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Gods of Howl Mountain
Gods of Howl Mountain: A Novel | Taylor Brown
44 posts | 24 read | 72 to read
The third novel by the acclaimed author of The River of Kings and Fallen Land. Set in the high country of 1950s North Carolina, Gods of Howl Mountain is a dark and compelling novel of family secrets, whiskey-running, vengeance, and love. Maybelline Docherty, Granny May, is a folk healer with a dark past. She concocts potions and cures for the people of the mountainsher powers rumored to rival those of a wood witchwhile watching over her grandson, Rory Docherty, who has returned from the Korean War with a wooden leg and nightmares of the Battle of Chosin Reservoir. Rory runs bootleg whiskey in a high-powered car to roadhouses, brothels, and private clients in the mill town at the foot of the mountainsa hotbed of violence, moonshine, and the burgeoning sport of stock-car racing. Granny May must help her grandson battle rival runners and federal revenue agents, snake-handling pastors, and the mystery of his own haunted past: namely, the real story behind his mothers long confinement in a mental hospital, during which she has remained completely silent. With gritty and atmospheric prose, Taylor Brown brings to life a perilous mountain and the family who rules it, tying together past and present in one captivating narrative.
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TuesdayReviews
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Pickpick

Gods of Howl Mountain has got granny women, moonshine, revenuers, moonshine runners, early stock car racing, and end-of-the-road roadhouses and whorehouses, snake handlers. All nestled in the mountains of northwest North Carolina.

Brown‘s prose is beautiful and powerful without being inaccessible or overly literary.

#CountryNoir

Full review: https://hillbillyhighways.wordpress.com/2019/03/13/country-noir-gods-of-howl-mou...

Kaye Good review. Can you recommend some other Southern authors that are newer ? ( most of my favorites are old or dead) 5y
TuesdayReviews Ron Rash (https://hillbillyhighways.wordpress.com/2018/12/05/country-noir-where-to-start-with-ron-rash/). Daniel Woodrell. David Joy. Charles Frazier. My next read is Bull Mountain by Brian Panowich. I‘ve heard great things. If you don‘t mind some fantasy in your southern lit, I‘m a huge fan of Some Dark Holler by Luke Bauserman. 5y
lynneamch Saw Taylor Brown today (my first Zoom) . New one tagged sounds good, but I think I'll start with this one. 4y
10 likes1 stack add3 comments
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TuesdayReviews
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“Eustace had stills scattered all across the mountain, in gullies and coves and laurel slicks. They were run by a small army of old men with gnarled hands and bent backs, many disfigured by war or logging accidents or lovers‘ squabbles. Their silence was legendary. They‘d farmed rock-ridden hillsides, or tried, and fought Germans with bayonets and trench guns in hells of mud. They‘d cut whole mountains to stumps for Northern timber barons.”

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TuesdayReviews
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“The whole valley once smoked like a vent in the earth, people said, the blue smoke of a hundred still-fires spread dusky and ragged across the sky. Whiskey was life. It fed and clothed. A single mule, which could carry only four bushels of corn out of the valley, could carry twenty-four bushels‘ worth of corn whiskey to market.” #CountryNoir

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TuesdayReviews
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I just started this one late last night and I‘m already hooked. We‘re traveling so I left the dust jacket at home. #CountryNoir

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intothehallofbooks
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Pickpick

I‘m pushing this book to everyone, everywhere because it‘s so good. I love that it is true to the region and it‘s the perfect amount of gritty. Taylor Brown has superb talent for gorgeous prose; my favorite parts of the story are little details that he included seamlessly, often left out of other stories but beautifully described here. I can‘t get over how tough-as-nails, crass, and whip-smart Granny May is! Every character is perfect, really.

