Hi Jax Stacks readers! We’re heading into the end of the year, which is a great time to look back on all the great Lit Chat authors we’ve hosted this year! Check out ten great titles by authors who have visited us this year, in-person or virtually, and see our upcoming Lit Chat guests in our event calendar. This isn’t a complete list of our 2022 Lit Chats; if we missed your favorite Lit Chat author, or your favorite book by a Lit Chat author, come on over to our Facebook group and let us know what else we should read!
As a bonus, check out our recordings of each Lit Chat in the links after the book titles. And if you want to be in the know about future Lit Chats, sign up for our mailing list!
Are you looking for other readers to talk about the challenge with? Check out our open thread on Facebook and our monthly in-person book club meetings (registration required) to chat about what you’re reading and what you would recommend! If you haven't yet, be sure to sign up for our Jax Stacks readers monthly newsletter and stay on top of all the monthly happenings!
#A book written by a 2022 Lit Chat author
- Rising and Other Stories, by Gale Massey – January 13 (listen, watch)
“Bringing each to life through interconnected themes of moving water and a sense of loss, Massey shares with us an unvarnished narrative of a world that objectifies women and the strength and resourcefulness required to attempt to overcome those limitations.” - Arsenic and Adobo, by Mia P. Manansala – February 9 (listen, watch)
“When Lila Macapagal moves back home to recover from a horrible breakup, her life seems to be following all the typical rom-com tropes. She's tasked with saving her Tita Rosie's failing restaurant, and she has to deal with a group of matchmaking aunties who shower her with love and judgment. But when a notoriously nasty food critic (who happens to be her ex-boyfriend) drops dead moments after a confrontation with Lila, her life quickly swerves from a Nora Ephron romp to an Agatha Christie case.” - Hunter’s Hope, by Alyssa Day – March 8 (listen, watch)
“Hunter Evans risked his life again and again as a firefighter until the night he died saving a child ... only to be reborn as a vampire. Now the man who lived his life as the quintessential "nice guy" must find a way to conquer the deadly urges that threaten to turn him feral.” - Third Winter in our Second Country, by Andres Rojas – March 21 (listen, watch)
“From the beginning of the collection, where a ‘crystal-fanged night’ and ‘unflinching stars’ illume a family photo from which so many are ‘gone already’ to the final poem where his ‘sea of change is reefed with wrecks’ you feel the threat circling and impeding.” - The Final Revival of Opal & Nev, by Dawnie Walton – April 7 (listen, watch)
“Decades later, as Opal considers a 2016 reunion with Nev, music journalist S. Sunny Shelton seizes the chance to curate an oral history about her idols. Sunny thought she knew most of the stories leading up to the cult duo's most politicized chapter. But as her interviews dig deeper, a nasty new allegation from an unexpected source threatens to blow up everything.” - The State You’re In, by Craig Pittman – May 14 (listen, watch)
“Pittman introduces readers to a who's who of Florida crime fiction, a what's what of exotic animals, and an array of beloved places he's seen change rapidly in his lifetime. Many of these stories are funny, some are serious, and several offer rare insights into the heart of the Sunshine State.” - Florida’s Historic African American Homes, by Jada Wright-Greene – May 21 (listen, watch)
“From slaves to millionaires, African Americans from all walks of life resided in cabins, homes, and stately mansions. The lives of millionaires, educators, businessmen, community leaders, and innovators in Florida's history are explored in each residence. Mary McLeod Bethune, A.L. Lewis, and D.A. Dorsey are a few of the prominent African Americans who not only resided in the state of Florida but also created opportunities for other blacks to further their lives in education and ownership of property and to have a better quality of life.” - The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue, by Mackenzi Lee – June 9 (listen, watch)
“Henry ‘Monty’ Montague was bred to be a gentleman. His passions for gambling halls, late nights spent with a bottle of spirits, or waking up in the arms of women or men, have earned the disapproval of his father. His quest for pleasures and vices have led to one last hedonistic hurrah as Monty, his best friend and crush Percy, and Monty's sister Felicity begin a Grand Tour of Europe. When a reckless decision turns their trip abroad into a harrowing manhunt, it calls into question everything Monty knows, including his relationship with the boy he adores.” - Beyond Bourbon Street, by Nikesha Elise Williams – July 14 (listen, watch)
“Bombei and Graigh Halvert met in 2006 in the devastating aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Now fifteen years after the storm, the reluctant couple is married and on the verge of having their first child together. However, their childhood traumas wedge their way between them; festering and threatening to rot their relationship, and the family they're trying to build, from the inside out.” - Losers Bracket, by Chris Crutcher – July 14 (listen, watch)
“When it comes to family, Annie is in the losers bracket. While her foster parents are great (mostly), her birth family would not have been her first pick. And no matter how many times Annie tries to write them out of her life, she always gets sucked back into their drama. Love is like that. But when a family argument breaks out at Annie's swim meet and her nephew goes missing, Annie might be the only one who can get him back. With help from her friends, her foster brother, and her social service worker, Annie puts the pieces of the puzzle together, determined to find her nephew and finally get him into a safe home.”
