This episode may contain mild spoilers for Grady Hendrix's books.

-

Grady Hendrix - gradyhendrix.com

Grady Hendrix is a horror author from Charleston, SC. His newest book is How to Sell a Haunted House.

-

Grady Hendrix books that you should check out:

• Horrorstor (bookshop.org) (libro.fm)
• My Best Friend's Exorcism (bookshop.org) (libro.fm)
• We Sold our Souls (bookshop.org) (libro.fm)
• The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires (bookshop.org) (libro.fm)
• The Final Girl Support Group (bookshop.org) (libro.fm)
• How to Sell a Haunted House (bookshop.org) (libro.fm)
• Paperbacks from Hell (bookshop.org) (libro.fm)

-

If you love Grady Hendrix, try these books next:

• A Dirty Job by Christopher Moore (bookshop.org) (libro.fm)
• My Heart is a Chainsaw by Stephen Graham Jones (bookshop.org) (libro.fm)
• Hide by Kiersten White (bookshop.org) (libro.fm)
• Suburban Hell by Maureen Kilmer (bookshop.org) (libro.fm)
• Patricia Wants to Cuddle by Samantha Allen (bookshop.org) (libro.fm)

-

Other books mentioned:

• Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman (bookshop.org) (libro.fm)
• Don't Fear the Reaper by Stephen Graham Jones (bookshop.org) (libro.fm)

Signed copies of Don't Fear the Reaper are available in store or on FCB's website.

Kiersten White's Hide is also being published as a graphic novel! You can preorder it now in store or online at bookshop.org.

-

Thank you to The O'Neal Library in Mountain Brook, AL for hosting an event with Grady Hendrix. We had the best time and loved having the chance to meet him! Learn more about their Under the Mountain programming on the O'Neal Library's website.

-

Thank you for supporting Friendly City Books by listening to our podcast. Shop with us in store and online at friendlycitybooks.com/shop or through bookshop.org and libro.fm.

-

Find us on social media -

Facebook: facebook.com/friendlycitybooks

Instagram: @friendlycitybooks

Tiktok: @friendlycitybooks

-

Host: Rachel Derise

Cohost: Caroline Barbee

Music: Rear Projection by Hartle Road

Friendly City Books Inc.

Friendlycitybooks.com

We've compiled all of our favorite audiobooks of 2023 in one libro.fm playlist. At the end of each month we'll update the playlist with the audiobooks that we loved listening to that month.

-

Our favorite audiobooks of April 2023:

• The Everlasting by Katy Simpson Smith, narrated by January LaVoy, Jeremy Arthur, Graham Halstead, Bahni Turpin, and Caitlin Kelly (libro.fm) (bookshop.org)
• These Impossible Things by Salma El-Wardany, narrated by Shazia Nicholls (libro.fm) (bookshop.org)
• The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi by Shannon Chakraborty, narrated by Lameece Issaq and Amin El Gamal (libro.fm) (bookshop.org)
• How the Word is Passed by Clint Smith, narrated by Clint Smith (libro.fm) (bookshop.org)

-

Other books and authors mentioned:

• The Weeds by Katy Simpson Smith (libro.fm) (bookshop.org)
• City of Brass (Book 1 of the Daevabad Series) by S.A. Chakraborty (libro.fm) (bookshop.org)
• Kaikeyi by Vaishnavi Patel (libro.fm) (bookshop.org)
• Black Leopard, Red Wolf (Book 1 of the Dark Star Trilogy) by Marlon James (libro.fm) (bookshop.org)
• Above Ground by Clint Smith (libro.fm) (bookshop.org)

-

We recommend using libro.fm for audiobooks because it helps support independent bookstores like us. Sign up online today or stop into the store and one of our booksellers will be happy to assist with setting up your account.

-

Our favorite audiobook playlist - https://libro.fm/playlists/3957?bookstore=friendlycity

-

Thank you for supporting Friendly City Books by listening to our podcast. Shop with us in store and online at friendlycitybooks.com/shop or through bookshop.org and libro.fm.

-

Find us on social media -

Facebook: facebook.com/friendlycitybooks

Instagram: @friendlycitybooks

Tiktok: @friendlycitybooks

-

Host: Caroline Barbee

Cohost: Emily Liner

Music: Rear Projection by Hartle Road

-

Friendly City Books Inc.

