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Reading and very much enjoying EMPIRE OF PAIN, a NF about the Sackler family and their ownership of the highly addictive painkiller OxyContin. I say this here because the drug has so disproportionately impacted Southern Appalachia that it acquired the nickname of "hillbilly heroin."

It's not southern but my first book of the year was The Lincoln Highway. It was absolutely magical. Do yourselves a favor and read this. Here's my review.

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ALLEN wrote: "Reading and very much enjoying EMPIRE OF PAIN, a NF about the Sackler family and their ownership of the highly addictive painkiller OxyContin. I say this here because the drug has so disproportiona..."

This is something that has changed the paths of so many people, who unsuspectingly became addicted. Tough read, I would imagine.

Tom wrote: "It's not southern but my first book of the year was The Lincoln Highway. It was absolutely magical. Do yourselves a favor and read this. Here's my review.

..."

I'm biding my time, but I really want to get to this one at least before the end of the year. His A Gentleman in Moscow is one of the best books I have read and, I think, destined to be a true classic 100 years from now.

Sara wrote: "ALLEN wrote: "Reading and very much enjoying EMPIRE OF PAIN, a NF about the Sackler family and their ownership of the highly addictive painkiller OxyContin. I say this here because the drug has so ..."

. . . Tough read, I would imagine. . . .

EMPIRE OF PAIN was indeed a tough read, but I feel better for having read it -- it's also very well researched and well-written.

Girl, Woman, Other �� Bernardine Evaristo �� 4****
Evaristo’s collection of short stories earned her the 2019 Booker Prize, the first black woman to be so honored. As the title implies, the stories all focus on women and girls from childhood to old age and are primarily set in current-day Britain. The book features wide variety of unforgettable characters that fairly leap off the page, and the stories are loosely interconnected. I can hardly wait for my F2F book club discussion!
My full review HERE

Tom wrote: "It's not southern but my first book of the year was The Lincoln Highway. It was absolutely magical. Do yourselves a favor and read this. Here's my review.

..."

Also, the audio book is delightful. It's perfect company for a roadtrip!

Erin and Tom, it’s on my list but I want to not have any distractions when I read so may be a little later in year.

The Secret Lives of Church Ladies �� Deesha Philyaw �� 4****
In this wonderful collection of short stories, Philyaw explores the modern African-American woman and her hopes, dreams, relationships, and actions both in and away from church. The stories feature all ages, from children to great-grandmothers. Philyaw does a marvelous job of bringing these many characters to life. I could see a few of these stories expanded to novel length, but I find them satisfying in and of themselves.
My full review HERE

Exceptionally loved by me.
The Moonflower Vine

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Just finished House of the Rising Sun by James Lee Burke.

My ninth by Burke and the best yet. Set mostly in Texas, Late 19th, early 20th century.

my short review

Does the South of FRANCE count as Southern Lit? ... 😋




Nice Work �� Celia Imrie �� 3***
Book two in the Nice series. Love the double entendre of the title as this book is set near Nice, Cannes and Marseille in a charming small French town full of colorful characters and a tight group of expats who are trying to make a new life on the Cote d’Azur. This is a fun, enjoyable read with a bit of intrigue and a likeable cast of recurring characters. Some of the family drama from book one spills over into this tale.
My full review HERE

Set primarily in Washington DC, but also with interesting information about how the suffrage movement was affected by differences in the North and the South.


Resistance Women �� Jennifer Chiaverini �� 3.5***
This is a work of historical fiction concentrating on the women who worked in Germany as part of the resistance movement to thwart Hitler’s ambitions. I was engaged and interested from beginning to end. The novel spans the time from June 1929 to the year following the end of the war, 1946. I had to wonder at times, whether Chiaverini was lifting certain phrases and descriptions of the political climate that led to the rise of Nazism from current-day news reporting and commentary. It was chillingly familiar.
My full review HERE

You Don't Know Us Negroes by Zora Neale Hurston published in January 2022. A collection of her essays written over the years. Some never before published. Just read a rave review of this collection in the Sunday New York Times newspaper. Tom, as you mentioned to me in a comment regarding this book, I shall definitely
nominate this gem as a post 1990 group read down the road a bit.

