I wandered into Alabama Booksmith on a Saturday afternoon, promising myself that I wouldn’t buy any books. I don’t need to—my to-read shelf grows faster than I can finish a book. When I explained this to Owner Jake Reiss, who checked to see if he could help me, he laughed and made his diagnosis. “You’re sick,” he said. “I’m sick too. Don’t get better.”
Reiss asked what the best books I’ve read in the past year or two were, and I offered the first that came to mind. Both were by Alabama authors, and both have appeared in Birmingham magazine’s summer reading issues. And though I successfully kept myself from purchasing still more books that afternoon, I left the bookstore satisfied by meaningful conversation with a fellow book lover.
Moments like this are why we continue to publish our annual summer reading issue. This edition again offers some of the best books published by Alabama authors over the past year, but we’ve also expanded our coverage to capture Birmingham’s literary side. You’ll find profiles of independent bookstores, listings for annual literary events and book recommendations from our staff and readers. And perhaps next time you’re asked about the best books you’ve read this year, a fellow Alabamian’s name will tumble from your lips.
by Carla Jean Whitley
Books by Alabama authors
Up Pops the Devil
Angela Benson
July 2008, Avon A
Wilford “Preacher” Winters earned his nickname because of his Bible-toting ways—and his reputation from being a hard-nosed drug dealer. After two years in prison, Preacher’s a new man. He found faith and is determined to walk away from the business he ran with his sister. That’s not so easy with a fiancée who’s accustomed to the high rolling lifestyle and a sister equally focused on maintaining her career.
Throughout Up Pops the Devil, University of Alabama professor Angela Benson interjects interludes reminiscent of the conversations between demons Wormwood and Screwtape in C.S. Lewis’ The Screwtape Letters. Here, a devil named Sean reports back to The Boss as Sean attempts to unravel Preacher’s newfound Christianity.
As Sean does his work, Preacher finds that the tangled connections in his life make it tough to redeem his past. Benson’s novel is a realistic portrayal of life, challenges and enduring faith.
Paper Towns
John Green
October 2008, Dutton Books
After a night of brilliant pranks, Margo Roth Spiegelman disappears. It’s not the first time: Margo is renowned at Winter Park High School for her improbable adventures. But after years of unrequited love and spotting a trail of clues that seem meant for him, Q is convinced he must find her. Along the way he realizes his idealized image of his elusive next door neighbor isn’t so accurate, after all, and that perhaps the only person we can really understand is ourselves.
John Green, whose first novel Looking for Alaska was partly inspired by his years here at Indian Springs School, has again created a masterpiece. Green’s novels are distinctive: a drama, a comedy and a mystery. The common thread is his clever characters (always including a geeky-cool guy and an out-of-his-league leading lady), a keen ear for modern teens and a knack for writing novels beloved by teenagers and adults alike.
Driftwood Summer
Patti Callahan Henry
June 2009, New American Library
Family takes first priority. That’s the unofficial Sheffield family motto, a sentiment that mom Kitsy and daughter Riley use to draw sisters Maisey and Adalee home for a week of events meant to save the family’s Driftwood Cottage Bookstore. The 200-year-old structure is a place where the stories of its former residents and the books it now holds are intertwined.
Maisey ran off to California 12 years ago, and Adalee is reluctant to spend a summer away from Auburn University (also the author’s alma mater). Riley, their eldest sister, appeals to her sisters for help after their elderly mother is temporarily incapacitated by a fall.
But working together isn’t easy. Betrayals echo through the years, demanding the sisters to untangle their old grudges and meet each other in the present.
What could be a better fit for a summer reading list than a novel about a beach-front bookstore? And when it flows from the capable pen of Patti Callahan Henry, this beach-friendly tale also examines the meaning of family and forgiveness.
The Adventures of Douglas Bragg
Madison Jones
October 2008, University of Tennessee Press
Douglas Bragg has never forgotten his 24th birthday and the rambling hitchhiking trip he embarked upon just after it. In The Adventures of Douglas Bragg, Auburn Emeritus Professor and Writer-in-Residence Madison Jones recreates his main character’s grand life adventure.
Before leaving home, Douglas was a college graduate with a series of failed jobs to his name. He’s had enough of that, so he sets off in search of something else. The resulting escapades bring Douglas in touch with a 27-year-old driver who refuses to drive slower than 55 miles per hour (for maximum fuel efficiency) and who can’t seem to slide out from under his mother’s thumb. After being mugged and getting a concussion, Douglas stays with a family on a pig farm.
