Southern Review of Books

Fabulist and Sincere: Burnside Soleil’s “Berceuse Parish” A review of Burnside Soleil’s debut poetry collection, “Berceuse Parish.”

"Berceuse Parish is equally fabulist and sincere, a rare combination. ...a book that is consistent in its experiments, committed to beauty, and interested in a multitudinous way of being in the world."

New review of BERCEUSE PARISH by Burnside Soleil.

Check out our new interview with Dawn Major and Robert Gwaltney on SING DOWN THE MOON out today!

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Cozy Chaos at The Chickadee in “The Best Little Motel in Texas” In The Best Little Motel in Texas, Lyla Lane brings together the most delightful tropes from cozy mystery and romantic comedy while adding a slight twist to each.

"Alongside its cozy, trope-heavy aspects, The Best Little Motel in Texas also includes underlying themes about book banning, censorship, and the pain of living a closeted life in a close-minded place."

New review of THE BEST LITTLE MOTEL IN TEXAS by Lyla Lane. @harperperennial.bsky.social

From Hawkins to New York: “Stranger Things” on Broadway A review of the Broadway play, “Stranger Things: The First Shadow.”

"The story is delightfully entertaining, the characters skillfully crafted, and the special effects out of this world."

New review of STRANGER THINGS: THE FIRST SHADOW on Broadway.

“Love Tap”: A Tender, Visceral Debut At the core of this collection is Wade’s complex relationship with his father, whose presence is at once both painful and familiar.

"Wade’s narrating voice is arresting, slipping between a swaggering humor and the kind of honesty that can only be delivered in a whisper."

New review of A LOVE TAP by Bernardo Wade.

“Maybe the Body” Explores Personal and Political Connections to Place An interview with poet Asa Drake on her collection, “Maybe the Body.”

“I hold on to the reminder that what’s at stake isn’t wholesale. The future isn’t double or nothing, it’s the result of consistent organization and action. We have to do the work for what we love.”

@crisley.bsky.social interviews @asaldrake.bsky.social on MAYBE THE BODY. @tinhouse.bsky.social

“Kin” Is a Study in Sisterhood, Motherhood, and Unconditional Love “It is sad to not have a mother… But sadness is one thing. Grief is another.”

"At its core, KIN is an exploration of self-discovery, the brutality of racism and inequality, and above all else, a study of sisterhood, motherhood, and the unconditional love found in those relationships."

New review of Tayari Jones' KIN.

The Best Southern Books of February 2026 A roundup of some of the best Southern books released in February 2026.

Stories can be a light in the darkness. If you’re looking for a bit of light right now, check out this list of new Southern releases!

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Tupac Shakur, By Those Who Knew Him A review of Jeff Pearlman’s “Only God Can Judge Me: The Many Lives of Tupac Shakur.”

"This biography is human, nostalgic, and evocative." New review of ONLY GOD CAN JUDGE ME by Jeff Pearlman.

Mezghebe’s Debut: Just “What You’re Looking For” For fans of Yaa Gyasi and Chimamanda Ngozie Adichie, this novel’s fresh and poignant writing is storytelling at its finest.

"What makes Mezghebe’s work so compelling is the way she threads Eritrea into the emotional fabric of the narrative... Mezghebe writes with awareness of how conflict reverberates across generations."

New review of I HOPE YOU FIND WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING FOR by Bsrat Mezghebe. @liveright.bsky.social

Writing “the Necessary Poems”: An Interview with Lolita Stewart-White An interview with Lolita Stewart-White about her poetry collection, “black frag/ments.”

Happy pub day to Lolita Stewart-White's collection, BLACK FRAG/MENTS, out today from @hubcitypress.bsky.social! Learn more about these poems in her interview with @croptopassassin.bsky.social.

Looking through the Dual Lens: Michelle Peñaloza’s “All the Words I Can Remember Are Poems” Michelle Peñaloza’s second full-length collection, “All the Words I Can Remember Are Poems,” reminds us of the function of poems: to record, to remember, to share.

"Peñaloza’s latest collection emphasizes how new forms don’t supplant or forget existing ones, but offer variation — a kind of play — which is the point of the poem, to make and to make again."

@asaldrake.bsky.social reviews ALL THE WORDS I CAN REMEMBER ARE POEMS by Michelle Peñaloza.

Recklessness and Resilience Drive “Scavengers” An estranged mother and daughter reconnect while hunting treasure in the Utah desert in this complex debut from Kathleen Boland.

"SCAVENGERS reveals human resilience: hope, whether realistic or reckless, drives people forward and fosters connections, even in the face of life’s chaos."

New review of SCAVENGERS by Kathleen Boland. @vikingbooks.bsky.social

Clearance Book Haul as 2026 Reading Goals SRB editor Anna Harris-Parker talks about the books she found in the bargain bin that are now part of her 2026 year in books.

SRB editor Anna Harris-Parker talks about her recent clearance book haul in our latest post.

What's the best book you've discovered in a clearance bin?

“Called by Distances” is Precise and Focused A review of Biljana D Obradović’s new poetry collection, “Called by Distances.”

Enjoyed reviewing this poetry collection for @southrevbooks.bsky.social Worth a read, especially if you enjoy poetry that's candid, open, and crafted well.
#booksky #writingcommunity #poetry southernreviewofbooks.com/2026/01/22/c...

Incisive Questions about Mothering in “The Cracks We Bear” “The Cracks We Bear” by Catalina Infante (translated by Michelle Mirabella) asks incisive questions about mothering, both the act of being mothered and that of becoming one.

