julie

Well, Kate It sounds as if you'll have to make you out a new shopping list of books then, and give a few a try . Maybe even just get them from the library if you don't want to buy them. At least you could sample a few to see how you liked them . You are so very lucky to be born and raised in the south. I'm sure you could just listen to relatives and friends and they could tell you the same type stories without having to read a book about them ! My Grandma was from the southern tip of Ohio, so they were a stone's throw from WV . She could tell some stories like that, but I'm not sure WV would qualify for you as a southern state . To me, it's southern ,and a lot of their writing reminds me of the books from further south . My dad had a family like those in the south - he was from WV -- he rarely talked about his family ( too many sad memories ), but he once in awhile would tell of a funny incident that happened in his family . He also told me once that every Memorial Day, they all packed a picnic and spent the day at the cemetery ,cleaning up all the family graves and having a picnic. I was so excited to hear that, because I have read that it is common practice in the south . I don't know ANYONE up here who does that. People put flowers on the graves once a year, but that's it . I always go visit my relatives graves when we're down that way and sit on their grass and talk to them. It might sound odd, but I believe they are listening . It's a comfort and something I do everytime I get the chance. None of them are up here . Most of my family is gone now ... I have lots of cousins left, (and one aunt, who is 88 ) but the rest of the framework of the family is gone . Do you have much family left down there to visit ?

Hi Poppy I'm just catching up with some of the thread in here and came across your accident . wow ! How scary ! I'm glad they got you help quickly , but sorry you missed out on the helicopter trip . Maybe you'll get to ride one again in better circumstances next time . I'm glad you are on the mend and doing well now . I've been meaning to read Mr. Pip forever. Thanks for the reminder .

Kate I thought it wouldn't be too much of a bother if I dropped some new book ideas in here for you , since I know how much you love books ! I guess I'm surprised I found any that you haven't read yet ! You've certainly got me beat by a long shot when it comes to numbers of books read . I used to go through them much faster than I do now, but maybe I'll pick up speed again here someday . I thought of a few more that you may have read or at least heard of -- these are more in the line of memoir types I guess -- Liar's club by Mary Karr (she had 2 others after this one, but the first is the only one I read ) . Rick Bragg had 2 that are great -- and others I have yet to read .. and there's a book called Angel's Rest which is BEAUTIFUL ... but believe it or not, I THINK the guy who wrote it isn't southern ... oddly enough, he's from England, but you'd never know it by reading the book. It's set in WV and is a beautiful story ,told just like a southern author would tell it . Then there's Homer Hickam ,who wrote Rocket Boys, ( a lot about the space program and such , which I have no interest in, but the story is still SO good ) , then there is The Coalwood Way ,which tells more about his life and family growing up. Both are excellent . One Foot in Eden -- Ron Rash - Stunningly good . Anyhow, that'll be a few more ideas to toss your way .. just in case you run across any of them . I hope you find some you like as much as I liked them . Hi James Good to see you too ! I'm not sure I can explain what attracts me so much about Southern Authors , unless it's the way they go about telling a story. It's almost like listening to your Grandma tell you a story , sitting on her back porch with the crickets in the background and lightning bugs blinking in the dark. It's that kind of feeling .. they always have a long, twisting way of telling a story, and it may occasionally go off track ,and other stories get intertwined with the first one . It's usually about a family , and maybe an errant relative who misbehaves ,or a neighbor that caused a stir in everyone's lives for a time ... There's just something magical about the way they tell their stories . They usually have a great sadness in them, but a lot of them also have funny parts .Some end well, others not so much .... The absolute WORST one ever was still Tobacco Road by Erskine Caldwell . He wrote others ,which I haven't screwed up the courage to read yet . He was a REALLY good writer and could definitely pull some emotion out of you , but the main emotion he got out of me was wanting to SHAKE every character in his story til their teeth rattled . If his aim was to make me feel sorry for them , he was far off the mark. He wrote another pretty famous one called God's Little Acre . It's the other one I may attempt some day . I THINK they were both made into movies WAY back ... I just looked up God's Little Acre -- First published in 1933, God's Little Acre was censured by the Georgia Literary Commission, banned in Boston, and once led the all-time best-seller list, with more than ten million copies in print. ** Taken from Goodreads** I just went on to read a bit more about both books and they WERE both made into movies . One reviewer says that Faulkner stated that "Erskine Caldwell sure knows how to write ! " I guess Tobacco Road just mixes you up and you really don't know HOW to feel. Was the author trying to get you to feel sorry for the characters ? Was he making fun of them ( I don't think ), or was he pointing out how rough it was back then for people in that class financially ? I'm not quite sure what he was trying to prove . Anyhow, I'm not sure I answered your question. I'm always trying to figure out why I like southern writers and what makes them so different .That's the only answer I can come up with at this point .

