Well, anything you read on my blog CAN! Um, and if something is found to be untrue, well, I’m sure y'all will call me on it. Right? I have no alterative motive other than encourage reading. Any critical analysis (which may accidently get in) is open to interpretation.
Last Saturday, I attended the Association of College and Research Libraries’ (ACRL) program, Can Blogs Be Trusted?. Our speaker, Jason Zengerle, Senior Editor for The New Republic, was gracious enough to speak two hours since his co-speaker remained MIA.
As librarians, I think most of us attended the meeting to find some authoritative blogs. A little something-something to advise pre-law students asking quote questions or for those wary instructors faced with citations from questionable sites. To make a long blog short, Zengerle stated he is, "skeptic about information from many blogs."
Well, surprise. So are we.
Note: As a book blogger, I would like to see this title-post question asked of my peers. Do you give galleys a more favorable review because they are free? Most of us would say "NO WAY!" to that kind of question, but...
Friday, June 29, 2007
Can Blogs Be Trusted?
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Hee-Haw!
Here's a little something as we embark on the
which turned up this jewel by Jerry Leath Mills.
...there is indeed a single, simple, litmus-like test for the quality of southernness in literature, one easily formulated into a question to be asked of any literary text and whose answer may be taken as definitive, delimiting, and final. The test is: Is there a dead mule in it?
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
"Sense of Place" Contest!
The rules:
Pick out a passage from your southern reading which depicts sense of place
Either take a picture to match the passage or find one on the internet
Post quote and picture and Link it to Mister Linky on this post
You don't have to be a participant in the Southern Reading Challenge to play
Good Luck! Deadline is July 31, 2007!
This is my side porch. Pretty plain I know.
We will be tearing it down and replacing it with original wooden latticework.
So, I've got the required red rockers until work begins.
Born Today in 1880!
Our very own Alabamian, Helen Keller!
Literature is my Utopia. Here I am not disenfranchised. No barrier of the senses shuts me out from the sweet, gracious discourses of my book friends. They talk to me without embarrassment or awkwardness.
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Conference Transportation Blues cont...
I wanted to add that the extremely nice conference bus drivers were contracted from Florida. This will make more sense to those who rode the buses on Friday and Saturday.
Did it seem like he was lost at times? Well, that's 'cos he was!
Conference Airport Blues!
How many of us poor librarians spent the long day, night, and morning traveling from DC to home? I arrived at the airport a hair after 3:30pm, with a delayed 8ish departure, and arrived at my back stoop at 4:01 this morning. Some poor souls probably still haven't made it home because of the cancelled flights. Weather in Atlanta and Air Traffic Control delays were to blame, but don't you just want to blame it on the airlines.
How about some blues for y'all. A little Go Down to the River and take a bath blues! You know you want to dunk yourself in that cold, cool water. Go on, I'll wait.
Oh, and here's a little trivia for y'all bluesy peeps. Mississippi Fred pumped gas between his international/national touring schedule.
Sunday, June 24, 2007
Artist Respect Boundaries
When a children’s picture book is created there are usually three integral people involved: the 
writer, the illustrator, and the editor. The editor acts as middleman with a slightly different twist. He gets input from both parties but doesn’t confer with the other. In essence, all information is fed to him, but he doesn’t dole it back out. Thus an innocent little 32-page book is created without the writer and illustrator communicating. For example, the very popular Miss Bindergarten Kindergarten series, illustrated by Ashley Wolff, shocked writer Joseph Slate when his human characters appeared as animals.
It is with respect they all maintain a healthy distance from their mutual artistic partners. Very obvious, from the ease at which they are all in the same room, at the same tables, that friendship abounds. Kimmel explained their connection as, "being on the same wavelength." Gilchrist trust Greenfield enough to paint a whole book without ever having words to consult. The book, Sweet Baby Coming, is a poem of expectation written after the artwork arrived. Saturday, June 23, 2007
Friday, June 22, 2007
Day Two and My...
...Dawgs are Barkin'! We had the best fun today stumbling all around town. For the record, we racked up 34,000 steps or over 16 miles. That's a lot of museums and Metro steps. Our favorite, hands down, had to be the US Botanical Gardens, southeast from the Capitol.