Friendlycitybooks.com

FCB's To Be Read stack just keeps growing! Here are the books coming out this summer that we can't wait to read:

Caroline's TBR -

• Family Lore by Elizabeth Acevedo (bookshop.org) (libro.fm)
• Deep as the Sky, Red as the Sea by Rita Chang-Eppig (bookshop.org) (libro.fm)
• Where Are Your Boys Tonight? by Chris Payne (bookshop.org) (libro.fm)
• Maddelena and the Dark by Julia Fine (bookshop.org) (libro.fm)

-

Rachel's TBR -

• Whalefall by Daniel Kraus (bookshop.org) (libro.fm)
• Silver Nitrate by Silvia Moreno Garcia (bookshop.org) (libro.fm)
• 101 Horror Books to Read Before You're Murdered by Sadie Hartmann (bookshop.org)
• Maeve Fly by CJ Leede (bookshop.org) (libro.fm)

-

Emily's TBR -

• If Tomorrow Doesn't Come by Jen St. Jude (bookshop.org)
• Tom Lake by Ann Patchett (bookshop.org) (libro.fm)
• How to Stay Married by Harrison Scott Key (bookshop.org) (libro.fm)
• Crook Manifesto by Colson Whitehead (bookshop.org) (libro.fm)

-

Other books mentioned:

• The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo (bookshop.org) (libro.fm)
• With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo (bookshop.org) (libro.fm)
• Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo (bookshop.org) (libro.fm)
• The Living Dead by George A. Romero and Daniel Kraus (bookshop.org) (libro.fm)
• Outlawed by Anna North (bookshop.org)
• Piranesi by Susanna Clarke (bookshop.org)
• The Night Tiger by Yangsze Choo (bookshop.org) (libro.fm)
• She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan (bookshop.org) (libro.fm)
• Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon (bookshop.org)
• A Day of Fallen Night by Samantha Shannon (bookshop.org)
• Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno Garcia (bookshop.org) (libro.fm)
• The Dutch House by Anne Patchett (bookshop.org) (libro.fm)
• Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark by Alvin Schwartz (bookshop.org) (libro.fm)
• The Invisible Life of Addie Larue by V.E. Schwab (bookshop.org) (libro.fm)
• American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis (bookshop.org)
• My Heart is a Chainsaw by Stephen Graham Jones (bookshop.org) (libro.fm)
• Harlem Shuffle by Colson Whitehead (bookshop.org) (libro.fm)

-

Indie Bookstore Shoutouts - Parnassus Books in Nashville, TN

-

Preordering books helps us ensure that we have the books you're excited about and that we have enough copies for everyone who wants one on publication day.

Three ways to preorder books:

1. Come into the store or call us at (662) 570-4247 and we'll create a special order for a copy reserved just for you. On pub day, your copy will be waiting in store for you to pick up.
2. Preorder through bookshop.org and the book will ship directly from Bookshop to your door.
3. Preorder through libro.fm and your book will automatically appear in your Libro app's audiobook library on pub day.

-

Thank you for supporting Friendly City Books by listening to our podcast. Shop with us in store and online at friendlycitybooks.com/shop or through bookshop.org and libro.fm

-

Find us on social media -

Facebook: facebook.com/friendlycitybooks

Instagram: @friendlycitybooks

Tiktok: @friendlycitybooks

-

Hosts: Caroline Barbee, Emily Liner, Rachel Derise

Cohost: Aislinn Kopp

Music: Rear Projection by Hartle Road

-

Friendly City Books Inc.

friendlycitybooks.com

Katy Simpson Smith is a historian and author from Jackson, MS. She currently lives in New Orleans, LA.

She is the author of 5 books:

• The Weeds (bookshop.org) (libro.fm)
• The Everlasting (bookshop.org) (libro.fm)
• Free Men (bookshop.org) (libro.fm)
• The Story of Land and Sea (bookshop.org) (libro.fm)
• We Have Raised All of You (bookshop.org)

-

Katy is one of our favorite authors here at Friendly City Books, and we were thrilled to have her join us for a Friendly City Books Supper Club on May 3, 2023.

We have a limited number of signed copies of The Everlasting and The Weeds available for purchase in store and on the Friendly City Books website.

Learn more about our author events on our website or sign up for our email newsletter.

