Books

Local authors, new releases, book reviews and Charleston’s literary life, newest first.

BooksInside Philosophers & Fools, Charleston’s Bookstore and BarBook ReviewReview: A Way Home—Cinelle Barnes Turns Devastation into RevelationBooksApril Punsalan’s new book guides readers on how to forage 30 wild herbs and harness their healing propertiesBooksThe Tablewith app takes the hassle out of cookbook club logisticsBook ReviewA New Biography Reveals the Life and Legacy of Edwin Augustus Harleston, Charleston’s Forgotten Portrait ArtistBooksFormer Mayor Joe Riley Reflects on Charleston’s Transformation in his memoir, Windows on Washington SquareBooksStorybook Star: Stareworthy Custom Children’s Books uses family photos to put loved ones in the center of the narrativeBooksBe Our Guest: Discover Tried & True Thanksgiving Recipes From Local CookbooksBooksThe Page Turner: How Sarah Moriarty is helping transform the Holy City into a literary heavyweightBooksInside YALLFest: How Books Become Bridges Between YA ReadersBooksThe Gardeners’ Guide For The Lowcountry Gets A Modern Update, And It’s More Appealing Than EverBooksAgainst the Tide: Dive Into the Extraordinary Life of 19th-Century Novelist Susan Petigru King BowenBooksWhy ‘Forget Me Not’ is Your Next Must-Read Lowcountry ThrillerBooksTransforming Young Minds: Charleston Library Society’s Innovative Book Drop InitiativeBooksCheck out these new releases by local authors, perfect for the beachBooksMeet Greer Gilchrist & Cameron Neal, the chefs behind the veggie-forward cookbook from The Harbinger and Harken cafesBooksThe extraordinary life of Elizabeth Boatwright Coker, South Carolina’s First Lady of LettersBooksWhat a Dame: Remembering Nathalie Dupree, best-selling cookbook author and founding chair of Charleston Wine + FoodBooksFamed author Gertrude Stein and Alice Toklas’ 1935 Visit to CharlestonBooksLocal author Signe Pike’s “Lost Queen” series takes readers deep into a real and imagined pastBooksPreserving Literary Treasures: How Charleston Library Society book conservator James Davis enriches the Holy CityBooksDrawn to Nature: Remembering author Herbert Ravenel Sass, who celebrated Lowcountry wildlife and habitatsBooksRecipe for Happiness: The Late Show’s Stephen Colbert and his wife, Evie, share a preview of their new cookbookBooksFall From Power: “Swamp Kings” Exposes the Dark Mysteries of the Murdaugh DynastyBooksIn her new memoir, activist Millicent Brown shares a personal account of what the civil rights movement entailed for her and her familyBooksCombee, Edda Fields-Black’s new book about Harriet Tubman, sheds light on her service as a Union spy in the Lowcountry and the souls she helped saveBooksChangemaker: Author and illustrator John Bennett preserved folk stories and challenged beliefs with his writingBooksA Missing Girl, Mysterious Deaths, & Tumultuous Relationships are fodder for Stacy Willingham’s brand of Southern GothicBooksFor the Books: Charleston Literary Festival’s new executive director aims to share perspective-altering ideasBooksAuthor Nancy Colbert Friday challenged society’s expectations of women in her best-sellling nonfiction booksBooksFood blogger Lauren McDuffie dishes on her new cookbook, Southern LightsBooksBook Review: Slave Dwelling Project founder Joseph McGill’s book “Sleeping with the Ancestors” strives to open readers’ eyesBooksVictoria Benton Frank’s first novel “My Summer Magnolia” hits the stands this month—just in time for beach readingBooksLocal author Brittany Butler’s debut novel, “The Syndicate Spy,” challenges stereotypical notions of female spiesBooksBook Review: Author Brad Taylor delivers another military thriller with “The Devil’s Ransom,” the latest in his best-selling “Pike Logan” seriesBooksWhy food journalist and cookbook author Matt Lee is trading his computer for a tractor and growing heritage grains on John’s IslandBooksA Life Well-Savored: Cook and author “Hoppin’ John” Taylor shares a collection of memories and recipes to be relished in his latest bookBooksCharleston native Grady Hendrix and best-selling horror author wants to terrify you, and you’ll never be more happily horrifiedBooksHow