Oh, my! It's past 1am and I'm still on the computer. I think I may have a problem. Should y'all gather and plan a bloggie intervention? :D
Most Attractions are Free!
Another quick thought about our nation's capital, it's V A S T.
When Hubby and I travel, we are always amazed how European countries have such tight corners. By that I mean, their state buildings are so close together. In some spots, one could type a memo then pass it through a window to reach a department in another building.
Can you imagine foreigners walking around DC? They must think we are made of land with the vast space between The Capital, Washington Memorial, and Lincoln Memorial. The hubster and I racked up around 14, 900 steps visiting these facilities last night. That's seven miles folks! (Not to mention all the walking through terminals at the airport.)
It was a lovely experience. We watched the sun go down to the right of the Lincoln Memorial then strolled along the reflection pool as geese and goslings tucked their heads under for sleep. The night lights gleamed on the granite and marble, as we made our way home. Twas truly a romantic and patriotic experience.
I'm really glad we are having the conference in DC. The hotel cost$ may be unreasonable, but most attractions are free!
Thursday, June 21, 2007
Curry Catfish Anyone?
It's in the wee hours as I write this, so please excuse my mistakes. I'm here in Washington DC bloggin' the conference. Not just any conference, but the annual American Library Association Conference.
The whole day has been one eye-opener after another, as we navigated the different airports and personnel who make them so colorful. Happy stewards and surly baggage handlers abound, but one conversation as we left Dulles for our hotel, I may never forget.
Our DC taxi driver, Patel, became excited upon learning we traveled from Memphis, Tennessee. Along with his running socio-economic commentary, he quizzed us on the cost of living, such as the current price per acre and the financial outlook for local catfish farmers. My husband referred to the loss of revenue since Vietnam entered the market, and then they jumped to another fish, blah-blah.
I lost the conversation as I sight-saw, when Patel started to recite water-temperatures certain, raised fish need. Long story short, our cabbie wants to raise catfish in the Delta.
We all have an American Dream we strive for and Patel's Catfish Farm is no exception. I mean, who would've thought a vegetarian would want to raise fish in the first place, but Patel is proof.
With this little 30 minute ride, Patel reinforced my decision to become a librarian. You see, Patel is an avid library user and gains much of his fish knowledge and lore from local DC Libraries. I'm proud my profession is helping him achieve his goal.
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Non-Bloggie in a Bloggie World...
I apologize to those non-bloggers. This being my first time hosting a challenge, I’ve been unsure how to maximize the southern experience for y'all without blogs. I think the best idea is to copy and paste any reviews non-bloggers have into a post. Then participants can converse with them through the comments or e-mail.
Sweet Hush by Deborah Smith
Outer Banks by Anne Rivers Siddons
Ladder of Years by Anne Tyler.
MLH otherwise known as
Terminal Bend by Patricia Mayer
Old Dogs and Children by Robert Inman
Also, a shout out to two new bloggers
Flipper or Flippant?
out of 5 rating.While over at Book Haven, Nyssaneala had a very different point of view.
Mock My Words!
Robin posted a thoughtful follow up to her initial To Kill a Mockingbird experience. One thing she mentioned, she hasn’t heard the bird’s call. Thus, she is unaware of how truly annoying it can be. Yes, it has one heck of a repertoire, but it is SO loud. If you ever get one outside your bedroom window, you might rationalize the sin.
I shouldn’t complain since I’ve enjoyed the sweet lyrics of a certain Magpie outside my cabin door. At least mockingbirds change their tune, and change they do, rather skillfully. Did you know they can imitate alarms, sirens, cell phones, squeaks, barking dawgs, and pianos?!? If you sit with one long enough they will pick up a couple of whistled bars from your skilled lungs.
Since, Robin and other participants aren’t in the south, I found an audio that might help ease the need for a face-to-beak meeting.
Yes, we love the mockingbird, just look at the states which claim it as their very own bird: Arkansas, Florida, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Texas. Did you notice Harper Lee's home state of Alabama isn't included?
