Day 167 : The Deepest South of All

Chatting Books Online Day 167 .

The book I recommend today does not release until this Tuesday Sept 1, so when you read this and want a copy (and I know you will ) you can pre-order a copy today to reserve one from our first shipment to pick up , or have us ship out , on Tuesday .

I have been waiting most of a year to get my hands on today’s recommended book and I want to tell you it was worth the wait . I Highly recommend : The Deepest South of All : True Stories from Natchez, Mississippi by Richard Grant .

One of the very first books I recommended to you in “Chatting Books “was Dispatches From Pluto by the same author , and as much as I liked that I also like this one . This book is a constant contradiction as is the town about which it is written. Stories of eccentric folks from Natchez both past and present are interwoven with history both social and political . It brings to light a town working daily to try and overcome a difficult history and both acknowledge and account for the past while trying to bring peace to it’s future .

There are so many stories that expertly weave together the tales of an actual Liberian prince sold into slavery in Natchez for 40 years and a modern day couple that decorate 167 Christmas trees In the hostess’s jewelry for their annual party, and the back-biting between two garden clubs (imagine a group referred to as “the hoop skirt mafia” so strong is their control over all things social in a town ), among just a few. It blends tales of the beauty of the homes and the landscapes with the ugliness of the underlying racism . It’s a book that is difficult at times and raucous at others much as Dispatches from Pluto was as well , but it is an important book that keeps you turning the pages - not because you feel you have to but because you want to keep reading this book and Richard Grant’s skilled writing and exceptional story telling . To read more about this book (from the actual publisher’s description ) or to reserve a copy click the link below .

This hardcover book is available on or after Sept 1, 2020 . Runs 274 pages and sells for $26 a copy .

http://www.conundrumbooks.com/shop/deepestsouth

Day 166: Color Me Floral

Chatting Books Online Day 166. I have been hesitant to recommend books on floral arranging, and the reason is silly. With all this pandemic , cancel all events, don't have company stuff going on looking at them sort of depressed me because I had no reason to make big beautiful floral arrangements - until I realized that my own enjoyment of the making and the viewing is reason enough - party or not. So today I recommend one of my favorites "Color Me Floral" by Kiana Underwood.

This absolutely beautiful book is a full how-to with all fabulous monochromatic floral arrangements. So first you pick your season, then decide on a color, and then go to that section where they give you a beautiful example of a fantastic monochromatic arrangement, a list of the flowers (in your chosen color) you will need (the ingredients) , the tools you will need right down to the putty and shears, and then step by step instructions to construct these works of art.

Even if you never make an arrangement - which I sincerely hope you do, just looking at the book is sure to bring you joy .

This is a hardcover book of 240 beautiful full-color pages and sells for $30.00 a copy.

To purchase a copy of this book come see us Mondays - Saturdays between 10:30am and 4pm at the shop, or you can message me and we can ship a copy directly to you. Take Care, Mask Up, and Stay Colorful !

Day 165: Pride and Prejudice Paper Dolls

Chatting Books Online Day 165 . Today's recommended book is a bit different. I recommend Pride and Prejudice Paper Dolls by Brenda Snethen Mattox. That's right, I said Paper Dolls! You remember those from your childhood, don't you? Well they are back . We stock several books of paper dols at The Conundrum but what I particularly like about this collection is that it also tells the story of one of my favorite books. As you flip through the pages of 8 characters and 48 costumes each costume is tagged with an identifier such as : Jane and Elizabeth at The Assembly Ball, or Mr Wickham joins the militia, or Elizabeth walks to Netherfield, Lydia shops for clothes in London, Lady Catherine takes Tea Alone, or my favorite A Double Wedding. You get the picture.

These paper dolls do require that a dexterous hand cuts them out with a scissors. They ar a lovey nostalgic gift for older friends but if given to children the publisher recommends the ages of 8-14 (due to the cutting required I am sure). They sell for $8.99 a book.

To purchase a copy of this book come see us Mondays - Saturdays between 10:30am and 4pm at the shop, or you can message me and we can ship a copy directly to you. Take Care, Mask Up, and play every day !

Day 164: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland: a pop-up adaptation of Lewis Caroll's Original Tale by Robert Sabuda.

Chatting Books Online Day 164. It's time for another of my favorites the exquisite Alice's Adventures in Wonderland: a pop-up adaptation of Lewis Caroll's Original Tale by Robert Sabuda.

