On the Southern Literary Trail discussion
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General Bookishness
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Retired: What are you reading?
Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe – Fannie Flagg – 5*****
This is actually the third time I’ve read this book and I love just as much now as I did the first time. Flagg does a marvelous job of developing these characters, and the reader feels the love between them. I was hooked from the beginning and engaged throughout.
LINK to my review
Allen and Diane, my library has 4 titles by Florence King, but not Confessions. There is The Florence King Reader, a collection, Reflections in a Jaundiced Eye, Lump It or Leave It, and With Charity Toward None: A Fond Look at Misanthropy. Have either of you read any of these books?
Mod
Sue wrote: "Allen and Diane, my library has 4 titles by Florence King, but not Confessions. There is The Florence King Reader, a collection, Reflections in a Jaundiced Eye, Lump It or Leave It, and With Charit..."Yes, the I've read the first three, Sue. It was my favorable review of LUMP IT OR LEAVE IT a good 20 years ago to which King responded in the friendly note I mentioned above or in a similar thread here at GR.
As her career moved on, King edged away from "lifestyle" books like the habits of WASP's and Southerners (much overlap, note) to a more polemical stance, during which she wrote a regular column for the AMERICAN SPECTATOR, a conservative journal.
I do recall at one point later in her career, King, though of professed lesbian experience, had a feminist-lesbian-granola type outfit write her, expecting a contribution. Annoyed and offended that they would consider her a "slam-dunk" leftie simply because she had sexual experiences with other women, she scrawled on the fund-raising letter, "It's time you knew I'm a REPUBLICAN!" and sent the fundraising appeal back. That wasn't the funniest part to me; the funniest part was that she referred to the group as "muff-diving Druids." Always funny. So Molly would know, eh?? But Mollie may have left that telling anecdote alone.
I know this only because King said so in one of her columns that became part of her collected works.
Yet King was very kind to me. I was told that if something appeals to her or does not take her thinking for granted, she can be very kind, as she was to this aspiring free-lance writer. Step on her toes, though, and she can be the Wasp who stings. Since I am that way myself, I understood--and kept her letter. Somewhere, I should still have it.
IMO the place to start is, as always, Confessions of a Failed Southern Lady. I am not Conservative in the way Florence King was, but I do appreciate Funny. She also had an amazing way to plant memorable phrases. When she was a girl in the 1940s and 1950s, the northern part of Virginia near Washington, D.C., was largely rural, and that's where her family came from. In the 1960s and later, it morphed quickly into -- to use her words -- a "polyglot Yankee suburb." I'll always remember that phrase, and not without some rue that I could labor over a similar description all day and not reach the heights of her punch and pith.
Thanks Diane and Allen. I’m glad to get your thoughts on what’s easily available to me. Perhaps I’ll try ILL for Confessions, unless I can find an inexpensive copy online.
I hope this isn't against the rules, but here's a link to my review of CONFESSIONS, which I posted just yesterday: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I appreciate these suggestions Allen. There are so many books in the world. I'd participate in the Crawdads read next month as well but the line is nearly 200 at the library so I'll have to circle back and read it next year. Wouldn't hurt to get my name on the list for now and hopefully it's worth the hype.
And here my living room (and the hall, and the spare room) are full of gently loved books I can't GIVE away, but would like to. We should talk, Brina. Really.
Oh Allen, I forgot to return yesterday to let people know that Confessions is actually available for Kindle. It’s less expensive in used paper editions, though.
Thanks, Sue! Tell me, are there any people left (preferably under 40) who still like to gather and collect HC books?Meanwhile, @: "Confessions is actually available for Kindle...."
For example, for you Kindle Kidz:
https://www.amazon.com/Confessions-Fa...
And you Kobo Kuties:
https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/...
Me. Me. Me. I do not own a kindle. I only read HC books and I taught my kids the same. I told them maybe they can get kindles when they are older but at this point they love reading hard copies of books. So I limit my collection to personal favorites. Everything else is from the library.
I read both. I like reading paper books but haven’t room for all of the books I’d like to own. I like having books on kindle, especially long ones that I might not finish before they are due back at the library and ones that are hard to find. Of course that doesn’t explain the hundreds I have :-). I also get books for kindle from NetGalley. But I find my eyes can’t read digital books all the time, even with the Paperwhite. I need to read off paper part of the time.
