Kim Michele Richardson Books

Kim Michele Richardson writes historical fiction rooted in Kentucky and Appalachia. Her best-known novel follows a Depression-era packhorse librarian. Shop used and new copies at Lantern Lane, with free US shipping on orders of $35 or more.

Featured books: The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek (2019) is set in 1936 eastern Kentucky. Cussy Mary Carter delivers books by mule to remote hill families for the New Deal's Pack Horse Library Project, and she is also one of the Kentucky Blues, a family with rare blue skin. The follow-up, The Book Woman's Daughter, came out in 2022 and follows Cussy's daughter, Honey Lovett, in 1950s Kentucky. Her earlier novels are Liar's Bench (2015), GodPretty in the Tobacco Field (2016) and The Sisters of Glass Ferry (2017).

Where to start: Begin with The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek. It is her best-known novel and the first of the Book Woman books, so you can read The Book Woman's Daughter afterward.

FAQ

What is The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek about?
It follows Cussy Mary Carter, a 19-year-old Kentucky packhorse librarian in 1936, as she brings books to isolated Appalachian families.

Is there a sequel?
Yes. The Book Woman's Daughter was published in 2022.

Is it a true story?
The Pack Horse Library Project was a real New Deal program in Kentucky, but the characters in the novel are fictional.