On the Southern Literary Trail discussion

The Southern Literary Trail is now accepting nominations for books that the group will be reading in April 2023.

We will consider books with a southern literary theme that have not been read by the group in the last 24 months. Per our recently revised criteria, the two categories are books originally published in or before 1990 or those published after 1990. You may make one nomination in each category. Authors may not nominate their own works. Please post your nominations below and specify which category you are nominating it for.

Nominations will stay open for one week or until we receive six nominations in each category. Voting will take place in the first ten days of next month.

The eligible nominations received will be listed below:

Books originally published in or before 1990
1. The Man Who Lived Underground, by Richard Wright
2. Ar'n't I a Woman?: Female Slaves in the Plantation South, by Deborah Gray White
3. The Widow's Trial, by John Ehle
4. Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, by Tennessee Williams
5. The Snare, by Elizabeth Spencer
6. The Dog of the South, by Charles Portis
Books originally published after 1990
1. Deadly Southern Charm: A Lethal Ladies Mystery Anthology, edited by Mary Burton
2. Stars of Alabama, by Sean Dietrich
3. Happy Dreams of Liberty: An American Family in Slavery and Freedom, by R. Isabela Morales
4. Every Bone a Prayer, by Ashley Blooms
5. Father and Son, by Larry Brown
6. She Walks These Hills, by Sharyn McCrumb

Pre1990 - The Man Who Lived Underground by Richard Wright.

$11.99 Kindle

Post 1990 - Deadly Southern Charm: A Lethal Ladies Mystery Anthology (2019)

$4.99 on Kindle, free on Hoopla

Post 1990 - If I can nominate last month's runner-up, Stars of Alabama by Sean Dietrich, I would like to do so.

I would (hopefully) like to nominate Happy Dreams of Liberty: An American Family in Slavery And Freedom by R. Isabela Morales for April 2023's Post 1990 possible choice. I have researched where the author was born. I cannot find that information. This book is Historical Biography. It is Very Highly rated/reviewed and soon will be a best seller. Thank you Tom.

Pre 1990 (last published in 1985) Ar'n't I a Woman?: Female Slaves in the Plantation South by Deborah Gray White


Post 1990 (Aug 2020) Every Bone a Prayer by Ashley Blooms

For pre 1990 The Widow's Trial by John Ehle

For post 1990 Father and Son by Larry Brown

Good shout Lori!

Pre 1990 The Snare

Dave, I just found 3 of Elizabeth Spencer's novels at my used bookstore but not The Snare. I was thrilled to find those 3 and will keep looking for The Snare.

I really hope you find a copy Lori. I found one in the UK quite easily, but I guess I got lucky. It needs to be reprinted in my humble opinion.

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof by Tennessee Williams for a Pre-1990 nomination

We have some great (and different) nominations so far, but we need one more in each category to wrap it up.

Pre 1990 — The Dog of the South by Charles Portis, 1979. 169 pages.

Post 1990: Everything Begins and Ends in Kentucky, by Benjamin Alire Saenz, published 2012. 222 pages.

Looks like that does it. Thanks Terry.

One problem. Everything Begins and Ends at the Kentucky Club by Saenz actually has a Mexico setting, so that one won't work for us. He's not a southern author either. Dog of the South is not a southern setting either, but at least Portis is a southern author.

I'm going to wrap this up by adding She Walks These Hills, by Sharyn McCrumb, published in 1994. This was my first introduction to a tremendous mystery series set in the Appalachian community of Dark Hollow, Tennessee, that is rich with the folklore adn history of the hills and hollers of the region.

And with that, the nominations are now closed. Thanks to everyone who contributed.