Hey y’all! It’s getting to be pretty hot and humid here in Fairborn, Ohio. You might say the weather resembles that experienced in the South. It makes me think of drowsy afternoons, lolling on a porch swing sipping iced tea. Or, if you prefer, sitting on the front lawn of Tara surrounded by beaux. Why don’t you check out one of these books, sit outside with a nice cool glass of lemonade, and transport yourself to a land more gracious.

Of course, we must start with the inimitable Scarlett O’Hara, queen of Tara. You can try the original, Gone with the Wind (in book or movie form) or try Alexandra Ripley’s 1991 sequel, Scarlett. Rhett Butler’s People came out last year. Both new novels are authorized by the estate of Margaret Mitchell to continue and enhance the beloved original.

After the Scarlett books, when thinking of the South, I always think of Rebecca Wells and her hit Divine Secrets of the Ya-ya Sisterhood. Some of you may not realize she wrote further about the Ya-yas, in Little Altars Everywhere and Ya-yas in Bloom.

For a funny look at what it means to be a Southern Belle, try any of Jill Conner Browne’s Sweet Potato Queens books. My favorite is the first, The Sweet Potato Queens’ Book of Love, followed closely by The Sweet Potato Queens Wedding Planner/Divorce Guide (wedding planner on one side, divorce guide when you flip it over) and The Sweet Potato Queens Guide to Raising Children for Fun and Profit. The Queen is especially funny on audiobook; her fabulous Southern drawl just lends even more hilarity to the hijinks.

A couple more books on a Southern theme that the staff around here loves:

Being Dead Is No Excuse: The Official Southern Ladies’ Guide to Hosting the Perfect Funeral

A Southern Belle Primer, or, Why Princess Margaret Will Never Be a Kappa Kappa Gamma

Somebody Is Going to Die If Lily Beth Doesn’t Catch That Bouquet: The Official Southern Ladies’ Guide to Hosting the Perfect Wedding

The GRITS (Girls Raised in the South) Guide to Life