We know that our region of the country has produced more highly gifted, motivated fiction writers over the last hundred years or so than any other, and we concede that, yes, there probably is something in the water. It has become customary, perhaps to the point of being trite, for reviewers in the South to render tribute to an outstanding, living writer by linking him or her to a famous counterpart from a previous era in the same neck of the woods. Tom Franklin, of Oxford, Mississippi, and before that Dickinson, Alabama, does not need such puffery. He has reached the top of the ladder with his previous novels, Smonk and Hell at the Breech, and the story collection Poachers. But a thought that reoccurred to me as I read this latest work is that Franklin appears to have channeled Faulkner’s passion, spirit, and insight, without exhibiting any sign of the latter’s occasional affectation.

For readers, this first person account of a military typist from Mobile as he experiences General MacArthur’s post-World War II occupation of Japan is immediate and compelling. “Van” Vancleave expects a routine tour of duty, but life hands him something quite different when his roommate turns out to be a shyster who weaves the unsuspecting Van into his schemes. Then, to complicate matters even further, Van’s wife sends disconcerting news from home, leading Van to examine his life and the circumstances around him. The Typist, set convincingly at the mid-point of the twentieth century, underscores the fact that the problems of war know no century.

Ruby Pearl Saffire is a true patriot, as evidenced by her bejeweled red, white, and blue name. And like any true patriot (as opposed to the impostor who simply waves or wears a flag— symbolism and substance are two very different things according to Ruby), she has penned a manifesto. Ruby’s manifesto is not for the faint-of-heart, for it has less to do with politics and sociological theories and more to do with sex (XXX sex, to be exact).

In this fast moving novel brimming with more family secrets and drama than a family reunion gown awry, twenty-two year old Lizzy Wallace is torn between caring for the sick and dying and fending off relatives stealing family heirlooms. Lizzy, an emergency room nurse in Montgomery, returns to her small hometown to be with her mother, who is dying of cancer. Pam wants to die at home surrounded by friends. She hopes to make peace with her sister, Tanya, but Tanya will have none of that. Tanya is too busy going through Pam’s china cabinet and closets looking for heirlooms. She particularly wants the silverware that Grandmother gave to Pam.

From the publisher: Condoleezza Rice has excelled as a diplomat, political scientist, and concert pianist. Her achievements run the gamut from helping to oversee the collapse of communism in Europe and the decline of the Soviet Union, to working to protect the country in the aftermath of 9-11, to becoming only the second woman - and the first black woman ever — to serve as Secretary of State.

From the publisher: NewSouth Books is proud to announce the republication of Lewis Grizzard’s They Tore Out My Heart and Stomped That Sucker Flat. Grizzard was known for his quick wit and often deadpan humor—he is one of the South’s most beloved humorists—and his They Tore Out My Heart was one of his most enduringly popular works. It has sold over 100,000 copies.

From the publisher: Recollections of War Times is a dramatically improved edition of William A. “Gus” McClendon’s memoir of his service in the 15th Alabama Infantry. It has long been recognized among the rarest books by any veteran of the Army of Northern Virginia.

From the publisher: Matter to Mind to Consciousness: Anatomy of the E.L.F. by T. Lee Baumann, M.D., explores and explains the possible links between human consciousness, the paranormal and science. "Previous books seem to only speculate on possible explanations for human conscious thought," says Baumann. "This book offers the results of scientific and medical experimentation."

From the publisher: In the early 1990s, while cleaning out the barn on his property in Bessemer, Alabama, Allen Durough discovered the remnants of the lifework of African American architect Wallace A. Rayfield, including several hundred of Rayfield’s drawings, floor plans, business advertisements, family portraits, and graphic art pieces. This book gathers that priceless material legacy into a cohesive whole, reproducing 159 illustrations that document Rayfield’s life and work on two continents.