Book a Week 2022 - BW28: 52 Books Bingo - Southern Fiction

[Robin M]

Howdy!  I was born and raised in the south before we headed out to wild and wacky California. But my roots will always remain in Texas where I was born, then Alabama to Georgia during my formative high school and college years.   Yes, I was one of those who used to call everybody hon or sweetie or darlin. And dropped the g's on all words ending in ing. I had to work hard to lose the accent once we landed in California, however my southern accent still creeps back in when I'm tired or I hear someone speaking with a drawl.  But Y'ALL has stuck with me ever since.  And I bet y'all are wondering why I'm telling you this. Why our next 52 Books Bingo category, of course!  🙂  Time to dip our toes into the wonderful world of Southern Fiction.  

What is Southern Literature?

What Makes Southern Literature Unique? 

Southern Gothic Literature

36 Deep-Fried Delish Southern Books And Writers

12 Southern Novels That Will Knock Your Boots Off

Seven Atmospheric Mystery Suspense Novels Set in the South

Goodread's Listopia of Best Southern Literature

 

Our letter and word of the week are Y and Yesteryear

 

Link to Book Week 27

Visit  52 Books in 52 Weeks where you can find all the information on the annual, mini and perpetual challenges.

[Robin M]

For my Southern Fiction read, I have Fannie Flag's Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistlestop Café on the nightstand. 

Also rereading Louise Penny's Armand Gamache series in order and happily books one through five are on Kindle Unlimited. I have the rest in my stacks. 

Recently finished Emily Henry's Beach Reads which was excellent and about two authors emotional struggle to get past their grief of destroyed relationships while writing their novels.

 "Augustus Everett is an acclaimed author of literary fiction. January Andrews writes bestselling romance. When she pens a happily ever after, he kills off his entire cast.  

They’re polar opposites.

In fact, the only thing they have in common is that for the next three months, they're living in neighboring beach houses, broke, and bogged down with writer's block.  Until, one hazy evening, one thing leads to another and they strike a deal designed to force them out of their creative ruts: Augustus will spend the summer writing something happy, and January will pen the next Great American Novel. She’ll take him on field trips worthy of any rom-com montage, and he’ll take her to interview surviving members of a backwoods death cult (obviously). Everyone will finish a book and no one will fall in love. Really."

[Negin]

Robin, thank you for the thread. I just re-read “Fried Green Tomatoes.” I’ve never lived in the South, but I love everything about it. I visited Atlanta many years ago, the first time that I visited the U.S.

I didn’t get to finish any books, but I’ve been having fun organizing my to-read list, as well as starting some more books on the royals. This sounds odd, I’m sure, but I’m trying to read as much as I can on the Queen before she dies., (a) because I love her, and (b) because it’s fun.

 

[mumto2]

Thank you for the thread and links, Robin!  I was surprised to spot a thriller I enjoyed reading last month on one of the Southern Fiction lists, The Marriage Lie https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29095401-the-marriage-lie?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=TauYOhqUQ0&rank=1&ref=bk_bet_out. I also put Michael Koryta’s Never Far Away on hold https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/53915356-never-far-away?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=Z1k1Ker4p5&rank=2

I have now finished listening to all of Kelley Armstrong’s Rockton series.  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57693455-the-deepest-of-secrets I am so glad I waited to dive in at this point because the latest book The Deepest of Secrets is the first one not to end with a huge cliff hanger.  I suspect there is more to come!  Rockton is a secret village hidden in the Yukon that very few people know exist.  It’s filled with people who are hiding......so good!

I also advanced one of my bookchains by reading a cozy in a new to me popular series set in Key West.  Fatal Reservations was the sixth in this series and picking up and reading it was not a problem at all.  Almost zero references to past books in the series.  I might read more in the series and will probably just use them as needed for spelling challenges. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23591071-fatal-reservations

I finished my W on the way back with Whistling Hangman by Baynard Kendrick.  His blind detective has hit a sweet spot with me.  These books are probably no where near as great as I make them out to be but I love being transported back to the golden age of crime with this blind detective.  In this book I learned a lot about luxury apartment hotels in NYC. I have another Duncan Maclain ready to go.

