Southern Reading Challenge 2009

Now how could I pass this up? I've lived in the South most of my life, and always enjoyed reading its literature. Besides, who could ignore that gorgeous button?

The Southern Reading Challenge runs from May 15th to August 15th, and is being hosted (as it was last year) by Maggie of Maggie Reads. The goal is to read at least three books during that time, and they can be any genre or style, just as long as they have something to do with the American South. The challenge announcement page has all the rules, as well as links to several lists of books, if you need ideas for reading material. So if you've got a hankerin' to get back to the magnolias and the mint juleps (and you know what it means to miss New Orleans), head on over and sign up.

For my three books, I'll probably read The Optimist's Daughter by Eudora Welty, Ellen Foster by Kaye Gibbons, and Victory Over Japan by Ellen Gilchrist. Then, if I have time left over (she said, laughing insanely), I might choose one from this list:

Lunch at the Piccadilly by Clyde Edgerton
The Floatplane Notebooks by Clyde Edgerton
To Dance With the White Dog by Terry Kay
Pale Horse, Pale Rider by Katherine Anne Porter
Miss Julia Speaks Her Mind by Ann B. Ross
Delta Wedding by Eudora Welty

And the Mrs. Murphy Mysteries by Rita Mae Brown, set in southern Virginia, are also possibilities.