November Book Club Selection

Artist’s rendition of Ella’s land in MAN IN THE BLUE MOON.

When Pat Conroy endorses a novel we pay attention. And when that novel is a rich tale of betrayal and redemption penned by a true Southern gentleman we swoon. It seems that Conroy himself swooned a bit while reading this month’s book club selection, THE MAN IN THE BLUE MOON. This is what he had to say, “Michael Morris has been one of my favorite Southern writers. His new novel is reason for great celebration–a beautifully wrought portrayal of small-town Southern life. Buy it. Read it.”

We couldn’t agree more. Especially about the ‘buy it’ and ‘read it’ parts. And as always, it would be an honor if you read it along with us this month. We’ve devoted all of November to MAN IN THE BLUE MOON. Michael Morris will be visiting with us all month long and we’ll be chatting about the book here.

And the giveaways? Well, you don’t want to miss those either. You can enter for yourself or for a friend. All the prizes would make great Christmas gifts:

Main Giveaway–this custom-made “blue moon” necklace and earrings along with a signed copy of the novel. Leave a comment on this post to enter.

Book Club Giveaway–a signed copy of MAN IN THE BLUE MOON. Participate in our online discussion to enter.

Blog Network Giveaway–Packs of six white linen, embossed panel note cards with an artist’s interpretation of Ella’s land in MAN IN THE BLUE MOON (see painting above).   Each card is titled and signed by the artist, Melanie Morris, wife of the author:  www.melaniemorrisart.com. (All members of our blog network  that to link their reviews below are automatically entered for this giveaway)

About the book:

“He’s a gambler at best. A con artist at worst,” her aunt had said of the handlebar-mustached man who snatched Ella Wallace from her dreams of studying art in France. Eighteen years later, he has disappeared, leaving Ella saddled with debt and struggling to support three sons.

While World War I rages through Europe, Ella begins her own battle to keep the mystical Florida land that has been in her family for generations from the hands of an unscrupulous banker. A mysterious man who arrives at Ella’s door in an unconventional way convinces her he can help, and a tenuous trust begins.

But when the battle for Ella’s land intensifies, the town’s suspicion of her visitor surges, and it’s soon apparent he is as haunted by his past as Ella is terrified of her future. As the two realities collide, hypocrisy and murder shake the coastal town of Apalachicola, jeopardizing everything Ella has fought so desperately to save.

In a riveting portrait of turn-of-the-century Florida, acclaimed author Michael Morris weaves an unforgettable drama of love and loyalty, betrayal and redemption.

Read the first chapter here.

Michael Morris is a Southern Book Critics Circle Award finalist and the author of the acclaimed novels A Place Called Wiregrass, a Christy Award Winner, and Slow Way Home, named one of the best novels of the year by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. A Florida native, he now lives with his wife in Alabama.

About Ariel Lawhon

Ariel Lawhon is co-founder of the popular online book club, She Reads, a novelist, blogger, and life-long reader. She lives in the rolling hills outside Nashville, Tennessee with her husband and four young sons (aka The Wild Rumpus). Her novel, THE WIFE THE MAID AND THE MISTRESS, will be published in January 2014 by Doubleday. Ariel believes that Story is the shortest distance to the human heart.

• 
• 
• 
• 
•