LemuriaBooks

City of Refuge: A Novel

Tom Piazza

Harper: August 19, 2008

Three years ago, so many lives in Deep Dixie were affected by Katrina. Many nonfiction books of essay, memoir, photo-essay, history and commentary have been published about this life-changing hurricane. Refuge, I believe, is the first piece of serious fiction to come out about this time. Ambitious and successful, I celebrate this novel’s publication by choosing it for our September, 08 First Edition Club Selection.

Refuge deals with two families (one 9^th ward and one uptown) as we see windows into their lives and their souls. We live with these folks, as if they are real, which is a magical quality of very good fiction. Their story is told in this familiar plot as if they are breathing and somehow Tom maintains his vision of truth in fiction. Refuge is writing without too much sentimentality, neurosis and without contriteness that plagues many factual situational novels. His characters live and speak and you feel alive as a reader in knowing them. Their joys, their problems and plainly just their human ways of living and surviving.

I’m excited to be involved with promoting this novel, Tom’s my pal and I thought this book might be too much for him, I was so wrong. He excels.

Refuge is fresh, real and a serious page-turner. Oddly enough, I’m reminded of my first reading of John Grisham’s The Firm, many years ago. Good people make mistakes and you identify with their shortcomings. Troubled folks can learn how to enhance their lives and all the time, you the reader, are part of the feelings of pain, joy and truth. To the last page, Tom is successful and special with the ending, no sentimental sap here. Just the guts of survival.

In reading Refuge, I feel the heart of New Orleans vibrate with humanity and the livable party spirit which those of us who visit value and enjoy.

Anyone touched by the pain of association with this great storm, should enjoy the wisdom of this novel. And be motivated to get off your ass and go to New Orleans and party, and may haps find Chief Bo and his band of Indians chanting joy over the drums and rhythm relishing in the spirit of rebirth.

Pelican Road: Novel
By Howard Bahr
Macadam Cage: May 9, 2008


Howard Bahr is a train man.  Pelican Road, Howard’s first non-Civil War
fiction, is a literary train novel.  This is the only serious railroad
fiction that I know of.

Pelican Road is the train route from Meridian, MS to New Orleans.  Set
around 1940, Howard captures the personalities; the way folks lived; their
meanness and their cares; their moments of good fortune and their
unfortunate times.

Through the eyes of the people in this era, we learn about the ways of the
railroad:  the trains themselves and their workings; train jobs and their
responsibilities; the real-life characteristics of railroad men; and
insight into the joys and hardships of the railroad life.

I especially like the way Howard worked the WWI (“Doughboy War“) into this
novel.  Dealing with flashbacks gives Howard’s Civil War fiction fans just
enough.  Pelican Road extends Howard’s fiction into a new, broader era
offering insight into the 2nd generation, post-Civil War life.

My favorite aspect of this fine novel laid in Howard’s ability to relate
the sheer power and force of the train itself and the way the machine is
revered in language.

There is no doubt, in his heart, Howard is truly a railroad man.

This has been a common question since we had the first DotCom Sales last month and guess what you all have another opportunity to ask because we are doing it again! Come by the DotCom building Saturday, June 21, 2008 starting around 9:30. All the First Editions, signed and unsigned, are 10% off. This is a perfect time to finish up any collections that you are lacking a few titles or to start collecting a new author. There will also be what I'm calling the "bargain book box"--titles that are $1.00-$6.00. It is summer time and I know that some off you haven't been in to pick up your summer reading yet.

If you are interested in collecting books we would also love to explain to you how to get involved with the First Editions Club.

The sale is only going on in the DotCom building not in the main store so come by and see Caroline and me. Oh yeah, we will have $1.00 beer also!

I hope to see you at least on one of these Saturdays!!

June 21, 2008 July 19, 2008 August 23, 2008
June 28, 2008 July 26, 2008 August 30, 2008

The Outlander by Gil Adamson, 2008, Ecco, a division of HarperCollins, $25.95. (First Edition Club pick for May)

I have struggled coming up with a review of Gil Adamson's debut novel, The Outlander for over two months now, and this morning I read the latest edition of BookPage, and lucky me, my new favorite book reviewer, Kristy Kiernan, has a fantastic review...so let me give her the honors...

No country for young widows

REVIEW BY KRISTY KIERNAN

In 1903, the wilds of Montana and Alberta, Canada, and the frozen peaks of the Rockies challenged the most adventurous and experienced explorers. Only someone desperate, perhaps even mad, would dare consider them a viable escape route, but then Mary Boulton, most often referred to in Gil Adamson's suspenseful debut, The Outlander, as "the widow," is surely both.

After the death of her infant, Mary slowly begins to work her way out of a crippling depression, only to be confronted with evidence of her husband's infidelity. Alone in a desolate and friendless landscape, Mary loses her last shred of sanity and kills him, living with his body while sewing her mourning gown. Her reckless act is discovered soon enough, sending the widow fleeing across the harsh land with her twin brothers-in-law, seeking revenge, hot on her trail.

Throughout her travels the widow suffers from frightening delusions, as well as the ever-present threats of starvation and frostbite, but she presses onward and upward, making her way through treacherous mountain passes, dodging wolves, deadly arrows and capture. A host of interesting characters cross her erratic path, providing shelter, company or simply an opportunity to steal provisions, and her encounters with a notorious mountain man known as the Ridgerunner are especially compelling.