49 likes2 stack adds
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intothehallofbooks
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You guys!! I can‘t get enough of this book. I started reading it days ago and I‘m not quite half thru because I read pages and then reread them and then heck I may reread them again. THESE SENTENCES ARE DELICIOUS. The details are precise and perfect. This book is just pure North Carolina: the mountains, the trees. It could be other places in the south but my gosh it feels so like home to me. And the character Granny May? Love her! Love. Her.

kyraleseberg I LOVED this book!! 5y
DGRachel YES! This book is amazing. It‘s one of my favorites and Granny May is EVERYTHING!!! 5y
intothehallofbooks @DGRachel I think Granny May HAS to be one of my all-time favorite characters now. She is so super fantastic. I just can‘t get over her!! 😂💪🏻 5y
intothehallofbooks @kyraleseberg YES!! When I started it, I felt like I would really like it, but I‘m completely blown away by how great it is. I absolutely loved it and honestly I sort of want to read it again right away. 5y
kyraleseberg @intothehallofbooks I completely understand- the writing is so strong and Granny May really is one of the best characters I've read in years!! Brown seriously wrote a love letter to Appalachia with this story. 5y
53 likes4 stack adds5 comments
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Well-ReadNeck
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I live in Atlanta now but grew up a small town girl. Here‘s a post I wrote about some recent favorite novels that take place in small town America.

https://wellreadneck.wordpress.com/2018/12/14/home-for-the-holidays-books-about-...

Herschelian Just read your blog post on books about “small town” life; now my TBR list is even longer! 5y
92 likes3 comments
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Mitch
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Pickpick

Set at the end of the Korean War, these are deeply scarred characters. Add to that - anger, deep family bonds, history, and redemption & the cocktail is bound to ignite. There's folklore, herbal magic, drag racing & prose that is brimming with vivid imagery, told in a lush language. But it's not a loud book. It needs to be read slowly to let the intensity settle. Granny May is a a character I've never met on the page before. Loved her!

DGRachel Love this review and I‘m so glad you enjoyed the book. ❤️ 5y
Bkwurm What a great review. Thank you. I don‘t think I would normally pick this up, but now I‘m putting it on my list. #TBR #BlameLitsy 5y
Mitch @DGRachel it was so good. I thought I‘d fly through it because it‘s quite short, but I was hooked on every word and detail. 💕 5y
Mitch @Bkwurm it‘s not an obvious choice but I think and it‘ll surprise you with the depth of each character I hope! 5y
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Mitch
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Diving straight into this today. I‘ve wanted to read it for ages and thanks to @DGRachel I‘ve got a copy on my hands. I could be further away from the mountains of North Carolina but boy Taylor Brown is taking me there! 3 chapters in and love it.

GrilledCheeseSamurai This has been on my tbr for sooo long. I really oughta get to it! 🤔 5y
DGRachel 😍😍 5y
Mitch @GrilledCheeseSamurai so far... I‘d recommend it moves up your TBR! 5y
dsfisher An awesome read. Love Granny Mae 5y
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Mitch
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#litsymail! Thank you for the wonderful birthday present and letter ( both came on the same day - super coordinated!) @DGRachel I‘ve wanted to read this for a long time, it‘s so exciting to read books not published yet in the U.K. Love it and even more so now I know it‘s set in your home state. ❤️🙏❤️

DGRachel I‘m so glad they both arrived. How fun that they actually came together! I hope you enjoy Howl Mountain. It was one of my favorite reads of the first half of the year. I met the author and bought his back list, too. Granny May is one of my favorite literary characters. 5y
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lauralovesbooks1
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Pickpick

When Rory Docherty comes back from Korea missing part of his leg, he settles into a world of bootlegging, running whiskey in the mountains of North Carolina. Serpent handlers, folk healers, small town sheriffs, and federal agents all have a part to play in this tale about hard times in hard places. As an extra bonus -- Rory's grandma, Granny May is an incredible character. I'd love a novel about her.

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dsfisher
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Pickpick

A young man back from Korea, an amputee who is running moonshine in the western hills of North Carolina. He is living with his bad ass Granny Mae, a former prostitute who is now a herbalist. There is a dark secret that affects them all. Wonderful characters and a lyrical author.