Jones creates story after story in this rollicking road trip of a novel, filling Douglas’ life with characters that he hasn’t forgotten—and that you won’t either.
Birmingham Then and Now
Todd Keith
May 2009, Thunder Bay Books
So many history books preserve Birmingham as it was decades ago: a bustling downtown, the steel town we came from, even hints of the move out of downtown to the over the mountain area. Birmingham Then and Now takes a step further by publishing photos of the city, yesterday and today, on adjacent pages of this lovely coffee table book. Author and Birmingham resident Todd Keith couples the images with explanations of the site’s history and present day use. Though that means the book could be outdated in just a few years (a probability he acknowledges in the introduction), Birmingham Then and Now offers present-day readers insight into where we’ve been and where we’re heading— and as a result may help us to embrace lessons from the past as we adapt for the very future that’ll make this book irrelevant.
Be Amazing
Maggie Koerth-Baker with Will Pearson
and Mangesh Hattikudur
March 2009, Harper Paperbacks
When mental_floss is stamped on the cover, you know a book is sure to be a clever tome. Be Amazing adds even more wit and wisdom to the library of books published by this Birmingham-based magazine.
In Be Amazing, you’ll learn important life skills like how to ask a lady her age. (Use fluorine dating to estimate the age of a deceased woman. You wouldn’t want to ask a live lady her age, now would you?!) Along the way you’ll absorb a little history (such as the tale of Hibbing, Minn., a mining town relocated for easier access to the iron ore it was built atop), science (see the aforementioned fluorine dating example) and social skills (how to mooch).
This how-to book will keep you laughing all summer long.
Big Bob Gibson’s BBQ Book
Chris Lilly
May 2009, Clarkson Potter/Publishers
Barbecue is a beautiful thing. Any fan of that slowly smoked meat knows it. But I must confess, I didn’t expect a barbecue cookbook to be, well, so lovely itself. In Big Bob Gibson’s BBQ Book, Chris Lilly, vice president of the Decaturbased restaurant, couples his expert advice with Ben Fink’s gorgeous photographs of the meat, the pit and the diners.
Lilly incorporates the history of the legendary restaurant as he carefully instructs the reader in how to achieve the tender, flavorful meat essential to any summer cookout. He considers every detail, from what type of grill the amateur barbecuer should use to which spices are paired best with each type of meat. And of course, there are recipes, including classics like pork shoulder, plus the more exotic grilled soy and lime beef tri-tip and barbecue goat. Lilly’s expertise ensures that, with practice, you’ll enjoy your own barbecue all summer long.
The Millionaires
Inman Majors
January 2009, W.W. Norton
Roland and J.T. Cole bridge a social divide. They play golf at the country country club, a self-deprecating term meant to cover members’ pride at being part of a country club to begin with. It’s a picture of the Cole brothers themselves, straddling the line between good ol’ boys and new money even as Roland attempts to pull off a run for the Tennessee governership.
Glennville isn’t a shining gem of the old South, but the Cole brothers attempt to use their wealth to change the face of the tiny Tennessee city. Soon the Coles find themselves scrutinized and clamoring to stay afloat as people ask just how they got so rich, anyway.
In his third novel, University of Alabama graduate and James Madison University professor Inman Majors draws on script-like interludes and back room politics as he advances the plot of this deeply Southern tale of power and corruption.
A State of Laughter: Comic Fiction from Alabama
Edited by Don Noble
December 2008, Livingston Press
Funny comes in a variety of flavors. It shows up in a tale of a 16-year-old whose pregnant young wife won’t stand up for him against her bent-for-revenge aunts. It’s a man who lost his right leg in a game of seven card stud. It’s two women sharing the cremains of a man they both loved.
A State of Laughter culls such humorous stories from a host of notable Alabamians: Truman Capote, Madison Jones, and more contemporary writers like Daniel Wallace and Michelle Richmond. Although he’s a northerner by birth, Don Noble has called Alabama home for decades, working as an English professor and adjunct professor of journalism at the University of Alabama. Now the professor emeritus reviews books on Alabama Public Radio and hosts Bookmark on Alabama Public Television in Tuscaloosa. Along the way he’s clearly developed an ear for the humor of the South, as evidenced in A State of Laughter.
