On the Southern Literary Trail discussion
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General Bookishness
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Retired: What are you reading?
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Carol wrote: "LeAnne wrote: "As to the 'What are you reading?' topic, Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI was one of those works of nonfiction where your jaw no..."I listened to the audio and followed on the ebook so I could see the pictures. I loved the book and learned a lot about our history that is kept hidden.
Thanks, all. I understand it’s been highly regarded. I’m keenly interested in the topic and have been glad to see it’s found many readers. It may just not be the author for me. Laura, I read this great article last year. Thanks for reminding us of it.
Laura wrote: "https://www.cbsnews.com/news/killers-..."Thank you for the clip from CBS THIS MORNING, Laura. KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON was not the stereotyped wallow in white guilt I had feared it might be, but a fascinating uncovering and exploration of a lost facet of American history that does indeed answer the question: "Why can't minorities play the majority game? If they did as 'we' did, they'd be successful too." The Osage of Northern Oklahoma were blessed with hitherto-unsuspected reserves of crude oil and did EVERYTHING right, legally, economically and socially. Nonetheless their future was undercut and all but obliterated by white racism of a paricularly horrific and hypocritical nature.
Very well written book, too, I highly recommend David Grann's
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LeAnne wrote: "As to the 'What are you reading?' topic, Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI was one of those works of nonfiction where your jaw not only drops in..."I'm reading it right now. Terrific book. Also recommend The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon by the same author.
Randy wrote: "LeAnne wrote: "As to the 'What are you reading?' topic, Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI was one of those works of nonfiction where your jaw no..."Must put LOST CITY on my TBR list, Randy. Maybe with that book about Teddy Roosevelt in the Amazon that people either love or hate.
By the way, I've started reading The Hamlet, the first novel in Wm. Faulkner's "Scopes" trilogy, and the Sou. Heritage choice for July read, pre-1980.
Carol wrote: "LeAnne wrote: "As to the 'What are you reading?' topic, Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI was one of those works of nonfiction where your jaw no..."Carol, yes it DID improve, thank goodness. On an update for reading progress, it may have been around the 15% mark where I noted that the topic was absorbing but the writing was clunky. Part of my reaction may be that I got the book on sale some time ago on Kindle, then recently added the audio, and THEN bumped into a copy of the book somewhere for ten bucks and grabbed it for my 15 year old.
I started with the audio, and found the female narration too slow and flat. Upon bumping her up to the 1.25 speed, it was too fast and still flat. Switched to e-reading... better! Swapped out the male narration at maybe the 30% mark (guessing)… very good! And lastly, I went to the hard copy book - fabulosa.
Because it rather took a goldilocks reading method for me to truly love the book, I only gave it 4 stars. Honestly, the content of what you'll learn far outweighs the initially flat prose. Once that male narration kicks in, you'll be pleased you stuck it out.
Randy wrote: "LeAnne wrote: "As to the 'What are you reading?' topic, Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI was one of those works of nonfiction where your jaw no..."Randy, I actually bought a hard copy of this maybe last year and haven't gotten to it. Generally, the read-it-before-watching-the-movie rule is one we adhere to in the house, but I caved in and started watching the film version this spring. Meh...not well done. Bailed out probably a third way through.
That said, I absolutely adored The Revenant book but really disliked the film (again ditched early). Should I give her a go?
ALLEN wrote: "Randy wrote: "LeAnne wrote: "As to the 'What are you reading?' topic, Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI was one of those works of nonfiction whe..."Do you mean Roosevelt's Beast by Louis Bayard or the nonfiction book about his expedition? You might also try The Lost City of the Monkey God: A True Story by Douglas Preston (nonfiction).
You know my opinion, LeAnne, so I too will hold for Randy's judgment. By the way, my cousin is married to a wonderful woman named LeAnne, and I think she spells it the same as you.
I think it was ROOSEVELT'S BEAST I had in mind, but I think I'd like LOST CITY OF THE MONKEY GOD more. T.R. is probably my favorite Republican president after Abe Lincoln, but it's easy for me to get bogged down in (Teddy) Rooseveltiana. I loved Edmund Morris' triology, but have bogged down in Doris Kearns Goodwin's book.
