Summer reading counts for WV Reads 150
Suggested Reading
Sponsors
- The Friends of The Library Foundation of Kanawha County
Books with a 'WV' Label on the Spine
Anything that has a "WV" label on the spine counts in this category.
Monsters of West Virginia: Mysterious Creatures in the Mountain State
001.944 G95m
From well-known monsters like the Mothman to underrated and up-and-coming creatures like the snallygaster, this book will satisfy the cravings of all monster lovers and cryptozoology enthusiasts. Whether you're a skeptic or a believer, you're sure to find enjoyment in this entertaining compendium of the unusual.
The Ballad of Trenchmouth Taggart
Meet Trenchmouth Taggart, the oldest living man in West Virginia, a man whose epic and absurd life story unfolds from the moment of his frozen-river baptism in 1903. Trenchmouth, nicknamed for his inexplicable, lifelong oral affliction, is orphaned and then raised by the Widow Dorsett, a strong mountain woman who teaches him to fend for himself. Trouble seems to follow Trenchmouth as he goes through his life with stints as a mine war sniper, musician and prize-winning reporter. But Trenchmouth always finds a way to triumph.
search Novelist® PlusWild Sweet Notes: Fifty Years of West Virginia Poetry
811.54 W66
This varied collection of remarkably high-quality poetry will enchant readers throughout the English-speaking world. The book will appeal to readers young and old, to students and gardeners, to political activists, to anyone who responds to natural beauty and to truth. Former West Virginia Poet Laureate Irene McKinney has said that poetry is the one form of art which can't "sell out." This book doesn't either.
Hawk's Nest: A Novel
This is the riveting tale of starving men and women making their way from all over the Depression-era United States to the hope and promise of jobs and a new life. What they find in West Virginia is "tunnelitis," or silicosis, a disease which killed at least 700 workers - and probably many more - a large number of them African American; virtually all of them poor. Skidmore's novel provides a narrative with emotional drive, interwoven with individual stories that capture the hopes and the desperation of the Depression.
Stonewall Jackson: the Man, the Soldier, the Legend
B J14R
An exhaustive account of the life of Stonewall Jackson from his early years as an orphan until his death after being accidentally shot by his own troops. In the process, the author explodes such familiar legends as Jackson's fondness for lemons and charges such as the one that Jackson fathered a child during his service in Mexico.
search Novelist® PlusSurviving Mae West
Tess is anything but an ordinary country girl living in the bustling city of New York. In an untimely twist, this native West Virginian has sought her employment amongst the seedy brothels, embracing the life and career of prostitution. A number of trials will test her in all facets of her life, leading to understanding and misunderstanding among her friends and her family. Tess relates her stories of pain, joy, depression, loneliness and her strength to endure in a journal which is sure to delight and shock readers.
The Baptism of Billy Bean
Lane Hollar's seen little of the world beyond West Virginia - Parris Island and Vietnam - but that was enough. Now, 30 years later, he's estranged from his only son, Frank, and from society at large. Lane has his grandson, his daughter-in-law, his bait shop and his banjo, and he desires or needs nothing else. But then one day, he and Toby are out fishing when they witness a drug-related murder. Suddenly, the boundaries of his world are no longer his to define.
search Novelist® PlusWest Virginia Tough Boys: Vote Buying, Fist Fighting, and a President Named JFK
978.4043 D26w 2008
An intimate peek at mountain politics and the 1960 presidential primary campaign. Rich and straightforward stories of political tomfoolery, vote-buying and eventual victory for JFK in West Virginia's primary, often cited as the most important and vital primary win in Kennedy's run for the Whitehouse.
The Midwife of Hope River
Midwife Patience Murphy has a gift: a talent for escorting mothers through the challenges of bringing children into the world. Working in the hardscrabble conditions of Appalachia during the Depression, Patience takes the jobs that no one else wants, helping those most in need - and least likely to pay. She knows a successful midwifery practice must be built on a foundation of openness and trust - but the secrets Patience is keeping are far too intimate and fragile for her to ever let anyone in.
search Novelist® PlusWe Are Not Afraid
975.449 H62w
Hickam's book is a little different from the others that emerged nationwide after the September 11 attacks. What sets his stories apart is where they all take place - the mining town of Coalwood, W.Va., the setting for his bestselling memoirs Sky of Stone and Rocket Boys. In this inspirational guide to overcoming fear, Hickam shares anecdotes from his life, mainly having to do with the values he learned in the small, humble town of Coalwood.
search Novelist® PlusNight of the Hunter
Inspired by serial killer Harry Powers, this best-selling novel served as the basis for Charles Laughton's classic noir film. Renamed Harry Powell, the lead character in this book, with LOVE and HATE tattooed on his fingers, is remembered as one of the creepiest men in book and cinema history.
search Novelist® PlusAshes of Roses & War
Told many times that women could never be doctors, Jane Jarvis goes as far as threatening to marry the village idiot in order to follow her grandfather to a field hospital during the Civil War. Now a beautiful woman, Jane falls madly in love with a Confederate Major under the most unimaginable hardships of life in a makeshift war hospital.