March book releases include 5 Southern novels and a tasty food memoir

In addition to my beloved daylight saving time and the impending arrival of spring, March winds blow in a stellar haul of good reads — including a revenge thriller, a novel set at Woodstock, a family drama, two supernatural tales and a restaurant’s origin story.

The Woodstock music festival provides the setting for “Kissing the Sky,” Lisa Patton’s nostalgic coming-of-age story. (Courtesy of Lake Union Publishing)

“Kissing the Sky”

Woodstock’s three-day celebration of sex, drugs and rock ’n’ roll in 1969 provides the setting for this nostalgic coming-of-age story by Lisa Patton, the Nashville-based author of “Whistlin’ Dixie in a Nor’easter.” Home from college for the summer, Suzannah escapes the tyranny of her strict, religious father to join her free-spirited friend Livy on a road trip to the festival in upstate New York. Once there, Suzannah experiences first love, demonstrates her vocal talents and discovers a side of Livy she’d never seen before. (Lake Union Publishing, out now)

FoxTale Book Shoppe in Woodstock hosts an event with Patton on April 25. To learn more, go to foxtalebookshoppe.com.

“Missing Sister” by Joshilyn Jackson is a dark, twisty tale of revenge set in Atlanta. (Courtesy of William Morrow)

“Missing Sister”

New York Times bestselling author Joshilyn Jackson’s latest thriller is a dark, twisty tale of revenge set in Atlanta. A rookie cop in training, Penny Albright is called to the scene of her first homicide, where she discovers the victim is one of three people she blames for the death of her twin sister five years earlier. Before the killer vanishes, the blond woman covered in blood and wielding a box cutter reveals to Penny that the man’s death is part of a bigger story involving sisters. Penny becomes obsessed with tracking down the killer and discovers shocking truths in the process. (William Morrow, out now)

“Sing Down the Moon”

Densely descriptive prose steeped in the Southern vernacular weaves together elements of folklore, fairy tales and ghost stories in Atlanta author Robert Gwaltney’s gothic novel set on the Georgia barrier island of Good Hope. Because of her family’s lineage, 16-year-old Leontyne Skye is obligated to distill the ghost-absorbing fruit from an ancient fig tree named Damascus into an addictive elixir. When a fetching stranger arrives one day, Leontyne plots her escape from the island and her legacy. Meanwhile, memories of what really happened on Tribulation Day — when Leontyne lost her hand — are beginning to resurface. (Mercer University Press, out now)

Author Tommy Hays demonstrates his gift for imbuing ordinary domestic dramas with depth and compassion in “The Marriage Bed.” (Courtesy of Blair)

“The Marriage Bed”

Empty-nester Asa is a poet and an English professor in a small college town settling quietly into late middle age with his wife, Betsy, when his life is upended by a shocking revelation followed by a horrific tragedy. North Carolina author Tommy Hays demonstrates his gift for imbuing ordinary domestic dramas with depth and compassion in this nuanced look at a man forced to confront the ways he has contributed to problematic relationships with his wife, his adult children and himself. (Blair, March 24)

A Cappella Books presents Hays in conversation with Atlanta author Jessica Handler on April 10 at Manuel’s Tavern. For details go to acappellabooks.com.

Molly Irani tells the story of James Beard Award-winning restaurant Chai Pani’s success in “Service Ready.” (Courtesy of Scribner)