Southern Living Comfort Food
By the editors of Southern Living
Oxmoor House, March 2009
Acclaimed author Pat Conroy didn’t know comfort food when he was growing up. His mother often argued with his grandmother over who was the worse cook, with both proclaiming they didn’t need to cook because they were born beautiful.
So why did Conroy write the foreword to Southern Living Comfort Foods? Because he knows what it is to need such recipes. “Comfort food says I love you without saying a single word,” he explains.
And Southern Living knows comfort food. This illustrated, hardback cookbook is peppered with twists on classics, like Barbecue Deviled Eggs, Grilled Beer-Cheese Sandwich and Fried Lemon-Rosemary Catfish. But best of all are food-themed recollections from the Southern Living staff, shared in essays throughout the book. Reflect on their memories and create your own with this comforting collection.
Outcasts United
Warren St. John
April 2009, Spiegel & Grau
Mountain Brook-raised Warren St. John made thousands of instant fans with the 2004 release of his debut book, Rammer Jammer Yellow Hammer. That’s an easy task locally when you’re writing about Alabama football, but St. John’s book also became a national bestseller.
In Outcasts United, St. John applies his reporting skills to the town of Clarkston, Ga. The tiny town, located just outside Atlanta, has become one of the most diverse cities in America as thousands of refugees from war-torn countries move to town. But that instant diversity comes with growing pains. St. John explores those changes through the lens of a youth soccer team, the Fugees, and its impact on Clarkston.
If there was any doubt that St. John’s skills would stand up in a more nuanced tale, they’ve been dispelled. He has crafted a careful, humanizing account of the way soccer represents change in these boys’ lives and in their town’s history.
The Help
Kathryn Stockett
February 2009, Amy Einhorn Books
I’ll be honest: When I opened The Help, the debut novel by University of Alabama graduate Kathryn Stockett, I didn’t think I would make it more than a few chapters. A novel that opens with dialect makes me nervous, especially when it’s a white author writing black characters.
I finished the 444 page book not 24 hours later. Stockett is a careful writer, sensitively capturing dialect as she offers a believable portrayal of 1960s Jackson, Miss.
Skeeter Phelan returns home from Ole Miss an outsider. Her friends have all married and are having children while Skeeter dreams of doing something with her life and degree. As she begins to recognize the way her friends treat their help, Skeeter and two of the maids write a book in secret, telling the stories of 1960s Jackson.
I was left thinking about The Help days after I finished reading. Next time I won’t let dialect raise my suspicion—at least, not if it’s a tool wielded by such a skillful writer.
Swimmers in the Sea
Denzil Strickland
August 2008, Press 53
Swimmers in the Sea starts with a bang (well, a crash), then immediately switches perspectives and settles into a slow pace that introduces readers to the characters. And although the novel begins loudly, the people truly are the heart of this story.
In one moment, Cliff’s family is forever changed. His two older siblings and the passengers of the other car are killed during a drunk driving accident, with Cliff’s father behind the wheel. As the novel unfolds, Cliff reacts to the loss of his siblings (and in some senses, his parents), first as a confused 5-year-old boy and then as an adult dealing with his father’s impending death.
When he returns to New Orleans to visit his estranged and dying father, Cliff gets a chance to try again and make something of his life. But things aren’t as they seem and don’t go according to plan. In this Tuscaloosa native’s debut novel, there’s hope but there isn’t a happy ending.
The Seasons Bear Us
Jeanie Thompson
April 2009, River City Publishing
Jeanie Thompson captures the gentle rhythms of life in verse while memorializing the everyday and the sublime.
“Cornbread” is a gentle ode to that fine baked good. “Alternative Ending” deals with the more remarkable moments of life, a tumor removed and the life of a loved one spared. Daily life is also captured in poems like “Coming Awake,” where Thompson highlight’s the morning’s dawn, rising from bed and greeting the world with a faithful pet by your side. Other poems capture specific, small moments, such as “With the Night,” standing in a spring rain, simultaneously embracing being a woman. In The Seasons Bear Us, Thompson, the founding director of the Alabama Writers’ Forum, carries the reader through both the seasons of a year and the seasons of our lives.
Spit, Scarey Ann and Sweat
Bees: One Thing Leads to Another
Kathryn Tucker Windham
April 2009, NewSouth Books
Kathryn Tucker Windham is one of the state’s most beloved storytellers, a Selma native and award-winning reporter whose ghost stories have brought laughter and fear to the lives of many. In the memoir Spit, Scarey Ann and Sweat Bees, Windham invites readers to sit on the front porch of her life.
