In my newspaper column this week in The Nashville Graphic, I offered some reading suggestions for folks who are unable to get out. [Note: the newspaper content is free until further notice.] I’m thinking for some folks, these authors might be slightly under the radar, but they shouldn’t be.
Of course, high on my list — shameless plug — is my new book Galvanized, out next month, and my first book, Memory Cards.
•Ron Rash is a North Carolina author and ought to be a household name. Unfortunately, all the movies from his books are dogs except for one. I highly recommend Serena, The World Made Straight and One Foot in Eden. I also love his short story collections — Burning Bright is my favorite, but I also love Chemistry and Nothing Gold Can Stay.
Most are set in the North Carolina mountains. Serena is one of the best female villains ever. The World Made Straight is quite a good movie and One Foot in Eden could have happened right here in Nash County.
•In 1995, the movie Devil in a Blue Dress was a huge hit for Denzel Washington. He played Easy Rawlins, a fascinating character in novels and short stories by Walter Mosley. The movie was good, the book is even better, as is Six Easy Pieces.
•I’ve loved short stories since I discovered old O. Henry, Agatha Christie and Ellery Queen collections on my classroom shelves at Southern Nash Junior High back in the 1980s. So, those three go without saying.
For a more modern suggestion, it is hard to beat Elmore Leonard. If you haven’t heard of him, you’ve likely heard of his movies — too many to list — and his short story “Fire in the Hole” inspired the amazing TV series Justified. You might also remember watching 3:10 to the Yuma. He has a number of short story collections and all them have real endings.
•If you’re hurting for sports but want some depth, James McKean’s Homestand follows the journey of a 6’11 kid who played college basketball against Lew Alcindor and became a fantastic creative writing professor.
He was one of the most brilliant people I ever studied with and there is a story within a story in each chapter, from a homemade dragster to working in a service station.
•Most folks don’t necessarily think of Gay Talese as a sportswriter. Closing in on 90, he’s still writing, but made his name in the pages of magazines like Esquire where his genius “Frank Sinatra Has a Cold” appeared in the 1960s (and can be read online for free).
In addition to his novels, Talese wrote about some amazing sports figures, including known pieces on Joe DiMaggio and on several boxers after they LOST championship fights. His Gay Talese Reader even has a mafia story.
•David McCullough needs no introduction to people who love history. He’s been cranking out bestsellers for decades and you can’t go wrong with one of his selections. However, I read 1776 early last year, and it is one of the best books on George Washington and the American Revolution I’ve ever touched. It ends too fast, which is always a good sign for a book.
•If you want to read a classic that was made into a fine movie, check out Cold Mountain by Tar Heel Charles Frazier. It’s the Civil War in a way that you didn’t see it in school. This book endures and led to a feat few can claim — every one of Frazier’s books has been a bestseller. All of them.
Here are some other quick suggestions:
•Confederates in the Attic by the late Tony Horwitz, about the Civil War 130 years later.
•I’ve not mentioned poetry, but anything by Mary Oliver or Billy Collins might lead you to realize that the only reason you didn’t like poetry in school is because you didn’t get to read anything written in the last 50 years.
•Bland Simpson appears on UNC-TV shows quite a bit and has written several interesting North Carolina books. Among his best are Two Captains from Carolina and The Beautiful Nell Cropsey, about an unsolved Elizabeth City murder.
•Stephen Ambrose might have had some controversies before he passed away, but he is the reason we got Band of Brothers and other essential World War II reads.
•John McPhee once wrote an entire book about oranges. And it was interesting. Much of his best work is about nature and the environment, a good start is The John McPhee Reader.
•Larry Brown wrote fantastic novels and short stories, but his nonfiction work Billy Ray’s Farm will strike a note with anyone who grew up on a farm, and appeal to those who didn’t as well.
I may add to the list over the next week or so and welcome any suggestions you want to make in the Comments. I love talking about books, so don’t be shy.