Add these Southern authors to your summer reading list
Need a boost to your reading life without leaving the air-conditioning?
Nationally bestselling (and regional favorite) novelist Karen White will be in conversation online with award-winning mystery author Ellen Byron at 7 p.m. CST June 9, thanks to Murder By The Book, a terrific indie bookstore in Houston.
You can watch the free event on the Murder By The Book YouTube channel or Facebook page. If you miss the event tonight, you can also find it archived on the Murder By The Book social media sites—along with scads of other author conversations the store has hosted.
White is the New York Times bestselling author of more than 30 novels, including the most recent “The Shop on Royal Street,” the first in a spin-off series of her Tradd Street novels. White, who lives near Atlanta, Ga., is also a co-author of the May release “The Lost Summers of Newport,” with Beatriz Williams and Lauren Willig.
Byron, a Tulane University alum, writes the Cajun Country Mysteries, which have won the Agatha Award for best contemporary novel and multiple awards for best humorous mysteries. “Bayou Book Thief,” which released this week, is the first in her new Vintage Cookbook Mysteries. She also writes the Catering Hall Mystery series under the name Maria DiRico.
If you visit Houston, Murder By The Book is at 2342 Bissonnet St., 77005. The website, to order books or find out about author events, is www.murderbooks.com.
Mississippi author releases new bridge-game mysteries
In the two years of the Covid pandemic, Oxford, Miss., mystery writer R.J. Lee has added three novels to his Bridge to Death Mystery Series, all involving the game of bridge, small-town shenanigans and murder. The new books in the series are: “The King Falls, “Cold Reading Murder” and “Playing the Devil.” The first book is “Grand Slam Murders.” Published by Kensington, the novels are set in the fictional town of Rosalie, Miss., modeled on Lee’s hometown of Natchez.
The series is well-reviewed by national publications such as Kirkus, who mention Southern flavor, authentic characters and helpful bridge tips. Lee, a charming writer who talks with affection about these cozies, is book touring again and speaks to (and plays bridge with) groups. To contact him, send a message through the R.J. Lee Mystery Writer Facebook page.
John Lewis Writing Grant program scheduled
One of my personal heroes is the late John Lewis, the iconic Civil Rights leader who did so much to change our country for the better, and I was pleased to come across a John Lewis Writing Grant online discussion scheduled for 5 p.m. CST Saturday (June 11). Three Southern authors will read from their work and answer questions during this free celebration of the 2021 recipients. The grants are awarded annually in the categories of fiction, non-fiction and poetry to elevate, encourage and inspire the voices of Black writers in Georgia. Want to read something by Lewis? He wrote “Walking With the Wind: A Memoir of the Movement” and other memoirs, including “March: Book Three.”
The 2021 award winners are: George Chidi, former reporter for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution whose far-reaching journalism career began in the U.S. Army; Ra’Niqua Lee, pursuing a PhD in African American literature at Emory, who writes about her visions of love and the South; and Jae Nichelle, author of the poetry chapbook “The Porch (As Sanctuary)” and a spoken word artist.
To sign up for the event, see: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-2021-john-lewis-writing-grant-recipient-reading-tickets-308311346537.
A lagniappe title for the summer
A release this week has gone onto my to-be-read list: “James Patterson by James Patterson: The Stories of My Life.” Patterson is the best-selling author on the planet, with more than 375 million copies of his work sold worldwide. (As a writer, I MUST read this book, right?) He is the author of the popular Alex Cross and Women’s Murder Club series, among others. Inspired by his son who was a reluctant reader, he also writes books for young readers, including the Treasure Hunters, Dog Diaries and Max Einstein series.
Would love to know what you’re reading this summer. Email me: Judy@JudyChristie.com.
More: Add these books to your summer reading list
Columnist Judy Christie is the author of 18 novels and nonfiction books. With NYT bestselling author Lisa Wingate, she co-authored “Before and After: The Incredible Real-Life Stories of Orphans Who Survived the Tennessee Children’s Home Society,” the nonfiction sequel to Wingate’s novel “Before We Were Yours,” now in paperback. For more about Christie, see www.judychristie.com.
This article originally appeared on Shreveport Times: Add these Southern authors to your summer reading list
