Book Recommendations

Townhallsavoy · « **on:** May 15, 2012, 11:58:35 AM »

I'm showing my students O' Brother Where Art Thou, and now I'm interested in reading something Southern.

What are some good Southern literature novels I should check out?

wesfau2 · « **Reply #1 on:** May 15, 2012, 12:01:37 PM »

Seems like something ancient and Greek would be more appropriate if they enjoy O Brother.

Kaos · « **Reply #2 on:** May 15, 2012, 12:03:26 PM »

Foxfire.

http://www.foxfire.org/thefoxfirebooks.aspx

Teach you all about churning your own butter and cutting up your own hog.

Townhallsavoy · « **Reply #3 on:** May 15, 2012, 12:08:10 PM »

Quote from: wesfau2 on May 15, 2012, 12:01:37 PM

Seems like something ancient and Greek would be more appropriate if they enjoy O Brother.

It's not about them. It's about me.

We just read The Odyssey hence the viewing of the Coen Brothers' movie.

The dialect and setting has piqued my interest.

Godfather · « **Reply #4 on:** May 15, 2012, 12:09:05 PM »

Townhallsavoy · « **Reply #5 on:** May 15, 2012, 12:10:21 PM »

Quote from: Kaos on May 15, 2012, 12:03:26 PM

Foxfire.

http://www.foxfire.org/thefoxfirebooks.aspx

Teach you all about churning your own butter and cutting up your own hog.

Sounds interesting. I've actually been wanting to learn how to do some of that kind of stuff. Canning vegetables. Making preserves. Killing and cleaning game.

My friend tells me I'm finally coming around to my Southern roots.

Tarheel · « **Reply #6 on:** May 15, 2012, 12:13:19 PM »

Quote from: Townhallsavoy on May 15, 2012, 11:58:35 AM

I'm showing my students O' Brother Where Art Thou, and now I'm interested in reading something Southern.

What are some good Southern literature novels I should check out?

I always enjoyed the literature of Joel Chandler Harris but you'd probably be charged with a hate crime for letting your kids read his work.

'Cold Mountain' by Charles Frazier was a good, recent novel (I leave the movie commentary to others).

AU_Tiger_2000 · « **Reply #7 on:** May 15, 2012, 12:56:50 PM »

What age group is it?

My favorite book was Rifles for Watie when I was middle school aged. Story of a 16yr old Kansas kid who volunteers for the Union army and fights in Oklahoma and Texas.

Can't go wrong with Where the Red Fern Grows. Classic for older kids set in the Ozarks.

As far as "real" literature As I Lay Dying is the most accessible (to me) of Faulkner's stuff. He doesn't go overboard with the stream of consciousness writing like "Sound and the Fury" and you don't get much more southern lit than Faulkner. It's one for high school age as it deals with death of a mother, an unexpected pregnancy that the girl tries to figure out how to get aborted, and an affair leading to an illegitimate son. Very existential.

For new stuff I like Tom Franklin's stuff. It might be a little adult in it's themes and language for some kids, but I recommend his novel Hell at the Breech. Very easy to read, set in Alabama (author is from my neck of the woods) at the turn of the 19th century, and is a heavily fictionalized account of some real happenings in Lower Alabama. For a while Clint Eastwood was rumored to be attached to making a movie of the book but it got dropped.

Townhallsavoy · « **Reply #8 on:** May 15, 2012, 12:59:43 PM »

I'm 27. That age group.

This isn't about my kids. Their books are already assigned to them by the ALL KNOWING STATE.

I've been thinking about reading Faulkner. Never have except for the Barn Burning short story.

