Southern Literary Review’s 2025 Books of the Year

The editors of Southern Literary Review select several books each year to receive special recognition. (See criteria here.) Congratulations to the authors of these fine additions to Southern literature!  Book of the Year – (Tie)            The Bright Years by Sarah Damroff The Miniaturist’s Assistant by Katherine Scott Crawford Poetry Lullaby for […]

2025 SLR Holiday Gift Guide

Books make the best gifts! Here are some great choices for the readers on your list. Donna’s Picks Junah at the End of the World by Dan Leach offers a lively, endearing voice in a coming-of-age story about a boy who is a bit of a misfit. Set during the lead-up to Y2K when we […]

The Short List for 2025 Books of the Year

Books of the Year will be announced Dec. 18 The editors of Southern Literary Review select several books each year to receive special recognition. It recognizes books published over the previous two years (with October of the current year as the cut-off date for consideration.) Categories are Book of the Year, recognizing a novel or nonfiction full-length work; […]

December Read of the Month: “The Miniaturist’s Assistant” by Katherine Scott Crawford

Editor’s note: SLR has two Reads of the Month for December. We think you will love both books. In The Miniaturist’s Assistant, Katherine Scott Crawford would, for a moment, like you to believe that Charleston, South Carolina, is a town like any other town. If you’ve ever been to Charleston, you know that is simply […]

December Read of the Month: “Junah at the End of the World” by Dan Leach

Editor’s note: SLR has two Reads of the Month for December. We think you will love both books. You won’t find a more huggable narrator than twelve-year-old Junah, the unforgettable protagonist of Junah at the End of the World by Dan Leach. His voice—funny, irreverent, and deeply original—calls to mind Holden Caulfield from The Catcher […]

“Because: A CIA Coverup and a Son’s Odyssey to Find the Father He Never Knew” by James B. Wells

Sometimes you have to follow your heart. Your heart sets the destination and your mind, intellect, ambition, and even your physical body may then follow. Some may call such a thing a mission, others see it as obsession, but no matter its name, James B. Wells, author of Because: A CIA Coverup and a Son’s […]