Tales of family are scattered throughout, including recollections of her brother, Wilson, who showered her with gifts such as an owl, baby squirrels and an orange and blue cap from Auburn (then Alabama Polytechnic Institute). She also shares fond memories of high school, and is still able to recite cheers decades later.
Reading this book is like sitting alongside Windham in a rocker, fanning away mosquitoes and reminiscing. The storytelling is more train of thought than a strict narrative, proving that one thing does, indeed, lead to another.
Birmingham independent bookstores
Alabama Booksmith
2626 19th Pl. S.
870-4242
alabamabooksmith.com
Hours: 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Monday through Saturday
Atmosphere: It’s all about the book at Alabama Booksmith, a small Homewood shop. Step inside and you’ll find shelf after shelf of excellent literature.
What stands out: Alabama Booksmith has become a regular stop for bestselling authors on tour. The shop frequently hosts book signings, both in the store and at special events in Birmingham and the state. This month they’ll welcome Gin Phillips (author of The Well and the Mine, in store on July 7) and Warren St. John (author of Outcasts United, at the Literacy Council’s Signature Series on July 28).
What we found: The store houses a host of signed first editions, and offers them to members of the Signed Editions club each month. You’ll find such books throughout the store. And pay attention to the Alabama authors section at the front of the shop. There, you’ll spot signed books by greats Rick Bragg, Warren St. John and Daniel Wallace, as well as books by authors you didn’t even know had Alabama connections.
Books, Beans and Candles
1620 Richard Arrington Jr. Blvd. S.
453-4636
bookbeancandle.com
Hours: 10 a.m.-9 p.m.-ish, daily
Atmosphere: The rambling old house on Birmingham’s Southside invites customers to sit down with a cup of locally-roasted Primavera coffee and stay a while. The house’s many rooms make browsing a solitary joy, and the friendly staff are eager to help.
What stands out: Just as the name suggests, there’s so much more than books at Books, Beans and Candles. In addition to the items listed in the store’s name, they carry herbs, figurines, clothing, stones, incense and more.
What we found: The selection of books is very specific, and it’s intriguing to find what fills the shelves of this Southside shop. Metaphysical nonfiction fills spaces between the Harry Potter series and J.R.R. Tolkein books, and the Holy Bible finds a place next to the Quran.
Book Rack
423 Huffman Rd.
836-5629
thebookrack.com
Hours: 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Monday through Friday; 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday
Atmosphere: Upon entering Book Rack, located in a Huffman strip mall, you’re likely to be immediately confronted with fellow readers exchanging previously loved books for store credit. And that credit can take you far in this labyrinth of books, a maze of neatly-stacked titles.
What stands out: Although the Book Rack accepts a wide variety of used books, from classics to teen fiction, the romance and mystery sections of the store seem to be the most crowded. Nearly every book here is a mass-market paperback, made for easy reading.
What we found: Row after row of beach-ready books. If your books show their wear and you don’t want to beat up on a borrowed book, this is the place to go. Buy a quick read, throw it in a beach bag, then sell it back and pick out your next indulgence.
Greencup Books
105 Richard Arrington Jr. Blvd. S.
533-8445
greencupbooks.org
Hours: Check the website for up-to-date hours
Atmosphere: Tucked into a row of shops next to Bare Hands Gallery, Greencup Books is a used book lover’s dream. Part of Greencup’s appeal is its eclectic collection, which is truly diverse and reaches across a variety of genres. But one thing the store abounds in is trade paperbacks. The fiction shelves could keep you busy for years and years.What stands out: Greencup is a not-for-profit venture and a community space. In addition to housing thousands of books, the shop hosts music shows and a variety of classes. Greencup’s publishing arm publishes books, magazines and literary journals for a variety of clients.
What we found: Many of these bookstores have Alabama-specific sections, and Greencup’s loosely categorized section boasted some finds. One favorite? A signed first edition of Alabama storyteller Kathryn Tucker Windham’s 13 Ghosts and Jeffery, priced at $30.
Malcolm’s Reading Room
404 17th St. N.
261-9298
malcolmsreadingroom.com
Hours: 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Mondays; 10 a.m.-7 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday
Atmosphere: This casual shop, named for the owners’ 2-and-a-halfyear- old son Malcolm, is a welcoming place to stop in for a book or a visit in the midst of downtown’s historic Fourth Avenue district.
