Southern Book Club Novels & Stories

“You looked, I don’t know, peaceful.” “Honestly, this book is terrible,” Audrey said, holding up some thriller that I vaguely recognized. “I don’t know why the hell Annabelle has it on her shelf, but I fear for any of the recommendations she’s been giving out at the bookstore.” I suddenly realized where I recognized the book from. “Oh, that’s the one that all the book clubs were reading a while back,” I said. “She probably only got it because of that.” “Oh, that makes more sense,” Audrey said. There was an awkward silence. “So, are you going to sit down or what?”

Being alone with a good book and alcohol or caffeine is the best feeling in the world, probably better than sex. The next day, I walked into Monet's and met a group of ladies who were fine as hell. I was relieved to see that there were no men here. At least if there was going to be a man, he should be gay, and we all agreed to that. We were six: Cindy Bellman, Aisha Mohammed, Drew Finch, Jessica Boston, Lexi Hale, and me. We were just six beautiful ladies who loved to talk about our favourite books and rant about how J. K. Rowling is a bitch for her transphobic tweets. Sometimes we'd just go out to have some fun. We weren't just a book club; we were a sisterhood.

"Book club." "Where?" "The community center on Maple Street." I groaned. "You've got to be kidding me." "I'm not." "Dean, I'm not interested in sitting around with a bunch of strangers talking about books I haven't read." "Then maybe you should have read them," he countered, still not looking at me. I wanted to reach forward and smack the phone out of his hand. Instead, I just sank lower in my seat and glared at the back of his head.

Henry took a sip of water before placing a stack of documents on Winifred’s desk. “Miss Zea, have you heard of Southern Sophistication?” He asked. “Southern Sophistication,” Winifred said before she went silent for two seconds. “I have heard about it,” she said and nodded quickly. “Southern Sophistication is the largest new media platform in the south, and it’s dedicated to promoting fashion brands,” Henry explained. “It is as prominent as Northern Grace in the north,” Winifred said.

"Well, I'll put your therapist on hold." Twelve hours later – Savannah, Georgia The humidity was the first thing I noticed. California had pampered me. The Southern air clung to my skin like a clingy ex— hot, humid, and unwilling to let go. As the black SUV passed through the Thornwell gates, I kept my eyes fixed ahead. The ride was curved just as it always was. Magnolia trees towered above like ancient, disapproving gods. The house appeared on the horizon. Still monstrous. Still perfect.

I said with a smile. Her eyes lit up with recognition. "Oh! You're the Gonzalezes! In the Miller beach house! We're so glad someone is finally living there year-round." She leaned in conspiratorially. "We have a weekly book club. Tuesdays at ten. We're starting a new mystery next week. Nothing too taxing. We'd love to have you." A book club. The invitation was so ordinary, so wonderfully mundane. For a moment, the old Gwen surfaced—the one who scheduled meetings with senators and orchestrated multi-million-dollar legal strategies. But she was quickly quieted by the woman I was now.

Vito commented. Liam smiled as a light bulb appeared in his mind. After analyzing the current attack, the southern border had the smallest attackers. But Liam knew it was just the beginning. If what Clavier said was true, Liam had to do something that not everyone might agree on. Liam’s memory,

“You’re one of those conspiracy people.” “I am,” she said proudly. “Thank you for noticing.” I poured tea into mugs and added sugar, too much, as usual. Bailey watched, horrified. “Sweet tea,” she said, sounding like she’d discovered a crime. “You’re a sweet tea person.” “Yes,” I said, defensive on principle. Bailey leaned closer, eyes gleaming. “Okay. So here’s what we do. We start a book club.” I blinked. “What?” “A book club,” she repeated, like it was obvious. “For romance. Specifically romantic fantasy. Specifically.” she lowered her voice again, conspiratorial “ the ones with wolves.”

Klaud Group was an international business venture, and to bring them down, the entire world had to look at their crimes. "You think this is enough to rattle me?" Anatasia said as she looked at him dead in the eyes. The Southern Beta almost replied that it was enough to bring Klaud Group down, but he didn't want to do it the easy way. Too many lives suffered at the hands of the company. Their lives were used and discarded like some trash, as if they meant nothing to everyone. Even if those lives were the lives of criminals, it was still unfair to treat them that way.

"You stop reading because it feels like work instead of escape." "Exactly," I said, relieved that he got it without me having to explain. "I keep rereading the same pages and realizing I don't remember anything I just read." He smiled. "That's why book club helps. Other people keep you accountable. I’m part of a book club actually that started out in January. It’s just a dozen people, and we read different genres every week. But it’s so nice, and it helps to keep me accountable because without it, I won’t even read anything."