:00 pm | Park Road Books | Charlotte, NC

Sit. Sip. Color.  (other event)
04/29/2016, 07:00 pm | Joe's Place | Greenville, SC

Independent Bookstore Day  (other event)
04/30/2016, 10:00 am | Copperfish Books, LLC | Punta Gorda, FL

Join the Party: Independent Bookstore Day is Back!  (other event)
Chris Riddell | 04/30/2016, 11:00 am | Charis Books & More | Atlanta, GA

John Shelton Reed discusses his Savor the South book Barbecue  (author appearance)
John Shelton Reed | 04/30/2016, 01:00 pm | Flyleaf Books | Chapel Hill, NC

Author Event: Tracy Curtis - Trophy Mom: Hope Springs Maternal  (author appearance)
Tracy Curtis | 04/30/2016, 02:00 pm | Park Road Books | Charlotte, NC

Independent Bookstore Day featuring Kathleen Grissom and Gil Allen  (author appearance)
Kathleen Grissom | 04/30/2016, 09:00 am | Fiction Addiction | Greenville, SC

Singer/Songwriter Al Watson  (other event)
04/30/2016, 06:30 pm | Joe's Place | Greenville, SC

Indie Bookstore Day  (other event)
04/30/2016, 10:00 am | Joe's Place | Greenville, SC

Independent Bookstore Day  (author appearance)
Lee Brockington | 04/30/2016, 11:00 am | My Sister's Books, Inc. | Pawleys Island, SC

Author event with S. Teague and Shana Thornton authors of Seasons of Balance  (author appearance)
Shana Thornton | 04/30/2016, 02:00 pm | Parnassus Books | Nashville, TN

Independent Bookstore Day 2016!  (other event)
Shari Smith | 04/30/2016, 10:00 am | Fountain Bookstore | Richmond, VA

Singer/Songwriter Robert Bertinelli  (other event)
05/01/2016, 02:00 pm | Joe's Place | Greenville, SC

Francine Bryson- Country Cooking From A Redneck Kitchen  (author appearance)
Francine Bryson | 05/02/2016, 06:30 pm | FoxTale Book Shoppe | Woodstock, GA

Book Club -- The Danish Girl  (book club)
05/03/2016, 06:00 pm | Copperfish Books, LLC | Punta Gorda, FL

Stuart Albright - A World Beyond Home  (author appearance)
Stuart Albright | 05/03/2016, 07:00 pm | Regulator Bookshop | Durham, NC

Lucia Peel Powe: The Osprey's View  (author appearance)
Lucia Peel | 05/04/2016, 07:00 pm | Regulator Bookshop | Durham, NC

YA Book Club  (book club)
E. Lockhart | 05/04/2016, 06:30 pm | Joe's Place | Greenville, SC

Katarina Bivald- The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend  (author appearance)
Katarina Bivald | 05/05/2016, 06:30 pm | FoxTale Book Shoppe | Woodstock, GA

Brian Lies-- Gator Dad  (author appearance)
Brian Lies | 05/09/2016, 04:30 pm | FoxTale Book Shoppe | Woodstock, GA

Crystal R. Sanders - A Chance for Change: Head Start and Mississippi's Black Freedom Struggle  (author appearance)
Crystal R. | 05/10/2016, 07:00 pm | Regulator Bookshop | Durham, NC

Willie Drye - For Sale: American Paradise: How Our Nation was Sold an Impossible Dream in Florida  (author appearance)
Willie Drye | 05/11/2016, 07:00 pm | Regulator Bookshop | Durham, NC

Mary Kay Andrews  (author appearance)
Mary Kay Andrews | 05/19/2016, 06:00 pm | Page & Palette | Fairhope, AL

Michael Perry - The Jesus Cow  (author appearance)
Michael Perry | 05/19/2016, 07:00 pm | Regulator Bookshop | Durham, NC

Gregg E. Brickman Booksigning  (author appearance)
Gregg E. Brickman | 05/20/2016, 07:00 pm | Murder on the Beach Mystery Bookstore | Delray Beach, FL

Ashton Applewhite - This Chair Rocks: A Manifesto Against Ageism  (author appearance)
Ashton Applewhite | 05/20/2016, 07:00 pm | Regulator Bookshop | Durham, NC

Mary Kubica- Don’t You Cry  (author appearance)
Mary Kubica | 05/25/2016, 06:30 pm | FoxTale Book Shoppe | Woodstock, GA