Hi Claire It sounds as though you had a wonderful and relaxing vacation in a beautiful spot. I love the name of the one bookstore -- End of the World .. pretty neat idea ! I'm glad you hade such a nice time ( and got some new books ) .

Well , whatever secret you have come up with, it's sure working ! You are doing great . Is this the most books you think you've ever read in a year ?

Sorry Pixie .. Yea, Lake Erie would be the biggest body of water near us ,and it's about an hour or more north . My grandson is interested in lots of things, so it's hard to tell what direction he'll go. He also loves space and knows more about it than anyone I know . He says he might want to be a scientist of some type since it's his favorite subject, plus he loves Egypt and the pyramids. So, a wide range of ideas , but he's just turned 12, so it takes awhile to bring all your ideas together and decide what you want to make of them . I wanted to be a teacher my entire childhood, but ended up a nurse . ( although I haven't worked in many years ) . I still think it'd be fun to teach ,but probably the older kids ,,high school , I think would be best. I like that age of kids a lot . Anyhow, thanks for checking in ,and I'll try to stay a bit more consistent in here again .

Thanks for the well wishes Poppy ! I hope you're doing well yourself !

I hope there are some there that you will enjoy ... as said, southern writers have always been among my favorites . They have such a way of telling a story .... I thought of a few more favorites -- Gail Godwin's -- Father Melancholy's Daughter .. Loved it ,but I love all books that have a good dad in them ... Of course, Boy's Life -- by McCammon -- not sure of he is southern but the story took place in Alabama . Oh and Janis Owens -- My Brother Michael and Schooling of Claybird Catts .. T R Pearson has lots of them .. I think we talked of him before. Reading his books is like reading an AUCTIONIER talking ... WOW .. He will wear you out . Oh ,and Killing Mr. Watson -- it's a pretty dark story, told down in the swamps of the Everglades .. I loved it ,but it's slow and sluggish like a swamp. Very good ,though . Keepers of the House -- Grau -- A PLUS book . Lewis Nordan and The Heart is a Lonely Hunter -- which I found Ho-Hum ,but everyone likes different things .. Ok, my brain is empty for now .. Can't think of any more at the moment .

As I remember , the very first book we discussed was Early From the Dance by David Payne ... I think we read Ruin Creek when it came out by him also ( both EXCELLENT .) I don't remember if we read all these in the group or not, but below are some more of my favorites. some I know we read, others, I can't remember ) We of course read Capote --- his Other Voices, Other Rooms, I think ... We read Thomas Wolfe -- I didn't care as much for him ... ( A Man in Full ) Richard Marius -- Pat Conroy - one of my all time favorites . Lewis Grizzard John Gregory Brown -- Decorations in a Ruined Cemetery What the Deaf Mute Heard - Gearino Raney , Walking Across Egypt - Clyde Edgerton Reynolds Price -- Kate Vaiden , Roxanna Slade , Blue Calhoun ( TERRIFIC writer and C U T E ) Anne Rivers Siddons -- I think it was Peachtree Road ? Lawrence Naumoff Michael Lee West Jill McCorkle Clover -- Dori Sanders Lee Smith Connie May Fowler That's all I can think of at the time .... those stick in my mind ,though ... We never got into Faulkner --we always did nominating and voting, but he never got a turn . I also love Wendell Berry and Fred Chappell but I don't think we read either of them in the group . As said, it's been a long time, so I can't remember if all of those were group books or I read them myself at some point .

Books All great reviews. You are reading like a house on fire ! I just wanted to stop in and say howdy -- keep up the good work, you're doing great !

Thanks Kate I'm glad to be back too. Gives me something else to think about if I have others on here to yak with . I like your idea of making a special TBR shelf . That way you sorta have a look at what is coming up next . As fast as you read them, they will change shelves faster than a public library shelf would I bet ! I'm glad you are enjoying southern writers now . Did I ever tell you that I used to lead a group on AOL about 15 years ago CALLED Southern Writers ? That was back in the day when AOL had a really nice book club area. I think it all fell apart a long while ago though ... We had so much fun in that group with live chats on Sunday nights . Everyone was SO friendly ,and the weird thing was, I was the only one who WASN'T from the south ! I made a really good friend on there from a town called Alabaster, Alabama .. Ever hear of it ?

Hi Athena Just hopping in to say my gosh, you are on a roll with your reading ! What a huge list you have completed already ! You have well exceeded your expectations for the year . I found it interesting that you have read an exact even number of male/female authors. I'd bet that I read more male authors on average, although I'm not sure . I don't keep as good of records as you . Great job and keep up the good work !