Finally, I read a couple of paranormal mysteries.  the Remains of the Dead by Wendy Roberts was about a crime scene clean up business where the owner can talk to the victims.  I have checked the next one out as it’s a fun series. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59082376-the-remains-of-the-dead I also read an enjoyable YA one from Prime Reads with a detective partnership that includes a Dragon.  I could happily read more but the rest are Kindle Unlimited so will wait.  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59246651-dragons-are-a-girl-s-best-friend

 

 

[Kareni]

Some bookish posts from Reddit ~

Must read Memoirs!

https://old.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/comments/vv1p8u/must_read_memoirs/

 

What were the last five fiction books you rated 5 stars on Goodreads?

https://old.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/comments/v4zqi3/what_were_the_last_five_fiction_books_you_rated_5/

 

What's the best mystery novel you ever read that doesn't have murder?

https://www.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/comments/qa1gc4/whats_the_best_mystery_novel_you_ever_read_that/

 

Books That Make You Happy: January 2022

https://www.reddit.com/r/books/comments/s2xv8i/books_that_make_you_happy_january_2022/

Regards,

Kareni

[Mothersweets]

Hi everyone! I read The Lioness by Chris Bohjalian last week. Set in 1960s Africa, a group of Americans goes on safari and bad things happen. This was a bit outside of my usual genre and I ended up really liking it. 

I am almost done with The Ruins by Scott Smith. I am just now realizing that this book has the same basic premise - a group of Americans goes to the Mexican jungle for a vacation and very bad things happen. This one, however, is brought on by this particular group of young, dumb college students being extra reckless and naive. It's a page-turner and I only have 50 or so more pages to go so I have to finish it even though most of me is   doing this 😱

Thanks for the thread, Robin! I'm looking forward to perusing the links. 

[bookbard]

Read Legends & Lattes - almost the definition of a cosy read. Fantasy characters setting up a coffee shop. Do not read unless you're prepared to search out cinnamon scrolls and croissants once you're done.

For 'Southern' I'll go 'Southern hemisphere' - still getting through Andrea Host's Touchstone series, and enjoying it. If you read it, definitely read the glossary at the end of each book, it's funny.

Still reading Rachel Bach's series starting with Fortune's Pawn. Good space opera type series with some twist and turns. 

 

[Storygirl]

I listened to Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K. Jerome. The narration made this humorous book more fun. It made me want to reread To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis, which I read years and years ago and references Three Men in a Boat. This was on my 100 books scratch off poster.

A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles was delightful. Thanks, @Kareni -- I think you recommended it to me. I read The Lincoln Highway by Towles earlier this year and enjoyed both of them, so Towles is definitely an automatic-read author for me now.

A Good Girl's Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson is a YA mystery. The audio production of this book is extremely good, with a full cast, and I think adds to the experience of reading this story. A high school girl decides to investigate a five-year old local mystery for her senior high school project and discovers things that the police never uncovered. Even though this is YA, I think that most people who read adult mysteries would like it. Looking forward to the sequel.

Choose Me by Tess Gerritsen and Gary Braver. I read this one in print. Gerritsen has been an automatic read for me for a long time, and I like her Rizzoli and Isles series, but this book fell flat. Her last book was a ghost story, which is not my thing, so I DNF it. With two in a row that I didn't enjoy, I may not read Gerritsen any more, unless she continues her series. I'd be interested to know why she decided to collaborate and whether writing with someone else diminished the final result. The writing is actually okay, though nothing memorable, but the story is pedestrian and not particularly original. A college student is found dead after a fall from her balcony. Is it suicide or murder? Which person in her life might have been angry enough to do her in? Ex boyfriend? College professor crush? Loyal friend who wishes she would notice him? Someone else? The POV shifts between the girl (before the incident), the police detective, and the college professor, as the story unfolds.

 

[LaughingCat]

52 minutes ago, Storygirl said:

I listened to Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K. Jerome. The narration made this humorous book more fun. It made me want to reread To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis, which I read years and years ago and references Three Men in a Boat. This was on my 100 books scratch off poster.

 

I ❤️Three Men in a Boat -- and only read it originally due to reading To Say Nothing of the Dog which is by far my favorite Willis novel.

[Kareni]

6 hours ago, Storygirl said:

A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles was delightful. Thanks, @Kareni -- I think you recommended it to me.

I'm glad you enjoyed it!

Regards,

Kareni

[Negin]

Kindle book on sale today. 

 

[Kareni]

I've finished two books over the past several days.

I very much enjoyed Season's Change (Trade Season Book 1) by Cait Nary, a contemporary romance featuring two hockey players. The story showed the leads moving from strangers to friends before the relationship moved to a romance. (Adult content)

"Olly Järvinen has a long way to go. He’s got a fresh start playing for a new team, but getting his hockey career back on track is going to take more than a change of scenery. He’s got to shut his past out and focus. On the game, not on his rookie roommate and his annoyingly sunny disposition—and annoyingly distracting good looks.

All Benji Bryzinski ever wanted was to play in the big leagues, and he’s not going to waste one single second of his rookie season. Yoga, kale smoothies and guided meditation help keep his head in the game. But his roommate keeps knocking him off track. Maybe it’s just that Olly is a grumpy bastard. Or maybe it’s something else, something Benji doesn’t have a name for yet.

