"Smithy is an American original, worthy of a place on the shelf just below your Hucks, your Holdens, your Yossarians." —Stephen King
Every so often, a novel comes along that captures the public’s imagination with a story that sweeps readers up and takes them on a thrilling, unforgettable ride. Ron McLarty’s The Memory of Running is this decade’s novel. By all accounts, especially his own, Smithson "Smithy"...

"An aging screenwriter in coastal South Carolina deals with stress from the pandemic by binge-eating and believing there's a nefarious Russian influence on the local coroner's race."--

James Henry, a kind-hearted professor of English literature, is forced to move back home to Quincy's Gap, a tiny town in Virginia's Shenandoah Valley, to care for his aging father. Shortly after moving into a house that hasn't changed since his childhood, the overweight, divorced, book-loving cheese puff addict accepts a position as head librarian and joins a supper club for dieters who call themselves the "Flab Five." Avoiding carbs is almost impossible...

A comedy on Noel Hammersmith, a book editor whose ambition is to be famous. When bombs explode in New York the question arises, are they the work of a terrorist writer, Hammersmith claims to be working with, or of Hammersmith himself. A satire on the pursuit of celebrity status in our society.