Luncheon with Mary Alice Monroe  (author appearance)
Mary Alice Monroe | 05/26/2016, 11:30 am | Bookmiser | Roswell, GA

WORKS IN TRANSLATION BOOK CLUB discusses OUR LADY OF THE NILE  (book club)
Mukasonga, Scholastique | 05/26/2016, 07:00 pm | Malaprop's Bookstore/Cafe | Asheville, NC

Rien Fertel - The One True Barbecue  (author appearance)
Rien Fertel | 05/27/2016, 07:00 pm | Regulator Bookshop | Durham, NC

Singer/Songwriter Robert Bertinelli  (other event)
05/29/2016, 02:00 pm | Joe's Place | Greenville, SC

Authors Round the South
www.authorsroundthesouth.com

In This Issue

Lady Banks' Commonplace Book | Read This! | The Pat Conroy Prize | Okra Picks | The Trailer Park | Book and Author Gossip | The Southern Bookstore | Special to the Southern List | Southern Indie Bestsellers | Event Calendar

Dearest Readers,

The musician Ani Difranco became the latest person to cancel her North Carolina appearances in the wake of the passing of the law HB2 -- regarded by many as discriminatory for LGBT and Transgender persons. In this, Difranco joins an ever-growing list of protesters, including Bruce Springsteen and even the NBA. 

And Sherman Alexie, who dropped North Carolina from his tour schedule for his new children's book, Thunderboy, Jr. 

Alexie's decision prompted Malaprop's Bookstore in Asheville to write an open letter to authors, asking them not to boycott NC bookstores -- often places for debate and where diverse voices and opinions have a place to be heard, and the "fiercest allies" for many social issues.  The plea was taken up by other bookstores (come help us fight this, wrote the Regulator Bookshop in Durham), and ultimately more than thirty independent bookstores across the state issued a joint appeal to repeal the law that has catapulted North Carolina into the national headlines. Most recently, local authors like Sara Gruen have come together with local bookstores to create events at indie bookstores that address the issues around HB2.

There can hardly be a better example of how invested and integral small businesses are to their communities. How their presence has concrete, real-world impact. How small businesses like independent bookstores matter to a community because the community matters to them.

Next week, on April 30th, we celebrate Independent Bookstore Day. Whatever your politics, you can show your support for independent bookstores and your appreciation for the place they hold in your community by stopping in your own local bookstore.

Read independently! And shop local, for obvious reasons.

her ladyship, the editor

Lady Banks' Pick of the Week

Lady Banks' Commonplace Book

Noteworthy poetry and prose from her ladyship's bedside reading stack.

He was called Jonah because he was born during a terrible storm and his mama said soon as she let go of him and put him ashore in this world of folly and time the thunder quieted and the wind laid. Trees had broken off their stumps and skipped across fields like dust brooms, and the Saluda River spread wide over the bottomlands. Some of the slave cabins behind Mr. Williams's brick house got smashed to splinters by the high tempest.

But soon as Jonah was cut loose and washed off in a pan and wrapped up in a towel rag, his mama said the sky cleared and the moon came out and shined so bright you could see a needle in the light from the window. Everything the storm had ruined was vivid in the moonlight, including dead birds that had been torn from their roosts and snakes washed out of holes in the ground. Because Jonah arrived on the full of the moon in the middle of a storm under the sign of the Crab, his mama called him her moon baby. The granny woman that delivered him said he would always be darting away, running from one thing and then another. He'd be no more dependable than Jonah in the Holy Book.

--Robert Morgan, Chasing the North Star, (Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, 2016) 9781565126275

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Read This!

Recommended reading from Southern Indie Booksellers

From Quail Ridge Books in Raleigh, NC:

Raymie Nightingale by Kate DiCamillo

From Carol: A heartwarming story of three girls who realize the value of hope, determination and friendship as each seeks to fill an empty place in her life. Award-winning and beloved author diCamillo sets this novel in her native Florida, and the understated emotional quality of the narrative lends it a power that will resonate with the reader long after turning the last page. 

Waiting for High Tide by Nikki McClure

From Carol:  Stunning cut paper images illustrate the simple and satisfying story of a young boy waiting for the high tide that will allow him to dive off a raft his family has made. He discovers surprises left by previous tides, while shore birds and creatures go about their own lives hunting, eating and building. Masterful compositions of expansive views and exquisite details make this one extraordinary picture book. 