This morning I saw a story in the BBC. The underlying concept is Wabi-Sabi, the beauty of impermanence. The falling away of "duality". and how those ideas show up in art and every day experiences.Perfectly expressed in the kindle vs paper thoughts. Neither is right or wrong but the pleasure in holding a book, feeling pages fall away, the yellowing of paper. Walking the streets of Savannah, Old Charleston Harbor, Oxford town square, the phone numbers on Faulkner's wall. Slave quarters eroding into dust. ( oh, what was that line at the end of Absalom, Absalom ?about Dilsey, about endurance)
http://www.bbc.com/travel/story/20181...
Mod
Think of the Japanese garden with the ocean-like sand without a rake mark on it. The master finishes and before he/she walks away they shake the tree.New petals on white sand.
Alas, where was the breeze.
Mind, no mind
Before We Were Yours – Lisa Wingate – 3.5***
This historical novel is based on a shameful episode in Tennessee history, when babies were sold for profit and powerful people looked the other way. I was engaged and interested from the beginning, but … Of the two time lines I much preferred the historical story arc set in Depression-era Tennessee. I did not care for the contemporary story arc featuring Avery and her uncertain / conflicting love interests. Most of the characters seemed to come straight from central casting. Still, our F2F book group had a lively discussion.
LINK to my review
BC, I felt just as you did about Before We Were Yours. The historical fiction aspect was a story I’d never heard about before and reflected a terrible part of our country’s history. The modern story was often cringe-worthy in comparison.
Just finishedThe Long and Faraway Gone
.My favourite of Lou Berney's four novels.
Review Here; https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I read Fanning the Spark: A Memoir by Mary Ward Brown that I nominated for a group read. Here is my review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The Art of Loading Brush by Wendell Berry is a sale for Kindle today for $1.99.
Mod
That’s exactly what I thought Diane. I just bought it too. I must have added Berry as favorite or “following” here or at Amazon because I got a specific email about this title. Or maybe it’s because I’ve bought paper and digital titles of Berry in the past. Now to schedule them.
My review of Blue Muse: Timothy Duffy's Southern Photographs by Timothy Duffy:https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
This cozy mystery series is set in a fictitious small town in Virginia ...
Buried In Bargains – Josie Belle – 3***
Book 3 in the Good Buy Girls Mystery series, has all the elements of a successful cozy mystery series: a group of friends who serve as amateur sleuths, a villainous temptress “mean girl” who is the bane of their existence, a handsome sheriff with a definite interest in widowed Maggie, and a lovely small community with a high murder rate. I identified the culprit the first time said culprit made an appearance in the book. But it was still fun to watch everyone else catch up.
LINK to my review
I finished this one a few days ago by a good ol' southern boy: 
Boy's Life by Robert R. McCammon
Rating: 4 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Yellow Crocus – Laila Ibrahim – 3.5***
Good historical fiction set in 1837 to 1860 Virginia. The novel explores the ways in which family bonds are formed regardless of biological connection. I loved Mattie. She’s a strong woman who works hard and smart, watching and learning skills that will help her and her family find their way to freedom someday. I did not like Lisbeth too much for most of the book, but once she was forced to confront her assumptions she showed strength of character.
LINK to my review
ALLEN wrote: "Thanks, Sue! Tell me, are there any people left (preferably under 40) who still like to gather and collect HC books?I'm 29 and I don't read any ebooks for many reasons. One being that I find it a lot harder to concentrate when I don't read paper. But I also love being surrounded by books in my home.
I walked into Bearskin not having any idea what it was about except that a handful of friends who have similar tastes rated it highly. Of course, I did NOT read their reviews :) Love going into a book blind!So far, this is reminding me a bit of Michael Farris Smith in style. The book is set in a nature preserve in Virginia with twangy locals, honey bees, bears, and bad guys. I've been having stupid vision problems for a few months now and have been relying solely on audio books to scratch my reading-itch.
Bearskin is delivering well!
LeAnne, thanks for the reminder. I intended to read that earlier this year and it got lost in the shuffle.
The Devil Went Down to Austin – Rick Riordan – 3***
Book # 4 in the Tres Navarre series has Tres going to Austin to confront his older brother Garrett, when he learns that Garnet has mortgaged the family ranch for a start-up venture and is four months behind on payments. What he finds is a tangled financial mess and it only gets worse when Garrett's friend and business partner is found shot, with Garrett nearby and Garrett's gun the likely murder weapon. Fast paced, intricate plotting, great characters. I figured it out just one step ahead of the reveal. I sure wish Riordan would come back to writing adult mysteries, though I understand why he continues to focus on that immensely popular (and lucrative) Percy Jackson series.
