(Image from Barnes & Noble)

Over the last fifteen years, four women have made it an annual tradition to gather at the beach for a week of R&R.  Dubbing themselves "The Girls of August," they have bonded over everything—from the woes of being doctors' wives to the trials of motherhood (and infertility) to the pains of aging.  When one of the women dies tragically, the group starts to drift apart, halting their cherished girls' weekends for years.  Then, the dead woman's widower remarries and his young bride insists on resurrecting the tradition in an attempt to become a "Girl" herself.  Reluctantly, the group gathers at a remote South Carolina island for a week's vacation.  Along with their beach umbrellas and bathing suits, the women have brought secrets, desperation, grief, and anger—ingredients that will make for a dramatic and unforgettable Girls of August reunion.

I've read and enjoyed a fair number of Anne Rivers Siddons books over the years and it makes me a little sad that the author will never write another (she died in 2019 at 83 years old).  So, when I saw Siddons' most recent book, The Girls of August (2014), in the bargain bin at Barnes & Noble, I snatched it up.  Written when she was in her 70s, the tale is definitely not on par with those she penned in her earlier years.  Still, the novel bears evidence of Siddons' trademark warmth and wit.  The "Girls" are a likable lot, even if they're not fleshed out enough to feel like real people.  As far as plot goes, there's not much here, which makes the book a little dull.  In the past, I've found Siddons' novels sumptuous and immersive—this one isn't that way, although it worked for an easy, breezy summer read.  Although there's nothing memorable or outstanding about it, The Girls of August is an okay novel.  Far from Siddon's best, it is, sadly, her last.  

(Readalikes:  Reminds me of novels by Karen White, Dorothea Benton Frank, and Patti Callahan Henry)

Grade:

If this were a movie, it would be rated:

for language and violence

To the FTC, with love:  I bought a copy of The Girls of August from Barnes & Noble with a portion of the millions I make from my lucrative career as a book blogger.  Ha ha.

Today's Top Ten Tuesday is all about trends in book titles.  Remember the recent feminist uproar over popular mystery/thriller books using the term "girl" instead of "woman"?  That's what I'm talking about.  Titles are important and it's interesting to see how the trends change from year to year and vary from genre to genre.  The topic du jour, then, is Top Ten Most Frequently Used Words In [Insert Genre/Age Group] Titles. 

Before we get to my list, though, I encourage you to join in the fun.  Top Ten Tuesday really is the best time!  It's easy to participate—just hop on over to That Artsy Reader Girl, read a few guidelines, make your own list, then click around the book blogosphere and enjoy reading other people's lists.  It's a fantastic way to find new book blogs, give old favorites some love, and just enjoy chatting about our favorite subject.

Since I read so many mystery/thrillers, I started brainstorming a list for that genre.  With words like death, secrets, lies, kill, dark, etc. piling up, it quickly got too depressing!  So, I turned to a genre whose lighter nature is reflected in softer, more reflective titles that evoke memories of home, family, and summering by the seaside.  Without further ado, here's my list of Top Ten Most Frequently Used Words in Southern Fiction Titles:  

1.  Home/House—Southern novels are often about the draw of the land and how, in the end, it always lures its children home.  Think Falling Home and The House on Tradd Street, both by Karen White; Look Homeward, Angel by Thomas Wolfe; A Land More Kind Than Home by Wiley Cash; Calling Me Home by Julie Kibler; etc.

2.  Sweet—Must be something in that most iconic of Southern beverages ... Think Sweet Tea Tuesdays by Ashley Farley; Sweetwater Creek by Anne Rivers Siddons; Secrets Over Sweet Tea by Denise Hildreth Jones; Sweet Unrest by Lisa Maxwell; The Sweetness of Honey by Alison Kent; etc.

3.  Girl—Think Welcome to the World, Baby Girl by Fannie Flagg; The Summer Girls by Mary Alice Monroe; The Girl Who Chased the Moon by Sarah Addison Allen; The All-Girl Filling Station's Last Reunion by Fannie Flagg; etc.

