Southern Review of Books
@southrevbooks.bsky.social
Exploring contemporary literature of the American South & beyond. Published by Queens University of Charlotte MFA. Editor-in-chief @crisley.bsky.social, founding editor Adam Morgan. linktr.ee/southrevbooks
"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
New review of EXTINCTION CAPITAL OF THE WORLD by Mariah Rigg. @eccobooks.bsky.social
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.
southernreviewofbooks.com
December 19, 2025 at 1:45 PM
"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
New review of EXTINCTION CAPITAL OF THE WORLD by Mariah Rigg. @eccobooks.bsky.social
Looking for last-minute holiday gifts? Check out this non-exhaustive list of fantastic LGBTQ+ Southern books from the last half of 2025.
Books to Celebrate in December 2025
A non-exhaustive list of queer Southern books published in the second half of 2025.
southernreviewofbooks.com
December 18, 2025 at 5:17 PM
Looking for last-minute holiday gifts? Check out this non-exhaustive list of fantastic LGBTQ+ Southern books from the last half of 2025.
"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.
@amyrmartin.bsky.social reviews FAMISHED by Anna Rollins.
Penance and Control in “Famished”
A review of Anna Rollins’ memoir, “Famished.”
southernreviewofbooks.com
December 16, 2025 at 2:01 AM
"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.
@amyrmartin.bsky.social reviews FAMISHED by Anna Rollins.
"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
@stmartinspress.bsky.social
“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.”
southernreviewofbooks.com
December 12, 2025 at 3:14 PM
"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
@stmartinspress.bsky.social
“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
New review of NO ORDINARY BIRD by Artis Henderson. @harperbooks.bsky.social
Icarus’ Daughter: Reckoning with a Father’s Notorious Past
A review of Artis Henderson’s second nonfiction book, “No Ordinary Bird.”
southernreviewofbooks.com
December 9, 2025 at 4:07 PM
“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
New review of NO ORDINARY BIRD by Artis Henderson. @harperbooks.bsky.social
"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.
southernreviewofbooks.com/2025/12/05/f...
@wesblake.bsky.social interviews Julie Hensley on her recent novel, FIVE OAKS.
southernreviewofbooks.com/2025/12/05/f...
Secrets, Sisters, and Grasping the Past: An Interview with Julie Hensley
An interview with author Julie Hensley on her recent novel, “Five Oaks.”
southernreviewofbooks.com
December 5, 2025 at 6:31 PM
"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.
southernreviewofbooks.com/2025/12/05/f...
@wesblake.bsky.social interviews Julie Hensley on her recent novel, FIVE OAKS.
southernreviewofbooks.com/2025/12/05/f...
"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.
New review of I, MEDUSA by Ayana Gray.
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.
southernreviewofbooks.com
December 2, 2025 at 11:32 PM
"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.
New review of I, MEDUSA by Ayana Gray.
"In an era grappling with political polarization and the weaponization of fear, this book reminds us that justice is not merely about punishment, but about truth, accountability, and the courage to confront what divides us."
Review of MIDNIGHT IN MEMPHIS, Thomas Dann. @crookedlanebooks.bsky.social
Review of MIDNIGHT IN MEMPHIS, Thomas Dann. @crookedlanebooks.bsky.social
“Midnight in Memphis”: Noteworthy Southern Noir
Thomas Dann’s debut is much more than a typical whodunit.
southernreviewofbooks.com
November 21, 2025 at 6:52 PM
"In an era grappling with political polarization and the weaponization of fear, this book reminds us that justice is not merely about punishment, but about truth, accountability, and the courage to confront what divides us."
Review of MIDNIGHT IN MEMPHIS, Thomas Dann. @crookedlanebooks.bsky.social
Review of MIDNIGHT IN MEMPHIS, Thomas Dann. @crookedlanebooks.bsky.social
Our holiday plans definitely include knocking out a book or two from our (excessively long) TBR — but we've also added a few from this list of new Southern books out in November.
southernreviewofbooks.com/2025/11/19/b...
southernreviewofbooks.com/2025/11/19/b...