HiYa Pixie Jumping in to catch up on your thread. Holy Smokes, have you been reading a lot or what ? You could very well hit 200 this year if you keep chugging along like this ! And The Client was one of my favorite Grishams .... along with The Chamber ... and Painted House ( but it's a different sort of book--VERY good ) .

Ok Kate ! I'm caught up on your thread ,but have no clue where to start to comment. You have read so many books already ! Wow ... How is your back doing now ? Giving you any more trouble or behaving itself now ? And did you get to Dogtown yet ? I remember a few of us discussing it several months back . I should hunt up the Diamant one sometime myself . It sounds like Faulkner has hit home run with you in pretty much every book . Can I ask ( a couple pages back ) ,you mentioned having some type of issues with Southern Lit .. Can I ask why ? Do you feel that most of them portray Southerners In a negative way ? I've never found that myself . I've loved every southern book I've read, ( other than Erskine Caldwell... ) -- Tobacco Road ? I'd like to slap the crap out of everyone in that book . **Sorry if anyone reading this happens to like it ! **

Kate Yes, you are right. Worrying doesn't help anything ,but I have always been a worrier ,so I'm probably not likely to change that . It is awful to be out of work when you're in your 50's . Whether they SAY they don't discriminate due to age, they DO .. All the guys they got rid of were the same age :50's and 60's . We are REALLY hoping this newest interview pans out into something. The company sounds good ,and hopefully it'll get him through to retirement age if he gets in there . As for the insurance ,VERY frustrating . The company didn't release the names and addresses to the middleman (who goes between the old insurance and switches us to Cobra ) until June 1st, which was a Sunday . They don't work that day, so it was the 2nd when they got this huge list of names (400 from HIS building , 1200 nationwide ) . That has left us without insurance coverage until this mess gets straightened out . We got the packet of papers today . With June almost half gone, we would back owe them ,starting back to June 1st . We didn't USE the insurance those days since we didn't have it ... but still have to pay for it if we want that coverage,so we owe $1050 for the next 2 weeks, then another $1050 on July 1st . (to cover July) I think this lady I heard from yesterday afternoon will be able to help us find a cheaper policy ,but it won't take effect til July 1st . Something about the new health-care plan, and if you sign up now, it has to start at the 1st of the month . I sure hope we don't need anything done in the next 2 weeks ! SCAREY with no insurance . Anyhow, enough about that . Nothing more I can do about it at this point, other than wait . Yes, I'm surprised I have been able to read anything at all, but I have way too much time to THINK, so it's best to direct my brain in another area if possible. Thanks for the kind comments . It means a lot . Pixie Thanks to you also, I missed you guys and hope to catch up in here and get around to visiting other threads ,etc to catch up with everyone else . My Grandson is here today so he's keeping me entertained . He's a talker like me, so he usually has something funny to say to cheer me up ,although he's 12 now,so at the age where he likes his space a bit too . He'll be going to 7th grade in the fall ...and is taking scuba-diving lessons this summer ,believe it or not ! We don't really live in an area where you could do that much .Their lessons are in a deep swimming pool , and he has a written test to take tonight to get his certificate . I think they are going to Lake Erie for their final dive to complete the class. He is growing up so fast ! Anyhow, thanks, you guys ,for checking in . I'll get around to check into your threads soon !

Thanks Kay & Athena Yes, I'm pretty tired of worrying about all this stuff . I spent most of yesterday on the phone with insurances , trying to find a better and lower policy ,and one that will cover us as soon as possible . I also had to call the Dr and get the surgery moved back a week further since insurance won't go into effect in time to get the pre-testing all completed . I guess they need pre-approval for an MRI ,which is a big money test ,and cant get that yet .Soonest looks like the first couple days in July, surgery now moved to the very end of July. I'm keeping fingers crossed that the new job will come through. It's been a long 7 months ,the hubster being home for most of them, other than going out daily to apply at every place he can think of . Better days ahead . Gotta keep telling myself that .

Thanks Alexi Hope all is well with you .

When We Were the Kennedys : a Memoir from Mexico, Maine -- Monica Wood 5/5 This was by far one of my favorites of the year. It's a true story told about a family from Maine .The little girl telling the story is around my age and a lot of the things she mentioned growing up ,reminded me of things in my childhood. I certainly didn't have to go through the main tragedy that she did, which was losing her dad at the age of 9 . The story all centers around that and how the family falls apart ,but then pulls itself back together in the end .