Robin, thank yew for the post! :D
The Memory Keeper's Daughter (copy)
The first chapter of The Memory Keeper’s Daughter by Kim Edwards sets the stage for a moving story. I condensed the chapter in my own words; it is southern author, Edwards, who makes the story soar. Be aware, while reading this summary three character-voices alternate.I held my breath with this second birth. The baby, a little girl, was different. She was like the training movies we saw in medical school. She carries an extra chromosome, it is obvious, and heart defects are sure to be her lot. I call out for the nurse.
How can he ask me to do this? Doesn’t the mother have a say? Shouldn’t they think about this for a couple of days before sending the baby to the state hospital? He hands me a piece of paper with a name and address. He gazes into my eyes and I give the slightest okay as my one protest exits, “the snow.”
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
The Bird is the Word!
I’m thrilled at the number of participants who are re-visiting or getting to know Atticus, Scout, 
Tom, Jem, Boo, Dill, etc. from To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. It does my heart good knowing y’all are enjoying it in your comfy chairs all over the World. :)
Although, I hope your seats are hot and stifling like the courtroom scenes. It will help you imagine sitting amongst grumpy, stinky people, breathing the same stagnate air. Try choosing characters to empathize with, such as the coloreds in the gallery, where naturally, heat rises. Can you place your feet in the shoes of the accused Tom Robinson?
I’m reminded of the horrible true story of Emmett Till and his acquitted murderers. As the mockingbird, his joking whistle provided a catalyst for others' sins.
Read thoughts from other participants here:
Robin at A Fondness for Reading begins her post with, "Sissy Spacek narrated the audio book version of To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, and I think it's the most beautiful book I've ever listened to." Read more...
Laura from Musings had this to say, "Je ne regrette rien." Read more in English...
Nymeth at Things Mean a Lot had this to say, "I think that what impressed me the most about this book was how very human it is. People are portrayed as people – with flaws and shortcomings and limitations, but as real people despite them, or because of them." More at...
Rebecca from Fond of Books is a little confused by Boo. Can anyone of y'all help her? Meanwhile, here are some of her thoughts. "I think my favorite part was when the ladies were saying how terrible it was what Hitler was doing to the Jews, and not realizing they do the same thing to the black people in their county." Talk to her...
Kevin at Encyclopedia Kevinannica places TKaM in his All Time Top Ten List. Here are his quotes from the book...
Monday, June 18, 2007
Survivor "Southern Style"
Tasteless Southern Joke #1
Because of the popularity of CBS's Survivor reality show, several southern TV stations are joining together to plan their own, Survivor Southern Style.
The contestants will start in Montgomery, Alabama, travel over to Georgia and on to South Carolina . From there they will head up to North Carolina and over to Tennessee. They will then proceed down to Mississippi and Louisiana , finally ending up back in Alabama.
Each will be driving a pink VW with New Jersey license plates and large bumper stickers that read: I'm Gay, I'm a Vegetarian, NASCAR Sucks, Go Yankees, Hillary in 2008, and Deer Hunting is Murder!
The first one that makes it back to Montgomery alive wins!
Murf made the button, too!
“Where are you from?” the woman asked me. For a moment, I was going to lie and say I was
from Sausalito, California. Everyone loves you if you say you’re from California, while everyone is filled with sorrow or loathing if you admit you’re from the South.
I bellowed out a big Amen after reading this quote from Murf's blog. I personally get the loathing rather than the sorrow when I meet people from up north. I can see in their eyes the jumping to conclusions: white trash, red neck, bigot, stupid, etc. It is only when I meet another Southerner, up North, that I feel a kindred spirit. "Really, so who's your peoples?" Where's your homeplace?" "How bout dem Dawgs!"
Murf of As I was Saying read The Prince of Tides for her first book in the challenge. She had this to say...
Amanda of A Patchwork of Books isn’t participating in the Southern Reading Challenge; although, she highly suggests The Prince of Tides for participants. She likes to visit this book ever couple of years, but she thinks she will put it away for five years now. Hear why...
Sunday, June 17, 2007
And The Winner Is...
Angela Marie at Enchanted Daffodil!
Actually, when I asked my hubby for a number between one and 50, he blurted out 20. It was Henk again! Henk you are one lucky blogger, but to be fair, we repicked in order to spread the southern love.
