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

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. 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. Usher's Passing, by Robert R. McCammon
2. Killers of the Dream, by Lillian E. Smith
3. Stoner, by John Williams
4. A Good Man Is Hard to Find and Other Stories, by Flannery O'Connor
5. The hard blue sky, by Shirley Ann Grau
6. The Getaway, by Jim Thompson
Books originally published after 1990
1. Chasing Me to My Grave: An Artist’s Memoir of the Jim Crow South, by Winfred Rembert
2. Night Train to Nashville: The Greatest Untold Story of Music City, by Paula Blackman
3. Let Us Descend, by Jesmyn Ward
4. The Forest Unseen: A Year’s Watch in Nature, by David George Haskell
5. White Doves at Morning, by James Lee Burke
6. Lasher, by Anne Rice

Post 1990 Chasing Me to My Grave: An Artist’s Memoir of the Jim Crow South by Winfred Rembert

Pre 1990
The Dead Man's Knock by John Dickson Carr (original 1958 publish) reproduced many times since

�� Sandi �� wrote: "The Dead Man's Knock The Dead Man's Knock (Dr. Gideon Fell, #19) by John Dickson Carr by John Dickson Carr (original 1958 publish) "

Chasing Me to My Grave definitely qualifies and I'd love to approve a book by John Dickson Carr but he's not a southerner and I don't see anything to qualify the book choice. I'm sorry, but if you want this book included you're going to have to explain why it should be considered a southern literary work.

Those We Thought We Knew by David Joy for post 1990 (pub 2023).

Post 1990 - NIGHT TRAIN TO NASHVILLE, The Greatest Untold Story of Music City by Paula Blackman. Non-fiction. 240 pages. Just released. Set against the backdrop of Jim Crow, Night Train to Nashville takes readers behind the scenes of one of music's greatest untold stories.

Post '90 Let Us Descend by Jesmyn Ward

Pre 1990 Usher's Passing Robert R. McCammon

Post 1990 The Forest Unseen: A Year’s Watch in Nature David George Haskell

Cathrine ☯️ wrote: "Post '90 Let Us Descend by Jesmyn Ward"

I've been dying to read another Jesmyn Ward book after Sing, Unburied, Sing!

Jill wrote: "Those We Thought We Knew by David Joy for post 1990 (pub 2023)."

Jill, this is currently being read by the group. There's quite a lively discussion of it on the group home page.

That gives us three Post-1990 nominations but nothing yet for the pre-1990 category. Y'all don't make me come down and nominate something myself now.

Tom wrote: "That gives us three Post-1990 nominations but nothing yet for the pre-1990 category. Y'all don't make me come down and nominate something myself now."

Sam has two nominations and one is pre ;-)

Wyndy wrote: "Sam has two nominations and one is pre ;-).."

Thank you for catching that.

Pre 1990: KILLERS OF THE DREAM by Lillian E. Smith, 1949.

Tom wrote: "�� Sandi �� wrote: "The Dead Man's Knock The Dead Man's Knock (Dr. Gideon Fell, #19) by John Dickson Carr by John Dickson Carr (original 1958 publish) "

Chasing Me to My Grave defin..."

Sorry it was so late when I posted I forgot. When I can't find a location I go to prior reviews - hoping someone will state the location - this is what I found in a couple reviews - "this book is set in the US, at a fictitious college in Virginia"

I also found this when I went to look to se if my library had a copy I could pick up tomorrow, but no I would have to put a hold on the book...however this was on the library page...

"In general, Carr used Gideon Fell as his detective for novels in conventional English settings but this is set in the United States in northern Virginia.
Review by antiquary
starstarstarempty starempty star
(LibraryThing)"

Here is another pre-1990: Hells Angels, A Strange and Terrible Saga, by Hunter S. Thompson, 1966. Hunter was born in Kentucky, considered himself a southern gentleman, so my guess is that this qualifies him, even though the subject of this book takes place on the west coast. I don’t know if we are allowed to nominate more than one in a category. I would be happy with either. I haven’t read this book but I actually met Hunter back in the early 1970s.

Terry wrote: "Pre 1990: KILLERS OF THE DREAM by Lillian E. Smith, 1949."

Let's go with this one. Regardless of his birthplace, the story and theme of Hell's Angels is not a particularly good fit for this group.

�� Sandi �� wrote: "When I can't find a location I go to prior reviews - hoping someone will state the location - this is what I found in a couple reviews - "this book is set in the US, at a fictitious college in Virginia"..."

I'm sorry, but that's not sufficient. Several of Lee Child's Jack Reacher books are set in the South but I don't consider them southern literature either.

Pre 1990 A Good Man Is Hard To Find by Flannery O'Connor

Dave wrote: "Pre 1990 A Good Man Is Hard To Find by Flannery O'Connor"

That's a short story. I assume you want A Good Man Is Hard to Find and Other Stories? It's been a good while since we have read that one.

Tom wrote: "Dave wrote: "Pre 1990 A Good Man Is Hard To Find by Flannery O'Connor"

That's a short story. I assume you want A Good Man Is Hard to Find and Other Stories..."
yeah that's the one I meant

Tom wrote: "�� Sandi �� wrote: "When I can't find a location I go to prior reviews - hoping someone will state the location - this is what I found in a couple reviews - "this book is set in the US, at a fictiti..."

Ok - then lets go with Stoner by John Williams

The Hard Blue Sky, by Shirley Ann Grau. published 1955

White Doves at Morning for post 1990.

We need one more nomination in each category to wrap it up.

Post 1990 - Lasher #2 in series by Anne Rice, since we did The Witching Hour last year.

Lexy wrote: "Post 1990 - Lasher #2 in series by Anne Rice, since we did The Witching Hour last year."

That does it for the Post-1990 category.

Getaway by Jim Thompson for the final pre-1990 spot please

Thanks RJ. That closes the nominations.

RJ - Slayer of Trolls wrote: "Getaway by Jim Thompson for the final pre-1990 spot please"

Intersting that the book's name is " The Getaway " but ŷ������ just refers to it as Getaway. I hope that doesn't confuse people.

In any event, that does fill up the nominations. I'll post the polls at the end of the month and they will run for ten days. Thank you all for your contributions.