4.  Glory—Southern pride being what it is, this one makes perfect sense.  Think The Crowning Glory of Calla Lily Ponder by Rebecca Wells; Glory Be by Augusta Scattergood; No Grits, No Glory by Elaine Calloway; etc. 

5.  Sister(s)—Think Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood by Rebecca Wells; The Almost Sisters by Joshilyn Jackson; The Hurricane Sisters by Dorothea Benton Frank; Her Sister's Shoes by Ashley Farley; etc. 

6.  Beach/Tide/Island/Ocean/Sea—It's all about the sand and surf in the South, apparently!  Think The Prince of Tides by Pat Conroy; Sea Change by Karen White; Folly Beach by Dorothea Benton Frank; The Beach House by Mary Alice Monroe; Up Island and Low Country by Anne Rivers Siddons; Beach Music by Pat Conroy; etc.

7.  Tree—I'm not sure what it is about trees in the South, but they appear to be titular gold.  Think Cold Sassy Tree by Olive Ann Burns; The Beach Trees by Karen White; Peachtree Road by Anne Rivers Siddons; The Sweet Gum Tree by Katherine Allred; A Sound Among the Trees by Susan Meissner; etc.

8.  Garden—Think Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt; Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen; The Ladies of Garrison Gardens by Louise Shaffer; etc.

9.  Café—Everyone loves a warm, quirky café.  Think Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Café by Fannie Flagg; The Ballad of the Sad Café and Other Stories by Carson McCullers; The Second Chance Café by Alison Kent; The Calamity Café by Gayle Leeson; etc.

10.  South/Southern—Naturally.  Think South of Broad by Pat Conroy; The Widow of the South by Robert Hicks; Southern Comfort by Fern Michaels; Bound South by Susan Rebecca White; Five Miles South of Peculiar by Angela Hunt; etc.

I'm sure I've missed tons of great Southern novels.  Do you have any to add to my list?  What genre did you pick for today's list?  I'd love to know.  Leave me a comment and I will gladly return the favor.

Happy TTT!

(Image from Barnes & Noble)

Stifled by the expectations of her proper Southern mother, there is only one place tomboy Thayer Wentworth really feels free—Camp Sherwood Forest.  Nestled in the lush North Carolina mountains, the place offers her a warm respite from her chilly home life, a chance to ride horses, run wild, and fall in love for the first time.  It also brings the kind of heartache from which she'll never truly recover. 

Now an adult, Thayer is married to Aengus O'Neill, a handsome professor of Irish literature and folklore.  Living in the grand river home she inherited from her grandmother, Thayer is content.  That is, until Aengus starts to sour on his new job at The University of the South.  When he's invited to a nearby summer camp to share folk tales around the campfire, it seems Aengus has found his true calling.  But, the more time he spends at Camp Edgewood, the more unsettled Thayer becomes with the situation.  Especially when it causes her to remember and confront some very dark secrets about her family, her first love, and her increasingly enigmatic husband.  

I always like juicy Southern family sagas and Anne Rivers Siddons usually delivers a good one. Burnt Mountain (2011) starts out like a typical Siddons novel, with its slow-building introduction to its characters and plot.  It's only around the middle that it starts to flounder.  That's where the story gets ... weird.  While I like the idea of an eerie, not-quite-right summer camp, Aengus' strange transformation comes way too out of the blue to be realistic.  It just feels ... odd.  And the novel grows more and more bizarre from there.  I wanted to like this one, but the story's themes and plot lines seem too disparate, creating an unbalanced tale that did not satisfy in the end.  Since I've enjoyed many of Siddons' novels, Burnt Mountain is a surprising disappointment.  I'd advise readers to skip it and stick the the author's earlier books, which are much better.

(Readalikes:  Other books by Anne Rivers Siddons)

Grade:

If this were a movie, it would be rated:

for language (a handful of F-bombs, plus milder expletives), violence, and sexual content

To the FTC, with love:  I think I picked Burnt Mountain off a clearance shelf at Barnes & Noble or Changing Hands Bookstore.  Not really sure.