Anne Cleveland transformed the Library Society into “Charleston’s Living Room”BooksTwo local sisters help you start a new family tradition with their children’s book, “The Big Red Giving Bag”BooksThe Charleston Literary Festival kicks off a page-turning fall season, plus the return of YALLFestBooksOpening Doors: Author Harlan Greene chronicles the queer history of our quaint town, illuminating oft-ignored contributions of LGBTQ people in his book “The Real Rainbow Row”BooksA beloved Edisto resident shares her story, her culture, and her recipes in her best-selling debut cookbook, Gullah Geechee Home CookingBooksDefining Charleston Style: Peek inside noted author Susan Sully’s latest tome, The Allure of Charleston: Houses, Rooms, and GardensBooksDiscovering lost African American stories with author, tour guide, and Citadel history professor Damon FordhamBooksSummer reads roundup: Four page-turners with a Charleston connection recommended by our editors and the owners of local bookstoresBooksAuthor Virginia Beach explores the nuanced history of Middleton Place in her latest book, “American Landmark”BooksIn the Neighborhood: Discover Park Circle with resident author and restaurateur Corrie WangBooksLocal Seen: Best-selling author Brad Taylor draws from his special ops experience to write a series of military thrillersBooksMake suppertime a snap with a new cookbook from Carrie Morey of Callie’s Hot Little BiscuitBooksIn his second book, “Gullah Spirit: The Art of Jonathan Green,” the artist showcases his vibrant visionBooksA new cookbook traces the flavors and foodways of South Carolina, serving up fascinating facts and historical recipesBooksThe fantasy world of Charleston author Robert Jordan and his “The Wheel of Time” sagaBooksA Short History of Charleston: The newly expanded edition examines the decades from Mayor Riley’s election to the Emanuel AME church shootingsBooksGet an insider’s look at Charleston society through author Gervais Hagerty’s debut novelBooksAuthor David Rogers’s work of devotion documents the city’s oldest neighborhoods and buildingsBooksLowcountry author Mary Alice Monroe explores family dynamics in her latest summer release that feels written in real timeBooksHow celebrated author Armistead Maupin found pride in CharlestonBooksBy the Book: Read through the different chapters of our city library’s historic legacyBooksA Fitting Tribute to beloved late author Dorothea Benton Frank, just in time for beach readingBooksDiscover the story behind Lady Baltimore—the novel and the confectionBooksRodney Scott Goes Whole Hog with His New CookbookBooksCharleston native Eden Royce explores her Gullah-Geechee roots in her first middle grade novelBooksThe virtual Black Ink book festival aims to promote diverse authors and expand its audienceBook ReviewGil Shuler’s new book, Barn Jam Posters, captures the spirit of Awendaw Green’s beloved concert seriesBooksRevisit the tasty history of Charleston Receipts as the Popular Cookbook Celebrates 70 YearsBook ReviewWith Her New Anthology, Cinelle Barnes Aims to Help People of Color Feel More Welcome in the SouthBooksBacchus & Books is building an oasis for wine and book loversBooksFinding Merlin's Twin SisterBooksSummer reads by authors with local connectionsBooksA carb-filled children's story from the late Dorothea Benton Frank and her daughterBooksWhy the Poetry Society of South Carolina enduresBooksAuthor Bernard Cornwell adds to his epic saga that inspired a popular Netflix seriesBooksRestaurateur Steve Palmer recounts his journey from addiction to recoveryBooksTerry Hamlin shares Pro tips for kick-starting a running program in the New YearBooksLeigh Handal’s book Lost Charleston takes readers on a tour of the city's streets as they once wereBooksNovelist Cassandra King Conroy remembers her friend and beloved local author Dorothea Benton FrankBooksBook BoundBooksBook ReportBooksA Growing LibraryBooksGo Ahead & GawkBooksPoetry for AllBooksOn the Wild sideBooksNovel IdeaBooksFor the Love of PorkBooksGreat EscapesBooksReady for a Vacation?BooksBook SmartsBooksBook SmartsBooksPoetry in MotionBooksBook MarqueeBooksBook SmartsBooksLiving Poets Society