DGRachel Granny Mae is EVERYTHING!!! 😍🤩😍🤩😍🤩😍 6y
larah17 This sounds great - I had to stack it purely because of the bad ass granny 😁 6y
Bookmarkie You had me at badass granny 6y
123 likes9 stack adds3 comments
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dsfisher
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Enjoy your Memorial Day.
Today I want to honor my 3xGreat Grandfather David Van Wormer who died fighting in the Civil War at the age of 56.
1. Still reading and the goal is to finish today!
2. Reading
3. I love it all, steak, chicken, burgers, veggies 🌽, watermelon.
#manicmonday
@JoScho

JoScho Enjoy your day reading ❤️ 6y
euphemy Reading and cleaning house, another cookout. Favorite picnic food is potato salad and hot dogs with 🍉 6y
82 likes2 comments
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dsfisher
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1. Yanny
2. Music
3. No idea
4. Don‘t think so
5. Ok

#friyayintro
@jesshowbooks

DGRachel I‘m surprised you and I heard the same thing. 😂😂 6y
dsfisher @DGRachel Very true, I wasn‘t surprised that I heard the wrong word with my whacked hearing but I am surprised you did. 6y
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dsfisher
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This is very hard. @amber_ldsmom
1. Alice Hoffman
2. JK Rowling
3. Stephen King
4. Martha Grimes
5. Sharon Kay Penman
6. James Michener
7. Ausma Zehanet Khan
8. Fredrik Backman

somebooksaround 🙌🙌🙌 6y
Centique I love that you included Martha Grimes - she is so cool! 6y
85 likes2 comments
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JazzFeathers
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Apparently, l'm already behind. It's already the end of April and I've only read one book from my Spring/Summer #TBRBingo card.

I've started the tagged book. It's good, but lately l don't really feel like reading. I think l'm probably a bit fatigured by work and other commitments. Hope to come out of this slump soon. I don't like being this lazy.

l'm planning to takle a couple of these book in the up coming #NetGalleyTBRAttack challenge 😁

Riveted_Reader_Melissa You should have added more Tolkien to your list and then you‘d be right on track. 👍 6y
JazzFeathers True 😂 6y
59 likes2 comments
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JazzFeathers
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There's no way l let this #NetGalley file expire without reading it. Heard too ma y great things about it here on Litsy.

Let's go!

DGRachel Sooooo good. 😊 6y
45 likes1 comment
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peacegypsy
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I‘m always interested in Appalachian literature, so I‘m happy to see this on my desk today! 😊

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DGRachel
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Met the author at #ParkRoadBooks tonight and he was kind enough to inscribe all of his books for me. I loved Howl Mountain, so I had to get his backlist. Such a nice guy. 😊

tammysue Nice!! 6y
GondorGirl Awesome! 6y
Schlinkles He‘s such a great guy. ❤️ Taylor Brown! 6y
dsfisher So glad you had a great time after a long and stressful day. 6y
JazzFeathers I'm going to read Howl Mountain soon. I've heard lits of good things here on Litsy 😊 6y
89 likes2 stack adds5 comments
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kyraleseberg
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Pickpick

Rory Docherty left the Korean War without one of his legs & returned home to Howl Mountain & his grandma, known by locals as Granny May, a folk healer & all around feisty woman. He runs whiskey through the hills with his bud Eli for Eli's uncle Eustace. Rory finds himself outrunning the federals, falling in love with a snake charming preacher's daughter, & looking for answers about the night his dad died & his mom fell silent forever. (Cont'd)

kyraleseberg I enjoyed and got lost in the atmosphere the author created of this community and the time period. The descriptive language was beautiful and the character dialogue was genuine. This was my first book by this author but won't be my last! 6y
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jenpro
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Mehso-so

Loved the characters, but I really missed something with all the elusive, flowery language. Found myself constantly rereading passages and still missed something that I desperately needed to get what I wanted from this book. I would love to discuss it...

