At the beginning of the year, I decided to try and read 100 books in 2011. With about 22 checked off my list so far, I am nowhere near my goal, but there’s plenty of time, right? …even if I don’t hit the 100-mark, I have enjoyed some great reads. Since some folks have more time in the summer to leisurely pick up a book, here a few page turners you might want to check out, and southern gems too!
First is Bloodroot by an author from my neck of the woods. Amy Greene weaves the stories of several characters together in her first novel, which is set in East Tennessee. I listened to the audio version and enjoyed the different voices that bring it to life.
A short trip from East Tennessee to the Cataloochee valley of North Carolina leads us to Wayne Caldwell’s novel. This one was a tiny bit slow getting started, but I’m so glad I stuck with it because the story was rich and deep. Oh the ties we have to this land of our’n.
Finally, the book with a most unusual title, but please don’t let this stop you from giving it a read. After hearing M. Glenn Taylor speak at the Southern Festival of Books (with Tom Franklin…another fabulous southern author!), I tracked down an audio version of this story at my local library (I guess you can tell I sorta like audio books?). From the first paragraph to the very end, I was drawn in. Trenchmouth Taggart will go down in history as one of the great southern characters and I can’t wait to see what else Taylor produces.
I’ve recently enjoyed these…what great stories are on your nightstand this summer?
