Don’t miss these titles…

Formerly a British lawyer, Alex George now writes and practices law in Columbia, Mo. His new novel tells the story of three generations of an immigrant family from their arrival in New Orleans to their life in the Midwest, spanning more than a hundred years of American history. This book has been selected for several “best” lists, and the paperback is available now.

Summer Wood is the 2007 recipient of the Literary Gift of Freedom award from the A Room of Her Own Foundation, which helped her write Raising Wrecker, now available in paperback. The novel tells the tale of Wrecker, a troubled young boy raised by a group of eccentrics during the late ’60s and ’70s in Humboldt County, Calif. Wood, who splits her time between Taos, N.M., and New Orleans, was inspired by her own experiences as a parent and foster parent.

Among other prestigious honors, Ron Rash’s novels have twice been nominated for PEN/Faulkner awards. His newest novel is set in Mars Hill, N.C., during World War I and tells the story of Laurel, whom the townspeople believe to be a witch, along with her brother Hank and a mute stranger named Walter who changes their lives. A movie starring Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence and based on Rash’s novel Serena is set for release this year.

Belle Vie, the plantation setting of The Cutting Season, may feel familiar because the author’s visit to a real local plantation was the novel’s inspiration. Caren, the manager of Belle Vie, discovers the body of a murdered female migrant worker and is drawn reluctantly into the investigation. A native of Houston, Locke now lives in Los Angeles. Her first novel, Black Water Rising, was shortlisted for an Orange Prize and nominated for an Edgar Award.

Dunn’s latest book covers each year of the 20th century in a short story, with all 100 stories taking place across the United States (and other locales) and all tied together with the last story, “Convergent in Connecticut.” Louisiana features in the 1975 story, “Physically Candid in Louisiana.” Called a novel, American Decameron is also experimental and ambitious, like most of Dunn’s work, which includes five previous novels and more than 30 plays.