Appalachia

    Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver

    Promoted as an “Appalachian David Copperfield,” Barbara Kingsolver’s Demon Copperhead is the story of a boy born to a teenaged single mother in a single-wide trailer. The boy has no assets other than his dead father’s good looks and copper-colored hair–although his helped immeasurably by his wit and drive to survive, whatever is thrown his …

    Shiner by Amy Jo Burns

    Shiner was a DNF for me. I read about half, and was impressed by some beautiful writing, and the characters were fascinating…but I swear I just kept thinking about a video I saw recently, interviewing people at a diner in WV, and they went around the table talking to these nice folks who were nearly …

    Angels Burning by Tawni O’Dell

    I admit it. I apparently am a name bigot. Otherwise, why was I so hesitant to dive in to Tawni O’Dell’s new book Angels Burning? I am pretty sure I read her Back Roads (2001), but I had no strong feeling about her other than that her named evoked a memory of a real-life woman …