The Best Books of November 2025
A roundup of the best Southern books of November 2025.
southernreviewofbooks.com
November 19, 2025 at 3:55 PM
Our holiday plans definitely include knocking out a book or two from our (excessively long) TBR — but we've also added a few from this list of new Southern books out in November.
southernreviewofbooks.com/2025/11/19/b...
southernreviewofbooks.com/2025/11/19/b...
New review: "IF YOU LEAVE by Margaret Hutton is the perfect book to read in the fall, as leaves begin drifting from the trees... Departures are not merely endings; they are moments that illuminate connection, resilience, and the cyclical rhythms of human relationships." @regalhouse.bsky.social
Mother-Daughter Relationships and the Delicate Balance of Distance in “If You Leave”
Through interwoven narratives, Hutton uncovers how leaving can be an act of love, growth, and self-discovery, especially between mothers and daughters.
southernreviewofbooks.com
November 12, 2025 at 3:59 PM
New review: "IF YOU LEAVE by Margaret Hutton is the perfect book to read in the fall, as leaves begin drifting from the trees... Departures are not merely endings; they are moments that illuminate connection, resilience, and the cyclical rhythms of human relationships." @regalhouse.bsky.social
"Wilderness isn’t pristine and doesn’t exist somewhere
‘out there’ away and distinct from humans; it is a force
that is perpetually integrating, adapting, and thriving."
Chaney Hill reviews A NATURAL HISTORY OF EMPTY
LOTS by Christopher Brown. @timberpress.bsky.social
‘out there’ away and distinct from humans; it is a force
that is perpetually integrating, adapting, and thriving."
Chaney Hill reviews A NATURAL HISTORY OF EMPTY
LOTS by Christopher Brown. @timberpress.bsky.social
Resilience and Redemption in Austin’s Edgelands
A review of Christopher Brown’s “A Natural History of Empty Lots,” which records Brown’s exploration of the murky lines between “nature” and “civilization.…
southernreviewofbooks.com
November 5, 2025 at 3:03 PM
"Wilderness isn’t pristine and doesn’t exist somewhere
‘out there’ away and distinct from humans; it is a force
that is perpetually integrating, adapting, and thriving."
Chaney Hill reviews A NATURAL HISTORY OF EMPTY
LOTS by Christopher Brown. @timberpress.bsky.social
‘out there’ away and distinct from humans; it is a force
that is perpetually integrating, adapting, and thriving."
Chaney Hill reviews A NATURAL HISTORY OF EMPTY
LOTS by Christopher Brown. @timberpress.bsky.social
Looking for something new this month? Check out this list of fantastic Southern new releases!
southernreviewofbooks.com/2025/10/24/b...
southernreviewofbooks.com/2025/10/24/b...
October 25, 2025 at 8:47 PM
Looking for something new this month? Check out this list of fantastic Southern new releases!
southernreviewofbooks.com/2025/10/24/b...
southernreviewofbooks.com/2025/10/24/b...
"The novel’s 'soft apocalypse,' as the narrator might call it, is set in the near future and bears many of the markers of dystopian science fiction. ... the planet provides no stability or safety; neither do institutions or governments."
New review of HAPPY BAD by Delaney Nolan.
New review of HAPPY BAD by Delaney Nolan.
Cults, Climate Crisis, and Community in Delaney Nolan’s “Happy Bad”
What would have felt, twenty years ago, like a fairly extreme climate apocalypse novel reads like tomorrow’s news, or even yesterday’s.
southernreviewofbooks.com
October 22, 2025 at 2:29 PM
"The novel’s 'soft apocalypse,' as the narrator might call it, is set in the near future and bears many of the markers of dystopian science fiction. ... the planet provides no stability or safety; neither do institutions or governments."
New review of HAPPY BAD by Delaney Nolan.