-

Katy's book recommendation:

O Caledonia by Elspeth Barker (bookshop.org) (libro.fm)

-

Thank you for supporting Friendly City Books by listening to our podcast. Shop with us in store and online at friendlycitybooks.com/shop or through bookshop.org and libro.fm.

-

Find us on social media -

Facebook: facebook.com/friendlycitybooks

Instagram: @friendlycitybooks

Tiktok: @friendlycitybooks

-

Host: Aislinn Kopp

Guest Author: Katy Simpson Smith

Music: Rear Projection by Hartle Road

Friendly City Books Inc.

Friendlycitybooks.com

THIS EPISODE CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR KATY SIMPSON SMITH'S THE EVERLASTING

(It's not really the kind of book that's ruined by spoilers, but we wanted to give you a heads up in case you care about that sort of thing)

-

Why We Love - Katy Simpson Smith

Katy Simpson Smith is from Jackson, MS and currently lives in New Orleans, LA.

She is the author of 5 books:

• The Weeds (bookshop.org) (libro.fm)
• The Everlasting (bookshop.org) (libro.fm)
• Free Men (bookshop.org) (libro.fm)
• The Story of Land and Sea (bookshop.org) (libro.fm)
• We Have Raised All of You (bookshop.org)

-

Friendly City Books Supper Club with Katy Simpson Smith

Wednesday, May 3, 2023 at J. Broussard's

Buy Tickets

-

If you can't make it to the dinner, we will have a limited number of signed copies of The Everlasting and The Weeds available for purchase in store and on the Friendly City Books website.

-

The Everlasting audiobook is narrated by January LaVoy, Jeremy Arthur, Graham Halstead, Bahni Turpin, and Caitlin Kelly.

Apologies to January LaVoy for miscrediting her fantastic narration to Julia Whelan during our conversation.

-

Other books mentioned:

• The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O'Farrell (bookshop.org) (libro.fm)
• Giuseppe's Italian Bakes by Giuseppe Dell'Anno (bookshop.org)

-

Caroline's Select Spritz:

• 3oz Select Apertivo
• 2oz Prosecco (I like Albino Amari, but any neutral brut prosecco will do)
• 1oz soda water

Combine over ice with a large orange wedge. Best served with salty snacks, especially potato chips.

Want to keep it light? Don't be afraid to add more Prosecco! For a sweeter spritz, substitute Select for a sweeter amaro like Aperol or Aperix. For a more bitter option, grab the Campari.

-

Thank you for supporting Friendly City Books by listening to our podcast. Shop with us in store and online at friendlycitybooks.com/shop or through bookshop.org and libro.fm.

-

Find us on social media -

Facebook: facebook.com/friendlycitybooks

Instagram: @friendlycitybooks

Tiktok: @friendlycitybooks

-

Host: Caroline Barbee

Cohost: Aislinn Kopp

Music: Rear Projection by Hartle Road

Friendly City Books Inc.

Friendlycitybooks.com

Join Caroline as she reads Sarah J. Maas for the very first time! Reading ACOTAR and Crescent City is a huge undertaking, but thankfully, we have a fantastic  group of Maasholes to guide her through every book.

-

FYI - This episode is spoiler free! If you've already read or are reading Sarah J. Maas's books, its ok to skip straight to the next episode!

-

Sarah J. Maas has three fantasy series - Throne of Glass, A Court of Thorns and Roses, and Crescent City. We will be starting with ACOTAR and then moving onto Crescent City in anticipation of the third Crescent City book - House of Flame and Shadow - which comes out January 30, 2024.

-

ACOTAR books (in order) -

• A Court of Thorns and Roses (Bookshop.org) (Libro.fm)
• A Court of Mist and Fury (Bookshop.org) (Libro.fm)
• A Court of Wings and Ruin (Bookshop.org) (Libro.fm)
• A Court of Frost and Starlight (Bookshop.org) (Libro.fm)
• A Court of Silver Flames (Bookshop.org) (Libro.fm)

-

Crescent City books (in order) -

• House of Earth and Blood (Bookshop.org)
• House of Sky and Breath (Bookshop.org)
• House of Flame and Shadow (Bookshop.org)

-

Throne of Glass (in order) -

• The Assassin's Blade (Bookshop.org)
• Throne of Glass (Bookshop.org)
• Crown of Midnight (Bookshop.org)
• Heir of Fire (Bookshop.org)
• Queen of Shadows (Bookshop.org)
• Empire of Storms (Bookshop.org)
• Tower of Dawn (Bookshop.org)
• Kingdom of Ash (Bookshop.org)

-

If you're interested in reading or rereading Sarah J. Maas in preparation for Crescent City 3, read along with us! We'll be posting new episodes monthly. Each episode will cover a different book, so spoilers will be contained.