What stands out: Malcolm’s Reading Room is more than a bookstore— it’s a lifestyle store, owners Simone and Courtney Snelling proclaim. The store also holds music events, offering a refuge for African- American culture and an alternative to the type of shows more commonly found in Atlanta.
What we found: The shop emphasizes black literature, and you’ll find books by Barack Obama and Zora Neale Hurston mingling with classics by Harper Lee and Truman Capote. The selection is dictated by the owners’ interests; if they’re in the mood for a classic or a book about the Black Panthers, that’s what will turn up on the shelves.
Milestone Books
700 Montgomery Hwy., Suite 106
824-2223
milestonebooks.net
Hours: 9 a.m.-7 p.m., Monday through Wednesday; 9 a.m.-8 p.m., Thursday through Saturday
Atmosphere: Milestone’s crisp and modern appearance melds neatly with the shops surrounding it in the Vestavia Hills City Center.
What stands out: The store is designed to prompt literary conversations. Staff picks fill a large bookcase at the front of the store, some with placards explaining the reason for the book’s selection. Also at the front of the store are shelves labeled staff wish lists. Here, Milestone staff members place copies of books they hope to read but haven’t yet found time for. If you’ve read them, they invite you to offer your opinions.
What we found: Shelves of art and knick knacks designed for book lovers are scattered among the books. You’ll find book journals and a book lenders kit, as well as tips for book clubs.
Solid Ground Christian Book Shoppe
715 Oak Grove Rd.
443-0311
solid-ground-books.com
Hours: 9 a.m.-6 p.m., Monday through Friday; 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday
Atmosphere: Solid Ground is the kind of place you’re not likely to stumble upon unless you live in the neighborhood or are specifically looking for it. Tucked between a residential community and Patriot Park in West Homewood, this intimate shop is so small that you almost feel like you’ve come across someone’s storage space. But the friendly staff quickly welcomes you to the store.
What stands out: Solid Ground Christian Books’ publishing arm researches and reprints old but useful Christian literature for use by modern readers.
What we found: Nearly two-thirds of the shelf space is occupied by the books Solid Ground publishes, which means you’ll find a variety of texts that are difficult to acquire elsewhere. The books they carry are listed on the shop’s website for handy reference.
Little Professor Book Center
2717 18th St. S.
870-7461
littleprofessorhomewood.com
Hours: 8:15 a.m.-8 p.m., Monday through Friday; 8:15 a.m.-6 p.m., Saturday; 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Sunday.
Atmosphere: Little Professor’s two levels offer a quiet place to browse the latest New York Times Book Review recommendations or to examine the choices of area book clubs.
What stands out: Crape Myrtle’s Cafe offers readers a spot to stop for a meal or coffee with their newly-purchased books. The food goes beyond standard coffee shop fare, making it a draw for lunchtime crowds. Visit the store’s website and you’ll find an interview with the author of the month, whose works are highlighted in the store.
What we found: There’s a small section of used books upstairs, with a special display of staff selections. The store’s magazine selection is also extensive, with a number of popular magazines as well as more obscure titles.
Jim Reed Books
2021 Third Ave. N.
326-4460
jimreedbooks.com
Hours: 10:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m., Tuesday through Friday; 11 a.m.-4 p.m., Saturday
Atmosphere: You’ll find all manner of curiosities at Reed Books, where a playing card with Truman Capote book titles is stapled to a bookcase and outdated political signs are stacked alongside books.
What stands out: A visit to Reed Books is a bit like a scavenger hunt: You never know what you’ll find. But Jim Reed is always ready to help customers locate a particular piece of nostalgia, or to place an order for a sought-after book.
What we found: An extensive Birmingham section includes special publications, like a 1965 Birmingham News section, Alabama’s Young Industrial Giant, and back issues of the Alabama Review.
Literary Events
The reading continues all year long as universities and organizations bring authors to town and nearby cities in central Alabama. Mark your calendars now for these recurring literary events, and keep an eye on their websites for 2009 to 2010 authors and events. And of course, check with your favorite bookstore for book signings, which take place constantly throughout the year.