From Parnassus Books in Nashville, TN

Bel Canto by Ann Patchett

Now I know why people are breathless when they whisper, Bel Canto. If I were shipwrecked on a desert island with three books I hope this would be one of them. I would happily read and re-read for life. – River Jordan

I picked this up because it’s one Zadie Smith loves. You can read the back of the book for details, but I love it now too for its exploration of the way generalization compromises more interesting truths; the shadow between the idea and the reality; and the ways even well-intentioned people miss each other. All this, with a wicked sense of humor: good, rare company. – Margy Roark

Parnassus on Wheels by Christopher Morley

This charming novel was written in 1917 and has been in print since that time. It was the inspiration for our own Parnassus on Wheels bookmobile, not to mention the name of our store. The story is written from the point of view of Helen McGill, a spinster who chucks her lonely life in the country keeping house for her brother (a writer) to hit the road in a horse-drawn caravan selling books town to town. She manages to fall in love along the way. The witty dialogue in this book reminds me of something out of a Claudette Colbert movie. Read it, pass it on to a friend, and let’s keep this in print for another 100 years. – Karen Hayes

More bookseller recommendations

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Okra Picks

“Before he went to sleep in the clean bed in the room downstairs, Jonah asked himself whether he should continue running . . . It was impossible to know how safe he was. But Jonah was worn out from running, and he didn’t want to go on . . . He’d stop here for a few days or weeks and see what happened. If he was caught, he would be caught. He just didn’t feel like running any more.”

In his latest historical novel, bestselling author Robert Morgan brings to full and vivid life the story of Jonah Williams, who, in 1850, on his eighteenth birthday, flees the South Carolina plantation on which he was born a slave. He takes with him only a few stolen coins, a knife, and the clothes on his back—no shoes, no map, no clear idea of where to head, except north, following a star that he prays will be his guide.

Hiding during the day and running through the night, Jonah must elude the men sent to capture him and the bounty hunters out to claim the reward on his head. There is one person, however, who, once on his trail, never lets him fully out of sight: Angel, herself a slave, yet with a remarkably free spirit.

In Jonah, she sees her own way to freedom, and so sets out to follow him.

Bristling with breathtaking adventure, CHASING THE NORTH STAR is deftly grounded in historical fact yet always gripping and poignant as the story follows Jonah and Angel through the close calls and narrow escapes of a fearsome world. It is a celebration of the power of the human spirit to persevere in the face of great adversity. And it is Robert Morgan at his considerable best.

I just read Chasing the North Star (Algonquin $25.95) by Robert Morgan. Morgan's novel Gap Creek won multiple awards, and his new novel shows he continues to be a master of historical narrative. Following Jonah, a house slave on a South Carolina plantation, who escapes toward his dream of freedom in Canada, and Angel, who follows Jonah with her own dream in mind, the novel is a gripping road adventure, a devastating reminder of the personal, individual experience of slavery, and a love story filled with missteps, determination and humor. Morgan's language is deceptively simple but his tale is confident, complex, gripping, and imbued with a deep knowledge and respect for the natural world -- Sarah, Quail Ridge Books, Raleigh, NC

• Award-winning novelist Robert Morgan reads from his new novel, Chasing the North Star  (author appearance)
  Robert Morgan | 04/21/2016, 07:00 pm | Flyleaf Books | Chapel Hill, NC

BUY FROM AN INDIE

Lady Banks' Book Trailer Park

The Pat Conroy Southern Book Prize:
The Short List

The 2016 Pat Conroy Southern Book Prize Finalists Announced

(Columbia, SC) – The votes are in! Southern indie booksellers have chosen the finalists for the Pat Conroy Southern Book Prize. Formerly known as the SIBA Book Award, the Pat Conroy Southern Book Prize features an expanded list of categories – adding Mystery, Thriller, Literary, and History & Life Stories to the traditional categories of Fiction, Nonfiction, Cooking, Children’s and Young Adult.

Finalists were chosen by southern independent booksellers from the long list ballot. The finalist titles will be sent to juried panels of booksellers, who will then decide on the winners in each category. Winners will be announced on July 4, “Independents Day.”

2016 Pat Conroy Southern Book Prize Finalists

GO SET A WATCHMAN | Harper Lee | Harper | 9780062409850
SOIL | Jamie Kornegay | Simon & Schuster | 9781476750811
MY SUNSHINE AWAY | M. O. Walsh | G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 9780399169526
THE SECRET WISDOM OF THE EARTH | Christopher Scotton | Grand Central Publishing | 9781455551927

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Book & Author Gossip

NC Bookstores call for repeal of HB2

Company after company is withdrawing from doing business in NC until this legislation is repealed. Retailers and others are already feeling the economic impact of this legislation and we are sure, because of the momentum behind more businesses, conferences, artists, rock stars, authors, and ordinary citizens choosing places other than North Carolina to spend their vacations, the worst financial impact is yet to come.