Angela Marie, do you like pecans? Just e-mail me with your address and I'll get the treats in the mail.
Thursday, June 14, 2007
Born Today in 1811...
I no more thought of style or literary excellence than the mother who rushes into the street and cries for help to save her children from a burning house, thinks of the teachings of the rhetorician or the elocutionist.
~ Harriet Beecher Stowe
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
Quill Awards Bathe in Southern Voices
The Quill award finalists were announced this past week! What, you ask, are the Quills? Quills are to books, the equivalent of Oscars for movies and Tonys for theatre. There are five nominees in 18 categories such as general fiction, humor, romance, business, graphic novels, history, and poetry. This October, all winners will dine at Lincoln Center while NBC televises the event.
I’m excited to report the audio books have a “down-home” flavor. All five nominees are narrated by southern voices. So, without further ado, the nominees are… Can’t Wait to Get to Heaven by Fannie Flagg, as read by the author, is a native of Birmingham, Alabama. Her sweet voice adds spark to eighty-something Mrs. Elner Shimfissle’s quirky life. One minute she is up a tree picking figs and the next off pondering the meaning of life. Library Journal says, “she still can mix humor, wisdom, and pathos in highly memorable characters that made [her] earlier books successes.”
And, drum roll please, my money is on the classic To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee as read by Sissy Spacek. The actual list suggests Sissy Spacek “performs the book” where as other nominees merely read theirs. Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Sorry to hear...
Nattie from Nattie Writes is no longer with us. Her fight with stomach cancer was rather sudden and short. I briefly met her, and enjoyed a joke, in April when she signed up for the Southern Reading Challenge. So I thought, in memory of her, I would read her picks.
There is no shortage of good days. It is good lives that are hard to come by.
Sunday, June 10, 2007
And the Winner Is Henk!
Henk from Masterpieces is the Winner of a Southern Surprise! Wouldn't you know my first prize goes to a participant who lives across the pond in the Netherlands! Henk, how do you feel about pecans?
I hope everyone is submerged in a good ole southern book. Happy Reading!
Note: Henk, I'll need your address to send the tin, full of pecan delights!
Thursday, June 07, 2007
1st Southern Reading Reviews In!
Here's a taste of southern reading going on in the challenge:
Fond of Books stands at the head of the class by being the first to read and review a southern book. The Color Purple had Fond of Books saying, "What a wonderful book. I had seen the movie many times and love it so I was pretty sure I would love the book too. After reading this I appreciate how well the movie stayed with the original story."
Diane from Nanners and Noodles read The Ballad of the Flim Flam Man by Guy Owen. She had this to say, "Some ideas are timeless, and I found I could relate to the cynicism of Jones about the greed of most men, the old idea that you can’t con an honest man, and the apparent lack of Christian ideals in some of our religious leaders, even though the con takes place over the television rather than in revival tents."
MamaT from Summa Mamas has completed Kaye Gibbons’s Sights Unseen. She had this to say, "The story of Maggie Barnes and her family as told by her daughter Hattie. Maggie is that woman known in her small North Carolina town as "that Barnes woman with all the problems." Her problem is mental illness--bipolar disorder in particular. A very clear-eyed look, in my opinion, of the costs of living with such a person, both to the person herself and to her family. The story has a twist--thanks to medication, electroconvulsive therapy, and psychiatric intervention, Maggie becomes well. The interesting thing is to see how that change affects her family. Gibbons has a gift for writing things so realistically that you lose track of the fact that you are reading a novel and assume that you are reading an autobiographical tale instead. Very good."
Lynne from Lynne’s Little Corner read Between Georgia by Joshilyn Jackson. She had this to say, "I loved this book! I had read GODS IN ALABAMA a short time ago and enjoyed it, but this one is much better. The characters are great - you can picture them in your mind and hear them speak. You can feel the love and pain between them. They had problems and took care of them in their own way - not always the best way, but they did what had to be done. They're strong people, although some of them didn't realize the strength that they possessed."
