Get Bookish

Get BOOKISH Enjoy these four must-read books from our friends at Bookish, Fort Smith, Arkansas’s only independently-owned bookstore. Shop hours: Monday 11am-4pm, Tuesday - Friday 10am-6pm

October Recommendations courtesy Sara Putman, Bookish and Saturday 10am-4pm. Need curbside delivery? Call 479.434.2917 or email orders@bookishfs.com.

Harlem Shuffle by Colson Whitehead

Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award-winner Colson Whitehead delivers a love letter to Harlem. This lively morality play is one part social commentary and one part crime novel. "Ray Carney was only slightly bent when it came to being crooked..." Harlem Shuffle is really a family drama, hiding behind a crime novel. It’s a beautiful and casual read.

We Are Water Protectors by Carole Lindstrom, illustrated by Michaela Goade

The illustrations in this picture book are true works of art, and the message about protecting our planet and standing up for what is right is something from which all ages can learn. The “black snake” threatening to destroy the Earth and poison water is symbolic of the oil pipeline. It offers a new appreciation for the land we depend on, the people who fight to protect it, and the courage we all need when the time comes to take a stand.

Never Look Back by Lilliam Rivera

In this modern retelling of the Orpheus and Eurydice myth, YA readers will love the Afro-Latinx characters who fill the pages with depth and song. Eury and Pheus realize quickly that some dangers are too powerful for even the strongest love, and as the world threatens to tear them apart, they must fight for each other and their lives. It's the perfect YA love story for readers who appreciate folklore and fantasy.

Coffee Shop: A Play in Two Acts by Jamie Lambdin-Bolin

The overarching subject is learning how to work with the cards (or the wigs) you’ve been dealt. Set in a small-town coffee shop, the characters play off one another’s dialogue. Coffee Shop has the banter of Friends with the heart of Steel Magnolias. Bolin efficiently tells the story of Gale’s coffee shop and the people who love her. There is grit and compassion in the characters we meet, and I guarantee you’ll recognize someone you know on these pages.