Join the WV Living Book Club for its second meeting of the year.
On May 7, Granville’s Food, Arts, and Recreation Market—The F.A.R.M.—welcomed readers from across the country for WV Living magazine’s first hybrid book club meeting. Discussion flowed in person and via Zoom about Diamond Doris: The True Story of the World’s Most Notorious Jewel Thief, the incredible true story of Doris Payne and her life, from the hollers of Slab Fork, West Virginia, to the glamor of Monte Carlo.
Diamonds shimmered on the tables as guests enjoyed light refreshments, including treats from Morgantown businesses like Pop The Soda Shop and This and That Bakery. WV Living publisher Nikki Bowman Mills moderated the event using clips from the 2013 documentary The Life and Crimes of Doris Payne to give attendees the chance to hear Payne herself speak on events in her life that seem more fiction than fact.
Preparations are well underway for the quarterly book club’s next meeting on August 1, 2024, as WV Living switches up the tone to a story rooted in our own West Virginia history. At the upcoming meeting, readers will discuss Rednecks: A Novel, a new book from Georgia native Taylor Brown. Rednecks is a historical drama, dropping readers in the midst of the West Virginia Mine Wars, where coal miners fought for their basic rights and protections as laborers. Brown weaves the history of the area into a tale of character-focused fiction, introducing readers to characters such as “Doc Moo” Muhanna—inspired by his own great-grandfather—as well as real-life figures of the rebellion, like Mother Jones and Sid Hatfield.
Join fellow readers at The F.A.R.M. at 6 p.m. on August 1 to settle in with coal camp–themed snacks like pepperoni rolls, moon pies, moonshine roasted pecans, and RC Colas. Live streaming for online participation and discussion kicks off at 6:30 p.m. where the author himself will join the conversation via Zoom.
To register for the August 1 meeting, visit wvliving.com/book-club where you’ll have three options:
- Register for free to participate in the online discussion event.
- Register to receive a copy of the book and participate in the online discussion.
- Register to receive a copy of the book and participate in person. Refreshments are included.
Readers are also given the opportunity to simultaneously register for the Rednecks event and the final book club event of 2024, which will feature Don’t Tell’em You’re Cold: A Memoir of Poverty and Resilience, on November 6.
Can’t join WV Living for the event in person or online but still want to read along? Find copies of Rednecks in Granville at The F.A.R.M. or at one of our participating bookstore or library partners.
READ MORE ARTICLES FROM WV LIVING’S SUMMER 2024 ISSUE
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