This book is expansive. It follows four generations of a Mississippi family through the rise and fall of their soft drink empire during the twentieth century.
The relationships the family members build with others and each other are explored over the years. The author does character jumps without warning, but I was able to get used to it. The history and lore of the Forsters pulled me in and they didnt let go until the last page was finished.

This is a collection of 13 short stories. I haven't read anything bad by William Gay. This is no exception. I would recommend everything he's written. The title is from a Jimmie Rodgers song called "Blue Yodel No. 3 (Evening Sun Yodel)" If youve never heard Rodgers, I recommend giving him a listen because his songs complement the book nicely. The stories are filled with heartbreak and violence. Some are very dark. Gay's prose leads you through it.

"The house was dark and cool, cavelike, scarcely lit by the windows. He took up a book and with it a cold cup of the morning's coffee and went to a chair where light fell through a windowglass and began to read."

I found myself relating to Larry Brown so much while reading this book. He talks a lot of the life of a firefighter, fishing, camping, friends, family, and everything involved in living a life in the South. He shows a sensitivity in his writing, especially when he writes about animals and nature. I could feel his passion for books and writing while reading through the pages and that passion was contagious.

Starting my first Harry Crews novel

This book presents to you two flawed individuals, their decisionmaking placing them in despicable situations. Things seem to continually get worse for them. As this happens, even knowing their past transgressions, you feel sympathy. Their paths undoubtably cross, and you learn that even from terrible life choices a person can begin again and claw their way back to something better.

Setting: a girls school in Virginia during the Civil War. Two teachers, a slave maid, and five students are holding out in the school trying to live a normal life while battles rage just miles from where they are. A cog is thrown into their attempted normalcy when a student finds a wounded Union soldier in the woods. Each person at the school brings a unique voice to the story as they cope with the addition to their secluded life. #southerngothic

I read an interview where Gay said he wanted people to feel the emotion of a scene, and he did just that with this one. You can feel the rural Tennessee wilderness throughout the whole book. He weaves a beautifully dark tale that is the epitome of Southern Gothic.

Got the new volume last night. Those colors!

I really enjoyed this one. I liked the build up of this first book in the trilogy. It shows you the spread of a vampire virus through New York from different points of view. The views go range from people who are infected with the vampiric virus to one of the main characters who works for the CDC. Del Toro and Hogan introduce us to a new kind of vampire while still using some classic vampire folklore. This is an action-packed horror ride.

The story follows two main characters. One is a children's book writer, and the other is his teenage daughter. Along with their wife/mom, they move to a new town to escape a horrific event that happened. Cue witches. This graphic novel gives a new take on witches, and it describes what we think we know about witch lore in a unique way. The artwork is terrifyingly great, and the story kept me enthralled throughout. Good horror read this month.

Earlier this month I read Frankenstein for the first time. The first thing that caught my attention was Mary Shelley's beautiful writing. It was just a pleasure to read through the sentences. The story was such a tragedy(in the good literary way). Both Frankenstein and his monster suffer such cruel fates. This was a perfect book for the beginning of October.

This book gives you a new perspective on the adventuring fantasy party. It puts you in the mind of a spider, and it shows you what the other side of a glorious quest against the darkness looks like. Plenty of laugh out loud moments, as this book has plenty of humor. Popular fantasy tropes are examined and poked fun at. Fans of the fantasy genre will like this one. I know I did.

I'm looking forward to the world building in this book. Some pages of the art depicts the future similar to Blade Runner or Mass Effect, which is a style I really like. This comic has space ships, ex wife/ex husband drama, and a mystery involving an astronauts death. Looking forward to continuing the story. This is the first issue in the series, and it's suppose to go for 8 issues.

#getindie This isn't my local indie store, but it is the last indie store I was in. I took a trip to Savannah, GA, and as I walked the historic streets under ancient live oaks covered in Spanish moss, I stumbled upon this place. With local coffee in hand, I ventured in and discovered one of my favorite spots in the city. The staff was very kind, and the shelves contained a broad selection of genres, so I couldn't leave without supporting.

"The day I went into physics class it was death."

Dr. Wanless, a Stark?

"He felt eager and fresh, every perception sharply honed and somehow innocent. He could remember feeling this way as a kid, waking up on Saturday morning, knowing his bike was heeled over on its kickstand in the garage, and feeling that the whole weekend stretched ahead of him like a carnival of dreams where every ride was free"

Four paper girls stumble into something beyond their comprehension. What seems like an ordinary morning paper run turns into a scifi adventure. My favorite part of the series is the art and vivid colors. The series is set in 1988, and they hit that vibe perfectly.

