Occasionally, while reading Suzanne Hudson’s collection Deep Water, Dark Horizons, I felt like I might be eavesdropping on some kinfolks — y’know, those kinfolks you don’t necessarily like to claim. The collection commemorates Hudson’s 2025 Truman Capote Prize and you can read my review for Alabama Writers’ Forum here:
Robert McCammon, a true master of suspense, will be inducted into the Alabama Writers Hall of Fame in March 2025. His most recent novel, Leviathan, is the tenth and final book in the popular Matthew Corbett series. I recently reviewed it for Alabama Writers’ Forum:
As we continue to evaluate and honor the legacy of President Jimmy Carter, a new book of essays has been released that considers the many books Carter authored. The Literary Legacy of Jimmy Carter: Essays on the President’s Books is a comprehensive consideration of the dozens of books that Carter, who never used a ghostwriter, wrote — mostly in the years of his post-Presidency. I reviewed it for Alabama Writers’ Forum:
Serendipity happens. As I was traipsing around south Mobile County, Alabama Writers’ Forum posted my latest book review of Mobile and Havana: Sisters across the Gulf. For anyone interested in Mobile, there are so many recent books being written about the area. And this one includes a huge helping of history and architecture and the compelling history of Havana.
Here’s a link to that review:
Historian Mike Bunn’s This Southern Metropolis examines the antebellum history and character of Mobile, Alabama, through the eyes of its myriad visitors. It’s an intriguing dive into a unique Southern city. I reviewed it for Alabama Writers’ Forum.
Robert McCammon, a master of suspense/thriller literature, is about to release Labyrinth, the final volume of his ten-volume Matthew Corbett series. Until that release, you might whet your appetite with the stories of the penultimate Corbett book, Seven Shades of Evil. I recently reviewed Seven Shades of Evil for Alabama Writers’ Forum. Read it here:
“The earnest and sometimes deadpan narrative voices Garrett Ashley so ably creates make the impossible plausible, and the bizarre becomes something to be blithely accepted … The collection is a spectacular debut.”
Sometimes I open a book without any idea what I am about to read. Garrett Ashley’s Periphylla, and Other Deep Ocean Attractions, a collection of short stories, was completely new to me. Here’s my review for Alabama Writers’ Forum:
Pete Candler’s A Deeper South is an intriguing deep dive into the American South — its history, legacy, attractions, and complexities. In his search, Candler also discovers things he never knew about his prominent Georgia family. It’s a wild read. Here’s my review for Alabama Writers’ Forum:
During the years that I have reviewed books for Alabama Writers’ Forum, I occasionally run across a mention of somebody I know, especially in those books with Alabama roots. I was recently asked to review Accidental Activist: Changing the World One Small Step at a Time (Livingston Press, 2024). Accidental Activist is the memoir by Alabama-born progressive activist Mary Allen Jolley, who passed away in 2023. Jolley, who worked for years in Washington, D.C., was instrumental in programs and legislation that were beneficial nationally and to Alabama.
Early in the memoir, Jolley mentions an early teaching position at Cold Springs School in Cullman County. My mother attended Cold Springs School and I realized she might have been a student there when Mary Allen was a teacher. I asked, “Do you happen to recall a teacher at Cold Springs named Mary Allen?”
Mother’s face brightened. “Mary Allen was one of my favorite teachers!” she responded and began to recount memories of Mary Allen and classmates at the time.
The Cold Springs experience is a very small part of Jolley’s memoir, but knowing that Mary Allen of Sumter County was known and remembered fondly by my mom gave the story and the life a more vivid resonance.
Whether or not you have a personal connection to Mary Allen Jolley, her story is an inspiring one, recounting a remarkable life. Here’s my review:
The astonishing fiction of Brad Watson (1955-2020) is available in a new collection, There Is Happiness: New and Selected Stories, an enduring record of a fearless writer whose work should be treasured.
It was my pleasure to review There Is Happiness for Alabama Writers’ Forum. Read the full review here:
Professional Southerner 