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Mitch
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Congrats on your milestone @ErinSueG Spring brings so many great new releases. I‘m excited to read the tagged book- have a rush at the moment for a great yarn! #5kgiveaway

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DGRachel
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Pickpick

Cheating the Litsy character limit - full review in the image. 😉

DGRachel @dsfisher There‘s now a copy in our Kindle library if you want to read it before May. 😘😘 6y
dsfisher @DGRachel why before May? 6y
dsfisher Duh, never mind 6y
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DGRachel @dsfisher Well, you can read it after May, too. I just figured, if you didn‘t want to wait to access the hard copy, I would make sure the eBook was available to you. 😘 6y
dsfisher Very thoughtful. You should be asleep 😴 6y
DGRachel @dsfisher You‘re right, of course. I‘m signing off now and will take my shower and head to bed. Stil worried about Mr. P. He really hurt a back paw when he slipped earlier. I may have to call the vet in the morning and see if I can take him in. 😢 6y
dsfisher Damn nails 6y
92 likes7 comments
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ReadingEnvy
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Pickpick

1950s Appalachian North Carolina with folk healers, snake handlers, bootleggers, and family secrets. I loved the character of Granny May!

Bookish.SAM Sounds interesting! 6y
BookBabe Ooh, sounds fabulous! #Stacked! 6y
Soubhiville Sounds fun! 6y
DGRachel I‘m still not done 😭😭 6y
79 likes7 stack adds4 comments
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Amie
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Pickpick

Finished this #netgalley arc on the day the book is published.

Set in the mountains of North Carolina in the 1950s, a richly descriptive, gritty, evocative novel that tells the story of a woman and her grandson who confront the past that haunts them.

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kyraleseberg
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Book mail!!! 🎉😍😍😍

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DGRachel
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I may be struggling with the book overall, but I LOVE Granny May. She‘s a hoot and a half. 🤣🤣

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DGRachel
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I MUST finish this #netgalley #arc today (it released tomorrow), but I‘m struggling. The writing is beautiful, but I keep wondering “what‘s the point”. I need something serious to happen to move the plot along as I‘m getting bored and I‘m only at the 45% mark. Losing steam. 😔

rjsthumbelina Bummer - what a good title, though! 6y
DGRachel @rjsthumbelina it‘s got great reviews so far on Litsy, so I‘m sure it‘s just me, but I‘m a little bummed. I wanted to devour it and instead I‘m having to fight for the will to keep reading. 🤷🏻‍♀️ 6y
rjsthumbelina I know the feeling. That always stinks 6y
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Amie I'm trying to finish this book too. I'm at about 70% and I agree about the good writing but wondering what's the point. I'm guessing it's building up to revealing what happened to Rory's mother, but I'm not sure what else. I still really like it, even if it's just for the beautiful writing. 6y
DGRachel @amie I‘m so glad I‘m not alone. I‘m only up to 60%. I won‘t be finishing tonight. 😳 6y
sloanghost Good to see someone else's dark orange-tinted nighttime tablet! Sometimes I feel like the only one 6y
DGRachel @sloanghost The joys of chronic migraines and blue light sensitivity! I was so excited when Kindle rolled out their blue light filter! 6y
sloanghost @DGRachel omg that's EXACTLY why I use it too! I don't even read print books anymore because the tiny text strains my ~delicate~ eyeballs and triggers headaches. 6y
DGRachel {{hugs}} fellow migraine warrior! 💜💜 @sloanghost (edited) 6y
85 likes9 comments
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Amie
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Cat + good book 😻

