The small-town Georgia feel of “To Dance with the White Dog” reminded library board chairman Mary Helen McGruder of a Forsyth County she once knew.During the kickoff Monday night of this year’s Forsyth Reads Together, McGruder said the committee selected the novel by Terry Kay for the annual communitywide reading initiative for its “gentle charm and bittersweet exploration of life and death in the American South.”Kay’s ability to spin a yarn was evident during his visit as he drew laughs and tears from the crowd while telling stories of his childhood in north Georgia, his start in fiction and his experiences in penning “To Dance with the White Dog.”About 200 gathered at the Lanier Technical College Forsyth Conference Center for the first author visit held as part of the fifth annual community reading event.Kay, who hails from Athens, said he was “stunned” at the turnout.He spoke on the impact his 1990 novel has had on the lives of others, which he admitted he didn’t quite understand.“I didn’t know what was in the book,” Kay said. “I’ve never known. I don’t want to know because if I know, I’m going to tell you what you should think.