Why am I passionate about this?

I have a passion for the family story, and I have been blessed with a plethora of them. My mother grew up in Appalachia during the Great Depression and faced shame because her mother left the family to commit a felony. Her accounts of a childhood without and sleeping in an abandoned log cabin have been seared into my soul. My father, one of fourteen children during the Great Depression, worked on neighboring farms from the age of seven. History has two parts, the facts and details, but the telling of the story wrangles the purpose and sacrifice of those involved.


I wrote

Rock Bottom, Tennessee

By Kimberly Nixon,

Book cover of Rock Bottom, Tennessee

What is my book about?

Life is hard for Ruby growing up in poverty on the wrong side of the mountain where literally the sunā€¦

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

The books I picked & why

Book cover of The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek

Kimberly Nixon Why did I love this book?

I sat on my motherā€™s lap as a child to hear stories of her childhood in Appalachiaā€”no running water or electricity, and the shame brought on by her motherā€™s escape from that hard life. The setting and the characterizations in Book Woman of Troublesome Creek brought back some of the memories of my motherā€™s stories.

I came to love the characterā€™s adaptation to the harsh environment, their want for a better life, and the difference one personā€™s influence can make in a community. The spirit of survival, even with the hardest of circumstances, forced me to cherish this story. It was as if my mother had written this book or perhaps read it to me.

By Kim Michele Richardson,

Why should I read it?

10 authors picked The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
A USA TODAY BESTSELLER
A LOS ANGELES TIMES BESTSELLER
AN OKRA PICK
The bestselling historical fiction from Kim Michele Richardson, this is a novel following Cussy Mary, a packhorse librarian and her quest to bring books to the Appalachian community she loves, perfect for readers of Lee Smith and Lisa Wingate. The perfect addition to your next book club!
The hardscrabble folks of Troublesome Creek have to scrap for everything-everything except books, that is. Thanks to Roosevelt's Kentucky Pack Horse Library Project, Troublesome's got its very own traveling librarian, Cussy Mary Carter.
Cussy's not onlyā€¦


Book cover of The Agony and the Ecstasy: A Biographical Novel of Michelangelo

Kimberly Nixon Why did I love this book?

After a trip to Florence to see Michelangeloā€™s earlier works and then David, I struggled to understand the genius, his intense pursuit of excellence, and how his surroundings influenced his art.

The author set me in one of the most fascinating eras of history and made me feel as if I were an apprentice in Michelangeloā€™s shop. I wept to comprehend the artist and realized that perfection was not a choice for Michelangelo, but a non-negotiable burden.

As I now observe genius in a musician, a scientist, or a mother caring for an autistic child, I give credence to what I learned from Oliver Stoneā€™s portrayal of Michelangelo.

By Irving Stone,

Why should I read it?

4 authors picked The Agony and the Ecstasy as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Irving Stone's classic biographical novel of Michelangelo-the #1 New York Times bestseller in which both the artist and the man are brought to vivid, captivating life.

His time-the turbulent Renaissance, the years of poisoning princes, warring Popes, and the all-powerful de'Medici family...

His loves-the frail and lovely daughter of Lorenzo de'Medici, the ardent mistress of Marco Aldovrandi, and his last love, his greatest love-the beautiful, unhappy Vittoria Colonna...

His genius-a God-driven fury from which he wrested brilliant work that made a grasp for heaven unmatched in half a millennium...

His name-Michelangelo Buonarroti. Creator of the David, painter of the ceilingā€¦


Ad

Book cover of Shearwater Storm

Shearwater Storm by Arthur Winer,

Charlotte Roseā€™s quiet life on a remote island is forever changed the day Michael Cordero, injured and bleeding, steers his ketch, Shearwater, into her cove. Charlotte tends to Michaelā€™s wounds, using the skills sheā€™s learned caring for her husband and son, who are away fishing for salmon. As Michael recovers,ā€¦

Book cover of The Four Winds

Kimberly Nixon Why did I love this book?

Sometimes people are given a horrible position at birth either by economics, environmental conditions, or bad luck. The Four Winds helped me understand some of the great migrations that have occurred in this country and the motivations that inspired the move.

I came to root for Elsa, the flawed main character, who sincerely did the best she could for her son. I felt her pain, agony, and frustration when a series of bad events happened along her journey.

It wasnā€™t an easy read, but a necessary one to understand resilience, courage, strength, and doing what you have to do when given no other choice.

By Kristin Hannah,

Why should I read it?

5 authors picked The Four Winds as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

"The Bestselling Hardcover Novel of the Year."--Publishers Weekly

From the number-one bestselling author of The Nightingale and The Great Alone comes a powerful American epic about love and heroism and hope, set during the Great Depression, a time when the country was in crisis and at war with itself, when millions were out of work and even the land seemed to have turned against them.