The Coffins of Little Hope - Timothy Schaffert 2/5 This book sounded like it'd be really good, but wasn't . It was weird ,hard to follow ,and made no sense at all . Supposedly a little girl comes up missing from a small town where nothing ever happens, which draws the police, searchers, people bringing flowers, etc to help this mom whose child supposedly got kidnapped. You don't really know if there ever WAS a kid or if it was all made up. Toss in a family with a bunch of trouble, an old lady who writes obituaries for the paper in town, a supposed book series due to be printed by this same newspaper ,and a bunch of holy-roller fanaticals who converge on the town. WEIRD is the best way to describe this one ,

Whistling Past the Graveyard - Susan Crandall For those fans of The Help,. you may enjoy this one . It reminds me a bit of it in a way . It seems a little far fetched in a couple spots, so I almost gave it a 3 star, but I liked the ending, so bumped it up to 4 . It's worth the read if you don't want anything really taxing to read ... just an easy on the brain book .

To Hell on a Fast Horse: Billy the Kid, Pat Garrett, and the Epic Chase to Justice in the Old West This was an ok book ,but a little disjointed and hard to follow in spots since it jumped around a bit. It tells more of the life of Billy the Kid ,who sounded like quite a fascinating character who could have quite a charming personality , and be a true friend, but he could also kill a person if he felt the need . It seems most of the times he killed someone , it was in defense of / or to avenge a friend's death . It was really hard to tell from the book whether he was a TRULY bad guy or whether he killed people who he thought "needed killing" .

Hi Chrissy Thanks for the note . I'm glad your dad was able to get his knee done. It is so worth it . My other one was replaced 5 years ago . It'd "lock open" if I bent it straight out ( the bones were rubbing each other with no cartilage left ,so I'd have to slowly bend it and you could feel ( and hear ) it THUNK when it bent. YEK ... It really hurt too, but I think this one hurts worse. I can't even bend this one straight ,so I am supposed to be doing exercises with it to stretch it out so the ligaments and muscles will loosen up in it . I will be SO glad to get it done. I bet your dad was too ! Thanks for the tips on how he exercised his . I 'll have a month or 2 of therapy to do on it post-op .

Final Argument - Tom Bucy This book was a follow up written by a lawyer who re-examined a double murder that happened back in 1974 on a small island way off the coast of Hawaii called Palmyra , There was a book written about it many years ago called And the Sea Will Tell, by Vincent Bugliosi . It's one of my favorite true crime books . This murder case really never had a complete ending . They've only ever found one of the bodies , they had trials for the 2 people involved. One got life, the other got set free . This new book examines the one who got off ,and gives many reasons why she probably was involved and got away with it . A very interesting book if you like reading true crime .

American Boy - Larry Watson This book was a disappointment after reading Watson's other book, Montana 1948 , which was REALLY good . I guess the writing in this one was good too, but it told a really sad tale ,with a not -so-satisfactory ending, so it kinda left a bad taste in my mouth . Not saying I wouldn't read any others by him, but this one definitely wouldn't be the best in my opinion . It was the story of 2 teen boys, one , a doctor's son, the other, a low-income kid .He is welcomed into the Dr's home and treated well in the beginning, but as time goes on, and he finds out more about the family, things go bad . He finds out that from the outside, the family and their life look just about perfect ,and he looks up to the doctor as such a role model ,but by the end of the book, you find out that things aren't what they seemed . I guess it sort-of has a good ending ,depending on how you look at it .Good for one person, but not good for others . 3/5

Hi Guys A special to Kate, Pixie, Kay and Athena for the notes on here this morning . You guys are all so kind to think of me after I've been MIA for so long . To do a little catch up : The Hubster has applied non-stop for 6 months and finally got a job, but it's nothing to write home about . The pay is 25 % of what he made before ,with no insurance or benefits of any kind. It's a small company ,so they only have work when they get orders in ,so he's already been "laid off " from it for 2 weeks within the past 7 weeks of working there . On the UP side , he got a second interview yesterday at a much better place, with more money and insurance. They called yesterday afternoon and asked him to get a background and drug test, so it SOUNDS good . We're afraid to get too excited about it , but this is the best bite he has had so far . Money has been tight here ,so we had internet off for a time. I came in here and cleared out most of my profile stuff, not knowing when or if I'd have internet again . We missed it so much, we found a cheaper company and got signed up again . Wow, did I miss this place ! On the medical front, I need a total knee replacement done ASAP ... you oughta see the x-ray ! It looks horrid and feels worse. The Doc has surgery scheduled for next month, because he said it REALLY needs done . We're going to have to buy our own insurance ,which is over 1000 bucks a month . But no insurance, no surgery . ** Have you guys heard of TALK LIKE A PIRATE DAY ? I WALK like a pirate with a wooden leg . ** I've been forcing myself to read, which is no easy task ( for me ) when I have so many problems rattling around in my head ,but I have managed to finish a few more books. I'll try to put up some quickie reviews on them after this post. I hope you are all doing well , I'll be glad to catch up with the boards and everyone's latest posts and see what all I've missed .