I think I'm going to abandon the intent to read ROOSEVELT'S BEAST. You and others have made a much better case for THE LOST CITY OF THE MONKEY GOD, though it is regional NF and not specifically (Teddy) Rooseveltiana. I have all but finished Edmund Morris' COLONEL ROOSEVELT and, though I didn't like it as well as the first two volumes in his trilogy, it does complete a very impressive work. Maybe I'll just declare it "read" at around 90 percent, the same way our federal gov't declared the Interstate Highway System completed with a few bits yet to be filled in. Got bogged down in Doris Kearns Goodwin's BULLY PULIPT. Nonetheless, "T.R." remains my favorite Republican president outside of Abe Lincoln, with Ike a distant third.
ALLEN wrote: "I think it was ROOSEVELT'S BEAST I had in mind, but I think I'd like LOST CITY OF THE MONKEY GOD more. T.R. is probably my favorite Republican president after Abe Lincoln, but it's easy for me to g..."I don't think the Preston book has TR in it, but I liked it. The River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt's Darkest Journey is the nonfiction account of the expedition fictionalized by Bayard.
Let me say this and then I'll sign off: recent American "letters" that I enjoy the most are usually quality nonfiction. I'm thinking of books like MIDNIGHT IN THE GARDEN OF GOOD AND EVIL, the aforementioned KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON, COLUMBINE, and the granddaddy of the movement, IN COLD BLOOD, which I re-read for the fourth time lately. 
LeAnne wrote: "Carol wrote: "LeAnne wrote: "As to the 'What are you reading?' topic, Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI was one of those works of nonfiction whe..."Thank you! This is a big help.
We’ve got a hard copy of Preston’s Monkey God book in the house too (lawdy, my book hoarding tendency appears to be on full display today!) but I havent gotten to it yet.As for The River of Doubt - the fantastic Teddy Roosevelt book - people, READ IT! So good! Its like a cross between Indiana Jones and Seabiscuit.
ALLEN wrote: "For the truly wintry experience, I recommend Ursula le Guin's seminal sci-fi/fantasy The Left Hand of Darkness -- but then not are we only not in the American South, we aren't even in ..."Allen, I agree with you on this recommendation! I rarely read sci-fi/fantasy, but The Left Hand of Darkness was excellent. I will never forget that scene on the frozen tundra!
LeAnne wrote: "We’ve got a hard copy of Preston’s Monkey God book in the house too (lawdy, my book hoarding tendency appears to be on full display today!) but I havent gotten to it yet.As for The River of Doubt..."
Now THAT sounds like something I could go for.
Huge SEABISCUIT fan. My old group read it before the flick came out.
ALLEN wrote: "LeAnne wrote: "We’ve got a hard copy of Preston’s Monkey God book in the house too (lawdy, my book hoarding tendency appears to be on full display today!) but I havent gotten to it yet.As for The..."
Yes, Allen - if you enjoyed her work on Seabiscuit (that floating pile of manure in Mexico, after the huge rains, was a trip!) and like tales about Teddy, you will be over the moon for The River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt's Darkest Journey. Faith loved it too.
Not sure if you use Hoopla, Overdrive, or 3M Cloud Library apps through your library, but one of those three has the free version - possibly audio. That's how I originally read it and promptly went out to purchase a hardback for our teenaged son (he doesn't like e-reading or audio). Enjoy, and say hi to LeAnne for me!
LeAnn, Thanks again! Having recently returned from a vacation, I can't afford any more books right now, but I'll put RIVER OF DOUBT on my Amazon Wish List or the Barnes & Noble equivalent -- maybe both. I compliment your teenaged son for his preference for hardbound books and being the rare holdout in this age of cyber-everything. Tell me, is he a Jo Nesbo fan??
He is just 15, so no grisly thrillers yet. He prefers historical fiction or YA dystopian reads plus military or political nonfiction. The Revenant, River of Doubt, and various WWII books are his faves.He started a teen reading club two years ago and loved Life of Pi, Book Thief, various Agatha Christies, Ready Player One, Miss Peregrine, etc. Anthony Doerr actually skyped in w them for their dinner discussion of All the Light WCS. We feel very lucky to have a kid who reads.