THE CRACKS WE BEAR by Catalina Infante and
translated by Michelle Mirabella "sings with a strong voice and incisive questions about mothering, both the act of being mothered and that of becoming one, and the interplay between these roles of mother and daughter." @worldedbooks.bsky.social

Foxglovewise Explores the Natural Rituals of Loss Mlinko’s poems are meditative spaces where loss, grief, acceptance, and the natural world collide.

"A poetry collection for old souls grappling with the modern world’s demands and trappings. Simultaneously, its verses are quiet, meditative spaces where loss, grief, acceptance, and the natural world collide."

@nyurtsaba.bsky.social reviews FOXGLOVEWISE by Ange Mlinko. @fsgbooks.bsky.social

Treasured, Bitter Fruit in Bo Hee Moon’s “Birthstones in the Province of Mercy” A review of Bo Hee Moon’s newest poetry collection, “Birthstones in the Province of Mercy.”

“Moon’s poems, which blend personal vignettes with elements of Korean culture and folklore, are by turns mournful and idyllic; heartbreaking and uplifting.”

New review of Bo Hee Moon’s BIRTHSTONES IN THE PROVINCE OF MERCY. @milkweededitions.bsky.social

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Hollywood Glamour Meets Wartime Realities in “The Star Society” A review of Gabriella Saab’s latest historical novel, “The Star Society.”

New review: "The buzz surrounding THE STAR SOCIETY by Gabriella Saab proves that we still long for a Hollywood that is not our own: a world of glitz, glamor, and mystique that feels unreachable today, given how radically the industry and our access to the private lives of celebrities have changed."

“Talking with Boys”: Finding Freedom in Forward Motion In Tayyba Kanwal’s story collection, “Talking with Boys,” characters are in constant flux. Motion becomes an act of survival and self-definition for those whose lives are circumsc…

On Tayyba Kanwal's TALKING WITH BOYS: "Motion becomes an act of survival and self-definition for those whose lives are circumscribed by expectation. Spanning Houston, Lahore, and Dubai, the collection testifies to the power of women and girls who refuse to remain still."

@blacklawrence.bsky.social

2025 Staff Favorites The SRB editorial team looks back on the best books they read in 2025.

Check out some of what the SRB editorial staff has been reading this year!

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Fear, Inheritance and Legacy in “Heaven, West Virginia” A review of Ravi Teixeira’s recent graphic novel, “Heaven, West Virginia.”

"Fans of Southern gothic literature and horror comics will gravitate toward Ravi Teixeira’s fresh tale of grappling with who you are and where you come from while trying to find your own way."

New review of HEAVEN, WEST VIRGINIA by Ravi Teixeira.

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Circling and Expansive Storytelling in “Extinction Capital of the World” Rather than a static snapshot, these ten interconnected stories share a portrait of Hawaii as a living, evolving organism.

"While the stories are set in the present day, Riggs eschews linearity in her storytelling in favor of a circular structure that loops seamlessly back and forth between past, present, and future."

New review of EXTINCTION CAPITAL OF THE WORLD by Mariah Rigg. @eccobooks.bsky.social

Books to Celebrate in June 2025 Celebrate Pride by reading one of the queer Southern fiction, nonfiction, and poetry books published in the first half of 2025.

Find the first half of 2025 here! southernreviewofbooks.com/2025/06/13/b...

Books to Celebrate in December 2025 A non-exhaustive list of queer Southern books published in the second half of 2025.

Looking for last-minute holiday gifts? Check out this non-exhaustive list of fantastic LGBTQ+ Southern books from the last half of 2025.

Penance and Control in “Famished” A review of Anna Rollins’ memoir, “Famished.”

"Famished is a fast, heartbreaking read about the perfect storm of diet culture and purity culture and the deleterious effects of that storm on the lives of girls and women."

@amyrmartin.bsky.social reviews FAMISHED by Anna Rollins.

“The Dark and the Devil So Close”: Kristi DeMeester’s Historical Feminist Horror, “Dark Sisters” A review of Kristi DeMeester’s eerie, propulsive novel, “Dark Sisters.”

"DARK SISTERS is one story in a long line of books, films, and other cultural products that explore the ways in which women are often subjugated and punished under the watchful eye of a vengeful Christian god, persecuted for refusing to behave, be small, be quiet."

@stmartinspress.bsky.social

Icarus’ Daughter: Reckoning with a Father’s Notorious Past A review of Artis Henderson’s second nonfiction book, “No Ordinary Bird.”

“The fact that Henderson entertains us while excavating difficult family dynamics and political nuances without cheapening her father’s story or the seriousness of his actions is the sign of a mature and skillful writer.”

New review of NO ORDINARY BIRD by Artis Henderson. @harperbooks.bsky.social

Secrets, Sisters, and Grasping the Past: An Interview with Julie Hensley An interview with author Julie Hensley on her recent novel, “Five Oaks.”

"I love braided and mosaic novels. I think it is the truest way to tell a story, the best way to illuminate conflicting perspectives and undisclosed secrets."

@wesblake.bsky.social interviews Julie Hensley on her recent novel, FIVE OAKS.

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Reclamation of Power in “I, Medusa” Ayana Gray’s “I, Medusa” is full of complicated women with rich personalities who exist in a gray area.

"Gray expertly portrays the complexity of women’s relationships with one another through a diverse cast haunted, in their own unique ways, by the man’s world they live in."

New review of I, MEDUSA by Ayana Gray.