Book Groups urge Authors to support NC Bookstores

“We urge all authors and illustrators as well as their publishers not to boycott North Carolina bookstores,” wrote the American Booksellers Association, the Association of American Publishers, the American Library Association Office for Intellectual Freedom, the Children’s Book Council, the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, and the Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance in a joint statement. “Many independent booksellers opposed HB2 in the legislature and are actively seeking its repeal. In addition, they have a long history of fighting efforts to censor books with LGBTQ themes.”

Regulator Bookshop to authors: Help us fight HB2

I'd like to suggest that it would be better to come here, speak the truth, and support those of us in North Carolina who are fighting against these bigoted, unjust social policies. It occurs to me that one way to further that end is to offer major authors the opportunity to designate their events with us as special "Liberty and Justice" events. A portion of the author's and bookstore's proceeds from "Liberty and Justice" events will be donated to the North Carolina ACLU and the North Carolina Justice Center, two organizations that are fighting HB2 and that have long been fighting for equal treatment for everyone, under the law.

Judy Blume, Bookseller

Blume, who describes her role at the bookstore as “Miss Bossypants,” said that she and Cooper lobbied Mitchell Kaplan, founder of Books & Books, which is based in Coral Gables, Fla., to open a store in Key West five years ago, around the time that Borders and Voltaire Books closed. Cooper, who serves on the board for The Studios and as CFO of the bookstore, worked out the arrangements for the space and the store’s nonprofit structure. 

Rev. William Barber II asked to deplane

Because of my bone-fusion arthritic disability that I have struggled with for years, I am forced to purchase two seats. The airport employees were more than gracious to me, as I boarded the small plane and painfully moved my body around to the most comfortable position I can find, looking forward to a good nap on the short flight home. A passenger in a seat near me was talking loudly as the plane filled up. I asked the stewardess to request he bring it down a little bit, and she did.  Because of my disability, I could not turn my head to see him, but as she left, I heard him saying distasteful and disparaging things about me. He had problems with “those people” and he spoke harshly about my need for “two seats,” among other subjects.  As I heard these things, I became more and more uncomfortable, especially since he was behind me. 

How one Alabama bookstore uses its unique business plan to succeed.

Twenty years ago, the idea of reading a book on a mobile phone was unthinkable. So was the idea of a brick-and-mortar bookstore that only sold signed copies.  Yet Jake Reiss, owner of The Alabama Booksmith, has thrived in the unpredictable book business by taking the latter approach. Four years ago he switched from selling only used books to offering signed  books exclusively.

Discover the Piedmont Indies

The Independent Booksellers of the North Carolina Piedmont are The Country Bookshop in Southern Pines, Flyleaf Books in Chapel Hill, McIntyre’s Books in Fearrington, Page 158 Books in Wake Forest, Quail Ridge Books in Raleigh, Regulator Bookshop and Letters Bookshop in Durham, and Scuppernong Books in Greensboro. Follow IBOP NC on Facebook and Twitter for more updates!

The Conundrum: A Bookseller Contemplates Selling Her Own Book

I’ve recently become an independent bookseller at M. Judson in Greenville, S.C. My reps have taught me most everything I know. I can order books through Edelweiss and check an event grid. I can pretty much manage Basil at point of sale, but I still push the Back button disastrously when reviewing a reorder in the system. I think I can make a spreadsheet, if somebody walks me through it. I have zero previous experience to qualify me for a job in retail. Except that I’ve been a writer for approximately two decades, and a reader since my mother taught me how to read. Perhaps more importantly, I have strong opinions.  9780525429661

“The thing about a bookstore is it’s not entirely about books; it’s about community.”

New independent bookstore in Highpoint, NC

Schroeder said she tends to get two distinct reactions from people when she tells them she’s opening a bookstore. It’s either “I can’t wait!” or, “A bookstore?” It’s like blacksmithing; it seems like something from another era,” she said. “The thing about a bookstore is it’s not entirely about books; it’s about community.”

