Riot Headline Book Riot’s 2025 Read Harder Challenge

#southern literature

10 of the Best Appalachian Books of 2023

Appalachian Literature is in a golden age. From horror to poetry, sci-fi, memoir, and literary fiction, it has something for every reader.

20 Must-Read Southern Gothic Novels

For eccentric, flawed characters, sinister events, and explorations of race, class, decay, and isolation, get into Southern Gothic novels.

6 of the Best Audiobooks Set in the American South

Get to know the American South, including its diverse voices and unique points of view, through these audiobooks set in the South.

What is Southern Noir? 8 Great Southern Noir Books

Get to know the grittier side of the South and its stories about crime and the long arm of the law through these Southern noir books.

5 Southern Plays You Should Have Read Already

To understand the culture and the themes of literature from the U.S. South, read one, or all, of the Southern plays on this list--and watch them if you can.

Reading as a Cure for Homesickness

"Last night I found myself surrounded by books about the South, as well as my North Carolina guidebook, eating a Moon Pie and drinking a peach Nehi soda. You could say I was a little homesick."

Reading Pathways: Robert Penn Warren

Where to start with the work of Robert Penn Warren, the only person to win Pulitzer Prizes for both fiction (once) and poetry (twice).

Southern Lovin’

Do You Love Southern Lit? What makes you crave it?

GONE WITH THE WIND: On Unlikable Characters and Problematic Art

When I was a little girl, Gone With The Wind was one of my favorite movies. In middle school, it ...

100 Must-Read Works of Southern Literature

While we at the Riot take some time off to rest and catch up on our reading, we’re re-running some of ...