The Undertaker's Daughter by Kate Mayfield

Historical Fiction - 3.5 stars

Sold as a cross between Six Feet Under and The Help, The Undertaker's Daughter is Kate Mayfield's memoir about growing up in 1960s Jubilee, Kentucky in her home that doubled as a mortuary. Her father served as the undertaker as well as the town ambulance driver, and Kate enjoyed every minute she spends with him. She wouldn't, however, spend time in the embalming room.

Mayfield weaves various relationships into the story, from Ms. Agnes, the eccentric older "lady in red," to her bipolar and sometimes violent sister, Evelyn. Subject matter spans many topics, including the argument for concrete vs. metal vaults, desegregation, and small town politics. It is obvious that her father was an alcoholic and a philanderer, but was her favorite person in the world. Poignant and often funny, I recommend this book to anyone who wants a good, interesting read, especially book clubs.

A Place at the Table by Susan Rebecca White

Fiction - 3.5 stars

I will admit, at first I was a little worried about this book, as it is one of Oprah's book club picks (not a huge fan of Oprah). However, once I got into it, I really enjoyed the story. This is the story of three  outcasts whose paths meet at Café Andres. 

Bobby Banks is a young gay man who grew up in Decatur, Georgia. While struggling with his parents' rejection, the AIDS epidemic in 1980s New York City, and utter heartbreak, he is enlisted by the aging café's owner to revive the place with his new interpretation of southern cooking.  

Alice Stone, the former chef at Café Andres, is famous, but has a mysterious past. During her tenure, she wrote a groundbreaking cookbook celebrating her poor Southern heritage, and it causes problems for a few closest to her. 

Dealing with the breakup of her marriage, Connecticut resident Amelia Brighton seeks comfort from her aunt, an editor living in New York City.  During her time of healing, a family secret is discovered in Alice’s cookbook, and the three lives are affected as they come to grips with the past together. 

Because the story is broken into three parts without explanation of the character changes, the book is challenging to follow at times. However, once the story finally comes together, it is touching. I thoroughly enjoyed it. 

Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen

Fiction - 3.5 stars

Claire Waverley is a caterer who uses plants from her garden to evoke feelings in her clients. She works in her garden, talking to her mysterious apple tree as if it can hear her. Family legend says that if someone eats from the apple tree, he sees the most important event in his life. Claire's sister, Sydney, flees with her daughter from her life across the country with an abusive man. She comes back to Claire in Bascom, NC and finds herself in the very place she escaped. Evanelle, an older cousin, has the gift of clairvoyance, and distributes gifts before the receiver know they're needed. These Waverley women are the talk of the town, and their legacy of loneliness and magic brings them closer together as they find love and friendship. Garden Spells is an enchanting, easy read, and like The Peach Keeper, it's just a good story. It's an awesome read for a lazy Sunday.

The Peach Keeper by Sarah Addison Allen

Fiction - 3.5 stars

In her novel, The Peach Keeper, Sarah Addison Allen blends friendships, sibling relationships, and Southern hospitality into a sweet story with a very happy ending. Thirty-year-old Willa Jackson returned to her rural North Carolina home in Walls of Water to escape her failures. Instead of escaping them, she faces them head-on, reconnects with her family, and begins new relationships that she never thought she'd have.  In the meantime, she becomes involved in a 75-year-old murder mystery involving her grandmother and the beautiful mansion her family occupied in the 1930s. While not a Pulitzer Price winner, the book club candidate is an easy read, perfect for the beach or to read while sitting on your front porch swing, sipping sweet tea. It took me all of two days to read it, and I loved every minute of it.

As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner

Fiction - 2 stars

I gave this book 2 stars only because I am supposed to appreciate it as a work of fine literature. Never before reading this, and not since I read Love in the Time of Cholera have I experienced such a violent dislike of book or a writer. Now, I am not a huge Hemingway fan, but I would read A Farewell to Arms once a week for a year before I would pick up another Faulkner work. If you are a Faulkner fan, I am sorry if I've offended you. However, "No way, Jose - you can't make me" is what I would say if anyone asked me to read Faulkner again. Can you tell I didn't like it?

When Crickets Cry by Charles Martin

Fiction - 3.5 stars

This book is just plain good. Set in North Georgia, When Crickets Cry is the story of Reese, a mysterious man who lives on Lake Burton next to his brother-in-law, Charlie, and Annie, a young girl in need of a new heart. Filled with humor, heartbreaking tragedy, and hope, this book was a quick read and had a wonderful message.  Its a true Southern tale by a Jacksonville writer, and I really loved it.

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt

Fiction - 4 stars - As my mother-in-law says, "That is not Savannah!" However, it's a great story with memorable characters, and it is more intriguing and funnier than the movie (which I also liked). I highly recommend reading this book, even if only for the drag queen and the bulldog stories.

Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe by Fannie Flagg

Fiction - 5 stars - A true southern classic, Fried Green Tomatoes... gives readers a view of life in southern life from post-WWI through the early 1980s. Very different from the movie, the book details the lives of many characters that the movie omits, and it delves into topics that make the book truly provocative. It also describes the bonds of friendship as vital to the female characters. For me, the book was familiar, and it will be to anyone who has spent any time in the small-town South.