Wednesday, June 06, 2007
Finn (copy)
It has been said there are no true original stories. Each story is built on a previously written story. For example, a story we are all familiar with in Genesis, Noah’s Ark, is found in the Hebrew Torah, the Islamic Quran, and the Epic of Gilgamesh. Various versions of the classic may be found in children’s picture books and in Sunday school lessons, too.
Other literature of late expands on classics with a variety of success. Two come to mind: The Red Tent by Anita Diamant is based on the Biblical story of Dinah, and Wicked by Gregory Maguire is based on The Wizard of Oz.
New on library shelves and bookstore displays, Finn by Jon Clinch is based on Mark Twain’s 
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Main character, known only as Finn throughout the book, isn’t Huck but rather his father. A mean, nasty bigot of a man who only cares for his son when money enters the picture, somehow makes for a sympathetic character.
Despicable characters tend to be plot drivers, but audience losers. An author takes a chance when he creates a main character so hateful. Why? Most readers want to empathize or step into the personality instead of wish them dead. Finn is lustful towards black woman, abusive to children, and slightly insane. Not really a person one would like to meet in the real world or read about.
Yet, author Clinch works in our sympathy for the alcoholic. In the first chapter, three young boys steal fish from Finn’s trout line. Finn, in search of drink, stumbles upon them mid-crime. Two of the boys bail, but one is left trying to remove a hook from his palm. The unfortunate takes a backhand from Finn, which knocks him out and the hook free. Then our antihero is seen tenderly removing the fish from the boat’s hull.
The book opens with an excerpt from Huckleberry Finn. Jim and Huck, while on the run, enter a cabin containing the body of a murdered man; who happens to be Huck’s father. The seedy room is strewn with “greasy cards,” “old whiskey bottles,” and “a couple of masks made out of black cloth.” The plaster walls shown “the ignorantest kind of words and pictures, made with charcoal.”
This scene sets the stage, from murderous start to vindicated end. Finn, although evolving from Huckleberry Finn, stands alone as an original.
Tuesday, June 05, 2007
Clear Case of Uppin-the-Ante!
Lisa at Bluestalking Reader isn’t participating in the Southern Reading Challenge! Nope! No 
rinky-dink, read three southern books of your choice, but a rather blue-blooded Southern Literature Project. She has a list of canons and modern titles to make any Southern Literature 101 class proud.
Lisa is gonin' great guns, folks! She just recently devoured Larry Brown's, Father and Son, and is currently chewing on Hick by Andrea Portis (Is Portis any kin to my beloved Charles Portis?) If you are still looking for books to place on the list or replace duds, check out her left hand margin.
Sunday, June 03, 2007
Challenger's Hubby is Southern Author!
That's raight! Deana from Friday Night Fish Fry is married to Martin Clark. A smart man, not 
just for marrying Deana, but writing two books while working as a judge in Virginia.
Saturday, June 02, 2007
Y'all Ready For This?
In many of the books y'all will be reading this summer, a southern voice cry's out. Will you be able to discern it?
Kevin of Encyclopedia Kevinannica is the first in with notes on Zora Neale Hurston's rich 30's/40's black voice! Hurston was criticized for her black, southern voice. Readers of both races felt it contrived, but I believe she was true. One reason, she spent weeks living in turpentine camps. These camps were known for being seedy and lawless such as the wild west.
This is the quoted passage (thanks to Kevin) from her work, Their Eyes Were Watching God:
"You know if you pass some people and don't speak tuh suit 'em dey got tuh go way back in yo' life and see whut you ever done. They know mo' 'bout yuh than you do yo' self. An envious heart makes a treacherous ear. They done 'heard' 'bout you just what they hope done happened."
"If God don't think no mo' 'bout 'em then Ah do, they's a lost ball in de high grass."
"Ah hears what they say 'cause they just will collect round mah porch 'cause it's on the big road. Mah husband git so sick of 'em sometime he makes 'em all git for home."
"Sam is right too. They just wearin' out yo' sittin' chairs.""Yeah, Sam say most of 'em goes to church so they'll be sure to rise in Judgment. Dat's de day dat every secret is s'posed to be made known. They wants to be there and hear it all."
"Sam is too crazy! You can't stop laughin' when youse around him."
"Uuh hunh. He says he aims to be there hisself so he can find out who stole his corn-cob pipe."
