APPALACHIAN DAUGHTER

by Mary Jane Salyers, for Tantor Audio

On the last day of eighth grade, Maggie begins to dream of finding a way to escape the drudgery and confinement of life in the hollow and establish her independence. Her plan begins to fall in place when she enters high school and discovers she has a natural talent for excelling in shorthand, typing, and other business classes. Meanwhile she spares no effort in helping her family continue to survive despite their poverty, a less than fertile few acres, and a family history of instability. The typical spoken language, folkways, traditional beliefs, and religious practices are skillfully woven into this portrait of Appalachian family life. The author's sympathetic insights into mountain culture combined with memorably etched characters and events create a realistic reflection of Tennessee mountain life during the decade following World War II.

AN EVERYDAY HERO

by Laura Trentham, for Macmillan Audio

An emotionally layered novel about redemption, second chances and discovering that life is worth fighting for. At thirty, Greer Hadley never expected to be forced home to Madison, Tennessee with her life and dreams of being a songwriter up in flames. To make matters worse, a series of bad decisions and even crappier luck lands her community service hours at a nonprofit organization that aids veterans and their families. When Greer meets fifteen-year-old Ally Martinez, her plans to stay detached and do as little as possible get thrown away. After Greer is assigned a veteran to help, she’s not surprised Emmett Lawson, the town’s golden boy, followed his family’s legacy. What leaves her shocked is the shell of a man who believes he doesn’t deserve anyone’s help. When a situation with Ally becomes dire, the two of them must become a team to save her—and along the way they might just save themselves too.

PIECES OF THE HEART

by Karen White, for Penguin Audio

Caroline Collier is a woman bogged down in the harsh realities of a life barely lived. Stress from her all-consuming job as an accountant has given her panic attacks, forcing her to take a leave of absence from work. And though her chances of relaxing in the presence of her overbearing, perfect mother are slim, she joins her at the family’s vacation home in the mountains of North Carolina. Though Caroline loves the serene beauty of Lake Ophelia, peace of mind is not to be found. Memories of her beloved younger brother, who died when she was seventeen, continue to haunt her, while the tension between her mother and her still simmers. Only their neighbors, the husband and daughter of one of Caroline’s childhood friends, seem able to penetrate her cool reserve, giving Caroline the courage to face her biggest fears—and dive headfirst into life...

SPRINGTIME IN MAGNOLIA BLOOM

by Paula Adler

Welcome to Magnolia Bloom, where hearts heal and magic happens... in a castle... in East Texas. The MacInnes sisters, different in every way…except for how much they need each other. Alyssa’s country music career was a dream come true. But lately, something’s off. The words, the notes, the passion…they’ve abandoned her. Bailey won’t be denied what she wants. Not ever again. And she’ll do whatever it takes to make sure her daughter reaches her full potential, too. Cammie is at rock bottom. She lost her husband, her law practice, and her fancy lifestyle practically overnight. Alyssa, Bailey, and Cammie aren’t asking for happily ever after endings, but with sisterly love and the magic of Magnolia Bloom, anything is possible.

THIS I KNOW

by Eldonna Edwards, for Tantor Audio

Eleven-year-old Grace Carter has a talent for hiding things. She's had plenty of practice, burying thoughts and feelings that might anger her strict Evangelical pastor father, and concealing the deep intuition she carries inside. The Knowing, as Grace calls it, offers glimpses of people's pasts and futures. It enables her to see into the depth of her mother's sadness, and even allows Grace to talk to Isaac, her twin brother who died at birth. To her wise, loving Aunt Pearl, the Knowing is a family gift; to her daddy, it's close to witchcraft. But it doesn't take her special talent to know that her small community is harboring its share of secrets. But when her mother lapses into deep depression after bringing home a new baby, Grace will face a life-changing choice—ignore her gift and become the obedient daughter her father demands, or find the courage to make herself heard, even if it means standing apart.

RUNNING ON RED DOG ROAD

by Dreama Hall Berkheimer,

for Tantor Audio

Gypsies, faith-healers, moonshiners, and snake handlers weave through Drema's childhood in 1940s Appalachia after her father is killed in the coal mines, her mother goes off to work as a Rosie the Riveter, and she is left in the care of devout Pentecostal grandparents. What follows is a spitfire of a memoir that reads like a novel with intrigue, sweeping emotion, and indisputable charm. Drema's coming of age is colored by tent revivals with Grandpa, poetry-writing hobos, and traveling carnivals, and through it all, she serves witness to a multi-generational family of saints and sinners whose lives defy the stereotypes. Just as she defies her own.