Mary Ann Wilson's READING AMERICA Discussion Series
READING AMERICA: SHORT FICTION FROM FLANNERY O'CONNOR TO STEPHEN KING.
Text is: THE OXFORD BOOK OF AMERICAN SHORT STORIES, 2ND ED. 2013 edited by Joyce Carol Oates.
Class is at PRETTY GOOD BOOKS Sunday afternoons from 3-5pm on Sept. 20, 27, & Oct. 4.
To register simply use the drop down menu on the registration page. Choose how many classes you’d like as well as whether you’d like to purchase the textbook along with your registration. Classes are just $10 each. Can’t make it to all three classes? No problem. Only pay for the classes you plan to attend.
The textbook is already available for pickup at Pretty Good Books!
We will be reading some classic and brand new short stories about families, the urban vs. rural divide in American culture; crime, justice and law; race and region; immigration, ethnicity, and the American dream. You will recognize familiar voices such as Eudora Welty's, and be intrigued by newer ones like Junot Diaz.
A recent LITHUB essay argued for the continuing relevance and importance of the short story in American literary life and culture, and for how it seeks to capture where we are at a particular cultural moment.
We hope you join us!
Preorder Murder on Pine Mountain by “Cold Case” Clay Bryant
PreOrder the latest True Crime thriller by “Cold Case” Clay Bryant. This book will be available at Pretty Good Books for pickup or delivery on October 20th! Then, join us for an author event with Clay Bryant himself. He’ll talk about the Pine Mountain Case, answer audience questions, and sign books on Saturday, October 24th at 1pm here at Pretty Good Books!
About the book
On a cold February morning in 1990, a commuter driving Georgia Highway 190 near Pine Mountain made a discovery that would haunt Harris and Meriwether Counties for years: a young man, barely alive, abandoned on the roadside with brutal injuries that didn't match any "accident." What first looked like a hit-and-run quickly unraveled into something darker--an organized act of violence tied to the cocaine trade, barroom power, and a crew that believed fear was currency. Follow the death of Paul McKeen Jr. from the first 911 call through the long, grinding years of false stories, intimidation, and silence. As investigators dug past staged explanations, witnesses began to crack: ex-girlfriends, ex-wives, frightened associates, and reluctant insiders finally admitted what they heard, what they saw, and what the men involved bragged about afterward. The case became a test of whether justice can survive when physical evidence is thin--but human truth keeps surfacing. Author Clay Bryant traces the path from roadside mystery to indictments, pretrial strategy, and a high-stakes trial built on testimony, pattern, and motive.
About the Author
Lewis Clayton (Clay) Bryant was born and raised in Troup County, Georgia, and began his career in law enforcement in 1973 as a radio operator with the Georgia State Patrol. In 1976, at the age of twenty-one, he became the youngest trooper on the Georgia State Patrol. In 1980, he became police chief of Hogansville and stayed in that position for twelve years until resigning in 1992 and going into the private sector. He has been recognized as the most prolific cold case investigator in the United States for single-event homicides. His cases have been chronicled on 48 Hours Investigates, Bill Curtis's Cold Case Files and Discovery ID Murder Book and featured in the Atlanta Journal Constitution, as well as articles in many local and regional newspapers.
LaGrange, Georgia’s
New & USed Bookstore
Book nerds rejoice! A real brick-and-mortar bookstore exists near you! We have them all: New & Used, Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, and Miscellany. Pretty Good Books is a great spot for the whole family to find something to read and enjoy, with a play area for the kids, a Tolkien-themed space, and thousands of books in a variety of genres. Whether you’re staying nearby at Great Wolf Lodge or passing through town, you don’t want to miss Pretty Good Books, housed in the oldest non-residential building in the city of LaGrange!
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Like really love them. To an awkward and almost uncomfortable degree. Our deep affection for the written word has inspired us to open this business in LaGrange, mostly so we can spend our days surrounded by books and other people who love them too. If that sounds delightful, we hope you’ll stop by. ;)