Shug Dye · « **Reply #9 on:** May 15, 2012, 01:23:04 PM »

One of my all time faves is Cold Sassy Tree. Doesn't get much more southern than that.

bird35 · « **Reply #10 on:** May 15, 2012, 01:31:40 PM »

All Over But The Shoutin

and

Emma's Man

Both by Rick Bragg

Godfather · « **Reply #11 on:** May 15, 2012, 01:32:50 PM »

I am curious to read this one.... anticipated sequel

djsimp · « **Reply #12 on:** May 15, 2012, 01:34:15 PM »

Not Southern but if you fellas aint getting enough puddntang at home, I suggest buying your ladies "50 Shades of Grey". It is sure to make their body hot.

djsimp · « **Reply #13 on:** May 15, 2012, 01:35:41 PM »

Quote from: Godfather on May 15, 2012, 01:32:50 PM

I am curious to read this one.... anticipated sequel

Excellent! I'm expecting this to be a trilogy.

Buzz Killington · « **Reply #14 on:** May 15, 2012, 01:38:28 PM »

Quote from: djsimp on May 15, 2012, 01:35:41 PM

Excellent! I'm expecting this to be a trilogy.

Part III: Show Stopper

GH2001 · « **Reply #15 on:** May 15, 2012, 02:01:36 PM »

A Time to Kill

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil

Tiger Wench · « **Reply #16 on:** May 15, 2012, 02:02:19 PM »

Quote from: djsimp on May 15, 2012, 01:34:15 PM

Not Southern but if you fellas aint getting enough puddntang at home, I suggest buying your ladies "50 Shades of Grey". It is sure to make their body hot.

As someone uniquely qualified to comment on this particular genre of books, let me say this - this is a SUPREMELY awful book... It is trite, cliched, poorly written, and altho the sex scenes are moderately hot, there are so damn many of them that by the end, you are skipping past them just to try and get finished with the damn thing. It loses the magic. There is no delicious build up, no sexual tension, just a truckload of straight up kinky fuckin'.

The author was a Twilight fan (!!) who was frustrated by the fact that Bella and Edward never got a hot sex scene, because Stephanie Meyers is a goody goody writing for a tween audience. So she started this book ON THE INTERNET as fan fiction, making her characters a wimpy puss of a girl and a rich, powerful hot young non-vampire guy with a dark secret past... and the bitch got a three book deal out of it because the Twi-verse is full of frustrated soccer moms who encouraged her to get published.

It is not worth the money. Even the author admits is is piss poor quality - but she is cashing those checks.

GH2001 · « **Reply #17 on:** May 15, 2012, 02:04:30 PM »

Quote from: Tiger Wench on May 15, 2012, 02:02:19 PM

The author was a Twilight fan

this is a SUPREMELY awful book

is piss poor quality

This is pretty much all you had to say.

Tiger Wench · « **Reply #18 on:** May 15, 2012, 02:08:33 PM »

A Confederacy of Dunces - one of my all time favorites

Anything by Joe Lansdale. I especially recommend The Bottoms as a good tale of the segregated South and the tensions associated therewith. A great read.

The Quinn Colson series by Auburn man and NYT bestselling author Ace Atkins is set in Mississippi. Colson is a Ranger who comes home to BFE, Mississippi after his last tour and finds out his uncle, the sheriff, has been murdered. Book 1 is called The Ranger. It was nominated for an Edgar award, which is the Oscar of mystery/thriller books. Book 2 in the series was released this month.

Ace also published a fictionalized account of the horrible corruption of 1950's Phenix City, AL in a book called Wicked City. SOmeone in that time referred to Phenix City as the Wickedest City in the country - and he was right. The story is true, but Ace wrote it as a fiction novel so he could imagine the dialogue in places. Excellent read about a part of AL history few people know about.

djsimp · « **Reply #19 on:** May 15, 2012, 02:12:29 PM »

Quote from: Tiger Wench on May 15, 2012, 02:02:19 PM

There is no delicious build up, no sexual tension, just a truckload of straight up kinky fuckin'.

Well with my wife on the second book, I can tell you thats exactly what the books are about. She
has let me in on just enough for me to know that its some pretty descriptive fuck scenes......and lots of them. The dude in this book is a damn nut case and the girl is just plain stupid and cums fast.