-

Episode Schedule -

• May - ACOTAR
• June - ACOMAF
• July - ACOWAR
• August - ACOFAS
• September - ACOSF
• October - ACOTAR review/Crescent City preview
• November - Crescent City 1
• December - Crescent City 2

-

Thank you for supporting Friendly City Books by listening to our podcast. Shop with us in store and online at friendlycitybooks.com/shop or through bookshop.org and libro.fm.

-

Find us on social media -

Facebook: facebook.com/friendlycitybooks

Instagram: @friendlycitybooks

Tiktok: @friendlycitybooks

-

Host: Caroline Barbee

Cohost: Randi Robison

-

Music: Rear Projection by Hartle Road

Friendly City Books Inc.

Friendlycitybooks.com

Independent Bookstore Day is Saturday, April 29th! We have tons of fun things planned at Friendly City Books, including some great doorbuster sales and giveaways. Mississippi's own Michael Farris Smith will be joining us to sign his new book Salvage This World at 1pm. Find all of the info on our Facebook and Instagram.

-

Libro.fm is joining in on the Indie Bookstore Day celebration with a huge sale on some of their bestselling audiobooks, and Emily and Caroline are here to highlight some of their favorites.

-

Featured audiobooks -

• Now Is Not the Time to Panic - Kevin Wilson
• The Idiot - Elif Batuman
• Dress Your Family with Corduroy and Denim - David Sedaris
• Florida - Lauren Groff
• Thank You for Listening - Julia Whelan
• The Kiss Quotient - Helen Hoang
• My Heart is a Chainsaw - Stephen Graham Jones
• Parable of the Sower - Octavia E. Butler
• Stone Blind - Natalie Haynes
• Murderbot Diaries: Artificial Condition - Martha Wells
• Murderbot Diaries: Rogue Protocol - Martha Wells
• Ice Planet Barbarians - Ruby Dixon

-

Extra special shoutout to Gabriella Saab's newest book Daughters of Victory and Jessica Willis Fisher's Unspeakable, whose audiobooks are also part of the sale!

FYI - The first Murderbot Diaries (All Systems Red) is not part of the sale, but still very fun!

-

Check out all of the great audiobooks in this sale at https://libro.fm/ibd.

-

Signed copies available on our website -

• Matrix - Lauren Groff
• Don't Fear the Reaper - Stephen Graham Jones
• Salvage This World - Michael Farris Smith
• Daughters of Victory - Gabriella Saab
• Unspeakable - Jessica Willis Fisher

-

Thank you for supporting Friendly City Books by listening to our podcast. Shop with us in store and online at friendlycitybooks.com/shop or through bookshop.org and libro.fm.

-

Find us on social media -

Facebook: facebook.com/friendlycitybooks

Instagram: @friendlycitybooks

Tiktok: @friendlycitybooks

-

Hosts: Emily Liner and Caroline Barbee

Music: Rear Projection by Hartle Road

-

Friendly City Books Inc.

Friendlycitybooks.com

Here at Friendly City Books, we are big believers in the power of audiobooks, and Caroline is an especially big fan.

-

At the beginning of the year, Caroline started a personal project of documenting her favorite audiobooks from each month, and has complied them into one libro.fm playlist. At the end of the year, she plans to use the playlist as a way to reflect on what she has listened to and find her best of the best audiobooks of 2023.

-

Caroline's favorite audiobooks of March 2023 are:

• The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O'Farrell (she/her), narrated by Genevieve Gaunt
• Girly Drinks by Mallory O'Meara (she/her), narrated by Mallory O'Meara
• I Have Some Questions for You by Rebecca Makkai (she/her), narrated by Julia Whelan (she/her) and JD Jackson (he/him)
• You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty by Akwaeke Emezi (they/them), narrated by Bahni Turpin (she/her)

-

Other books and authors mentioned in this podcast:

• Sabrina and Corina by Kali Fajardo-Anstine (she/her)
• Women of Light by Kalie Fajardo-Anstine (she/her)
• The Everlasting by Katy Simpson Smith (she/her)
• Matrix by Lauren Groff (she/her)
• The Craft Cocktail Party by Julie Reiner (she/her)
• The Night Shift by Natalka Burian (she/her)
• Pet by Akwaeke Emezi (they/them)
• Bitter* by Akwaeke Emezi (they/them)
• Freshwater* by Akwaeke Emezi (they/them)
• The Death of Vivek Oji by Akwaeke Emezi (they/them)
• Seven Days in June by Tia Williams (she/her)

-

*apologies to Akwaeke Emezi for misstating the titles of Bitter and Freshwater in our conversation.