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There are many who would question the application of the word nonfiction to In Cold Blood. No matter, it is still an amazing book.
Tom wrote: "ALLEN wrote: "Let me say this and then I'll sign off: recent American "letters" that I enjoy the most are usually quality nonfiction. I'm thinking of books like MIDNIGHT IN THE GARDEN OF GOOD AND EVIL, the aforementioned KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON, COLUMBINE, and the granddaddy of the movement, IN COLD BLOOD, which I re-read for the fourth time lately. .". . .
"There are many who would question the application of the word nonfiction to In Cold Blood. No matter, it is still an amazing book. ..."
There's no doubt IN COLD BLOOD has a few invented conversations. The example I used in prior discussions is the bickering between Nancy and Kenyon Clutter on the basement steps that ends with the quip: "No, funny one." Since the two teens died later that night, as did Mrs. Clutter (who at the time was in bed) and Mr. Clutter (in conference in his office), and since Mrs. Helm the housekeeper had the day off, it MUST have been invented. That's why Capote stated ahead of the book's publication that he would be adding fictive touches to the book and styling it the (to many) oxymoronic term "nonfiction novel." According to Gerald Clarke in his Capote biography, the final chapter of ICB is an absolute invention, probably urged by Random House editor Bennett Cerf, in order to give what we today would call "closure" to a gruesome set of killings that desperately needed a touch of "life goes on" as a coda to the story.
Actual factual ICB errors, though, are so few as to be close to non-existent. Babe the old swaybacked horse was sold to a local farmer, not a Mennonite from another county as the book states. Mr. Clutter's militant stance against smoking and drinking -- to the point he would fire any of his hired hand who were found smoking or 'harboring' alcohol -- was mentioned, but not the strange religious iconry that pervaded his household. Herb's house held chromos of Jesus or crucifixes in practically every room. Nelle Harper Lee and Truman Capote both knew from their small-town Southern exposure that such a display style was not *comme il faut* among the normally modest and low-key Methodists, and were shocked when they visited the Clutter house following the murders. They decided not to mention that aspect of Herb's religiosity when they researched the novel and agreed not to dwell on it in the book.
Probably there are some passages in MIDNIGHT IN THE GARDEN OF GOOD AND EVIL that Berendt had to create in terms to preserve continuity. Like the Capote/Lee team, though, he did not invent scenes that research could cover more accurately.
Like ICB, MIDNIGHT is scrupulously researched, and no major errors have been found under later investigation.
(This scrupulosity does not extend to the Clint Eastwood movie that followed two years later which, although enjoyable, indulged in some "typically Hollywood" abridgments like collapsing four murder trials into one. The screenplay also changed the name of a couple of the witnesses. I think the cliche "to protect the innocent" may apply here, or perhaps not to rub the young men's early homosexual behavior in their adult faces, or possibly to avoid the risk of future libel suits.)
I am not as familiar with COLUMBINE, having read it only once and am now on the second read, but once again Dave Cullen followed the Capote/Lee or Berendt work schedule -- spend years researching and writing the story. As far as I remember, I believe COLUMBINE falls into the genre of "straight" true-crime as I don't recall any staircase conversations or altered names or events (unless Cullen tells us of same) -- i.e., complex but straight reportage. Now I promise to be on the lookout for such inventions -- though I would not condemn the book if it had a touch of the "nonfiction novel" in it, since it is so scrupulous on the whole.
All these books are tremendously well written, esp. the Capote. We surely agree on the excellence of ICB despite possible disagreement as to which genre the book may best be assigned.
By the way, Dave Cullen is going to publish another book in 2019, Soldiers First, about the long-term careers of two gay American soldiers who coped with the danger posed to their careers by their sexuality in different ways. I look forward to it.
. If Cullen continues this approach to his research and writing, his career may well resemble the first half of film director Terence Malick's: infrequent output but excellent results.
Days Without End – Sebastian Barry – 4****
Historical fiction that looks at America in the mid-19th century, through the eyes of Thomas McNulty, an Irish immigrant teenager. Beautiful, poetic, powerful writing that tugs at my heart and alternately disturbs me and cradles me in a loving embrace.
