Yes, Libby, in fact it is! On the About Us page on the website it says, "James Still, author of River of Earth, The Wolfpen Poems, and many other great works, is the grandfather of modern Appalachian literature and has inspired us all."

Teresa, thanks for posting this. I have written a novel that takes place in the Blue Ridge mountains so I may submit something if I can pull a short story out of my novel. Other Appalachian writers are James Still, Ron Rash, Sheila Kay Adams, and Bo Ball. I wonder if "Still" is named for James Still.

I sent Ashley a message, but I thought I would post for anyone else interested, Still a journal of the Mountain South is published three times a year, in October, February and June. "Our mission is to provide a free website that offers the finest in contemporary literary writing of Central Appalachia, or the Mountain South." http://www.stilljournal.net/ I just saw this on FaceBook this morning. Two authors I sell are fans.

Laurie wrote: "Ashley wrote: "Have you guys ever discussed Appalachian literature? I'm from Appalachia and there seems to be very few popular Appalachian writers. One hardly finds Appalachian writers in antholo..."

Lee Smith is one of my favorite writers and she's Appalachian. Many of her books are historical -- "Oral History," "On Agate Hill," "Fair and Tender Ladies," "The Devil's Dream," (about several generations of country musicians) and "Saving Grace (about fundamentalist religion)." Other books are contemporary or short stories -- "Family Linen," "Fancy Strut," "Black Mountain Breakdown," "The Last Girls," etc. But if you only read one Lee Smith book, read her first one -- "The Last Day the Dogbushes Bloomed."

Tanya wrote: "I've been noticing that after a couple of years, a number of blogs, discussion groups and/or book clubs will fall into indifference and low participation. Since you've been discussing book clubs on..."

and/or maybe how to start a book club?

I've been noticing that after a couple of years, a number of blogs, discussion groups and/or book clubs will fall into indifference and low participation. Since you've been discussing book clubs on your podcast & blog, the topic of how to jump start a flagging book club might be timely. What have other successful groups done to re-energize their memberships?

Ashley wrote: "Have you guys ever discussed Appalachian literature? I'm from Appalachia and there seems to be very few popular Appalachian writers. One hardly finds Appalachian writers in anthologies, and Appal..."

Sharyn McCrumb writes entertaining Appalachian books also.

Hi Jennifer,
You are right about romance.
I'm not very well read in the category (and I will go out on a limb and guess that Michael is not either), but we know some people that are. Might be time for a special guest. Thanks for the idea!!

Hi Ann and Michael. I've recently discovered your podcast and i've totally addicted. I've also recently discovered the romance genre, and I'm loving it. You really do have to put away your biases and give it a try. Oh, and totally ignore the covers. To me, they just don't reflect the quality of the writing. So, how about a show about "good" romances. They are definitely out there.

What about "comfort" books? There are certain books that I turn to when I am feeling emotionally under the weather. I don't know if other people do the same, but I would be interested to find out!

Also, with 2010 approaching in a couple of months, what about a top ten from 2000-2010? I am always interested in books that I may have missed when they first came out.

Ann and Teresa, thanks for the info!

Ashley,

I, too, have read Silas House and Charles Frazier. If you haven't read Silas' new novel from Candlewick, "Eli the Good", get a copy. It's wonderful. Here's a link to my review on Goodreads: http://apps.facebook.com/good_reads/book...
He's out and about touring, speaking and signing, so you might be able to hear him read somewhere close to you soon.

Ashley, thanks!
Appalachian literature is not a category that I know anything about, though I have read and loved both Silas House and Charles Frazier. However, there is a new novel that I've read recently, which will be published in the spring, which has an Appalachian community at the center. It's called BLOODROOT by Amy Greene, and I am sure that I will talk about it shortly before publication.

One recommendation for you is to talk to a local independent bookstore in the region. They should be the hub of literary activity there, and should be able to point you to some up and coming authors as well as the tried and true.

Have you guys ever discussed Appalachian literature? I'm from Appalachia and there seems to be very few popular Appalachian writers. One hardly finds Appalachian writers in anthologies, and Appalachian writers are rarely taught in schools, even Appalachian schools. Why do you think this is? And, have you discovered any great contemporary mountain writers? Silas House and Charles Frazier are two of my favorites.

By the way, I’m new to your site and podcast. I’m feverishly attempting to listen to all the older podcasts. Keep up the great work!

AM, I'm intrigued and challenged. We haven't done a show on that before. I will need to give it quite a bit of thought to come up with some titles. Thanks!

I would love to hear a podcast on meta-fiction, if you haven't touched on that already. I am not all the way through you past shows yet. If you've already done it, would you mind telling me which show? Thanks and keep up the great work.