Alabama Writers’ Conclave
(July 17-19) It’s not too late to register for this year’s Alabama Writers’ Conclave! Founded in 1923, this year’s workshop features authors Gloria Ballard (creative non-fiction), Pamela Duncan (fiction), Peter Huggins (poetry), Thomas Lakeman (fiction) and Gin Phillips (writer in residence). The weekend also includes an open mic night and a play. Hilton Birmingham Perimeter Park. alabama writersconclave.com
Literacy Council Signature Series
(Summer) The Literacy Council’s Signature Series brings several big-name authors to town through a series of private cocktail events each summer. (July 28, 6:30 p.m.) Warren St. John will sign copies of Outcasts United, his latest book following a refugee youth soccer team in Clarkston, Ga. The Literacy Council. $100. 326-1925. literacy -council.org
UAB Book Talk
(First Tuesdays, September through May, 6-7 p.m.) UAB welcomes the public to a series of informal discussions, in effect creating a book club of its own. Selections for the 2009-2010 year will be announced this month, but past books include An Arsonist’s Guide to Writers’ Homes in New England by Brock Clarke and Bombay Time by Thrity Umrigar. UAB Mervyn Sterne Library. 975-5328. uab.edu/English/events/uab-booktalk
UAB Writers’ Series
(Once a month on Wednesdays, 4 p.m.) The UAB program in creative writing offers these readings from a variety of writers, open to the public, once a month during the school year. The 2009-2010 schedule has not yet been announced. UAB Hulsey Recital Hall. uab.edu/english/events/uab-writersseries
Southern Magic Romance Readers Luncheon
(Nov. 7, 11 a.m.) Anne Stuart, author of Silver Falls, will be the keynote speaker at the sixth annual Romance Readers Luncheon. A host of other authors are expected to attend this Southern Magic event. The group also meets monthly and holds a romance writers conference every few years; the next is scheduled for 2011. southernmagic.org
Southern Voices
(February) The Hoover Public Library hosts this annual conference, featuring a keynote author, plus editors, musicians and artists. Past authors include Adriana Trigiana, Patti Callahan Henry (featured in this year’s summer reading list) and Daniel Wallace. The weekend’s concert, held at the Library Theatre, is regularly a sell-out. Hoover Public Library. 444-7820. hooverlibrary.org/sv
On the Brink
(March) Jacksonville State University offers this annual conference on emerging Southern writers. The 2009 conference, held in March, was a celebration of country music group Alabama member Randy Owen’s new book, Born Country. Past authors have included Joshilyn Jackson, Cassandra King, Natasha Trethewey and Jack Pendarvis. Jacksonville State University. jsu.edu/depart/english
Alabama Book Festival
(April) The Alabama Book Festival unites writers and readers while showcasing Alabama authors and others. The festival works specifically to support our state’s literary culture. Old Alabama Town, Montgomery. alabamabookcenter.org/ ABF.html
Montevallo Literary Festival
(April 23, 2010) The Montevallo Literary Festival offers readings and workshops, in the past featuring authors like Janisse Ray, Barry Hannah and Inman Majors. The 2009 festival coincided with a production from the Montevallo Main Street Players and also embraced Internet publishing by including the Eating Alabama bloggers. University of Montevallo. montevallo.edu/english/MLF
Alabama Bound
(Spring) This free springtime library event pulls Alabama authors into downtown Birmingham, where they speak about their latest releases, sign books and mingle with readers. Past authors include Mark Childress, Sonny Brewer, Warren St. John and Frank Stitt. Birmingham Public Library, Central. 226-3610. alabamabound.org
Southern Christian Writers Conference
(June) Alabama journalism professor David Sloan and family have organized this Christian writing conference for years. Sessions are applicable to all writers, but approach the craft from a faith-based perspective. First Baptist Church Tuscaloosa. web.mac.com/wmdsloan/iWeb/SCWC
Our editors’ favorite reads
Sarah Kate Boltz, editorial intern
The Geography of Bliss: One Grump’s Search for the Happiest Places in the World by Eric Weiner
I began reading The Geography of Bliss with the pretense that it would contain typical travel stories about far-away places and the author’s newfound beliefs of life. Imagine my surprise, by the end of the book, when I’m also the one contemplating what exactly happiness is and how the place I live in relates to my happiness. Eric Weiner, a correspondent for National Public Radio, takes readers on hilarious and insightful journeys across the world, stopping in 10 countries to discover what makes each country happy. He begins his search in Switzerland, the research headquarters for happiness, and stops to see the smiles in Iceland, one of the world’s happiest countries, and the frowns in Moldova, where seemingly no one is happy. Beautifully thoughtful and full of witty writing, this book is a perfect mix for summer reading.