-

We recommend using libro.fm for audiobooks because it helps support independent bookstores like us. Sign up online today or stop into the store and one of our booksellers will be happy to assist with setting up your account.

-

Caroline's favorite audiobook playlist - https://libro.fm/playlists/3957?bookstore=friendlycity

-

Thank you for supporting Friendly City Books by listening to our podcast. Shop with us in store and online at friendlycitybooks.com/shop or through bookshop.org and libro.fm.

-

Find us on social media -

Facebook: facebook.com/friendlycitybooks

Instagram: @friendlycitybooks

Tiktok: @friendlycitybooks

-

Host: Caroline Barbee

Cohost: Emily Liner

Music: Rear Projection by Hartle Road

-

Friendly City Books Inc.

Friendlycitybooks.com

Friendly City Bestsellers is a quarterly deep dive into FCB's bestsellers and customer favorites.

-

FCB’s Always Bestsellers

• How to Read - Thomas Richardson
• Stretch Like Scarlet - Emily Liner, Illustrated by John Clark IV

-

January - March 2023 Best Sellers (In alphabetical order)

• Shirley Chisholm: Champion of Black Feminist Power Politics - Anastasia C. Curwood
• The Welcome by Hubert Creekmore, Introduction - Philip Gordon
• How to Sell a Haunted House - Grady Hendrix
• It Ends with Us - Colleen Hoover
• It Starts With Us - Colleen Hoover
• Swing Your Sword: Leading the Charge in Football and Life - Mike Leach
• The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo - Taylor Jenkins Reid
• Dog Man: Twenty Thousand Fleas Under the Sea - Dav Pilkey
• Spare - Prince Harry, The Duke of Sussex
• Daughters of Victory - Gabriella Saab
• The Last Checkmate by Gabriella Saab
• A Day of Fallen Night by Samantha Shannon
• Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin

-

Honorable Mentions (In alphabetical order)

• Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree
• The Lives We Actually Have: 100 Blessings for Imperfect Days - Kate Bowler and Jessica Richie
• The Boys from Biloxi: A Legal Thriller by John Grisham
• Twisted Love by Ana Huang
• O.N. Pruitt’s Possum Town: Photographing Trouble and Resilience in the American South - Berkley Hudson
• I’m Glad My Mom Died - Jennette McCurdy
• Daisy Jones and the Six - Taylor Jenkins Reid
• How the Word is Passed: A Reckoning with the History of Slavery Across America - Clint Smith

-

Indie Bookstore Shoutouts

• Violet Valley Bookstore - Water Valley, MS
• Meet Cute Bookshop - San Diego, CA

-

Thank you for supporting Friendly City Books by listening to our podcast. Shop with us in store and online at friendlycitybooks.com/shop or through bookshop.org and libro.fm

-

Find us on social media -

Facebook: facebook.com/friendlycitybooks

Instagram: @friendlycitybooks

Tiktok: @friendlycitybooks

-

Host: Emily Liner

Cohost: Caroline Barbee

Music: Rear Projection by Hartle Road

-

© 2023 Friendly City Books Inc.

friendlycitybooks.com

Since 2020, Friendly City Books has served as an independent bookstore and gathering space for book lovers in our hometown of Columbus, Mississippi. At Friendly City Books, we believe books take you places. And now, through our podcasts, we hope to connect our local community with readers and authors around the world.

Thank you for supporting Friendly City Books by listening to our podcasts. Shop with us in store and online at friendlycitybooks.com/shop or through bookshop.org and libro.fm.

-

Find us on social media -

Facebook: facebook.com/friendlycitybooks

Instagram: @friendlycitybooks

Tiktok: @friendlycitybooks

-

© 2023 Friendly City Books Inc.

friendlycitybooks.com