American southern literature seems to come in two forms: Gothic-tinged tales from the likes of Faulkner or O’Connor, or ribald, good-ol’-boy frolics from writers like Rick Bragg or Roy Blount, Jr. Culpepper Webb’s novel, "Lifted... Read More

In 1945, two young boys survive World War II and begin a life-long friendship. Franz, blond and fair-skinned, is an orphan child of Nazi Germany. He finds a nearly dead boy, dark-haired and obviously Jewish, and sneaks him into the linen... Read More

“‘Truly, through the process of alchemy, many miracles shall be wrought.’” Emilia Serafina, the heroine of Nonna’s Book of Mysteries, clings to these words from her great-great-great grandmother’s strange book, A Manual to... Read More

“Her heart beat through her skin and the skin jumped, the hard bone of a child’s elbow or knee in its womb.” Michelle Hoover documents the difficult lives of two farmwomen who raise crops and families and even assist each other in... Read More

Set in the tumultuous world of French-Indian conflict in eighteenth-century Mississippi, An Indian Star Among Suns offers a lush, richly detailed account of Natchez life. The story follows Star Eyes, a young and vibrant Indian maiden as... Read More

Haunting. Disturbing. Very nearly true. "A Jew Must Die", by Jacques Chessex, is a fictionalized account of the horrific murder of Arthur Bloch, a Jewish livestock dealer in the Swiss village of Payerne. When Bloch is coaxed from Market... Read More

A secret diary, written on papyrus scrolls to a beloved deceased sister, re-imagines the life of Cecilia, a young Roman martyred for being a secret Christian. In Catholic tradition, Cecilia is renowned for her beautiful voice and the... Read More

Bai Ganyo, Bulgarian anti-hero, is “a broad-shouldered, dark-eyed, dark-haired, swarthy man with prominent cheekbones, a turned-up mustache, and a five o’clock shadow.” He’s the title character of a series of short stories and... Read More