SC Culture Month Books

Educate yourself on choosing a profession! It begins with imagining yourself in a career. The Masters at Work series gives all the details you need to get started—from salary expectations, regional challenges, and how to use social media to your lucrative advantage..


Cover of Dig Me a Grave.

Dig Me a Grave

Dick Harpootlian & Shaun Assael

South Carolina prosecutor Dick Harpootlian recounts the crimes of serial killer Pee Wee Gaskins, exploring his chilling double life, his murder of a fellow death-row inmate, and the challenges of justice and capital punishment.

Book Length:
Digital Book Number: DB138349

View in Catalog

The cover of The Family Man.

The Family Man

James Lasdun

An investigation into Alex Murdaugh’s transformation from prominent South Carolina attorney to convicted murderer, examining the family’s history of corruption, fraud, addiction, and violence that preceded the killings of his wife and son.

Book Length:
Digital Book Number: DB138620

View in Catalog

Cover of When a Killer Calls.

When a Killer Calls

John E. Douglas

After a South Carolina teenager is abducted and murdered, FBI profiler John Douglas uses criminal profiling, forensic science, and a risky plan involving the victim’s sister to track down a serial killer.

Book Length:
Digital Book Number: DB114372

View in Catalog

Cover of My Magnolia Summer.

My Magnolia Summer

Victoria Benton Frank

When her grandmother falls into a coma, Maggie returns to Sullivan’s Island, where family secrets, her sisters’ troubles, and a charming farmer help her rediscover her roots and embrace a new beginning.

Book Length:
Digital Book Number: DB115103

View in Catalog

Cover of The Match.

The Match

Sarah Adams

Evie works for Southern Service Paws, an organization in Charleston, South Carolina, that matches service animals with clients. She meets single-dad Jake, who is thinking about getting a dog for his ten-year-old daughter, Sam, who was just diagnosed with epilepsy. 2020.

Book Length:
Digital Book Number: DB105446

View in Catalog

Cover of Lies We Never See.

Lies We Never See

Michael Lindley

After betrayal and murder destroy her life, a Charleston attorney retreats to Pawleys Island, where her great-grandmother’s Civil War-era secrets and a detective’s help may offer answers amid escalating danger.

Book Length:
Digital Book Number: DB134746

View in Catalog

Cover of Country Music Originals: The Legends and the Lost

Country Music Originals: The Legends and the Lost

Tony Russell

A music historian draws on new research, rare source material, and his own interviews to bring to life the stories of the men and women who created country music. Dozens of performers are profiled, from legends such as the Carter Family and Gene Autry to lesser-known figures.

Book Length:
Digital Book Number: DB105957

View in Catalog

Cover of Doin' the Charleston: Black Roots of American Popular Music & the Jenkins Orphanage Legacy.

Doin' the Charleston: Black Roots of American Popular Music & the Jenkins Orphanage Legacy

Mark R. Jones

The stirring story of the Jenkins Orphanage Band and it's role in American popular music. From slavery to freedom, follow the inspirational rags-to-riches story of some of America's greatest jazz musicians brought together by the determination of one man, a freed black slave named Rev.

Book Length:
Digital Book Number: DBC00060

View in Catalog

Cover of Life's too Short: A Memoir.

Life's too Short: A Memoir

Darius Rucker

Raised by a single mother in Charleston, South Carolina, Darius Rucker founded Hootie & the Blowfish with three classmates at the University of South Carolina in 1986. What began as a party band playing frat houses and dive bars quickly became a global rock pop phenomenon through their Diamond-certified debut album Cracked Rear View. ... Later, Darius would also chart a pioneering path as a solo country music artist, with the Diamond-certified hit 'Wagon Wheel, ... while sharing the stage and a mic with the likes of David Crosby, Al Green, Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson, Bruce Springsteen, Neil Young, Adele, Taylor Swift, and more. Nearly 40 years into his illustrious career, Darius tells the story of his life through the music that made him, including songs by everyone from Frank Sinatra and Stevie Wonder to R.E.M., KISS, Prince, and, of course, his own music with Hootie and as a solo artist.

Book Length:
Digital Book Number: DB122441

View in Catalog

Cover of America's Mistress: The Life and Times of Miss Eartha Kitt.

America's Mistress: The Life and Times of Miss Eartha Kitt

John Williams

Biography of Emmy Award winner Kitt (1927-2008). Investigates her childhood in a South Carolina sharecropper's family and later in New York City. Describes Kitt's early affiliation with Katherine Dunham's dance troupe, her years in show business, her political activism, and her sometimes scandalous personal relationships.

Book Length:
Digital Book Number: DB080279

View in Catalog

Cover of The One: The Life and Music of James Brown

The One: The Life and Music of James Brown

R. J. Smith

Journalist chronicles the life of James Brown (1933-2007), a.k.a. the godfather of soul, from his youth in South Carolina and Georgia to his death. Explores the influence of slave culture on his development of soul, rhythm and blues, and funk. Also examines the business management of his musical career.

Book Length:
Digital Book Number: DB075754

View in Catalog

Cover of South Carolina: A History by Walter Edgar

South Carolina: A History

Walter B. Edgar

The author presents a sweeping narrative of South Carolina with an illustrious, sometimes infamous past. He describes in very human terms the 475 years of recorded history in the Palmetto State, dispelling many myths about the state's early history. Unrated.

Book Length: 27 hours 29 minutes
Digital Book Number: DBC00061

View in Catalog

Reading Lists

South Carolina Talking Book Services creates and manages suggested titles reading lists for our patrons. Check out some of our lists below.