kyraleseberg I'm patiently waiting for this book to arrive Tuesday!!! 6y
69 likes1 comment
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DGRachel
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Luna has to go into the shop tomorrow and I‘ll be stuck in the waiting room for hours. I have trouble reading heavier books in noisy spaces (my #NetGalley ARC), so I went searching for books that would fill challenge prompts and could be read with distractions (classic kids books). I also confirmed that I have a book buying problem. There were 21 titles waiting to download onto my Kindle when I turned on the wireless. 🤦🏻‍♀️

dsfisher Holey moley! So what new books are on our Kindle library? 6y
DGRachel @dsfisher In my defense, it‘s been at least a month if not 6 weeks since I‘ve synced my Kindle. I‘ve been reading on my iPad and there are four volumes of Saga and two or three issues of the Black Panther comics. Book wise, Furiously Happy by Jenny Lawson, a bunch of romance novels, and a book I had to take back to the library before I could read it, so I bought it. (edited) 6y
StephanieGeiser Oh! I forgot about The Borrowers! Good choice. 6y
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dsfisher I want to read the Howl Mountain & Furiously Happy. Awesome 6y
DGRachel @dsfisher Howl Mountain is an ARC. If it finishes as strongly as it has started, then I will buy a copy when it releases on the 20th. Actually, the author is coming to Park Road Books on the first Friday in April. I‘ll probably get a signed copy of the book then. 6y
dsfisher Did you read the ARC ? I‘m assuming that it is good enough to buy. 6y
rwmg If you're going to be there for hours, The Little Prince is probably too short so I would recommend The Borrowers on the grounds that I have read it but I haven't read Howl Mountain 6y
DGRachel @dsfisher I‘m reading it now. 6y
DGRachel @rwmg I‘m hoping to get more of my ARC read while it is quiet. Then I figured I‘d read whichever I could focus on, but good to know Prince is short. Maybe I‘ll knock that off and then turn to The Borrowers for the remaining time. 🤔 6y
83 likes9 comments
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Schlinkles
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We have a book signing with Taylor next week, reading up so I can talk him up.

DGRachel I am loving this book so far. If it finishes strong, I will definitely buy it when I comes out!! 6y
38 likes1 stack add1 comment
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DGRachel
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I just started this #netgalley read (cutting it close) and I‘m so mad I have to go to work. At the 4% mark and the writing is so evocative and gorgeous I do not want to put the book down. Why, why can‘t I just get paid to sit at home and read good books??

AlaMich If you find a job that will pay you to do that, could you let me know please? Thanks!! 😂 6y
Amie I'm reading this too and it's so good! 6y
JazzFeathers I'm so happy to hear this. I had it from NetGalley too and can't wait to ready. Thougjt l have a "working" problem too ? 6y
Djspens Lol when my daughter was in high school, I always said she wanted to "read books" for a living. She's now a Junior at U of Iowa double majoring in Journalism and English. Still on track for that "reading career" ? 6y
82 likes1 stack add4 comments
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SunriseBooks

Best ending I‘ve read in awhile.

1 like2 stack adds
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Booksniffer
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Pickpick

Rory Docherty returns home from the Korean war with a missing leg to run whiskey and live with Granny May in the mountains of North Carolina. He has Ron ins with the sheriff, other runners and a snake church. He is a character men would love.

Granny May is a former whore turned healer who forages for leaves, roots and herbs. I particularly liked her and her story except for her age of 54 and it being considered so old (I'm 54) And feeble ish.

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kamoorephoto
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Here‘s my Jeffers-approved (I think) February TBR so far:
- a couple of ARCs to read (Gods of Howl Mountain, The Italian Party, Sunburn)
- my #LMPBC read ‘Sourdough‘
- my #HorrorPostalBookClub read ‘The Fireman‘, plus I think we are reading ‘Carrie‘ for the Stephen King read.
And I MUST read ‘Truly Devious‘ please.
That‘s my PLAN...what am I missing? About 6 more books 😹 #FebruaryTBR
PS. I think Batman and Wonder Woman need to be added...