This isn't really part of the subject at hand, but here goes:

Any state, entity, or ideology becomes obsolete when it stockpiles the wrong weapons: when it captures territories, but not minds; when it enslaves millions, but convinces nobody. When it is naked, yet puts on armor and calls it faith, while in the Eyes of God it has no faith at all. --
Rod Serling, creator of "The Twilight Zone"

Mexican Gothic �� Silvia Moreno-Garcia �� 3***
This is not the kind of book I normally read, but I was fascinated by the story and gripped by the tension. The atmosphere is dark and chilling. It reminded me a bit of The Ruins by Scott Smith, and/or Stephen King’s The Shining . But it entirely Moreno-Garcia’s own story. I did wonder why she incorporated an English family with their English-style mansion; perhaps she felt her readers wouldn’t identify with malevolence in an adobe hacienda.
My full review HERE

My review of You Don't Know Us Negroes and Other Essays by Zora Neale Hurston

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The Yellow Wallpaper and Selected Writings �� Charlotte Perkins Gilman �� 4****
The title short story is Gilman’s classic story of a woman driven mad by her husband’s controlling “remedy�� for her post-partum depression. . First published in 1892, Gilman’s story ignited some controversy, and she has been hailed as a feminist. She certainly is that. Frankly, I was not a great fan of this story and dreaded reading the rest of the collection as a result, but I’m glad I persisted. The stories celebrate the advantages of living a full life, identifying one’s strengths and nurturing those talents, and following one’s dreams. While the focus is on women �� how they are repressed, how they overcome, how they succeed �� more than one man benefits from adapting to a change in traditional roles.
My full review HERE

¡Hola Papi! �� John Paul Brammer �� 3***
This collection of essays serves as a memoir and self-help guide to pressing questions about growing up, surviving break ups, finding love, and all the issues young people �� both gay and straight �� have to navigate in the process of becoming adults. The beginning of each chapter poses a question asking for advice. And by way of answering such queries, he recounts his experiences in a small Oklahoma town, his horrible middle-school years, his confusing teenage years in the closet, his awakening in college, and his eventual move to New York.
My full review HERE

There is a great article by Michael Farris Smith in the latest issue of Garden and Gun. He writes about Larry Brown’s writing shack.

I read that yesterday Vicki. I love Smith and Brown, so that was a winner for me.

I saw the article as well. Very good. I had heard MFS mention this at a reading but didn’t know all the details.

What a fantastic article. Thank you for sharing, Vicki. I might be deeply in love with MFS (don't anyone tell my husband). And, I want a shack.

Well sara, I think he already has his eye on Diane. She did give him a good burger recommendation when he was in Charleston.

Damn you, Diane. You are always stealing my thunder. :o)

You know you're dealing with an authentic good old boy when he's in Charleston and wants to know where to get a good burger and beer.

How true.

Well, if he ever wants a rec on a good veggie joint . . . I'm probably way out of his line of sight.

If you ever do a book signing here Cathrine, and you ask me for a good veggie joint, I'd have to point you toward a good soul food diner where you can get a veggie plate, although the greens would be seasoned with ham hock. But they would have biscuits and cornbread!

I love this conversation, but I'm with Cathrine here...

Pride and Prejudice �� Jane Austen �� 4****
It's no wonder this is a classic. Austen is simply the master of dialogue. The way in which the characters interact brings them to life. From Mrs Bennet’s hysterics, to Lydia’s self-centered teen-aged giddiness, to Mr Collins�� simpering diatribes, to Jane’s cautious and measured observations, to Elizabeth’s outrage and clever responses to Darcy and Lady Catherine de Bourgh, the dialogue simply sparkles.
My full review HERE

A treat everyone should try. Liver mash. A southern tradition. It consists of hog liver and pigs feet ,boiled together , with corn meal. Then processed in a grinder etc. Poor mans pate. Even Gordan Ramsey said on his show it was great. How can one not Iike this . It puts you a good mood to relax and read a good southern novel. Please comment on your experience with this delight

Sounds horrid, Lawson. I am Southern, but not that Southern.

I will eat almost anything, but liver mush is not one of them. My father loved it, but he grew up in the Depression. Horrid is a good word for it Sara. It even looks disgusting.

