The editors of Southern Literary Review select one book each year to receive special recognition. It recognizes books published between October of the previous year to October of the current year. The Book of the Year should Be written by a Southern author or have a Southern setting. Have lasting value as part of the […]
2022 Book of the Year: “Wild Spectacle: Seeking Wonders in a World Beyond Humans” by Janisse Ray
December 27, 2022 by Leave a Comment
2021 Book of the Year: “The Committee” by Sterling Watson
December 26, 2022 by 1 Comment
The editors of Southern Literary Review will select one book each year to receive special recognition. The award recognizes books published between October of the previous year to October of the current year. Criteria The Book of the Year should: Be written by a Southern author or have a Southern setting. Have lasting value as […]
Legal Thrillers: Why we love them—and reviews of three new ones
December 20, 2022 by Leave a Comment
Essay and Reviews by Claire Hamner Matturro What is it about legal thrillers that consistently entice readers who return to time and time again to this genre? Maybe it starts with the enduring legacy of To Kill a Mockingbird, American’s most beloved book, according to a PBS poll. At its core, Mockingbird is a classic […]
“Ariel’s Island” by Pat McKee
December 6, 2022 by 1 Comment
Ariel’s Island (Southern Fried Karma LLC, 2020) by Pat McKee is a wickedly intelligent, provocative, and creative novel which checks all the boxes of a riveting legal thriller. A “Best Legal Thriller” winner at the 14th annual National Indie Excellence Awards, Ariel’s Island stars six-year associate Paul McDaniel. He is a one-time poor boy whose […]
“The Way of the Saints” by Elizabeth Engelman
December 5, 2022 by Leave a Comment
Florida resident Elizabeth Engelman enters the ranks of praise-worthy novelists with more than a swirl of mysticism and a great deal of grace in her debut The Way of the Saints (Southeast Missouri State University, 2021). Her book is a compelling story of three generations of a Puerto Rican family struggling to survive cultural, historical, […]
The Official Southern Literary Review 2022 Holiday Gift Guide
November 23, 2022 by 1 Comment
Donna’s Picks For readers who liked Where the Crawdads Sing: In the Lonely Backwater by Val Niemen For fans of graphic novels: The third in a series by Robert Gipe, Pop For Tony Soprano fans and fans of dark financial world fiction: Coyote Loop by L. C. Fiore For Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil fans: The […]