Thursday, June 07, 2007

1st Southern Reading Reviews In!

Here's a taste of southern reading going on in the challenge:

Fond of Books stands at the head of the class by being the first to read and review a southern book. The Color Purple had Fond of Books saying, "What a wonderful book. I had seen the movie many times and love it so I was pretty sure I would love the book too. After reading this I appreciate how well the movie stayed with the original story."

Diane from Nanners and Noodles read The Ballad of the Flim Flam Man by Guy Owen. She had this to say, "Some ideas are timeless, and I found I could relate to the cynicism of Jones about the greed of most men, the old idea that you can’t con an honest man, and the apparent lack of Christian ideals in some of our religious leaders, even though the con takes place over the television rather than in revival tents."

MamaT from Summa Mamas has completed Kaye Gibbons’s Sights Unseen. She had this to say, "The story of Maggie Barnes and her family as told by her daughter Hattie. Maggie is that woman known in her small North Carolina town as "that Barnes woman with all the problems." Her problem is mental illness--bipolar disorder in particular. A very clear-eyed look, in my opinion, of the costs of living with such a person, both to the person herself and to her family. The story has a twist--thanks to medication, electroconvulsive therapy, and psychiatric intervention, Maggie becomes well. The interesting thing is to see how that change affects her family. Gibbons has a gift for writing things so realistically that you lose track of the fact that you are reading a novel and assume that you are reading an autobiographical tale instead. Very good."

Lynne from Lynne’s Little Corner read Between Georgia by Joshilyn Jackson. She had this to say, "I loved this book! I had read GODS IN ALABAMA a short time ago and enjoyed it, but this one is much better. The characters are great - you can picture them in your mind and hear them speak. You can feel the love and pain between them. They had problems and took care of them in their own way - not always the best way, but they did what had to be done. They're strong people, although some of them didn't realize the strength that they possessed."

13 comments:

GirlyWithATwist said...

I wanna join!!! I have a few books picked out from what I already have. - Fried Green Tomatoes, Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood, The Firm, A Time to Kill, and of course - Gone With The Wind.

Debi said...

Oh no...now I'm feeling really behind. But I can't wait to go read their entire reviews!

maggie moran said...

Great, Angela Marie! Be sure to place your name and a link back to your list on Mister Linky. You will find said Linkmister about 5 posts down. This will make you eligible for all sorts of southern prizes! :D

Oh, no worries,Debi. Justtrying to hook southern readers with southern readers. :)

Anonymous said...

I hope to start one of my challenge books soon. I am already feeling like a slacker :)

maggie moran said...

Oh goodness no, Iliana. This is meant to be a hazy, lazy summer challenge. Just trying to encourage some talk. :)

Anonymous said...

I am going to be behind. I still have to finish "Elephants". I am thinking of starting with "Prince of Tides". I have a signed copy from Pat Conroy that Martin got me when he was on tour and met him. I only saw bits and pieces of the movie so I don't think it will distract me. I am guessing that one counts right? I've heard nothing but good things about the book and have always intended to read it. Nows the time!

maggie moran said...

How cool, to have your very own autographed copy! Don't worry about gettig behind, you do have three months. :D

Kevin Stilley said...

Thanks for keeping us up-to-date. I will look forward to the reviews you link to. BTY, I have my review up for Their Eyes Were Watching God.

Kevin Stilley said...

That should have read "reading the reviews you link to."

Carol M said...

I finished reading Sweet Hush by Deborah Smith. It's about Hush McGillen who is a very private, strong woman. She built her family's apple orchard into a very big business while trying to keep some family secrets. When her son elopes with the President's daughter her world is turned upside down and nothing will ever be the same again. I enjoyed this story so much that I already have plans to buy more of Deborah's books!

Deborah Smith writes novels about the modern Appalachian South. She writes for Belle Books. They publish books about or set in the South.

Carol M said...

I love Gone With The Wind. It's one of my all time favorite books about the South. I think the movie did a good job but the book is so much better!

Anonymous said...

I'm halfway through my first book!

Susan said...

I just have to say I love your blog -- because of all the southern sayings and ways...
I can't wait to read the books you've listed. :)