New review of HAPPY BAD by Delaney Nolan.
"Most of us don’t stay open to the world
and refuse to be knocked from our soapboxes, but
Harrigan does just that throughout the collection,
mixing memoir and journalism, questioning his own
memories and prior stances."
New review of Stephen Harrigan's latest.
@utexaspress.bsky.social
and refuse to be knocked from our soapboxes, but
Harrigan does just that throughout the collection,
mixing memoir and journalism, questioning his own
memories and prior stances."
New review of Stephen Harrigan's latest.
@utexaspress.bsky.social
‘Anchor in a Sea of Time’ Exemplifies the Fine Art of Changing One’s Mind
A review of author Stephen Harrigan’s first essay collection since 2013.
southernreviewofbooks.com
October 21, 2025 at 4:34 PM
"Most of us don’t stay open to the world
and refuse to be knocked from our soapboxes, but
Harrigan does just that throughout the collection,
mixing memoir and journalism, questioning his own
memories and prior stances."
New review of Stephen Harrigan's latest.
@utexaspress.bsky.social
and refuse to be knocked from our soapboxes, but
Harrigan does just that throughout the collection,
mixing memoir and journalism, questioning his own
memories and prior stances."
New review of Stephen Harrigan's latest.
@utexaspress.bsky.social
“Despite the heat of grief, the stories offer vignettes of respite in the catharsis that comes after loss, reminiscent of embers glittering like stars in ashen remains.”
New review of WHAT REMAINS AFTER A FIRE by Kanza Javed. @wwnorton.com
southernreviewofbooks.com/2025/10/20/w...
New review of WHAT REMAINS AFTER A FIRE by Kanza Javed. @wwnorton.com
southernreviewofbooks.com/2025/10/20/w...
The Heat of Grief and the Catharsis of Loss in “What Remains After a Fire”
Kanza Javed’s debut burns bright with grief, memory, and unflinching beauty.
southernreviewofbooks.com
October 20, 2025 at 12:08 PM
“Despite the heat of grief, the stories offer vignettes of respite in the catharsis that comes after loss, reminiscent of embers glittering like stars in ashen remains.”
New review of WHAT REMAINS AFTER A FIRE by Kanza Javed. @wwnorton.com
southernreviewofbooks.com/2025/10/20/w...
New review of WHAT REMAINS AFTER A FIRE by Kanza Javed. @wwnorton.com
southernreviewofbooks.com/2025/10/20/w...
Reposted by Southern Review of Books
Cloud wrote about including pop culture in poetry for @southrevbooks.bsky.social (head over there to check out the list of Cloud's movie references): southernreviewofbooks.com/2025/10/14/t...
Who’s Afraid of Referencing Pop Culture in Poetry?
A reflection on making pop culture references in poetry by Cloud Delfina Cardona, author of “the past is a jean jacket.”
southernreviewofbooks.com
October 14, 2025 at 3:07 PM
Cloud wrote about including pop culture in poetry for @southrevbooks.bsky.social (head over there to check out the list of Cloud's movie references): southernreviewofbooks.com/2025/10/14/t...
"I’ve listened obsessively to the way people in Kentucky speak, especially in rural areas. It’s glorious. There’s a music to it."
Check out our new interview with Chris McGinley and Wes Browne on THEY ALL FALL THE SAME! @crookedlanebooks.bsky.social
southernreviewofbooks.com/2025/10/10/t...
Check out our new interview with Chris McGinley and Wes Browne on THEY ALL FALL THE SAME! @crookedlanebooks.bsky.social
southernreviewofbooks.com/2025/10/10/t...
“Witty, Nuanced, and Overall Entertaining”: A Conversation with Wes Browne
If you wanna take a hell-ride into central Kentucky, read Wes Browne’s newest novel, “They All Fall the Same.”
southernreviewofbooks.com
October 10, 2025 at 8:08 PM
"I’ve listened obsessively to the way people in Kentucky speak, especially in rural areas. It’s glorious. There’s a music to it."