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Meet Clay Stafford

As a writer, Clay has written articles, poetry, essays, novel adaptations, TV series, feature films, nonfiction books, live theater, book & film reviews, and newspaper articles. He sold his first short story when he was ten for a whopping $15. Since then, his retellings of American children’s classics released through Dalmatian Press have sold over 1.5 million copies in the United States alone. His films and literary works have been released in over 14 languages. He has written for PBS, NBC, CBS, ABC, and Esquire Magazine, among others. His latest deal was with Sony Pictures for a new nighttime TV drama. He is currently working on several literary projects, including a screenplay based upon Pork Pie Hat by bestselling horror / mystery author Peter Straub. As an editor, he has edited several PBS companion books that accompanied national series and is currently editing a mystery/thriller anthology with new stories from bestselling authors such as Jeffery Deaver, Jefferson Bass, Donald Bain, Heywood Gould, and Robert Dugoni. A voracious reader, he reviews an average of one book per day for Killer Nashville’s Featured Book of the Day series. Because of all his activities, Publishers Weekly named Clay as one of the top 10 Nashville literary leaders playing “an essential role in defining which books become bestsellers” not only in middle-Tennessee, but also extending “beyond the city limits and into the nation’s book culture.” (Source: Publishers Weekly, June 10, 2013) Though he has made money from writing his whole life, he has had a double profession as an actor before becoming a producer / director and still retains a certain amount of residual celebrity status from his appearances on such shows as the daytime soap Days of Our Lives and TV specials such as Clue: Movies, Murder, and Mystery with Martin Mull.

Killer Nashville Noir: Cold-Blooded

Bestselling authors Jeffery Deaver and Anne Perry join rising stars like Dana Chamblee Carpenter and Paula Gail Benson in a collection that proves Music City is a deadly place to be when your song gets called. 

Featuring stories by: Donald Bain, Robert Dugoni, Jefferson Bass, Mary Burton, Jonathan Stone, Steven James, Maggie Toussaint, Clay Stafford, Heywood Gould, Jaden Terrell, and more 
Every year, some of the biggest names in the thriller world converge in Tennessee for the Killer Nashville conference, an event where stars of the genre rub elbows with their most devoted fans, where the bestsellers of tomorrow pick up tricks of the trade, and where some of the best writers of today swap dark tales of good deals gone bad, rights made wrong, and murder in all shades... 

This collection of new stories features some of the biggest names in suspense, from bestsellers to ferociously talented newcomers. Grouped around the classic theme of murder, KILLER NASHVILLE NOIR: COLD-BLOODED is a first-class collection and a must-have for fans of the genre.

Request an author appearance

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Southern Indie Bestsellers

For the week ending April 10. Books on the Southern Indie Bestseller List that are southern in nature or have been recently recommended by southern indie booksellers.

- The Pat Conroy Southern Book Prize | - A SIBA Okra Pick 
Printable versions: Hardcover | Paperback | Children.

HARDCOVER FICTION

HARDCOVER NONFICTION

TRADE PAPERBACK FICTION

TRADE PAPERBACK NONFICTION

MASS MARKET

CHILDREN'S ILLUSTRATED

CHILDREN'S INTEREST

CHILDREN'S FICTION SERIES TITLES

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Special to the Southern List

Click on a book to purchase from a great indie bookstore! See the full Southern Indie Bestseller list here.

Events

Events at Southern Indie Bookstores

Ross Howell  (author appearance)
Ross Howell | 04/19/2016, 06:00 pm | Page & Palette | Fairhope, AL

Robyn Carr - What We Find - Gables  (author appearance)
Robyn Carr | 04/19/2016, 08:00 pm | Books & Books Inc | Coral Gables, FL

Multiple Autisms: Spectrums of Advocacy and Genomic Science with Jennifer Singh  (author appearance)
Jennifer Singh | 04/19/2016, 07:30 pm | Charis Books & More | Atlanta, GA

William Barnwell: Called to Heal the Brokenhearted: Stories from Kairos Prison Ministry International  (author appearance)
William Barnwell | 04/19/2016, 06:00 pm | Garden District Book Shop | New Orleans, LA

Jack Pendarvis with MOVIE STARS  (author appearance)
Jack Pendarvis | 04/19/2016, 05:00 pm | Square Books | Oxford, MS

Ernest Cline discusses his sci-fi novel Armada  (author appearance)
Ernest Cline | 04/19/2016, 07:00 pm | Flyleaf Books | Chapel Hill, NC

