My book groups boasts a handful of genteel ladies from the South, and their perspective on our readings - especially those set in states below the Mason-Dixon line, is always illuminating. Whether nostalgic or just as a salve to the slightly less genteel way of life that they endure here in New England, these ladies often bring the works of Southern writers to the table. I am offering up a few more... these are this years SIBA winners, which honor books "either set in the South or by a southern author (or both!)" and sponsored by the Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance:
Children's: The Secret World of Walter Anderson by Hester Bass (Candlewick)
Cooking: The Lee Brothers Simple Fresh Southern by Ted and Matt Lee (Clarkson Potter)
Fiction: The Help by Kathryn Stockett (Putnam)
Nonfiction: The Most They Ever Had by Rick Bragg (Macadam Cage)
