On the Southern Literary Trail discussion

Nominations are now closed. The polls will be posted at the end of the month.

The Southern Literary Trail is now accepting nominations for books that the group will be reading in August 2025.

We will consider books with a southern literary theme that have not been read by the group in the last 24 months. The two categories are books originally published in or before 1990 or those published after 1990. In the latter case, we will no longer consider nominations for new books unless they have been available for at least four months prior to the date we begin reading the book. 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 them 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. Beasts of the Southern Wild and Other Stories, by Doris Betts
2. The Shepherd of the Hills, by Harold Bell Wright
3. The Awakening, by Kate Chopin
4. The Confessions of Nat Turner, by William Styron
5. The Complete Stories of Flannery O'Connor
6. The Ballad of the Sad Café and Other Stories, by Carson McCullers
Books originally published after 1990
1. Uke Rivers Delivers, by R.T. Smith
2. The Jackal's Mistress, by Chris Bohjalian
3. The Help, by Kathryn Stockett
4. Winter's Bone, by Daniel Woodrell
5. Night Watch, by Jayne Anne Phillips
6. I Am Not Sidney Poitier, by Percival Everett

pre 1990 Beasts of the Southern Wild and Other Stories by Doris Betts

post 1990 Uke Rivers Delivers by R.T. Smith

Pre 1990, The Shepard of the Hills, by Harold Bell Wright (1907). My 2019 edition has 159 pages. This is a book popularly read as a classic in Missouri and is about a man in the Ozarks. Has this been read by the group? Does it qualify as Southern?

Terry, the group has not read this in the past, and in my opinion it does qualify. We have read many other books set in Missouri and the Ozarks.

Terry I love a good Missouri setting. I think some of our highest praised books on the trail were set in Missouri. The Moonflower Vine, Stoner and Daniel Woodrell books come to mind.

Thanks, Diane and Laura. 😊

Post 1990 The Jackal's Mistress by Chris Bohjalian

BEFORE 1990
The Awakening by Kate Chopin

POST 1990
The Help by Kathryn Stockett

Pre 1990, The Confessions of Nat Turner by William Styron

Post 1990 Winter's Bone by Daniel Woodrell

Good job, there are some great nominations already. We need 2 more in each category.

Post 1990 - I Am Not Sidney Poitier by Percival Everett (2009), 235 pages. A humorous novel wherein “Not Sidney is arrested in rural Georgia for driving while black, and sleuths a murder case in Alabama.”

Pre 1990, and my last unread McCullers:

The Ballad Of The Sad Cafe

Thanks, Terry and Wyndy. We need 1 more in each category and we can wrap it up.

Pre - The Complete Stories of Flannery O’Connor
Post - Night Watch, Jayne Anne Phillips

Good ones Lexy! Thanks, that wraps it up.

I'll set up the polls to begin on the first of the month.