Additional books with a similar theme: http://product.half.ebay.com/The-Secret-Life-of-Bees_W0QQtgZdetailsQQprZ66641749 Peonie and Posey Lady.... You can purchase a used paperback copy of your book on half.com http://product.half.ebay.com/The-Queen-of-Palmyra_W0QQprZ74198854QQtgZinfo Summary of "The Queen of Palmyra" follows: "In the turbulent southern summer of 1963, Millwood's white population steers clear of "Shake Rag," the black section of town. Young Florence Forrest is one of the few who crosses the line. The daughter of a burial insurance salesman with dark secrets and the town's "cake lady," whose backcountry bootleg runs lead further and further away from a brutal marriage, Florence attaches herself to her grandparents' longtime maid, Zenie Johnson. Named for Zenobia, Queen of Palmyra, Zenie treats the unwanted girl as just another chore, while telling her stories of the legendary queen's courage and cunning. The more time Florence spends in Shake Rag, the more she recognizes how completely race divides her town, and her story, far from ordinary, bears witness to the truth and brutality of her timesÂa truth brought to a shattering conclusion when Zenie's vibrant college-student niece, Eva Greene, arrives that fateful Mississippi summer. Minrose Gwin's The Queen of Palmyra is an unforgettable evocation of a time and a place in AmericaÂa nuanced, gripping story of race and identity."

I see now I should have heeded my first instinct and not have mentioned "Quills." It is controversial and disturbing, and wasn't meant to be historically accurate. It does, however, represent shifting mores of the time as influenced by intellectual thinkers. I almost didn't recommend it, but did a search for movies and Enlightenment and found Quills on a college syllabus for this period, so I thought maybe it did have some validity afterall. However, sounds like maybe it doesn't. I had conveniently forgotten how disturbing some of it really was. My favorite book from this period is still Voltaire's "Candide". However, that seems to be the obligatory assignment (or at least when I went to college). I think I had to read it at least three times for three different courses. That did not reduce the pleasure of it for me, though. It still ranks as one of my favorite satires.

Well, M. M. Kaye was born and raised in India, but of English parents. Ngaio Marsh is from New Zealand, although her detective is British I found this when I googled "Japanese mystery writers": Another very well known and admired writer is Shizuko Natsuki who has gained an international reputation for her work. Many of her novels reflect Japanese family life. A number of her books have been translated and published in English including, Murder at Mount Fuji (Ballantine, N.Y., 1987) and The Obituary Arrives at Two O'clock ( Ballantine, N.Y., 1988). Miyake Miyabe is a younger, distaff writer whose novel, All She was Worth (Kodansha International, Tokyo, 1997) is a fascinating examination of a murder in a consumer-crazed society. The late Takagi Akimitsu was enormously popular for his mysteries focused on corruption in the business world - The Informer (Anthos Publishers, Queensland, Australia) and No patent on Murder (Playboy Press, 1977). He also wrote The Tattoo Murder Case (Soho press, N.Y., 1999) and Honeymoon to Nowhere (Soho press, N.Y., 1999), both rather grim and bloody tales. One of the more prolific writers is Masako Togawa who specializes in psycho-sexual suspense stories. A number of her books are available in English including Slow Fuse (Pantheon, N.Y., 1995); The Master Key (Simon Grove, N.Y., 1985); and The Lady Killer (Simon Grove, N.Y., 1986). Ms. Togawa is also a nightclub singer and entertainer. An example of a bloody and ghostly murder mystery that is well written and riveting can be found in the Togakushi Legend Murders (Charles Tuttle, Vt., 1994) by Yasuo Uchida.

That's so neat, Sarah_Canary! I love hearing authors read from their books and admiring them from afar. But like Rosefolly, I invariably become starstruck and babble incoherently. Recently, I was able to go to the American Library Association conference in Anaheim. Three of my favorite authors were there. Leif Enger was signing So Brave, Young and Handsome which I really enjoyed, though not as much as Peace Like a River. Sadly, no one else was in line to get his autograph (he was up against Greg Mortenson--Karalk's fave). I think I blubbered something about admiring him the way I admired Kent Haruf. Ron Carlson was signing Five Skies and we had an interesting conversation about food--and the fact that one of the main characters in his book was named after him. Finally--and here's my most embarrassing moment--Sherman Alexie was signing The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. I waited in line for a while and when I got up to him all I could say was "I love you." How stupid and embarrassing! I was already embarrassed because I feel like I am the exact wrong audience for his books (what business do I have as a middle-class WASP relating so heavily to his books--he should hate me!). Luckily he was very gracious and just said "Thank You." Then, he noticed from my name badge that I was from Whittier and commented, somewhat ironically, on the fact that I share my hometown with President Nixon. I just blushed and thanked him for signing my book. He was such a nice guy!