Meet the Author John Claude Bemis Out of Abaton: The Wooden Prince  (author appearance)
John Claude Bemis | 04/19/2016, 08:30 pm | Page 158 Books | Wake Forest, NC

Fred Chappell - A Shadow All of Light  (author appearance)
Fred Chappell | 04/19/2016, 07:00 pm | Regulator Bookshop | Durham, NC

Terry Barr  (author appearance)
Terry Barr | 04/19/2016, 07:00 pm | Hub City Bookshop | Spartanburg, SC

Books & Beyond: Book Club  (book club)
Liane Moriarty | 04/19/2016, 06:30 pm | Joe's Place | Greenville, SC

Rochelle B. Weinstein - Where We Fall - Gables  (author appearance)
Rochelle B. Weinstein | 04/20/2016, 06:30 pm | Books & Books Inc | Coral Gables, FL

BRETT GRAFF - Not Buying It - Arsht  (author appearance)
Brett Graff | 04/20/2016, 08:00 pm | Books & Books Inc | Coral Gables, FL

Diana Abu-Jaber - Life Without a Recipe - Gables  (author appearance)
Diana Abu-jaber | 04/20/2016, 08:00 pm | Books & Books Inc | Coral Gables, FL

Sam Trull discusses her photo book Slothlove  (author appearance)
Sam Trull | 04/20/2016, 07:00 pm | Flyleaf Books | Chapel Hill, NC

Author Event: Jennifer Harris - War By Other Means  (author appearance)
Jennifer Harris | 04/20/2016, 07:00 pm | Park Road Books | Charlotte, NC

Story Time at Joe's Place  (other event)
04/20/2016, 10:30 am | Joe's Place | Greenville, SC

Story Time at Joe’s Place  (other event)
04/20/2016, 03:30 pm | Joe's Place | Greenville, SC

UM Creative Writing Reading - Gables  (writers group)
04/21/2016, 07:00 pm | Books & Books Inc | Coral Gables, FL

Meg Nocero - The Magical Guide to Bliss - Gables  (author appearance)
Meg Nocero | 04/21/2016, 08:00 pm | Books & Books Inc | Coral Gables, FL

Book Signing with NOFX - TICKETED  (author appearance)
NOFX Authors | 04/21/2016, 05:30 pm | Inkwood Books | Tampa, FL

Mandala Launch Party  (other event)
various authors | 04/21/2016, 06:30 pm | Avid Bookshop | Athens, GA

Melissa Ginsburg: Sunset City  (author appearance)
Melissa Ginsburg | 04/21/2016, 06:00 pm | Garden District Book Shop | New Orleans, LA

Bill Dunlap with SHORT MEAN FICTION  (author appearance)
Bill Dunlap | 04/21/2016, 05:00 pm | Square Books | Oxford, MS

Coffee with the Poet Featuring Jonathan K. Rice  (author appearance)
Jonathan K. Rice | 04/21/2016, 10:30 am | City Lights Bookstore | Sylva, NC

Award-winning novelist Robert Morgan reads from his new novel, Chasing the North Star  (author appearance)
Robert Morgan | 04/21/2016, 07:00 pm | Flyleaf Books | Chapel Hill, NC

Book Signing: Jason Miller - Origins of the Dream: Hughes's Poetry and Kings Rhetoric  (author appearance)
Jason Miller | 04/21/2016, 07:00 pm | Park Road Books | Charlotte, NC

Ken Ilgunas - Trespassing Across America  (author appearance)
Ken Ilgunas | 04/21/2016, 07:00 pm | Regulator Bookshop | Durham, NC

Author event with Robyn Carr author of What We Find  (author appearance)
Robyn Carr | 04/21/2016, 06:30 pm | Parnassus Books | Nashville, TN

National Poetry Month Event - John Guzlowski Reads from Echoes of Tattered Tongues: Memory Unfolded  (author appearance)
John Guzlowski | 04/21/2016, 06:30 pm | Fountain Bookstore | Richmond, VA

AUTOGRAPHING: NOFX - NOFX: The Hepatitis Bathtub and Other Stories - Gables  (author appearance)
NOFX Authors | 04/22/2016, 05:30 pm | Books & Books Inc | Coral Gables, FL

Franky de Varona - Solitudes - Gables  (author appearance)
Franky de Varona | 04/22/2016, 08:00 pm | Books & Books Inc | Coral Gables, FL

David Sedaris at the Straz!  (author appearance)
David Sedaris | 04/22/2016, 08:00 pm | Inkwood Books | Tampa, FL

