books by A Shannon Ravenel Book     books:       A Miracle of Catfish13 reviews Larry Brown A Shannon Ravenel Book, 2007 Beautiful writing I am not a particularly polished reviewer, so I'll make this short. Larry Brown's final book, even unfinished, is a stunning work of fiction. This is the rare book that will have your heart breaking for a child who loves his daddy when the man is unlovable, have you worrying about the welfare of a giant catfish AND give you some insight into Tourrette's syndrome. That doesn't even tell you ...             Lucky Us8 reviews Joan Silber A Shannon Ravenel Book, 2001 Lucky me As you can see, this book got nothing less than 4 and 5 star reviews and for good reason. Aside from the excellent writing style, which doesn't insult your intelligence like Sarah's Key, Joan Silber is one astute author and does not disappoint (Olive Kitteridge and Household Words are also excellent reads). The characters and story in Lucky Us were believable and interesting. Here's a book you ...             Creatures of Habit4 reviews Jill McCorkle A Shannon Ravenel Book, 2001 Another wonderful story collection from Jill McCorkle Jill McCorkle has long been one of my favorite writers--the novel "Ferris Beach" and short story collection "Crash Diet" are two of my all-time favorite books. Her writing has a down-to-earth, true quality. Oftentimes, I find myself either identifying with her characters, or at least having known people very much like them. Not only does she have a gift for writing humor (some of the funniest ...             When It Was Our War: A Soldier's Wife on the Home Front (Shannon Ravenel Books)17 reviews Stella Suberman A Shannon Ravenel Book, 2003 A Delightful Piece of WWII History When It Was Our War is so informative. It describes many aspects of WWII and the American culture at that time. It is extremely enjoyable because the author adds a humanistic aspect by telling her own story of following her husband around the country as he trains to become a bombardier, and by describing the people she meets along the way. People come in and out of Stella's life, and some make ...             Bloodsworth: The True Story of One Man's Triumph over Injustice19 reviews A Shannon Ravenel Book, 2005 Eye-opening read about a serious problem with our criminal justice system. This is an eye opening true story about the issues of wrongful convictions, and the flaws in our criminal justice system that lead to such convictions. I had the pleasure of meeting Kirk. His story is both heartwrenching and compelling. I applaud his ongoing efforts, through this book and his many other personal efforts to right the wrongs in our system of justice. The Maryland legislature ...             The House on Belle Isle (Shannon Ravenel Books)1 review Carrie Brown A Shannon Ravenel Book, 2002 Brilliant stories Carrie Brown's three novels ("Rose's Garden," "Lamb in Love," and "The Hatbox Baby") are captivating and accomplished, and I loved them all, but "The House on Belle Isle" now places her in the ranks of Alice Munro and Peter Taylor and William Trevor as one of the premier contemporary short story writers. Yes, these stories are that good. They are wise, illuminating, sad, gorgeous, and beautifully ...             Verbena : A Novel17 reviews Nanci Kincaid A Shannon Ravenel Book, 2002 Love And Pain In A Red State What Bobbie Ann Mason has done for Kentucky and Lee Smith for Virginia, Nanci Kincaid does for Alabama. In VERBENA she has written a novel that illuminates that part of the South with a gaggle of characters as real as the waitress at your favorite meat-and-three restaurant. Verbena is the lovable central character, the mother of five children and the wife of two husbands, a middle school teacher ...             When Luba Leaves Home: Stories1 review Irene Zabytko A Shannon Ravenel Book, 2003 immigrant life in America I love the vitality of the stories of the DP -- Displaced People -- from the Ukraine who brought from the "Old Country", like family heirlooms, their old angers & fears, to settle into the "promised land". One of the taunts of those who succeed to those whiners who are failing is that if they don't like it here, go back! It is only those who are brash or brave enough to grab the opportunities ...             Ursula, Under (Shannon Ravenel Books)30 reviews Ingrid Hill A Shannon Ravenel Book, 2004 How to value a life? What a great read! It took about 50 pages but once I was there, I was hooked. I love a book that asks a great question and then goes about building an answer. In this case, it's the question of the value of a life (and the value of not rushing to judgement). A child from rural northern Michigan falls into a void while chasing a deer. She is a trailer park kid and of Chinese/Am and Finnish/Am ...             Mrs. Darcy and the Blue-Eyed Stranger9 reviews A Shannon Ravenel Book, 2010 We Shall Overcome Most of these wonderful stories are about Southern ladies overcoming the adversities to which Southern ladies are prone, consisting of dire poverty, physical abuse and sickness or else stifling aristocratic social conventions. Some of the stories are told in the voice of the heroine of Eudora Welty's "Why I live at the PO." Smith has a wonderful ability to adopt this voice even when she's doing ...             