I’m reading a quirky good read. Historical
Fantasy that a friend in a book club recommended. Called the Invisible Life of Addie LaRue. It’s a take on the Dorian Gray fiction. Sell your soul to the devil to live forever or never age. Live the characters. So flawed so real.

My review of The Violin Conspiracy by Brendan Slocumb

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Currently finishing up Black Rain Falling.

The Whale Rider �� Witi Ihimaera �� 5 and a ��
What a wonderful story. Magical, mystical, and yet completely relatable. Eight-year-old Kahu wants nothing so much as to please her Grandfather and be loved by him. But he dismisses her as a “useless girl.�� Still, her grandmother, father and uncle champion her cause, as she comes of age and proves that she has what it takes to become chief and lead her people.
My full review HERE

Furious Hours �� Casey Cep �� 3.5*** rounded up
Subtitle: Murder, Fraud, and the Last Trial of Harper Lee. This is a combination of a true crime exploration of the serial killer Reverend Willie Maxwell, and a mini biography of Harper Lee. I found the entire story fascinating, but then I am a fan of both Lee and true crime books. However, I think the author would have been less successful with this book without the Lee hook, and that somehow just didn’t sit right with me. So, three stars: I liked it; other true-crime or Lee fans will probably like it too.
My full review HERE

I finished a book I thought was going to be a horror novel only to find out that it was more of a crime novel with mild Southern Gothic elements that seems to have found some influence from Heart of Darkness:


Gone South by Robert R. McCammon
Rating: 3 stars
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West Side Rising �� Char Miller & Julian Castro �� 4****
Subtitle: How San Antonio's 1921 Flood Devastated a City and Sparked a Latino Environmental Justice Movement. I grew up in San Antonio’s West Side and witnessed many a flood in our neighborhood. This book explores not only the results of the city’s founding in a flood plain, but the political decisions �� motivated by class and racial prejudice �� that ensured that the areas poorest citizens would continue to suffer for centuries despite contributing tax dollars to help the wealthy stay dry. And how, a group of those West Side residents, fueled by yet another flood, marshalled their collective political power to achieve major changes.
My full review HERE

My review of Black Cloud Rising by David Wright Faladé

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I didn’t love this book but others might be interested in it.

The Secret Lives of Church Ladies

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Lunch At the Piccadilly �� Clyde Edgerton �� 3***
The jacket blurb promised a funny romp with elderly ladies who steal a car and go on an adventure. The book however, is not nearly so fun �� and funny �� as the jacket blurb. Yes, there are some humorous escapades, but much more is devoted to Lil’s nephew Carl, a quiet, unassuming bachelor who can’t seem to find his way to a happy and fulfilled life. The episode with the stolen car (brief though it is) was quite funny, but the ending is rather poignant.
My full review HERE

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets Of the Universe �� Benjamin Alire Sáenz �� 4****
This is a coming-of-age story featuring two Mexican-American teens trying to figure out their place in the world. I enjoyed this book and felt connected to these boys and their struggles. I’m way past that stage of life, but I remember the pain of not feeling like I fit in, the joy of finally having a good friend, the fumblings and push/pull of early romantic encounters. And I loved Ari and Dante, their reliance on one another and their growing relationship.
My full review HERE

The Water is Wide by Pat Conroy
★★★★�� and ��

The author was twenty-six when he taught for one year the Gullah children of Yamacraw ( actually, Daufuskie) Island. I would recommend this poignant book which has been an inspiration for many aspiring teachers. For my full review, please click here.

Sixteen Years After ‘The Road,�� Cormac McCarthy Is Publishing Two New Novels

How wonderful to see he is still writing and will leave us not one, but two, new works to add to the TBR. Thanks, Tom.

The Warmth of Other Suns �� Isabel Wilkerson �� 4****
Subtitle: The Epic Story of America’s Great Migration. I had heard of Wilkerson’s masterful social history, but had just never gotten around to reading it �� until now. One thing I really appreciate about this work is how Wilkerson focuses on three individuals to illustrate the scope of the Great Migration. It was informative and interesting, and I definitely learned some things I had not known before.
My full review HERE

Little by Edward Carey, recommend mended by my Local Book Seller. Entertainingly odd.