Lmj wrote: "Tapping onto Melissa's question. I have read books just because they've gotten an award and wondered "What was ll the fuss about?" "What am I missing?" Anyone else have similar stories?"

PULITZERS! I have enjoyed very few I have read!

Man Booker shortlisted titles and winners always attract my attention; Recent National Book Award winners have started registering on my radar; PEN/FAULKNER titles less so; Nobel and Pulitzers not so much at all.

Tapping onto Melissa's question. I have read books just because they've gotten an award and wondered "What was ll the fuss about?" "What am I missing?" Anyone else have similar stories?

I'd like to know your opinion on the Booker Prize winner - Wolf Hall. I listened to your podcast reviewing A S Byatt's new book, The Children's Hour, which was short-listed for the prize. Are you more or less likely to pick up a book because it has won a prize? How meaningful are the awards?

I have all your podcasts on my Ipod -- I knit or do embroidery when I listen to them.

As far as women crime noir writers ... I think crime noir is intrinsically male for the most part. That said, however, I would like to suggest The Cutting Room by Louise Welsh. It is not for the faint-hearted, though. Very dark and disturbing plot. But if you like Gillian Flynn (who could maybe be considered a modern noir writer), then The Cutting Room is right up your alley. Gillian Flynn has written two books that are also very gritty and disturbing. I think she's a great writer, and can't wait for more stuff from her.

Kokeshi wrote: "Not sure if this has been mentioned yet...
How about women who have written Crime Noir novels? No one seems to know who Dorothy B. Hughes is. Are there any other great female Crime Noir writers t..."

One that you may be interested in is Ross MacDonald's wife, Margaret Millar. She's better than her husband, but he somehow overshadowed her.

Not sure if this has been mentioned yet...
How about women who have written Crime Noir novels? No one seems to know who Dorothy B. Hughes is. Are there any other great female Crime Noir writers that have contributed to the genre? Surely there is more to the genre than Hammett and Chandler?

Thanks for the nice comments Jon, but you'll need to stretch out your podcast listening.... We're NOT going daily for your dog-walking!

As for criminally-underrated, I'd have to say William Boyd. I've talked about him so much already, I'll come up with another one for the episode... thanks for the suggestion!

For some reason, I can't listen to anything but music when I run.

Maybe our music between segments should include some motivational talk: "Go, Melissa, you can do it!"

Will it help you if we talk at a faster pace? ;)

Perhaps that could be a call-in question for the podcast: When do you listen? I listen while I'm running. I'm training for a marathon now, so I save up the podcasts for my long training runs.

Yeah, you're right - it's funny b/c what I love about the show is how positive you guys are. Even though ever show brings attention to lesser known authors, I'm really looking forward to who you guys would select for the underrated.

Keep up the wonderful podcast! I listen to it every night when I walk my dog, Otis (I'm catching up...).

Ann wrote: "Thanks, Jon!

Criminally underrated authors -- I love that!

We likely won't cover "overrated" authors, as we try to keep it positive around here -- also, one man's trash and all that. But I do lov..."

Thanks, Jon!

Criminally underrated authors -- I love that!

We likely won't cover "overrated" authors, as we try to keep it positive around here -- also, one man's trash and all that. But I do love the "Underrated," thing ...

I second Eric's suggestion of The Strain. I'm not that enamored of the whole good-looking and nice genre of vampire lit, and prefer my vampires to be ugly and evil. You're definitely getting that with The Strain. I'm eagerly awaiting book 2!

Thanks. And I love Anne Rice i have all her Vampire books...some of them i have two copies of...>.> but i haven't read the Strain. Dead before Dark.

I have yet to read the Sookie Stackhouse books, maybe it's because i like the show so much and i already know things are different. Hmm I don't know i plan to though in the future.

And if you're going to read the twilight books here are two things you should know. In my opinion, one, it's not a very literary novel. The only reason I think I like it was because it was interesting an creative in many different ways. And Two, in the last two books it runs kind of slow in the middle. But other than that read on.

Love your show. I would love you guys to take a podcast to discuss criminally underrated and overrated books/writers...

Kathy wrote: "Danelle wrote: "I love vampire books. But after I read twilight, which i liked. I want to read something new about Vampires, that is scary. Where all the vampires are evil."

They aren't new but th..."

<Try The Strain by Guillermo Del Toro and Chuck Hogan. I dont like vampire books much but this one was so good and different I loved it. It reads like a movie

Danelle wrote: "I love vampire books. But after I read twilight, which i liked. I want to read something new about Vampires, that is scary. Where all the vampires are evil."

They aren't new but the Anne Rice vampires are scary and mostly evil. INTERVIEW WITH A VAMPIRE was the first.

