Strange as It’s Been - Morgantown magazine

The WV Living Book Club wraps up the year November 10 with Ann Pancake.

Join the WV Living Book Club on November 10, 2026, for a deep dive into Romney native Ann Pancake’s 2007 debut novel, Strange as This Weather Has Been.

In the book, mountaintop removal mining is becoming a part of daily life in southern West Virginia, and a family of six is living the reality. Lace is ready to fight the powers that be—much to the displeasure of her husband. Meanwhile, when her four children step outside, eager to escape the storm of their parents’ deteriorating marriage, they’re forced to make their own sense of the devastation that’s flooding—sometimes literally—into the only world they know.

Most often a writer of short stories and essays, Pancake has won many writing awards, including the prestigious Whiting Award in 2003 and the highly competitive Pushcart Prize in 2004. She received the Weatherford Award, honoring the best books about Appalachia, in 2007 for Strange as This Weather Has Been.

More importantly, if you’ve never read Pancake or heard her speak, you’ll find her writing and her personality down-to-earth, fresh, and inspiring.

You can be a part of the conversation in person or virtually. Just visit the WV Living book club web pages to register for the meeting and order your own copy of Strange as This Weather Has Been.