Trouble with Girls (Shannon Ravenel Books)7 reviews Marshall Boswell A Shannon Ravenel Book, 2003 Great Collection This collection is for all you lovers of Paul Weller, all you readers of Trouser Press. It will make you wonder where all the friends of your youth have gone, those who grew up 'in various and sundry ways' without you. Lovely.             The Ghost of Milagro Creek (Algonquin Round Table)5 reviews Melanie Sumner A Shannon Ravenel Book, 2010 A Haunting And Mystical Novel Every now and then, a "stealth book" comes along - one that surprises you, captures you in its grip, and doesn't let go until you turn the last page. The Ghost of Milagro Creek is such a book. I expected this book to be something else entirely - a light mystery about two blood brothers who vied for the same gringo girl in the Cain-and-Abel tradition. In reality, the book is lyrical, ...             Confinement (Shannon Ravenel Books)9 reviews Carrie Brown A Shannon Ravenel Book, 2004 best read in years 'confinement' is one of the best books i have read in many years. usually i shy away from refugee stories because they become horribly sentimental, but this is just a nice story about a displaced german tailor. the writing style is good, the characters are well developed, and the ending is complete and satisfying. it shows clearly how persons with solid character persevere. buy this and get a ...             Boone: A Biography47 reviews Robert Morgan A Shannon Ravenel Book, 2007 Best Book I've Read in Years From my blog review: [...] The moment I fell in love with this book came when I pictured Boone, the only living soul living in Kentucky, camped out at night reading Gulliver's Travels and the Holy Bible. What wondrous times those must have been, for a singular man to have an entire territory to himself! Certainly, it was not without danger, but then, as Boone himself once declared, "I wouldn't ...             Winter Run (Shannon Ravenel Books)4 reviews Robert Ashcom A Shannon Ravenel Book, 2002 The True and Forgotten Crops of Farming "What would you take to read if you were going to a desert island?" Shakespeare and the Bible usually head most quick lists, but more extended reflection usually hones in on categories. "Fiction?" "NonFiction?" "Poetry?" "Books?" "Magazines?" We were reminded this week that William Faulkner's hunting stories are our continuing choice of fiction (or semi-fiction). Ever since we discovered them ...             On Agate Hill46 reviews A Shannon Ravenel Book, 2007 Great Book I loved this book, once I was able to establish characters and get over the "hump." It had me hooked. Best book I have read in a long time.             Judge7 reviews Dwight Allen A Shannon Ravenel Book, 2003 THE PRESENCE OF AN ABSENCE It's a fact that the absence of something - or in this case, someone - that has loomed very large in the lives of people can be felt as a presence. In Dwight Allen's debut novel, that presence/absence is the title character, Judge William Dupree. As the book opens, his clerk of twenty years, Lucy, is gathering together a few of his personal effects that she has found in the office. Through her ...             The School of Beauty and Charm13 reviews Melanie Sumner A Shannon Ravenel Book, 2001 A Wonderful Story Okay, this is what I loved about The School of Beauty and Charm: The hamster named America The Beautiful The old Kentucky farmer who asks, "Voulez-vous couchez avec moi?" on his death bed. The sex scene on the Ferris Wheel. The inmate reading Southern Living in her cell. The father who routinely lets the family car run out of gas because he's compulsively shopping for the best price. The ...             The Half-Mammals of Dixie9 reviews George Singleton A Shannon Ravenel Book, 2002 Fiction or Reality? In the South, it is Difficult to Tell Fie, fie, what happened to my review? Down the Bayou Teche....so here we go again! It must have had something to do with those Half-Mammals or the Confederate in the Attic... If you are a Southerner, this book will ring with truth, because Mr. Singleton's characters are so obviously around the block, if not next door. If you know that prosperity can be measured in the number of cars you have up ...             Going Away Shoes8 reviews Jill McCorkle A Shannon Ravenel Book, 2010 A Modern Short Story Master What I found so amazing in these stories is that Jill McCorkle broke all the "classical" rules of drama. That is, instead of writing about "important" people, her characters are like you or me; and instead of invoking unities of time, place, or action - her tales contain memories of a lifetime and multiple subplots which illuminate each other. Every story in this collection has great ...              search for books algonquin, beauty, biography, bloodsworth, blue-eyed, books, catfish, charm, confinement, creatures, front, ghost, girls, half-mammals, injustice, leaves, mammals, milagro, miracle, ravenel, school, shannon, soldier, stories, stranger, triumph, trouble, ursula, verbena, winter books:    Kindle - Amazon's New Wireless Reading Device This is the future of book reading. I have used it and love it! randomly chosen toys & games: Rock-a-bye Penbo home  impressum - about us