According to Encyclopedia Britannica Online, Southern Gothic is “a style of writing practiced by many writers of the American South whose stories set in that region are characterized by grotesque, macabre, or fantastic incidents.” Or in other words, Pat Controy meets Stephen King.
Somehow, I’ve managed to avoid this entire subgenre until I picked up a copy of Four and Twenty Blackbirds by Cherie Priest. This debut novel tells the story of Eden Moore, an orphan who can see ghosts. Eden was raised by her protective, yet close-mouthed aunt who refuses to satisfy Eden’s natural curiousity about her heritage. After her maniacal cousin tries to kill her for a second time, Eden determines to track down all the skeletons in her family’s closet, including the truth about the three ghosts she’s known since childhood.
Although there are some spooky moments in the book, it’s more a Southern novel with supernatural tinges than an occult thriller (as may be usual in this genre). I enjoyed Eden’s voice, especially the childhood scenes, and thought the book very well-written for a first novel. So if you’re a fan of Southern ghost stories, consider giving Four and Twenty Blackbirds a try.
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My mom just finished listening to the unabridged audio of Power Play by Joseph Finder. Here’s what she thought:
Mona Lisa Awakening by Sunny is a cross between Anne Bishop’s Black Jewels series and Laurell K. Hamilton’s Meredith Gentry series. Sunny’s writing style is lyrically unique, though. I found myself responding to her heroine despite, or perhaps because of, the familiar story line of a benevolent queen in a world where most queens are power-mad, torture-happy tyrants and where paranormal powers are often gained through sex. If you enjoy dark, erotic romance then consider adding Sunny to your list of authors to try.
One of the books I just read in my quest to create this blog was The New Rules of PR and Marketing: How to Use News Releases, Blogs, Podcasting, Viral Marketing and Online Media to Reach Buyers Directly by 