Laura McAlister, web editor
The Inextinguishable Symphony: A True Story of Music and Love in Nazi Germany by Martin Goldsmith
In The Inextinguishable Symphony, Martin Goldsmith describes his parents’ lives as a newly-married Jewish couple in Nazi Germany. Gunther and Rosemarie Goldschmidt are talented musicians. In the years leading up to World War II and the Final Solution, they find work with the Judishce Kulturbund, an organization founded for Jewish artists and under Nazi surveillance. Some historians say the Kulturbund served as a propaganda tool for the Nazis and further endangered the Jews by giving them a false sense of security, but others saw it as a saving grace and means of escape from an increasingly intolerant country. Week after week the Nazis deprived Jews of more freedoms, but the Kulturbund continued its performances. Goldsmith takes readers through the rise of Adolf Hitler and Nazi Germany and its aftermath. Rosemarie and Gunther escaped Nazi Germany and immigrated to America, but they would never escape the guilt of leaving their families behind.
Mary Ellen Stancill, associate editor
The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game by Michael Lewis
I realize that in this town it’s brave to recommend a book that revolves around an Ole Miss football player. But The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game by Michael Lewis is good enough that I’ll risk receiving crazed emails from Birmingham magazine readers with lay-down-anddie Alabama or Auburn obsessions. Lewis’ chapters alternate between complementary storylines. The first explains the evolution of the role of the offensive tackle. The second tells the true story of Michael Oher, a football player uniquely suited for this position. Oher spent his younger years in the worst housing projects of inner city Memphis, but eventually attended high school at one of Memphis’ most prestigious private schools, becoming one of the most sought after prospects in college football. The book ends with his first season as a starting offensive tackle for the Rebels.
I don’t even like sports books, but I couldn’t put this down.
Bennett Sumner, editorial intern
Same Kind of Different as Me by Rob Hall and Denver Moore
Four years ago, my dad gave me this book by an unknown author named Ron Hall. To be honest, I wasn’t very interested but I read the book anyway to humor him. Since reading Same Kind of Different as Me, I will never forget Ron Hall or his co-author Denver Moore. The two men tell their life stories, one as a high society art dealer and the other as an introverted homeless man. Separated by socio-economic lines, Hall and Moore would never have met except for Hall’s wife’s deep compassion for the homeless. This true story of an unlikely friendship will open your eyes to a world that exists across the class divide. Be prepared to cringe, laugh and, of course, cry as Hall and Denver take you through the years that changed their lives.
Carla Jean Whitley, associate editor
Ex Libris: Confessions of a Common Reader by Anne Fadiman
I had been in a reading rut—for how long I’m not sure, but long enough that my habits didn’t feel like my own. These essays about reading were the remedy.
I laughed along with Fadiman—and recognized my family and myself—as I sank into Ex Libris. In “Never Do that to a Book,” she relates the differences between courtly and carnal book lovers. “I came to realize that just as there is more than one way to love a person, so is there more than one way to love a book,” she writes.
I can relate. Growing up, my parents regularly allowed us to read at restaurants. (Dinners at home were often spent with everyone’s nose in a book.) And I’ve inherited my mother’s reading habits, marking my place by turning an open book face down. We don’t worry about cracked spines or dog eared pages, instead cherishing the words inside.
What They’re Reading
Clint Wells, musician
The God Part of the Brain by Matthew Alper
This book proposes that the cross-cultural human desire for spirituality, eternity and transcendence can be explained physiologically. It’s a thorough read filled with compelling evidence to suggest that mankind evolved a particular neurological brain system (the god part of the brain) as a coping mechanism to survive mortal consciousness. We are the only creatures who know that we will die. Our mortal consciousness makes us the greatest species on the planet, but has also caused us the greatest anxieties. To cope with this anxiety (and in essence to survive as a species) natural selection evolved within us a set of genes responsible for our desire for transcendence as well as other beneficial tendencies such as altruism, morality, guilt, ostracism and taboos. It is an aggressive work but also very fair to what has historically been a polarizing subject. This book is great for anyone with the capacity to think critically while pursuing truth. Oh and nerds. Like myself.
Travis Bryant, director of digital products, Keen Communications
Web 2.0: A Strategy Guide by Amy Shuen
Like everyone competing in business today, I am buried in unhelpful technology trend books. But I had not made it out of Shuen’s preface before realizing this book will become the “bible” for doing business online. Her data, examples and analysis are unparalleled outside of a classroom. Most books never go beyond discussing trends and services.
