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Southside Reads: Recommended Reads

I'm From There (September 2025)

Welcome to Southside Reads! We’re challenging you to read a variety of books in 2025 by assigning a different category to every month, but don’t worry! The categories are broad enough to put your own spin on them.

For September, the theme is I'm From There. You can read a book set where you live, where you were born or even where your ancestors originated! Get creative! Go out and find a book, but if you want some suggestions to get you thinking, check out the list below (with information about local library availability*):

King of Ashes book cover with link to Goodreads description page
Witch of Wild Things book cover with link to Goodreads description page
One Blood book cover with link to Goodreads description page
Happiness Falls book cover with link to Goodreads description page
Yellow Wife book cover with link to Goodreads description page
The Other Madisons: The Lost History of a President's Black Family book cover with link to Goodreads description page
The Water Dancer book cover with link to Goodreads description page
An Extraordinary Union book cover with link to Goodreads description page
Songs of No Provenance book cover with link to Goodreads description page
Motheater book cover with link to Goodreads description page
1666 book cover with link to Goodreads description page
What Grows in the Dark book cover with link to Goodreads description page
What Start Bad a Mornin' book cover with link to Goodreads description page
Freshwater book cover with link to Goodreads description page
The Birth of a Nation: Nat Turner and the Making of a Movement book cover with link to Goodreads description page
The Summer That Changed Everything book cover with link to Goodreads description page
The Jackal's Mistress book cover with link to Goodreads description page
A Perfect Frenzy: A Royal Governor, His Black Allies, and the Crisis That Spurred the American Revolution book cover with link to Goodreads description page
If All Else Sails book cover with link to Goodreads description page
You Belong Here book cover with link to Goodreads description page

Key for Local Library Availability

Locations:

  • CVRL - Central Virginia Regional Library
  • LU - Longwood University: Greenwood Library
  • HSC - Hampden-Sydney College: Bortz Library

Services:

*LU Libby/Overdrive is available for current students, faculty and staff only.