As the widow's wilderness knowledge and competence improves, so does her mental condition, and by the time she arrives in Frank, a mining town in southwest Alberta, she's nearly got a grip on her sanity. But nothing will stop her husband's brothers, and soon after the famous Frank Slide, when 74 million tons of mountain crashed to the valley below, they manage to catch up to her.

Readers will feel as breathless as Mary as they follow her frantic dash across the snow-bound mountains. Combining the best escape-over-hazardous-terrain action from novels like Cold Mountain with moody, literary prose, The Outlander is an utterly gripping debut.

Kristy Kiernan writes from South Florida and determinedly avoids all snowy mountains.

Today is May 10th, the day everyone has been waiting for, National Train Day! Are you looking for a way to "get your choo choo on?" If so, come by the store and get a copy of Howard Bahr's new novel, hot off the presses, Pelican Road. Howard's fourth novel chronicles the lives of characters working on the rail road in the early forties and has been a hit with all those who have read it so far. I haven't had a chance to read it myself yet, but truly enjoyed the segments he read on Thursday night at the kick off signing on his tour.

We had an entertaining evening with Randy Wayne White last Wednesday. Randy stopped by Lemuria to sign books for the First Editions Club, hang out and read as he tours to promote his latest novel, "Black Widow." He told some hysterical stories that had everybody cracking up (it's never good when you open your freezer to give your cop friend some fish and instead, the freezer is full of bags of oregano...). Anyway, he got serious as we were leaving, pulling the guilt trip on those of us who don't write:

I finished The Monsters of Templeton this morning and LOVED it! I can't wait to meet the author, Lauren Groff, when she comes to sign in February... Monsters of Templeton will be the First Editions pick for February so check it out.

John Grisham's newest thriller, The Appeal, will be available on January 30, so let us know if you'd like to be on the list to get a signed first edition. We should be able to get them signed before Valentine's Day.

Tom Perrotta's new book, The Abstinence Teacher, is finally available! Be sure to come by the store and get a copy if you want to read it before his SIGNING on November 5!!

Everyone at Lemuria is looking forward to the upcoming release of Tom Perrotta's new novel, The Abstinence Teacher . After his earlier successes with edgy books, including Little Children and Election (both were later made into movies), Perrotta continues to live up to his reputation with this latest book which broaches subjects like freedom of speech, prayer in public institutions, infidelity and addiction. Lemuria is also happy to announce that Perrotta will be visiting Lemuria on November 5 and The Abstinence Teacher will be our First Editions Club pick for the month of October. -Caroline

Here are some pictures from the My South Party - an event to celebrate Mississippi writers, musicians, artists, and chefs. Lemuria headed up the writers part of the evening. I'll try to identify everyone in the pictures, but if I get anything wrong please let me know. Sadly, there are no pictures of Harper here - the event was after her bedtime. Oh, and Maggie gets the photo credit, although I'm not sure who took the Photos that she's in. If you have any photos of the party email them to me and I'll post them.

Providence Hill Farm

Jeanie with Honeyboy Edwards

John and Jeanie

Joe, Leisha Pickering, and Maggie

John and Leisha Pickering

Beth Ann Fennelly, Jim Dees, and Jeanie

Maude Schuyler Clay, Tom Franklin, and Jeanie

Wendy having her picture made with Willie King

Pat enjoying Willie King close up - Jeanie in the background.

Beth Ann Fennelly, Tom Franklin, Sonny Brewer, and Maude Schuyler Clay

The My South centerpiece

No explanation needed

Joe, Scott Barretta (he organized the music) Sarah Ryburn, and Wendy with her eyes closed. Scott is holding one of Super Chikan's guitars - this one was made from a cigar box.

Beth Ann Fennelly, Sonny Brewer, Maggie, and Tom Franklin.

Beverly Lowry

Greg with Tom Franklin

Beth Ann Fennelly

John Maxwell, Patti Carr Black, and BeBe Wolfe

BeBe Wolfe, Aleda Shirley, and Patti Carr Black

Brad Watson and Beth Ann Fennelly

Robert St. John and Bill Fitzhugh

Beth Ann Fennelly, Steve Yarbrough, Barry Hannah, and Jim Dees

Gayden Metcalfe, Sonny Brewer, Gene Edwards, and Curtis Wilke

Beverly Lowry, Steve Yarbrough, and Ellen Douglas

Judy Tucker, Stephen Kirkpatrick, Marlo Kirkpatrick, John Maxwell and Bill Fitzhugh

The party from above.

Ellen, William Goodman, Nan, and Caroline.

Yvonne, Pat, Thomas, Pat, and Jennifer.

My zest for pictures of my daughter and authors is pretty obvious. I hope to have enough to do a calendar this Christmas. Here she appears (nasty red eye) with one of my favorite authors - Robert Stone.

I know I know, I should have written about this earlier, but it's hard to know what to say when one of the greatest living writers is coming to the store. We had a great event Friday night with Harrison. The whole thing's a bit intimidating though - I mean other than Harper here, what do you talk about with a genius?