No trends here. Using hard data, she outlines business models, revenue streams and network effects. It’s not just definitions and case studies either. For every Flickr, Facebook and Google example, Shuen takes the space to explain how to leverage these same models, strategies and cash flows for yourself. It’s fantastically useful!
Katy Coole, market accountant, Surgical Care Affiliates
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
The Graveyard Book might be marketed as a children’s book, but don’t let that stop you from reading this beautiful series of vignettes. Meet Nobody “Bod” Owens, orphaned by murder, adopted and raised by the residents of a local graveyard. You’ll follow Bod’s interactions with the dead and the living, including his confrontation with the man who killed his family, and his final realization that to truly live, Bod must leave the only home he has ever known. While it might have been written for children, it is never childish or patronizing. Rather, it is intelligent, charming, dark, yet uplifting.
Donya Franklin Rumore, stay at home mom
My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult
Jodi Picoult has taken on many a controversial topic and My Sister’s Keeper is no exception. It tells the story of two sisters: Kate, who is dying of leukemia, and Anna, conceived solely for the purpose of saving Kate. The story is haunting, heart-wrenching and will leave you questioning what you would risk losing to save someone you love. Anyone who is a parent, sister, brother, friend will find a relation to the people in this book. This one will stay with you and will make you count your blessings an extra time at night.
Keep the Kleenex handy. Movie version due in theatres June 26. Stephen Duncan, attorney, Melton & Duncan The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho When reading Paulo Coelho’s modern classic The Alchemist, you may find the main character’s life lessons mirroring those of your own. As young Santiago forsakes his shepherd’s existence to find his Personal Legend—his place in the world—a new life is revealed, much different from the one he dreamed. The Alchemist’s brevity and elementary prose disguise grand themes, making exploration of its world through the wonderfully rich characters both accessible and satisfying. Never too Aesop-y, Coelho’s fable inspires you to find your own Personal Legend, and perhaps, give some insight to the pursuit of happiness. A true masterpiece.
Carol Warren, team leader, Council on International Educational Exchange
Peace Like A River by Leif Enger
This is a book that I would not have picked up to read, but my daughter highly recommended it. It is a poetic book about a family’s incredible cross-country journey which shows how family, love and faith can stand up to terrifying events. Enger’s first novel has the “power to convince that despite sorrow, human experience is a miracle of ordinary truth and extraordinary love.”
This unexpected old-fashioned yarn uses straight-shooting prose to take the reader on a wild ride. These fascinating characters keep you turning the pages all the while not wanting this tale to end.
Lindsey Carmichael, local blogger, freelance writer
It Sucked and Then I Cried: How I Had a Baby, a Breakdown, and a Much Needed Margarita by Heather Armstrong of dooce.com
Basically, Heather Armstrong wants you to know that sometimes, parenthood is the worst. It Sucked is a witty account of her journey through pregnancy, birth and a seriously soul-crushing case of postpartum depression. Armstrong’s not afraid to tell you that while yes, the baby is lovely, parenthood, on the other hand, is perhaps not exactly what she imagined: the loneliness, the uncertainty, the anxiety and all that endless, endless screaming. Her book is an honest and hilarious recollection of how she ran a seemingly never-ending gauntlet and came out the other side a happier, healthier person. It’s something I’ll probably find myself giving at baby showers and baptisms— along with giant, gift-wrapped bottles of tequila and Prozac, of course. Just in case.
Laura Brooks Bright, marketing director, Whole Foods Market - Mountain Brook
A Year in Provence by Peter Mayle
“Buttery deliciousness” is the only description for this scrumptious, monthby- month romp through a year’s worth of Provencal living by a British couple and their two mongrel dogs as they renovate a Provencal mas, or farmhouse. I could have sucked this book through a straw if it only had more liquidity. I scribbled in margins at the menu suggestions, then laughed at the architectural disasters looming behind every plaster wall; and finally, I made my itinerary for my next trip to France. From the whispering spring evenings to the horrid Mistral winds during the winter months, every month brings a new perspective for the author and the reader. The way Mayle weaves French cuisine into the book makes the palate yearn for local growing season, farmers markets and eating what’s in season—from fresh figs and melons at breakfast to the four course lunches in the neighborhood café. A charming tale, ideal for Francophiles or those with incessant wanderlust, like myself.