Local Author Book Launch for Melia Keeton-Digby's THE HEROINES CLUB  (author appearance)
Melia Keeton-Digby | 04/22/2016, 06:30 pm | Avid Bookshop | Athens, GA

Kim Michele Richardson, GodPretty in the Tobacco Field Book Launch  (author appearance)
Kim Michele Richardson | 04/22/2016, 06:30 pm | FoxTale Book Shoppe | Woodstock, GA

Kiese Laymon for Thacker at Double Decker  (author appearance)
Kiese Laymon | 04/22/2016, 07:00 pm | Square Books | Oxford, MS

Cookbook Club/Author Event with Fanny Slater  (book club)
Fanny Slater | 04/22/2016, 07:00 pm | Page 158 Books | Wake Forest, NC

Author Event: Victor Carrington - Just When You Thought You Knew Me  (author appearance)
Victor Carrington | 04/22/2016, 07:00 pm | Park Road Books | Charlotte, NC

Launch Party for Hub City's Spring Titles  (other event)
Julia Franks | 04/22/2016, 07:00 pm | Hub City Bookshop | Spartanburg, SC

Facts and Fiction: Literary Trivia at Joe’s Place  (other event)
Shari Smith | 04/22/2016, 07:00 pm | Joe's Place | Greenville, SC

Kristy Woodson Harvey - Author of Lies and Other Acts of Love  (author appearance)
Kristy Woodson Harvey | 04/22/2016 | Litchfield Books | Pawleys Island, SC

Belmont University's Spring Leadership Luncheon with Arianna Huffington  (author appearance)
Arianna Huffington | 04/22/2016, 11:00 pm | Parnassus Books | Nashville, TN

Katherine Andarcia - Luz de los ángeles - Gables  (author appearance)
Katherine Andarcia | 04/23/2016, 06:30 pm | Books & Books Inc | Coral Gables, FL

Kristy Woodson Harvey, Lies and Other Acts of Love  (author appearance)
Kristy Woodson Harvey | 04/23/2016, 01:00 pm | FoxTale Book Shoppe | Woodstock, GA

Josh Franks Discusses Paranormal Events  (author appearance)
Josh Franks | 04/23/2016, 03:00 pm | City Lights Bookstore | Sylva, NC

Kim Michele Richardson Presents Her New Novel  (author appearance)
Kim Michele Richardson | 04/23/2016, 06:00 pm | City Lights Bookstore | Sylva, NC

Book Signing: Paul Ray - Pink is a Superpower/ Boogers are Brain Food  (author appearance)
Paul Ray | 04/23/2016, 11:00 am | Park Road Books | Charlotte, NC

Author Signing: Alexander Stick - Her Little Angel  (author appearance)
Alexander Stick | 04/23/2016, 02:00 pm | Park Road Books | Charlotte, NC

Reflexology Session with Carlos O’Neal  (other event)
04/23/2016, 11:00 am | Joe's Place | Greenville, SC

Author Kristy Woodson Harvey: LIES AND OTHER ACTS OF LOVE  (author appearance)
Kristy Woodson Harvey | 04/24/2016, 06:30 pm | Avid Bookshop | Athens, GA

Author Event: Nick Knardirell - Minnesota  (author appearance)
Nick Knardirell | 04/24/2016, 03:00 pm | Park Road Books | Charlotte, NC

Author event with middle grade authors Kristin O'Donnell Tubb, Gail Nall and Lois Stephban  (author appearance)
Gail Nall | 04/24/2016, 02:00 pm | Parnassus Books | Nashville, TN

Chris Guillebeau - Born for This - Gables  (author appearance)
Chris Guillebeau | 04/25/2016, 08:00 pm | Books & Books Inc | Coral Gables, FL

KIDS' Book Club - Special VIP Q&A with author Shannon Hitchcock! Book signing to follow  (author appearance)
Shannon Hitchcock | 04/25/2016, 06:30 pm | Inkwood Books | Tampa, FL

Kendall Dunkelberg with BARRIER ISLAND SUITE  (author appearance)
04/25/2016, 05:00 pm | Square Books | Oxford, MS

Author Event: Adrienne and Stephanie Vendetti - How to Be a Red Head  (author appearance)
Adrienne and Stephanie Vendetti | 04/25/2016, 06:00 pm | Park Road Books | Charlotte, NC

Author event with J.A. Jance author of Clawback  (author appearance)
J.A. Jance | 04/25/2016, 06:30 pm | Parnassus Books | Nashville, TN