Tanya wrote: I really liked the first eponymous title in the Twilight series, the second title less so, and the third was pretty bad.

I generally trust your reviews Tanya so now look what you have done. Doomed me to read Twilight : )

(I admit I've been a little curious.)

I really like the Sookie Stackhouse books but they probably aren't for everyone. Maybe I'm partly biased because of how they get the little things about Southern small town life right and the accents are so perfectly rendered. I actually like the books better than the HBO series.

Vanessa wrote: "I don't have much interest in Twilight but I do love Charlaine Harris.

If you are looking for a scary vampire book Danelle, the top pick for me would be Salem's Lot by Stephen King. "

I really liked the first eponymous title in the Twilight series, the second title less so, and the third was pretty bad. I have such little enthusiasm for the last title that I haven't bothered with it (it's in a stack around here somewhere.)

I just started Dead Before Dark today (for my audiobook mystery group discussion) and so far I'm not terribly impressed. I'm way over the vampire gothic romances but I'll finish DBD. Who knows, maybe it will hook me yet!

I don't have much interest in Twilight but I do love Charlaine Harris.

If you are looking for a scary vampire book Danelle, the top pick for me would be Salem's Lot by Stephen King.

I love vampire books. But after I read twilight, which i liked. I want to read something new about Vampires, that is scary. Where all the vampires are evil.

I have to say the Twilight books were my first foray into Vampire-dom and I wasn't massively impressed. They were ok but nothing to shout about. I've since picked up Dead Until Dark, the first of the books in the Charlaine Harris series on which the series True Blood is based and I have to say I'm hooked. Maybe its because its not just about vampires and love - there's the mystery aspect to it too.

Other than that I can't say that I'm pulled to read any of the other vampire books.

Vampires were cool but now they are kind of way overdone (having said that, I still read more than my share of paranormal junk.) I think it's just where the money is now. The NYT was saying the other day that to get your book on the fiction bestseller list, it had better be part of a series.

I'm like that with clowns... I have a real issue with them. Stems from watching It when I was 8 years old. I'd gone for a sleepover at my friends house and she sneaked it from her parents shelf... I didn't sleep that night, or for around a week later.

Zombies make me shudder! I think it stems from early childhood trauma: I saw the original BW Night of the Living Dead when I was maybe 6 or 7 years old. Scarred for life. I don't know what my parents were thinking.

Hehe Toni, I have a friend who shares your fear of Zombies... they seriously freak him out!

I know. I'm kind of sick of the whole trend, too. I think the perception is that vampires are sexy/scary and that taps into some of our more darker, lustful, or voyeuristic urges.

So, what other spooky non-blood sucking books can I think of? Well, there's the classic The Shining. Coraline is a children's book but was really scary. More Than You Know by Beth Gutcheon is a good ghost story. Joe Hill's 20th Century Ghosts has some well-written short stories. Shirley Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House -- actually anything by Shirley is creepy. So was Jennifer Egan's The Keep. I'm also a fan of Ray Bradbury's Something Wicked This Way Comes. One genre I don't do, however, is zombies. Waaaay too scary!

What if you don't like vampires? What is with this "new" genre? Serious question. Not denigrating.

Ooo! I like that idea, too! I read The Strain this past summer. It is the first in a planned triology by Guillermo Del Toro. If you like your vampires ugly and nasty, this one's for you.

Great Idea Stephanie, spooky books for October!

I would love an upcoming podcast on spooky books for fall. I just made a posting for people to give me some ideas, but that could be a fun topic. Books that kept us up late finishing them b/c we were so scared and books that haunted us for years after we read them. :)

Merry, sadly, I don't know much.
Probably the people on the military base will be of help. If she has an ereader, she can download books here to take over there, but even ebooks have territorial rights (a big mess!), so for instance I cannot (legally) buy/download a book from a Canadian website because I am based in the US, unless the same publisher has rights in both countries. It's confusing and I don't really understand it myself.

Military bases are different animals -- I think that it is still considered a US based address, so she may have some luck but I really don't know. The PX will certainly have English language books, and would not be surprised if there is an English language bookstore in the nearest large city to where she is stationed.

Sorry I can't be of more help!

Ann wrote: "Lmj, that's exactly it. Publishers will often do "export editions" for sale in English language bookstores, military bases, etc., in countries where they do not have the publishing rights in the na..."

Ann I have a fellow GR friends that will soon be stationed in Japan with her family. What is the best way for her to get her hands on American language books while they are there. She will be on a US military base, so I am sure she will find something, but she will probably be limited. I was thinking she could download books from the internet? How do you feed a hungry English speaking book addict who wants to continue to enjoy the American author while living in Japan? Can you share what you know, thanks,