A New Literary Landmark

Floodplain Books brings a new literary current to downtown Wilmington

Culturally, our city and region are rich in literary history, and we're fortunate to be home to countless well-known and celebrated writers. Geographically, our region is defined by its floodplains, which are among the most fertile ecosystems. Venus flytraps grow only within a 100-mile radius of our beloved city in wetland habitats threatened by development and climate change. “Fertile and threatened” could also describe literary culture, especially here in North Carolina, where books are routinely pulled from shelves and the public arts are routinely underfunded. With Floodplain Books we acknowledge both the richness of North Carolina’s natural and cultural environments, and we pledge to foster and protect both.

Opening in fall 2026, Floodplain Books sits nestled at 23 North Front Street in downtown Wilmington near the banks of the Cape Fear River. Our 3,000 sq. ft. store will offer new books, book-related merchandise, and on-site literary events. In the meantime, here are four recommended reads that reflect the shop’s wide-ranging curiosity, from apocalyptic fiction to true crime, family memory and darkly comic friendship.

Severance by Ling Ma

This is not  the television show, but if you like zombies, hate being stuck at the office, and fear global pandemics that bring about the apocalypse, this is the book for you. This smart, terrifying, somehow humorous novel tells the story of Candice, a young Chinese-American woman in the years before and after a global pandemic that causes the afflicted to become zombies imprisoned by nostalgia. While Candice is somehow immune she is left asking hard questions about what it means not to miss one's own past. Oh yeah, she also has to survive.

The Other Dr. Gilmer: Two Men, a Murder, and an Unlikely Fight for Justice by Benjamin Gilmer

When Dr. Benjamin Gilmer takes a job at a rural clinic outside Asheville, North Carolina, he's surprised to learn that he'll be replacing a previous Dr. Gilmer. But he's even more surprised to learn that his predecessor is currently in jail after being convicted of murdering his own father. Benjamin Gilmer sets out on a quest to understand the man whose name he shares and whose shoes he's filling. How does a beloved doctor become a murderer? How does a medical mystery influence a jury? This suspenseful, heartrending true story was featured on one of NPR's most popular episodes of This American Life. 

Before I Forget by Tory Henwood Hoen

Twenty-six-year-old Cricket goes back home to the Adirondacks in rural New York to care for her father who's suffering from Alzheimer's. She's been drifting for years in New York City while trying to outrun a teenage tragedy that has kept her distant from her family. But once Cricket gets home she learns that while her father's illness often means that he has no idea who she is, he possesses a strange ability to predict the future. This adult coming-of-age story is a beautiful portrait of fathers and daughters and makes clear that even though our pasts might be fraught with pain, our unknown futures can be whatever we're willing to dream. 

Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson

Blue collar Lillian and uber-wealthy friends Madison have been pals since meeting at a prestigious boarding school. But their friendship came undone after Lillian took the fall when drugs were discovered in Madison's room. Lilliam goes back home where she lives with her mother and works in a grocery store, and Madison goes on to marry a senator. Years later Lillian is surprised when Madison reaches out in desperate need: Her husband is being vetted for Secretary of State, and Madison needs help keeping an eye on her two troubled, young stepchildren, who happen to spontaneously burst into flames if they get upset. This hilarious, heartfelt novel is a study of class, female friendship, and what it means to be a parent.