Welcome; Southern Reading Challenge

Welcome to my blog! Not too long ago I discovered the world of blogs and began to realize that there are other people like me out there: people who read! Rather than lurking around and silently enjoying your bookish discussions, I figured it’s time for me to partake in the blogosphere and see if I can (at least occasionally) contribute something enjoyable and worthwhile.

I love words. I love language. I love books. That’s probably why I ended up studying and now, teaching French literature—I get to play around with all of these things that I love. As a result of my years of studying French, however, I have neglected my own cultural roots of south Georgia (though everyone from there emphatically calls it Middle Georgia—it is above the “gnat line,” after all). Since my knowledge of southern literature is nearly nonexistent, I’m joining the Southern Reading Challenge this summer. For the challenge, I must read (and hopefully, enjoy) three books by southern writers. I chose the following for rather personal reasons:

1. A Good Man is Hard to Find, Flannery O’Connor. This Savannah-born writer spent the majority of her life in my hometown of Milledgeville, GA. She is the small town’s claim to fame and they don’t let you forget that! It’s high time I read her.
2. The Heart of a Woman, Maya Angelou. I recently heard Maya Angelou speak and found it incredibly moving. Her voice is so compelling that she could read a grocery list and I would be on the edge of my seat. I hope to find some inspiration here as she reflects on her writing in this book.
3. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Mark Twain. My mother is a huge Mark Twain fan (to the point of repeatedly watching her dvd of Hal Holbrooke’s one-man show). Since I was determined to choose my books for myself when I was younger, I tended to ignore my mother’s suggestions. It is downright disgraceful that my knowledge of Twain is limited to the brief excerpts we read in high school.

Think I’ll go out tonight and buy one of these three!