Crowcrumbs @kamoorephoto I want to boop the little pink nose so bad! S/he‘s so pretty. :-) 6y
kamoorephoto @Crowcrumbs He‘s my pretty boy alright, and he knows it!!! Jeffers has just that one tabby ear and a tabby tail, but then is all white. He‘s so gorgeous. And he thinks he owns me. He ‘picked me out‘ (he kept paw-ing at me) when I was taking photos at the cat rescue so that I‘d take HIM home...he knew we were a purr-fect match 💓💓💓 6y
Alicia Yay! Hope you like Sourdough! 💕💕 6y
Crowcrumbs Awwww @kamoorephoto that‘s the best way to get a kitty! @Quasifesto was similarly chosen by our handsome parlor panther. 6y
78 likes4 comments
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HillsAndHamletsBookshop
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Pickpick

Two words: Granny May. The story here is good, great even, but the bawdy, foul-mouthed, Appalachian folk-witch healer and herbalist steals the show. Her dark, earthy wisdom is balanced with a sly, almost miscreant humor. I think Taylor Brown captured Tom Robbins and Flannery O'Connor and shook them in a cocktail shaker with moonshine and out poured Granny May's character for The Gods of Howl Mountain.

9 likes1 stack add
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HoneyBaby
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A little more than halfway done with this one. It‘s a very good read. The author is very descriptive, makes you feel like you are actually living in it. I will definitely be reading more of this author.

RebelReader I'll take it when your done! 😜 6y
HoneyBaby @RebelReader okay mama bear! 6y
bookaholic1 You two are hilarious, sounds great 6y
29 likes3 stack adds3 comments
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Well-ReadNeck
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Pickpick

This novel of historical, regional fiction tells the story of Rory Dochtery, a veteran of the Korean War who has returned to his Morth Carolina mountain home. The setting was vividly drawn and the voice of the characters pitch perfect. Granny May is the best character I‘ve read in a very long time. Highly recommended. #netgalley

JazzFeathers So happy ro hear this. Just received it from NetGalley 😊 6y
88 likes5 stack adds1 comment
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HiddenGemBooks
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Gods of Howl Mountain, explores a world of folk healers, whiskey-runners, and family secrets in the high country 1950s North Carolina.

Rory has returned home to the wilderness that holds its secrets and keeps the outside world at gunpoint. Slowed by a wooden leg and haunted by memories war, Rory runs bootleg whiskey for a clan. Between deliveries to roadhouses, brothels, and private clients, he lives with his grandma, and evades federal agents.

38 likes3 stack adds
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Rissa1
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Pickpick

This giveaway book impressed me.
Taylor Brown used words on a page to create a movie in my mind. Howl Mountain is a place I want to see, and Granny May a woman I want to learn from. 5 stars for this book. #stmartinspress #giveawaywinner

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Rissa1
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Today it is waiting room reading. #stmartinspress #vahospital #proudwifeofausvet

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Rissa1
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Super excited to be starting this. #stmartinspress #ARC #giveawaywinner

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swishandflick
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Came home from the post office to bookmail of my own! Two ARCs I won on Goodreads and a Nora Roberts I just had to have when B&N had a sale online 😄📚 #ARC #bookmail

88 likes1 stack add
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swishandflick
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I won my very first Goodreads Giveaway!! And it sounds really good. Southern gothic set in the NC high country 🙌🏽

This will be my first Taylor Brown - has anyone read his other stuff?

Cinfhen Congrats 💖😊 6y
Melissa_J This sounds good! Plus I love the cover. Stacked! 6y
Tamra Anxious to see if you like it. Intriguing! 6y
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Rissa1 I just won this too! Very excited to read it. 6y
Schlinkles The River of Kings was great. 6y
Lmstraubie Yay 🙆 6y
swishandflick @Schlinkles Yay, that's a good sign! Thanks 😄 6y
tammysue Yay! I haven't read any of his books but this sounds good. 6y
83 likes7 stack adds8 comments