Title: Bull Mountain

Author: Brian Panowich

Genre: takes place in Georgia, Georgia author, Southern fiction

Bull Mountain is one of the best books I have read this year and has earned a five-star review from me. This gritty family drama was written by a local author named Brian Panowich and this three-generation family saga is his debut novel and will appeal to fans of The Godfather and Sons of Anarchy. I met Brian Panowich earlier this month at a local book signing sponsored by this awesome bookstore and I am thrilled to add his book to my personal collection

The Burroughs family has controlled Bull Mountain during the 20th and early 21st centuries due to their "flexibility" in meeting the market needs  and demands of illegal substances: moonshine, marijuana, meth, etc. Clayton Burroughs is the exception and outcast of the family; he turned his back on the criminal life and became the town sheriff. For this he is respected by the townsfolk and ostracized by his family. When an ATF agent comes to town to make a deal, family tensions come to a head with tragic and disastrous results.

The end of America's favorite serial killer

Title: Dexter is Dead

Author: Jeff Lindsay

Genre: books to TV, thriller, suspense

Dexter is Dead is the final installment in the beloved Dexter series and picks up immediately after the final scenes in Dexter's Final Cut. Ironically, Dexter has been arrested for a series of murders he didn't commit and those closest to him are dead, have been taken away or flat out abandoned him. Dexter's brother, Brian, bonds him out of jail and hires a lawyer but Dexter soon finds out that Brian has his own dark motives for helping Dexter release out of the correctional system. While enjoying his "freedom," Dexter must underhandedly clear his name, prove he is being framed by Detective Anderson, and dispose of drug lord and his many minions that are trying to kill him and Brian.

Title: It's Not About Perfect: Competing for My Country and Fighting for My Life

Author: Shannon Miller

Genre: biography, memoir, inspirational

Shannon Miller was my favorite gymnast when I was a teenager. My family went without cable TV for about 7 years and the only channel we received through the backyard antenna was ABC. Almost every Saturday, ABC would televise a national or international gymnastics competition on ABC's Wide World of Sports. I remember Shannon in the Barcelona 1992 Olympics and the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. We eventually moved and lost our one TV channel and then I got busy with life... and found out a few years ago from an online article that Shannon Miller had ovarian cancer! I rediscovered her on Facebook and have a re-faithful follower ever since. I was thrilled when she announced she was releasing a book about her gymnastic accomplishments and fight against cancer. In her biography, Shannon admits that she allowed her busy life as a wife, businesswoman and mother take priority over her personal health. Fortunately, for her she listened to "that nagging voice" that her chronic stomachaches needed to be checked out. Her stomachaches turned out to be a 7 cm tumor! Shannon takes us back to beginning: why she joined gymnastics (she was fearless, had lots of energy, and joined because her big sister did), her work ethic and constant mental fortitude, and her record-breaking gymnastics career. I also learned a few things about her: she tried out for the 2000 Olympics and married young and suffered through a divorce. Shannon took the hard knocks and turned them into something positive: her company that focuses on women's health.