FLANNERY: A LIFE of FLANNERY O’CONNOR
By Brad Gooch 

For diehard fans of Southern literature in the Gothic tradition, Flannery O’Connor, Eudora Welty and Carson McCullers are the indisputable icons. Though her life was cut short by lupus, the same disease that killed her father, the small body of work that Flannery O’Connor produced in her thirty-nine years puts her at the forefront of the greatest writers of the twentieth century. Her fans will be overjoyed to read this just-published biography by Brad Gooch. Shedding new insight upon the life of this complicated writer, Gooch “has composed the life that admirers of the fierce and hilarious Georgia genius have long been hoping for.”  Brad Gooch is the recipient of National Endowment for the Humanities and Gugenheim fellowships and is also the author of a much-acclaimed biography of Frank O’Hara, City Poet. Reviewers of this biography have given Gooch high praise for his work. The Los Angeles Times had this to say: “Not only is this book a joy to read, it’s a necessary chronicle of a fascinating, often overlooked key character in modern American letters.”

I found the book difficult to put down. It was easy to read, very illuminating and written in the style of a true storyteller. I loved it!

TIME IS A RIVER
By Mary Alice Monroe

For a bit of light entertainment, this book is a quick and easy read. It made the Indie Bound pick list and is the latest of several books by this South Carolina Low Country author.

Mia Landan, recovering from breast cancer, attends a fly-fishing retreat for cancer victims in the beautiful Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina. Returning to her Charleston home unannounced, she surprises her husband in the midst of an adulterous affair and immediately rushes back to her mountain refuge. She is offered the use of a run-down mountain cabin owned by her fly-fishing instructor, Belle Carson. Carson’s grandmother, Kate Watkins. a legendary fly fisher and journalist of the 1920s, was the last resident of the cabin and died there under a cloud of suspicion, accused of murdering her lover. In her quest to deal with the trauma in her own life Mia is irresistibly drawn to the mystery of Kate Watkins, particularly when she discovers Kate’s hidden journals. Surrounded by the beauty and solace of the mountains and the river Mia is able to effect her own personal healing transformation as she concentrates on unraveling the compelling mystery of Kate. There is a poetic lyricism in Monroe’s fiction and a warmth and believability in her characters that leaves the reader with a good feeling.

Monroe’s newest book Last Light over Carolina is scheduled for release in July 2009. It is hoped that we will be able to get her to join us for a booksigning at Two Sisters Bookery soon afterwards.

SWEETSMOKE
By David Fuller

Another favorite among the books I have recently read is this vivid and very moving fictional account of the life of a slave named Cassius Howard. It is a story of courage and bravery in the midst of almost insurmountable obstacles, and it gives a complete and poignant picture of the indignities and sufferings of daily life in the time of slavery. The meticulous research behind this fiction is evident and adds a dimension of believability that is truly gripping. The story is intriguing, mixing the element of mystery with the pathos of a love story. The author has been a screenwriter for 25 years and the drama he brings to this, his first novel, demonstrate the benefits of his vast experience in that genre.  I would certainly recommend this book and most especially to anyone with a love of history, in particular the Civil War period.