Check out our new interview with Chris McGinley and Wes Browne on THEY ALL FALL THE SAME! @crookedlanebooks.bsky.social
southernreviewofbooks.com/2025/10/10/t...
Check out our new interview with Chris McGinley and Wes Browne on THEY ALL FALL THE SAME! @crookedlanebooks.bsky.social
southernreviewofbooks.com/2025/10/10/t...
"Marce Catlett is not interested in individual responses to how rural life and agriculture have changed during the last century but in the importance of communally remembering a history on the verge of being wiped out."
New review of Wendell Berry's latest, MARCE CATLETT: THE FORCE OF A STORY.
New review of Wendell Berry's latest, MARCE CATLETT: THE FORCE OF A STORY.
Tending to the Land: Wendell Berry’s “Marce Catlett: The Force of a Story”
A review of Wendell Berry’s newest novel, “Marce Catlett: The Force of a Story.”
southernreviewofbooks.com
October 8, 2025 at 8:00 PM
"Marce Catlett is not interested in individual responses to how rural life and agriculture have changed during the last century but in the importance of communally remembering a history on the verge of being wiped out."
New review of Wendell Berry's latest, MARCE CATLETT: THE FORCE OF A STORY.
New review of Wendell Berry's latest, MARCE CATLETT: THE FORCE OF A STORY.
"Harjo describes her experiences with a combination of poetic grace and disarming honesty."
New review of Joy Harjo's GIRL WARRIOR, out today!
southernreviewofbooks.com/2025/10/07/g...
New review of Joy Harjo's GIRL WARRIOR, out today!
southernreviewofbooks.com/2025/10/07/g...
Radical Emancipation in Joy Harjo’s New Collection
Advice for living abounds in the latest essay collection from poet and jazz musician Joy Harjo.
southernreviewofbooks.com
October 7, 2025 at 2:34 PM
"Harjo describes her experiences with a combination of poetic grace and disarming honesty."
New review of Joy Harjo's GIRL WARRIOR, out today!
southernreviewofbooks.com/2025/10/07/g...
New review of Joy Harjo's GIRL WARRIOR, out today!
southernreviewofbooks.com/2025/10/07/g...
"Ardery’s debut is both a memoir of survival and a meditation on what it means to carry weight — literal and metaphorical — and to keep walking anyway."
@sara-eastler.bsky.social reviews LEVEL WATCH by Mary Ardery. @juneroadpress.bsky.social
@sara-eastler.bsky.social reviews LEVEL WATCH by Mary Ardery. @juneroadpress.bsky.social
Debut Collection Captures the Struggle of Carrying Physical and Emotional Weight
Mary Ardery’s debut poetry collection draws from her experience as a wilderness guide for women recovering from addiction.
southernreviewofbooks.com
October 3, 2025 at 7:40 PM
"Ardery’s debut is both a memoir of survival and a meditation on what it means to carry weight — literal and metaphorical — and to keep walking anyway."
@sara-eastler.bsky.social reviews LEVEL WATCH by Mary Ardery. @juneroadpress.bsky.social
@sara-eastler.bsky.social reviews LEVEL WATCH by Mary Ardery. @juneroadpress.bsky.social
"Our longing can become a wraith living beside us... The truth of grief running through this writing appears stealthily like a haint moving through the North Carolina woods."
@tobyleblancauthor.bsky.social reviews THE DEVIL'S DONE COME BACK. @blairpub.bsky.social
@tobyleblancauthor.bsky.social reviews THE DEVIL'S DONE COME BACK. @blairpub.bsky.social
North Carolina Is Haunted by Its Own History in “The Devil’s Done Come Back”
Ghosts seem to know better about who we are and what is right in “The Devil’s Done Come Back”
southernreviewofbooks.com
September 30, 2025 at 1:17 PM
"Our longing can become a wraith living beside us... The truth of grief running through this writing appears stealthily like a haint moving through the North Carolina woods."