LINK to my review
ALLEN wrote: "Must put LOST CITY on my TBR list, Randy."You won't regret it. Well-written and so bizarre and disturbing that it's hard to believe it actually happened.
LeAnne wrote: "Randy, I actually bought a hard copy of this maybe last year and haven't gotten to it. Generally, the read-it-before-watching-the-movie rule is one we adhere to in the house, but I caved in and started watching the film version this spring. Meh...not well done. Bailed out probably a third way through.
That said, I absolutely adored The Revenant book but really disliked the film (again ditched early). Should I give her a go?"
I did not even know there was a film version. The book is terrific so far and I would recommend it to anyone interested in the subject matter.
Bitter Grounds - Sandra Benítez – 4****
This is a sweeping historical epic covering three generations of two families in El Salvador: the wealthy land-owners, and the servants employed by them. Through these families the reader learns something of the history of El Salvador from about 1932 to 1975. I really enjoyed the way Benítez showed these two classes interacting. As much as they tried to remain separated, they were inextricably linked and their lives held many parallels. Winner of the American Book Award, 1998.
LINK to my review
Finished Columbine, an amazing book, but since it's set in Colorado is OT here . . . Re-re-reading Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, which never fails to entertain and is set in Savannah, GA, so it's right to the point.
So is my next book up: a reread of A Confederacy of Dunces. Loooove that book!
Lilac Girls – Martha Hall Kelly – 3.5***
Using three different narrators, the novel tells the WW2 story of the women prisoners held at the notorious Nazi prison camp Ravensbrück. Kelly used two real-life women: Caroline Ferriday, a New York socialite and Broadway actress, and Dr. Herta Oberheuser, a German physician who became the only female surgeon operating at the prison camp. The third narrator is Kasia Kuzmerick, a Polish teenager who is sent to the camp along with her sister, whose story is loosely based on that of a pair of sisters who survived the operations they underwent at Ravensbrück. It’s good historical fiction and a decent debut. I look forward to reading Kelly’s next book.
LINK to my review
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Left Neglected – Lisa Genova – 3***
As she has done for other neurological disorders, Genova crafts a compelling story that educates and entertains. I felt Sarah’s frustrations as she worked with occupational therapists to try to regain some of her lost functionality. I empathized with her inability to let go of the high expectations she set for herself. I thought the book was interesting and informative, but not as compelling as some of her other works.
LINK to my review
I finally got around to filing a proper review of Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI. With nearly seven thousand GR reviews of this amazing book already on file, I'm not sure I could do more than hop up and down, hollering "Read it! Read it!" -- but here's my attempt:https://www.goodreads.com/review/list...
Roadside Geology of Arizona
I've been driving about 2000 miles a month up to Page AZ. Navajo, (The Deni' Nation) and Hopi country. Page sits on the eastern edge of the Grand Canyon. The Colorado Plateau. I drive right by Horseshoe Bend, that famous U-turn in the Colorado river. It's a long drive with geologic features I don't understand. Solidified windblown and cross-laid sandstone. Lots of volcanics around Flagstaff. A wonderful slice of the American Southwest. These are terrific books. .
I am proud to recommend Silas House's latest novel, 
. The book begins with a devastating flood along Tennessee's Cumberland River east of Nashville. A Pentecostal minister tries to give shelter to a couple of suddenly homeless gay men, but his wife isn't having any of it. He invites them to one of his church services, which severely discomfits his congregation. There's a lot more, but I don't want to "spoil." Suffice it to say that Southernmost is an incisive and well-written book that has been enthusiastically reviewed here at GR by me and many others.
I loved this book too. I was fortunate to see Silas at a bookstore in Cincinnati and hear him read a passage, plus discuss the book.
I read David Joy’s latest, The Line That Held Us and am a fan. Here’s a link to my 5-Star review.https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The Road – Cormac McCarthy – 3***
A man and his son wander a desolate and destroyed American landscape after some unnamed world-wide disaster has pretty much killed off most of the earth’s population and destroyed the environment. I don’t need a happy ending in order to appreciate and like a book. But I do need to feel some sense of purpose to the story, and I couldn’t figure out what McCarthy was trying to impart. Still, there is something about McCarthy’s writing that captivates me. I like his spare style. I like the way he paints the landscape so that I feel I am living in the novel (even if it’s a horrible place to be). I think he’s one of those author’s whose works I appreciate, even when I don’t particularly like them.