A 16-year old girl is pushed into shouldering the responsibility of taking care of a mentally ill mother and two siblings all while learning the harsh lifestyle of people in The Ozarks. I rooted for her through the whole book. Great descriptions of nature while the heart wrenching story unfolds.

"... he had told her that Mr. Freeman was a good farmer but that his wife was the nosiest woman ever to walk the earth. 'She's got to be in everything,' the man said. 'If she don't get there before the dust settles, you can bet she's dead, that's all.'" Lol

Teenage rebellion gone too far. It's been a while since I read it, but this book had a Catcher in the Rye feel to me. Toby felt like a darker version of Holden. I was reading another book, but I read the first few pages of this one and couldn't stop till I was finished with the whole thing.

This one was unputdownable for me. It taps into family ties, family legacies, connections between people and the land they live on, and the lengths people are willing to go for the ones they love. So good.

Finally read this yesterday. It's really short, but I feel like it's exactly as long as it needs to be. Really great read. That ending...

Book haul from yesterday. The Shelby Foote edition.

This volume is the tip of an iceberg. This series is filled with literary references, which I love. There's crazed fans over a book series, questioned identities, writers that seem to have the power to shape the world, and secret societies bent on controlling that power. Stories full of wonder!

I haven't posted in a bit. Here's what I'm currently reading. It's his first novel. Anyone read it, and if so, how did you like it?

A historical fiction series that follows the lives of people during the Revolutionary War. From a woodman joining the continental army to a print shop owner to a private in the British army, the series shows that it isnt just the founding fathers that have a story to tell.

I'm a tangible book person, but sometimes physical copies aren't published and copies are only available digitally. I have a tablet now for this purpose. This was my first digital purchase. It's a prequel novella to a book I liked called Rivers by Michael Farris Smith.

I finished this one a couple of days ago. Loved it. If you are from the South or know someone who is, you will relate to at least one thing in this book. Bragg delves into different cultural aspects of Southerners by telling us stories of his travels throughout the South.

Just finished this series tonight. Huck is one of the best comics I've read in a while. It doesn't do anything mind-blowing, but it filled a niche I was looking for in comics that I haven't been able to find up until now. Mark Millar gives us a truly good guy to root for in Huck. Give it a shot.

I have a pretty long drive back and forth to college, so I've been listening to this to pass the time. It's read by Rick Bragg and his accent is great. His southern journey has me contemplating my own. When I'm listening, it feels like home.

One cool thing about buying used books is the unexpected notes you might encounter from a previous owner. Here's one I found today after I bought a used copy of The Haunting of Hill House at my local used book store. I hope everything worked out for the guy.

I'm bouncing around on my reads, but I finished this one yesterday. William Gay's prose is so good. He paints you a picture of the beautiful nature of Tennessee with a corruption of darkness. This is a worthy addition to the haunted house genre.

"The day drew on, was swallowed in dusk, in silence. No bird called, no insect. Life in abeyance, the world grinding to a halt, who knew what would follow. Light through the glass grew dim but he read on as the passage of day into night was of no moment."

Haven't posted in a while. Crazy busy with college. When I get a few minutes of free time, I work my way through this book. Just finished the first section. Really enjoying it. Happy I found this author. Bought two of his other books, and I'm only 73 pages into this one.

Alright Litsy. This is my first read based on recommendations from the people on this network. Let's see how it goes. Starting it today.

Southern tragedy at its finest! Follow along with Jess Hall, a young boy growing up in rural North Carolina. One day he and his brother decide to snoop in on a local church gathering. What happens next sends the story into a spiraling dark thriller.

This is the only Dark Tower book I have with me at the moment, but Stephen King just confirmed on Twitter that Matthew Mcconaughey and Idres Elba will play the man in black and gunslinger for the Dark Tower movie. I. Am. Stoked.

I read a blurb that said this book was "Brothers Grimm meets Twin Peaks" and it sold me. It has an other-worldly fairy-tale feel to it. A mystery wrapped in stories, memories, and hints of magic. It kept me reading up to the last unexpected page.

"There was a good crystal frost in the air; it cut the nose and made the lungs blaze like a Christmas tree inside; you could feel the cold light going on and off, all the branches filled with invisible snow."

Gorgeous UK cover for Neil Gaiman's Ocean at the End of the Lane. I like this cover so much I'm thinking of importing a copy. The artists name is Leo Nickolls and he has more great book cover artwork on his website. www.leonickolls.uk

A southern dystopian novel about a continuous string of hurricanes that pound the Gulf Coast. The story follows a man named Cohen and his struggle to cope in the waterlogged land. You'll look at heavy downpours a little differently after this one.

My current read between bouts of school. Following along with Ella Milana as she explores the mystery of famed children's writer Laura White and her exclusive literature club called the Rabbit Back Literature Society.