LINK to my review
Sue wrote: "LeAnne, thanks for the reminder. I intended to read that earlier this year and it got lost in the shuffle."Hi, Sue! Just finished it this morning and gave it five stars. It is billed as a thriller, but the Virginia mountains, black bears, and more animals than human characters reminded me a little bit of Rivers by Michael Farris Smith. Lots of gorgeous depictions of nature but the human story of crime and revenge are right below the surface.
With these awful wildfires in California, I've been thinking about people who live near the forest like I do. Such beautiful places and such horrendous loss of life out there.
LeAnne, yes it’s hard to imagine what those people are going through but for the videos some took of their dangerous escapes. Really horrible. I have heard the book is good and I’m glad to see your praise added to others’. Sometimes I think I need to close myself up in a windowless room without access to any new books so I can catch up on everything I already want to read. :-)
Not southern at all but I can't resist a book about the mob. My review of Button Man
by Andrew Gross:https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Just finished The Line That Held Us
. My first by this author and it was really enjoyable. Would recommend to fans of Daniel Woodrell and possibly William Gay.Am about a third of the way through The Hook
. By one of my favorite writers.
Of Mice and Men – John Steinbeck – 5***** and a ❤
Steinbeck’s novella is taken from an incident in his own background. His emotional closeness to the story is evident in this tragedy. This is the third or fourth time I’ve read it; second time listening to the audio. Steinbeck’s genius here is to write a spare story that still tells volumes about the human condition. It is a story of friendship, loyalty, and love.
LINK to my review
I finished:
The Secret History by Donna Tartt
Rating: 5 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Good grief this book was good. I am surprised the group hasn't read it.
RJ, isnt Donna Tartt fantastic??? Her “Little Friend” was on sale for $1.99 a couple of days ago. If you have not gotten to it yet, please do! It is the only one of her books set in her home state of Mississippi, and upon reading it a few months after she published, my husband, a Mississippi native, and I both became lifelong fans.
There is also a collection of Southern Christmas stories we have here in the house where a smattering of Mississippi authors contributed one tale. Hers is crazy! And good. Ill try to dig up the title.
LeAnne wrote: "RJ, isnt Donna Tartt fantastic??? Her “Little Friend” was on sale for $1.99 a couple of days ago. If you have not gotten to it yet, please do! It is the only one of her books set in her home state..."
I haven't read anything else by Tartt but I am on the lookout for The Little Friend and The Goldfinch. Thanks for the recommendation!
RJ wrote: "I started reading: 
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt"
That's a favorite of mine, RJ! I hope you like it.
For you Faulkner fans out there . . . https://lithub.com/the-avid-reader-he... My 2019 goal is to finish a Faulkner :-)
Mod
I just read it...great article. For me, I wasn’t as in tune with Faulkner in college though I did read two books and a few stories. He piqued my interest and did, in the end, become my thesis subject, but I didn’t become as emotionally involved with his writing until my recent return to reading more of his work.I do want to read more Faulkner in 2019 as I see I have missed all of 2018. And along with Diane, I feel the lack of Virginia Woolf in my reading life. I should add her to my goals for next year!
Mod
My 2019 goal is to finish a Faulkner :-)"
This article makes me want to take another crack at As I Lay Dying.
Thanks Wendy. I'll join you in that goal. I have this same goal each new year with 0 results.
Happy I’m not alone, Cathrine! I haven’t tried his Snopes books yet, so I’ve slated ‘The Hamlet’ for January. I also intend to tackle a Woolf next year - does anyone have a suggestion on where to start with Woolf?
Mod
You both may want to try A Rose for Emily to wet your whistle. This short story is quintessential Southern Gothic that shows off the brilliance of Faulkner. I read As I Lay Dying once and it didn't work for me but I'm pretty sure that it wasn't the write time for me to be trying it.
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On the Southern Literary Trail
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Brina, I checked and RANEY has 240 pages. Funny as heck, though. It is an epistolary-style novel in which Raney, daughter of a North Carolina mill-town family, marries Charles, a liberal from Atlanta.
There is much accommodation to be made!
from GR:
Raney
by Clyde Edgerton
3.95 · Rating details · 3,371 Ratings · 240 Reviews
"This book is too good to keep to yourself. Read it aloud with someone you love, then send it to a friend. But be sure to keep a copy for yourself, because you'll want to read it again and again."
Elizabeth Forsythe Hailey
Raney is a small-town Baptist. Charles is a liberal from Atlanta. And RANEY is the story of their marriage. Charming, wise, funny, and truthful, it is a n ...more
link:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...
If you have an idea for a novel of 170 pages or less, I hope you will recommend it here.