@tobyleblancauthor.bsky.social reviews THE DEVIL'S DONE COME BACK. @blairpub.bsky.social
@tobyleblancauthor.bsky.social reviews THE DEVIL'S DONE COME BACK. @blairpub.bsky.social
"The crime story itself is compelling, but it’s the backdrop that I found riveting — a peek into the hallowed halls of elite American fraternity life in the U.S. South, and let me tell you, it’s not pretty." @amyrmartin.bsky.social reviews Max Marshall's AMONG THE BROS. @harperperennial.bsky.social
Fraternity, Power, and Xanax in Max Marshall’s “Among the Bros”
A Review of Max Marshall’s “Among the Bros: A Fraternity Crime Story.”
southernreviewofbooks.com
September 29, 2025 at 10:43 AM
"The crime story itself is compelling, but it’s the backdrop that I found riveting — a peek into the hallowed halls of elite American fraternity life in the U.S. South, and let me tell you, it’s not pretty." @amyrmartin.bsky.social reviews Max Marshall's AMONG THE BROS. @harperperennial.bsky.social
There's a myth that "grief begins on a one-way track called 'Denial,' en route to its final destination of 'Acceptance,' and after that, you’ve completed the process and are forever free from it. That misunderstanding, in my view, is one of many ways that victims of loss are made to feel unseen."
Erin Slaughter Tries to Order the Disorder in “The Dead Dad Diaries”
An interview with Erin Slaughter on her memoir, “The Dead Dad Diaries.”
southernreviewofbooks.com
September 27, 2025 at 3:26 PM
There's a myth that "grief begins on a one-way track called 'Denial,' en route to its final destination of 'Acceptance,' and after that, you’ve completed the process and are forever free from it. That misunderstanding, in my view, is one of many ways that victims of loss are made to feel unseen."
"In a celebration of the oral and written tradition of passing down stories from one generation to the next, The Eternal Forest preserves what might otherwise be forgotten."
New review of THE ETERNAL FOREST by Elena Sheppard. @stmartinspress.bsky.social
southernreviewofbooks.com/2025/09/23/t...
New review of THE ETERNAL FOREST by Elena Sheppard. @stmartinspress.bsky.social
southernreviewofbooks.com/2025/09/23/t...
Three Women in Exile Ache for Cuba in “The Eternal Forest”
A review of Elena Sheppard’s memoir, “The Eternal Forest.”
southernreviewofbooks.com
September 23, 2025 at 12:27 PM
"In a celebration of the oral and written tradition of passing down stories from one generation to the next, The Eternal Forest preserves what might otherwise be forgotten."
New review of THE ETERNAL FOREST by Elena Sheppard. @stmartinspress.bsky.social
southernreviewofbooks.com/2025/09/23/t...
New review of THE ETERNAL FOREST by Elena Sheppard. @stmartinspress.bsky.social
southernreviewofbooks.com/2025/09/23/t...
"Nick Medina’s latest novel is the perfect way to ring in spooky season. Its alternating narratives trace two timelines in the main character’s life and build intertwined mysteries that kept me turning pages."
New review of THE WHISTLER by Nick Medina. @berkleypub.bsky.social
New review of THE WHISTLER by Nick Medina. @berkleypub.bsky.social
Disability, Grief, and Haunted Indigenous Folklore in “The Whistler”
Nick Medina’s “The Whistler” is an Indigenous horror that pairs the loss of autonomy with paranormal folklore.
southernreviewofbooks.com
September 22, 2025 at 1:27 AM
"Nick Medina’s latest novel is the perfect way to ring in spooky season. Its alternating narratives trace two timelines in the main character’s life and build intertwined mysteries that kept me turning pages."
New review of THE WHISTLER by Nick Medina. @berkleypub.bsky.social
New review of THE WHISTLER by Nick Medina. @berkleypub.bsky.social