LINK to my review
The Yearling – Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings – 4****
Rawlings’s 1938 Pulitzer-winning novel focuses on the boy Jody, his parents Ora and Penny Baxter, their neighbors the Forresters, and their hard-scrabble lives in central Florida in about 1870. As the fawn AND the boy grow to “yearling” status, they face difficult decisions that affect the family’s very survival. I loved the poetic way Rawlings wrote about the natural world; it reminded me of the many times I went camping with my father and brothers, and the lessons he imparted about plants, animals, nature, survival, hunting and fishing. I highly recommend this classic of children’s literature.
LINK to my review
I read THE YEARLING in a ninth-grade English class. Lovely work. Teaches gentleness and respect for nature without the horrific "Old Yeller" type of conclusion. I will read your review, Book Concierge!
And thank you.
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Teaches gentleness and respect for nature without the horrific "Old Yeller" type of conclusion. I will read your review, Book Conci..."
I picked this as a mod choice a year or so back because I had never read it and really enjoyed it.
Am I the only one who didnt read Gods of Howl Mountain with the group? Taylor Brown has really hit his stride as a writer! His Fallen Land was really lovely but had nearly a fairy tale quality - characters were good or bad. Im in the midst of Howl Mountain on audio and find it outstanding. The setting and characters are similar to those in the Offutt book we just read, and reading them at the same time did not do the latter a good service.
Am buying this in hard back for my husband whose birthday is today. When you have free access to a book by audio and electronic borrowing, and yet need to have a hard copy? I am not finished yet but this will be five stars.
Happy birthday to your husband, LeAnne. We Leos gotta stick together!
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I took advantage of Brown's offer of this book for free to our group and really enjoyed it. I was surprised that more of us didn't take advantage of it.
Tom wrote: "LeAnne wrote: "Am I the only one who didnt read Gods of Howl Mountain with the group? Taylor Brown has really hit his stride as a writer! His Fallen Land was really lovely but had nearly a fairy ta..."A-ha! So it wasn't a group read then - I'm either entirely crazy or now merely half crazy! Lawd, I generally access the group via the phone app which makes finding discussions, hyperlinking titles, etc a pain in the neck. For some reason, I thought we got the latest Wiley Cash book free here but not the Taylor Brown.
Cash, by the way, has started his very own online book club. I've joined it but don't know that there is time for me to add another required reading to the list. He is pretty vociferous in his opinions, but as a PhD who teaches writing courses, I suppose he is due that.
LeAnne brings up an interesting issue. I work 98 percent off a laptop computer, but with so many interesting groups here at GR, and so many books under discussion at them, and sometimes multiple threads for those books ("Spoiler" and Non, say), and even some threads within Groups having the same or almost the same name as other threads in other Groups -- I find that hard to contend with.Short of making my own cardboard flow chart, what do you veterans recommend about my making sense of this welter? I am current discussing four books at three Groups and having a great time, except when my computer history, my Inbox and the "Notifications" Bell at the top of this screen don't keep up with the goings-on.
(OK, yes, First World Problem but perhaps some of you know some techniques to help me navigate from one thread to another without going 'up to the top' all the time.)
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Someone Knows My Name – Lawrence Hill – 5*****
Originally published in Canada as The Book of Negroes , Hill’s novel tells the story of Aminata Diallo from 1745 to 1802. What marvelous story telling! I was engaged and interested from beginning to end. It’s a thought-provoking, informative and inspiring tale.
LINK to my review
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On the Southern Literary Trail
Books mentioned in this topic
Happy Land (other topics)Take My Hand (other topics)
Happy Land (other topics)
Happy Land (other topics)
Somewhere Toward Freedom: Sherman's March and the Story of America's Largest Emancipation (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Bennett Parten (other topics)Wes Browne (other topics)
Hubert Skidmore (other topics)
Mark Twain (other topics)
Delia Owens (other topics)
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Did the writing get better as you progressed, LeAnne? I tried to listen to 20% of this on audio last year and DNF’d over the pedestrian prose.