Kidliterate Book Club Reads Modern Classic The Great Gilly Hopkins  (book club)
Katherine Paterson | 04/26/2016, 07:00 pm | Charis Books & More | Atlanta, GA

Stephanie Storey with OIL AND MARBLE  (author appearance)
Stephanie Storey | 04/26/2016, 05:00 pm | Square Books | Oxford, MS

An Evening with Stephen Corey and The Georgia Review  (author appearance)
Stephen Corey | 04/26/2016, 07:00 pm | Hub City Bookshop | Spartanburg, SC

Author event with NOFX authors of The Hepatitis Bathtub and Other Stories  (author appearance)
NOFX Authors | 04/26/2016, 06:30 pm | Parnassus Books | Nashville, TN

Black Feminist Book Club Facilitated by Susana Morris  (book club)
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie | 04/27/2016, 07:00 pm | Charis Books & More | Atlanta, GA

Darlyn Finch Kuhn - Sewing Holes  (author appearance)
Darlyn Finch Kuhn | 04/27/2016, 06:00 pm | Garden District Book Shop | New Orleans, LA

Michael Graber with GOING ELECTRIC  (author appearance)
04/27/2016, 05:00 pm | Square Books | Oxford, MS

Felicia Day signs her memoir YOU'RE NEVER WEIRD ON THE INTERNET (ALMOST) at the Cat's Cradle  (author appearance)
04/27/2016, 06:00 pm | Flyleaf Books | Chapel Hill, NC

Adam Skolnick discusses his book One Breath: Freediving, Death, and the Quest to Shatter Human Limits  (author appearance)
Adam Skolnick | 04/27/2016, 07:00 pm | Flyleaf Books | Chapel Hill, NC

Kathleen Grissom - Glory Over Everything  (author appearance)
Kathleen Grissom | 04/27/2016, 07:00 pm | Regulator Bookshop | Durham, NC

Author event with Richard Zacks author of Chasing the Last Laugh  (author appearance)
Richard Zacks | 04/27/2016, 06:30 pm | Parnassus Books | Nashville, TN

Author Jason Reynolds Meet & Greet  (author appearance)
Jason Reynolds | 04/28/2016, 05:00 pm | Avid Bookshop | Athens, GA

Author J. Aaron Sanders: SPEAKERS OF THE DEAD: A WALT WHITMAN MYSTERY  (author appearance)
Aaron Sander | 04/28/2016, 06:30 pm | Avid Bookshop | Athens, GA

Author Event: Timothy Boyce - From Day to Day  (author appearance)
Timothy Boyce | 04/28/2016, 07:00 pm | Park Road Books | Charlotte, NC

Robin Kirk - Peculiar Motion  (author appearance)
Robin Kirk | 04/28/2016, 07:00 pm | Regulator Bookshop | Durham, NC

Author event with Roy Neel author of The Electors  (author appearance)
Roy Neel | 04/28/2016, 06:30 pm | Parnassus Books | Nashville, TN

William Geroux  (author appearance)
William Geroux | 04/29/2016, 04:00 pm | Page & Palette | Fairhope, AL

Avid Poetry Series: Lindsay Tigue, Jacob Sunderlin & Kameel Mir  (author appearance)
Lindsay Tigue, | 04/29/2016, 06:30 pm | Avid Bookshop | Athens, GA

David Sibley with SIBLEY FIELD GUIDE TO BIRDS  (author appearance)
David Sibley | 04/29/2016, 05:00 pm | Square Books | Oxford, MS

Author Event: Lucy Daniels - Maritime Mystery  (author appearance)
Lucy Daniels | 04/29/2016, 07:00 pm | Park Road Books | Charlotte, NC

Sit. Sip. Color.  (other event)
04/29/2016, 07:00 pm | Joe's Place | Greenville, SC

Independent Bookstore Day  (other event)
04/30/2016, 10:00 am | Copperfish Books, LLC | Punta Gorda, FL

Join the Party: Independent Bookstore Day is Back!  (other event)
Chris Riddell | 04/30/2016, 11:00 am | Charis Books & More | Atlanta, GA

Independent Bookstore Day 2016  (other event)
04/30/2016, 09:00 am | Square Books | Oxford, MS

John Shelton Reed discusses his Savor the South book Barbecue  (author appearance)
John Shelton Reed | 04/30/2016, 01:00 pm | Flyleaf Books | Chapel Hill, NC