Books like Sean of the South: Whistling Dixie

This isn't a novel, it's a collection of Dietrich's blogposts. Know that in advance. If you approach this book as more of a daily devotional, you will be less likely to completely over-dose on his kitschy emersion into all-things-Southern. This man can capture a memory and squeeze every last drop of nostalgia out of it. I can taste the home grown tomatoes he describes and I can smell the cigarette smoke of the lady in his stories about the Piggly Wiggly. I think Sean Dietrich and I grew up almost identically. He is so good at what he does. As a lifelong Southerner myself, I wouldn't be able to read even one page of this book if I were away somewhere feeling even the least bit homesick. He has covered it all. Every food, every character nuance, every sound, every crunch of the gravel down every back country road. Check and check and check. But like I said, if you choose this book, I would encourage you to read one story every day with your cup of coffee instead of plowing through it all at once. He will make you cry, you will laugh in remembrance, and you'll think about being a better person. I've met him, too. His stories are genuine, and they are as good on the inside as he is.