WV Reads 150 discussion

I lead two book groups at my library and both will be voting in March on discussion books for the coming year. I compile a large list of possibilities and they each vote for their favorites. The 12 books with the most votes will be the books we read for the next 12 months. Do you have suggestions for my list? We read mostly general fiction. Not genre fiction but not really literary etiher. Two favorites from this past year were Defending Jacob and Clay's Quilt.

The Language of Flowers

Toni wrote: "I lead two book groups at my library and both will be voting in March on discussion books for the coming year. I compile a large list of possibilities and they each vote for their favorites. The 1..."

Wiley Cash's newest as well as Julia Keller's newest. You might want to to look at "Bloodroot" as well as these from the past, anything Davis Grubb "Night of the Hunter", or "Fool's Parade" or what's her name (I can never spell it correctly) "Storming Heaven" and "The Unquiet Earth". You know I'm somewhat historically oriented.

Our group has read "Gilead" by Marilynne Robinson, "Budhha in the Attic" by Julie Otsuka, "Midnight Rising"(non-fiction) by Tony Horowitz, "The Sweet By and By" by Todd Johnson, "Family Linen" by Lee Smith, "The Historian" by E. Kostova, "The Help" by Katherine Stockett, "The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins and "Cutting for Stone" by Abraham Verghese this past year. We have a variety of readers in our group and some titles were ones not everyone liked, but made for good discussions because of it.

I've read the Horowitz book, he's the author of "Confederates in the Attic", and I enjoyed it very much (WV themes resound with me and Harpers Ferry is WV after all.) Read "The Historian" but I don't remember it at all. Read the first of "The Hunger Games Trilogy" but no farther. I really need to read "The Help" sometime...

Thanks to all of you for the great suggestions. It's very helpful. And I like the idea of adding a few WV books during this sesquicentennial year.

If you think of others please let me know.

We have a local author who is very good. His name is Bob O'Connor. You can find his books on http://www.boboconnorbooks.com/. All his topics are WV related. We've had him in to speak when a new book comes out and he always is entertaining.

Thanks, Sue. I'm always looking for WV books, both for myself and my library.

Bill wrote: "Wiley Cash's newest as well as Julia Keller's newest. You might want to to look at "Bloodroot" as well as these from the past, anything Davis Grubb "Night of the Hunter", or "Fool's Parade" or wha..."

Wiley Cash used to teach English at Bethany College in Brooke County, so you can kind of consider him a WV author...

I'm hoping to read Cash's book soon. It has sure received a lot of good publicity. And picked as a NY Times 2012 Notable book.

If you are interested, I'm offering a free copy of my new literary thriller set in southern WV to local book clubs. You can preview it and if you like it you can recommend and if not, no pressure to finish or review.

Inspired by an actual shooting that occurred in Logan during a UMWA strike while I was in college (grew up in Beckley and attended Concord), Jeremiah's Scrapbook looks back at the turmoil and violence of corporate interests on WV's people. Please check out the Amazon description and let me know if it's something you'd be interested in:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IARSDNQ

I posted here before about the novel I wrote set in West Virginia, Jeremiah's Scrapbook. I hope you will check out the link below. I'm getting excellent feedback, but publicity is difficult...and not a writer's strong suit by nature!