Home to the Kentucky Writers Hall of Fame, Lexington’s Carnegie Center for Literacy & Learning offers over 150 workshops, classes and literary events each season for emerging and established writers alike. Local writers teach seasonal classes in topics such as fiction, poetry, revision and publishing, and writers from across the region attend the organization’s annual Books-in-Progress Conference each summer – suffice to say, the Carnegie Center is one of the city’s leading sources of expertise on literature, so we’ve tapped on a handful of Carnegie Center writing instructors to help provide some suggestions for your winter reading list (or holiday shopping list).
Geared toward readers of various ages and interests, these six selections are all written by authors with strong Kentucky ties.
“Little Miss Grubby Toes Steps on a Bee” by Eddie Price
Little Miss Grubby Toes Steps on a Bee is about a stubborn girl named Miss Grubby Toes, who gets into trouble when she doesn’t listen to her parents. The girl’s mother warns her to keep her shoes on outside to protect herself from bees. However, Little Miss Grubby Toes ignores her mother’s warning and goes outside without her footwear. The book teaches young children to understand about consequences if they disobey their parents.
– Reviewed by Martha Crumbie, instructor of reading and math classes for elementary and middle school students
“Lola” by Melissa Scrivner Love
Lola is a tightly plotted thriller set in South Central L.A. It’s gritty, dramatic and surprising with a memorable protagonist. Lola Vasquez is both compassionate and shockingly brutal, often in the same moment. Winner of the 2018 CWA John Creasey Debut Daggar Award and Edgar Award nominee for best first novel, Lola is a whirlwind of a read that’s sure to please crime fiction readers. Kentucky-born Melissa Scrivner Love graduated high school in Frankfort and now lives in California.
– Reviewed by Lisa Haneberg, instructor of writing, revision and publishing classes
“Buttermilk Graffiti”by Edward Lee
Today, more than ever, it’s impossible to talk about food without talking about culture, assimilation, appropriation, immigration, labor and politics. Edward Lee’s travelogue tackles all this through his own unique lens as an American-born Korean who made his mark as a Kentucky chef. His story and perspective are especially resonant with me, a Chinese-born-American Kentucky chef. Besides, where else are you going to find recipes for Vietnamese crepes and pickle juice gravy?
– Reviewed by Dan Wu, instructor of food writing and personal essay classes
by Ada Limón
“The sky’s white with November’s teeth / and the air is ash and woodsmoke.” Thus begins one of Ada Limòn’s many odes to Kentucky in her fifth and latest book of poetry, “The Carrying.” The National Book Award finalist, who lives in Lexington, weaves together themes of beauty, horror, loss and loneliness. The book’s title refers to her own struggles with infertility, and the reader gains hope and inspiration from her personal wrangling: “What if, instead of carrying / a child, I am supposed to carry grief?” In the end, “The Carrying” reads like a reckoning.
– Reviewed by Neil Chetnik, Carnegie Center executive director
“The Strange Fascinations of Noah Hypnotik” by David Arnold
Reading this book is like joy riding all night with Vonnegut, Kerouac and Salinger. The wildly intelligent dialogue among a trio of teen best friends swept me right into the mind of Noah, a 16-year-old boy who becomes hypnotized after a party. He enters a “time quake,” where he learns empathy, kindness, self-awareness and the meaning of friendship. I was mesmerized by the quirky, mysterious, free-flowing plot. Teens will love it.
– Reviewed by Carole Johnston, instructor of Outstanding Writers League, Word Wizards, and Dragon Girls, creative writing classes for elementary and middle school students
“Whiskey & Ribbons” by Leesa Cross-Smith
I came for the setting (my hometown of Louisville!) and stayed for a debut novel that is equal parts poem, song and elegy. Evangeline has lost her cop husband Eamon, and his adopted brother Dalton becomes both her balm and her ache in the bewildering days that follow. For what it says about new motherhood, new widowhood and new personhood in the wake of tragedy – and for all the ways it feels both timeless and of-the-moment urgent – I love this gorgeous book.
– Reviewed by Sarah Combs, instructor of the Fiction Writing Group as well as the Seniors Writing Group, which meets at the Lexington Senior Center
“Country Dark” by Chris Offutt
Kentucky’s own Chris Offutt returns to fiction with “Country Dark,” which couldn’t have a more apt title. Tucker, a young Korean War veteran, returns to Kentucky, quickly marries, and finds work as a bootlegger’s driver. Family is everything to Tucker, and when his children are threatened, he responds with violence. “Country Dark” is as Kentucky as a novel gets—beautiful, wild and haunting with a kick as delicious as a bourbon sour.
– Reviewed by Tiffany Reisz, instructor of writing and revision classes