On the Southern Literary Trail discussion
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Nominations
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Now accepting nominations for November 2025 Group Reads
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The Fiddler in the NightI putting the Fiddler in the Night forward, as I feel it might be of interest to the group. Here are a few of the reviews for the book.
"At times THE FIDDLER IN THE NIGHT is a thriller reminiscent of the dark, intense work of Cormac McCarthy. At times it’s a coming-of-age tale, or a precise portrait of middle America. It manages to be all these things, while also telling an absorbing story. This is a cat-and-mouse tale set in grand, lonely landscapes and peopled with characters that feel achingly real."
- Neon Books, UK
"In essence, the author has created a work of art in word form."
- The US Review of Books
"Fennell’s haunting and poetic prose takes readers through the Godforsaken terrain of rural America on a wild ride to its stunning and heartbreaking conclusion."
- San Francisco Book Review
"If you mashed up parts of McCarthy’s Blood Meridian and Camus’ The Stranger, added side characters too peculiar to make any draft of Through the Looking Glass, minced up a whole lot of southern gothic vibes, topped it off with a handful of pulverized mushrooms, and then drank the concoction, that might put you somewhere in the vicinity of New Arcadia. Which is where this story begins."
- Author, Jason Arias
"Haunting and ethereal, Fennell's stand-alone The Fiddler in the Night is a masterpiece of reflection that is at once gritty, disturbing, and hard to put down."
- Midwest Book Review
Thank you.
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I putting the Fiddler in the Night forward, as I feel it might be of interest to the group. Here are a few of the reviews for the book.
"At times THE FID..."
We don't accept authors nominating their own work, sorry about that. There is an Authors Corner thread where authors can introduce their work.
I would like to nominate Ashleigh Bryant Phillips’ short story collection Sleepovers: Stories, which was published in 2020.It is a great collection of stories set mostly in rural North Carolina. The stories are individual, but there is a loose family feel to this collection, as if the characters know each other from another story. The ghosts of Faulkner and O’Connor hover over these stories. The best thing is that the writer makes no judgments. It is only the clear-eyed telling that matters.
Pre 1990 -- To Kill a Mockingbird Harper Lee I have not reread this book in over fifty years. It is a bit of a cheat since I have to read it for another group but since the book has not been read by the group in over 10 years, I thought some of you might be ready for a reread as well.
Post 1990 -- Hell of a Book Jason Mott National Book Award Winner 2021
Post 1990. I’ll nominate Mama Day by Gloria Naylor. It’s been on my TBR list forever, and draws inspiration from Gullah barrier islands and communities with Sapelo Island, Georgia a primary influence (per google). We have a home on a Georgia barrier islands and boat to Sapelo often so this ended up on my TBR although not sure it’s in my “reading sweet spot”.
Oops - looks like my nomination was published in 1989 so nominated in the wrong category.
post 1990 Growing Up Dead in TexasFYI I nominated this Feb 18 of this year. Is it too soon to nominate again?
I seem to be dragging my feet getting to this one on my own so looking for a nudge to finally see what it's all about.
Setting is very near where I live. Based on the GR reviews, it's a love or hate it type. Note: It is not horror, though author usually writes that. It is more like mystery/memoir as I understand it.
Pre 1990 The Collected Poems of Jean ToomerAnother questionable nomination. September we've been reading Toomer's Cane and having an amazing time with it. Is it allowed to nominate an author (different work) with the author being read so recently?
This sounds intriguing to me:
This volume is the only collected edition of poems by Jean Toomer, the enigmatic American writer, Gurdjieffian guru, and Quaker convert who is perhaps best known for his 1923 lyrical narrative Cane . The fifty-five poems here -- most of them previously unpublished -- chart a fascinating evolution of artistic consciousness.
Post 1990
Grit Lit: A Rough South Reader by Brian CarpenterShort stories, American -- Southern States -- Social life and customs -- Fiction.
Pre 1990
The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee WilliamsNot sure if this will be considered? Altho not born in the south (St Louis) Williams moved to New Orleans in 1939 where he remained until his death in 1983 - so the majority of his life he lived in the south.
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Pre 1990 - The Keepers of the House by Shirley Ann GrauPost 1990 - Taft by Ann Patchett
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On the Southern Literary Trail
Books mentioned in this topic
The Keepers of the House (other topics)Taft (other topics)
The Glass Menagerie (other topics)
Growing Up Dead in Texas (other topics)
Mama Day (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Laird Hunt (other topics)Jason Mott (other topics)
Ann Patchett (other topics)
Shirley Ann Grau (other topics)
Gloria Naylor (other topics)
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We will consider books with a southern literary theme that have not been read by the group in the last 24 months. The two categories are books originally published in or before 1990 or those published after 1990. In the latter case, we will no longer consider nominations for new books unless they have been available for at least four months prior to the date we begin reading the book. You may make one nomination in each category. Authors may not nominate their own works. Please post your nominations below and specify which category you are nominating them for.
Nominations will stay open for one week or until we receive six nominations in each category. Voting will take place in the first ten days of next month.
The eligible nominations received will be listed below:
Books originally published in or before 1990
1. To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee
2. Sapphira and the Slave Girl, by Willa Cather
3. Mama Day, by Gloria Naylor
4. The Collected Poems of Jean Toomer
5. The Glass Menagerie, by Tennessee Williams
6. The Keepers of the House, by Shirley Ann Grau
Books originally published after 1990
1. Sleepovers: Stories, by Ashleigh Bryant Phillips
2. Hell of a Book, by Jason Mott
3. Neverhome, by Laird Hunt
4. Growing Up Dead in Texas, by Stephen Graham Jones
5. Grit Lit: A Rough South Reader, by Brian Carpenter
6. Taft, by Ann Patchett