Fiction
- Lee Smith, especially Saving Grace.
- Darnell Arnoult
- Pam Duncan
- Silas House
- Clyde Edgerton, especially the hilarious Raney.
- The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd.
- Ron Rash - One Foot in Eden is my favorite of his novels.
- Lois Battle - Although I have to admit that her latest, The Florabama Ladies' Auxiliary and Sewing Circle, is not my favorite, it was still an enjoyable read. I think she does a very good job of intersecting the lives of multiple characters in her plots and of implementing different points of view, especially in Storyville and Bed and Breakfast.
- Where the Heart Is by Billie Letts.
- Final Vinyl Days and Other Stories by Jill McCorkle. My favorite is "Your Husband Is Cheating on Us"
- And speaking of stories, I am very intrigued by sudden fiction. My favorite piece of sudden fiction ever is "Missy" by Richard Bausch. It was published in the 1999 New Stories from the South from Shannon Ravenel/Algonquin. I think it is masterful.
- Bel Canto by Ann Patchett. The book jacket's reference to terrorist activity in a South American county belies the incredible beauty of this book. I truly did not want it to end. Writers, pay attention: Patchett is a wonderful wordsmith who implements skillful foreshadowing and seamless movement from one POV to another. "No one was quite willing to lie, but they tugged down the edges of the truth."
- Time and Again by Jack Finney. A time-travel book with a healthy dose of history. I did not enjoy the sequel, From Time to Time, as much.
- To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee (of course!)
Nonfiction
- Cathedrals of Kudzu: A Personal Landscape of the South by Hal Crowther. I confess I have to read his essays with a dictionary at my side, but he's always got something thought-provoking to say.
- West with the Night by Beryl Markham. Markham was the first person to cross the Atlantic solo from east to west. Born in England and raised in east Africa, she lived a life of extraordinary adventure, and she writes about it beautifully.
- On Extended Wings: An Adventure in Flight by Diane Ackerman. Lessons in life set around this well-known author's experience of learning to fly.
- Amelia and Eleanor Go for a Ride by Pam Munoz Ryan, pictures by Brian Selznick. This is a beautiful children's book that I love so much I have to put it in my list. It is based on a real encounter between Amelia Earhart and Eleanor Roosevelt.
- The Life You've Always Wanted by John Ortberg. This book details how "ordinary people" can implement spiritual disciplines in their lives. Ortberg gives many realistic examples of how our everyday mindset and habits can interfere with our spiritual growth and suggests step by step methods for allowing and developing greater spirituality.
- If You Want to Walk on Water, You've Got to Get Out of the Boat by John Ortberg. I love this book! It is about taking risks (not bungee jumping, but spiritual and emotional risks) in order to discern and follow God's calling for your life. Ortberg leads the reader through questions like What is my deepest dream? and What do I want my epitaph to say?
- Go to Your Studio and Make Stuff: The Fred Babb Poster Book. Fred is a great witness, in art and essay form, to the importance of creativity in the lives of adults and children.
Poetry
- Darnell Arnoult
- Bill Brown
- Raymond Carver
- Billy Collins
- Stephen Dunn
- Jane Gentry
- Diane Gilliam Fisher
- Jane Hicks
- James Weldon Johnson
- Ted Kooser
- Maurice Manning
- Mary Oliver
- Frank X. Walker
- Dana Wildsmith
- Marianne Worthington