Olly and Benji spend all their time together—on the ice, in the locker room, in their apartment—and ignoring their unspoken feelings isn’t making them go away. Acting on attraction is one thing, but turning a season’s fling into forever would mean facing the past—and redefining the future."

**

I also reread Any Given Lifetime by Leta Blake. This is an unusual romance set in the near future that begins with a young man mourning the tragic death of his partner. Meanwhile a baby (a furious baby!) is born with all the memories of the dead man. The story covers a time span of some twenty plus years. (Significant adult content)

"He'll love him in any lifetime.

Neil isn’t a ghost, but he feels like one. Reincarnated with all his memories from his prior life, he spent twenty years trapped in a child’s body, wanting nothing more than to grow up and reclaim the love of his life.

As an adult, Neil finds there's more than lost time separating them. Joshua has built a beautiful life since Neil’s death, and how exactly is Neil supposed to introduce himself? As Joshua's long-dead lover in a new body? Heartbroken and hopeless, Neil takes refuge in his work, developing microscopic robots called nanites that can produce medical miracles.

When Joshua meets a young scientist working on a medical project, his soul senses something his rational mind can't believe. Has Neil truly come back to him after twenty years? And if the impossible is real, can they be together at long last."

Regards,

Kareni

[mumto2]

I just started reading the latest Elly Griffith book The Locked Room.  It’s the first book I have read that portrays Covid and it’s approach relatively realistically.  Everyone need hand sanitizer, the news is talking about the cruise ships with nowhere to dock etc.  I have read a few books that were set in 2020 and never mention it or gloss over it oddly.  I’m sort of glad someone is recording it in fiction ….. accurately.  Although I am not necessarily speeding through it as I don’t particularly want to read about Covid.  This is a favorite series so I must…. It appears it’s going to be a plot point as this archeological mystery series appears to be heading  for an exploration of plaque pits. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57039730-the-locked-room

I have been enjoying some Paranormal also.  I finally got around to reading Blood Kissed by Keri Arthur https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34550311-blood-kissed. It’s good and interesting in terms of setting……. Australian werewolf reservation.  The Lizzie Grace series has been recommended to me for years and I’m glad I finally tried it.

I also listened to Kim MacDougall’s Dragons Don’t Eat Meat which was just plain fun.  Cute creatures and some scarey ones too.  This was just something I spotted in the new books section in overdrive and is a fun find.  I like cryptozoology!  I plan to continue reading both series.

[Robin M]

I thought I had read the whole Armand Gamache series previously but I guess I was wrong.  Started with A Brutal Telling way back in 2009, jumped back to book one, then bounced around over the years.  Enjoying binging the series, reading each one, learning more about each character, as well as discovering who the murderer is in each one. Just finished Bury Your Dead which broke my heart several times, but the fascinating history lead me to look up info on Quebec and Champlain which provided some relief from the emotional impact of Armand reliving the shoot out and his conversations with Morin.  On to A Trick of the Light.

[Kareni]

Last night I stayed up late to finish Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher. This is classified as horror, so I was leery of reading it as I have an aversion to being scared. I'm happy to say that while there were a few icky (note highbrow vocabulary) things, I found the book very enjoyable.

"This isn't the kind of fairytale where the princess marries a prince.
It's the one where she kills him.

Marra never wanted to be a hero.

As the shy, convent-raised, third-born daughter, she escaped the traditional fate of princesses, to be married away for the sake of an uncaring throne. But her sister wasn’t so fortunate—and after years of silence, Marra is done watching her suffer at the hands of a powerful and abusive prince.

Seeking help for her rescue mission, Marra is offered the tools she needs, but only if she can complete three seemingly impossible tasks:
—build a dog of bones
—sew a cloak of nettles
—capture moonlight in a jar

But, as is the way in tales of princes and witches, doing the impossible is only the beginning.

Hero or not—now joined by a disgraced ex-knight, a reluctant fairy godmother, an enigmatic gravewitch and her fowl familiar—Marra might finally have the courage to save her sister, and topple a throne."
**

I also enjoyed rereading the no longer available Prelude to Claimings, Tails, and Other Alien Artifacts (Claimings, #0.5)
by Lyn Gala.

Regards,

Kareni

[Kareni]

Some free book offerings ~

Shadow Stitcher: An Everland Mystery by Misha Handman

META Game On: (A cyber-fantasy whodunnit in a hilariously realised future.) by Xander Black

 

Plus Super Free Book SFF promo

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Robin M]

Link to week 29