ā€œMy land tells its story if you listen. The story of our family.ā€

Texas, 1921. A time of abundance. The Great War is over, the bounty of the land is plentiful, and America is onā€¦


Book cover of The Violinist of Auschwitz

Kimberly Nixon Why did I love this book?

Though becoming a prisoner in Auschwitz is unfathomable to me, I became attached to the Alma and her daily sorrows and struggles to endure her life in a concentration camp.

I believe that we are given two tasks in our lives: one, to figure out why we are distinctly ourselves (our gifts), and two, to use that gift to help others however we can. I was inspired by Alma, who used her gift in an extraordinary way to make the lives of many others better. And when presented with few choices, she chose the one that would benefit others.

I was hooked from the beginning of this heartbreaking story.

Ad

Book cover of Harry Heron Into the Unknown

Harry Heron Into the Unknown by Patrick G. Cox,

A freak accident on board the HMS Spartan during a sea battle with the French navy in 1804 catapults Midshipman Harry Heron and his shipmates Ferghal O'Connor and Danny Gunn four hundred years into the future, landing them on the NECS Vanguard, flagship of the World Treaty Organisation Fleet.

Whileā€¦

Book cover of Beneath a Scarlet Sky

Kimberly Nixon Why did I love this book?

I am a student of World War II since my father served in Europe and Africa over 3 Ā½ years (with 3 Purple Hearts). My father died before I had a chance to ask him questions about his experience in the war. To me, he was just a father. I now know what he hero he was.

In Beneath a Scarlet Sky, I imagined my father, plucked from a farm in Ohio and delivered to extraordinary circumstances that required valor, which earned his unit three Presidential Unit Citations. Even though the main character, teenager Pino Lela, was not forced to serve, he participated in one of the most humanitarian missions of the war to deliver downed pilots to safety. I appreciate the amount of research it took to retell Pinoā€™s story.

By Mark Sullivan,

Why should I read it?

13 authors picked Beneath a Scarlet Sky as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Soon to be a major television event from Pascal Pictures, starring Tom Holland.

Based on the true story of a forgotten hero, the USA Today and #1 Amazon Charts bestseller Beneath a Scarlet Sky is the triumphant, epic tale of one young man's incredible courage and resilience during one of history's darkest hours.

Pino Lella wants nothing to do with the war or the Nazis. He's a normal Italian teenager-obsessed with music, food, and girls-but his days of innocence are numbered. When his family home in Milan is destroyed by Allied bombs, Pino joins an underground railroad helping Jews escapeā€¦


Explore my book šŸ˜€

Rock Bottom, Tennessee

By Kimberly Nixon,

Book cover of Rock Bottom, Tennessee

What is my book about?

Life is hard for Ruby growing up in poverty on the wrong side of the mountain where literally the sun didnā€™t shine. Life on her grandfatherā€™s farm conflicts with her search for an easy life at the "tippy-top" with contentment and security. Two different men come into her life, one virtuous and the other rebellious. Ruby makes a series of bad decisions, causing her life to tumble into an unexpected outcome.

In this tale, during Prohibition Era Appalachian Tennessee, the setting and the mountain community become other characters of the story. Based on a real-life tale of the authorā€™s grandmotherā€™s felony conviction, the reader gets immersed in Rubyā€™s choices as she searches for worthiness and belonging. Was her journey worth the risk of losing her family?

Book cover of The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek
Book cover of The Agony and the Ecstasy: A Biographical Novel of Michelangelo
Book cover of The Four Winds

Share your top 3 reads of 2024!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

2,008

readers submitted
so far, will you?

Ad

šŸ“š You might also likeā€¦

Book cover of Caesarā€™s Soldier

Caesarā€™s Soldier by Alex Gough,

Who was the man who would become Caesar's lieutenant, Brutus' rival, Cleopatra's lover, and Octavian's enemy? 

When his stepfather is executed for his involvement in the Catilinarian conspiracy, Mark Antony and his family are disgraced. His adolescence is marked by scandal and mischief, his love affairs are fleeting, and yet,ā€¦

Book cover of My Year of Casual Acquaintances

My Year of Casual Acquaintances by Ruth F. Stevens,

When Marā€™s husband divorces her, she reacts by abandoning everything in her past: her home, her friends, even her name. Though it's not easy starting over, sheā€™s ready for new adventuresā€”as long as she can keep things casual. Each month, Mar goes from one acquaintance to the next: a fellowā€¦

5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in Italy, farmers, and concentration camps?

Italy 418 books
Farmers 22 books