September paperback releases offer good choices for reading groups

REVIEWS BY JULIE HALE

America's favorite Southern author returns with a delightfully down-home look at the life of his ornery grandfather, Charlie Bundrum, a tough-as-nails moonshiner and roofer who—along with his equally ornery wife Ava—raised seven children in the backwoods of Alabama. Bragg, who never knew his grandfather, interviewed a slew of relatives about Charlie, a man admired for his family loyalty, his honesty and his unabashed courage (he once stood up to a passel of drunks armed with an ax, a hammer and a shotgun). A moving collection of stories inspired by Charlie, this wistful memoir captures a long-gone era in rural America. Bragg's newest entry in the chronicles of his unforgettable family will amply satisfy fans of All Over but the Shoutin'. A reading group guide is available in print and online at www.vintagebooks.com/read.


This national bestseller, set in 1960s Minnesota, follows the adventures of the unconventional Land family. Reuben, who narrates the story, is 11 when his older brother Davy kills three teenage intruders. Davy is jailed but soon escapes, leading Reuben, their brainy sister Swede and their good-hearted father Jeremiah on an unforgettable chase across the wilds of the Midwest. It's a remarkable journey marked by humor, loyalty and, in the end, redemption. Enger's lyrical language, spirited allusions to old-time outlaws and provocative biblical references (Mr. Land, according to Reuben, has the power to perform miracles) make this a wonderfully accomplished first novel. A reading group guide is available at www.groveatlantic.com.


This National Book Award winner is an insightful examination of the politics of family life. With humor and precision, The Corrections chronicles the domestic intranquility of Enid and Alfred Lambert. After 50 years of marriage, the two are ready to enjoy their sunset years, but Alfred, stricken with Parkinson's disease, is declining fast. Meanwhile, the Lambert's oldest son, Gary, is suffering from clinical depression, and Chip, the middle child, has lost his teaching post at a university for romancing a student. Could things be any worse? Of course! Daughter Denise is having an affair with a married man, which could mean the end of her promising culinary career. From the bohemian outposts of New York to the sleepy suburbs of the Midwest, Franzen's smart, funny satire follows a cast of wonderfully human characters as they fumble their way through relationships and life. A reading group guide is available in print and online at www.picadorusa.com.


Author of Zelda, the best-selling biography of Zelda Fitzgerald, Milford delivers a fascinating account of the life of Edna St. Vincent Millay, the first female poet to win a Pulitzer Prize. Seductive, beautiful and undeniably brilliant, Millay—born in 1892 in Camden, Maine—attended Vassar with the backing of wealthy patrons, where she began a tumultuous series of love affairs with women and men. From her Greenwich Village home, she composed brave, lyric verse that the reading public couldn't resist. During the Depression, her books sold in the tens of thousands, and her controversial personal life kept her in the public eye. Millay's reliance on alcohol, morphine and men are recounted here in vivid detail. This is biography at its best—a page-turning account of a remarkable writer. A reading group guide is included in the book.


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