As you all have heard before the beautiful pop-up books imagined by Robert Sabuda and/ or Matthew Reinhardt are among my favorite things. (period, end of sentence) This book has the privilege of having been the first one we began carrying in the bookshop that actually introduced me to the fabulous feats of engineering and art that these books exemplify.

The very first page starts with a rabbit hole in which Alice actually falls as you put your eye near the hole and lean back (now who thought of that ?! ) When you look at one of these books you will immediately be wooed by what poops up in the center of each page but don't forget to open the small sections on the side of each page too, they are not JUST the text but they are also each interactive , intricate pop-ups as well!

If you haven't started your collection yet you really need to now. This book currently sells for $34.99 a copy but prices on these masterpieces have increased several times over the years so that is not a guaranteed future price.

The distributor's website puts the target age for this book at 4-8 years but we have many older children as well as adults who collect these works of art as well.

To purchase a copy of this book come see us Mondays - Saturdays between 10:30am and 4pm at the shop, or you can message me and we can ship a copy directly to you. Take Care, Mask Up, and Remain Curiouser and Curiouser !

Day 163: The Book of Wild Flowers

Chatting Books Online Day 163 . Today's recommended book is a new book of beautiful old art. The Book of Wild Flowers by The National Geographic Society is a paperback volume containing color plates of 250 Wild Flowers and Grasses dating from 1915 - 1924. these beautiful botanical illustrations spotlight some of the finest imagery of it's kind.

I actually have over a dozen antique national geographic botanical prints that were cut (by someone else) from magazines which I collected years ago I have framed and used as the art in my bedroom. They really are lovely to look at either as a book or as art. Perfectly suited as a gift for a plant lover or art lover in your life.

This paperback collection sells for $24.95 a copy.

To purchase a copy of this book come see us Mondays - Saturdays between 10:30am and 4pm at the shop, or you can message me and we can ship a copy directly to you. Take Care, Mask Up, and Surround Yourself in Beauty !

Day 162: The Honey Bus

Chatting Books Online Day 162. Today's recommended book is The Honey Bus by Meredith May. The first thing I want to tell you about this book is that even though I had met the author at a conference and had a whole conversation about beekeeping and this book when I sat down to read it some months later I actually forgot it was a memoir and though I was reading a work of fiction. Real life isn't usually this poignant.

This is the powerful story of a young girl who finds her family life crumbling around her as she is sent to live with her grandparents. Her grandfather is a beekeeper in California who processes his honey in an old bus and the lessons she learns from both her grandfather and the bees give meaning to her world.

As some of you may know my husband and I have hives on our property (I can't say we are the actual beekeepers as we have the assistance of people who actually know what they are doing in that department) but even as a practical guide on beekeeping I learned so much from this book that I would highly recommend it not only to people who want to read a moving story but also to those curious about the captivating world of honey bees.

We carry this book as a paperback, it has 316 pages plus a discussion guide and a listing of further recommended reading on apiculture (fancy word for beekeeping, see you are learning something new already!). The book sells for $15.99 a copy.

To purchase a copy of this book come see us Mondays - Saturdays between 10:30am and 4pm at the shop, or you can message me and we can ship a copy directly to you. Take Care, Mask Up, and BEE HAPPY !

Day 161 : The Week In Review : August 17 - 23, 2020

Chatting Books Online Day 161. Each week as I write this I find it harder, and harder to believe another week has gone by since we started this project of introducing our favorite books to you guys when we suddenly could not chat with you in store during the pandemic. While it is true we can now have a limited number of customers in store at a time, I find that reaching out in this manner is still of value (and I hope you agree) until such time as we can get a bit more back to normal at least.

This week we sort of ran the gamut of books from a children's bible (a new version of one I was gifted nearly 50 years ago), a murder mystery set in New Orleans in Watch Me Die, we visited old friends from a favorite book and movie in As You Wish , we got snappy with Andy Alligator. My husband Ron then told us about what he considers to be one of the best books on the game of English Football (Soccer to us Americans) in The Football Man . And then finally we took a dive in New Orleans Cocktail Culture in Lift Your Spirits.

I wonder what next week will bring...stay tuned to find out.

If you missed any of these reviews and want to read what I had to say about them you can see all of our Chatting Books Online picks by visiting our website at: http://www.conundrumbooks.com/chatting-books-online .

We still (and always will going forward) offer shipping if you cannot make it to the store. Or just stop by the shop Monday - Saturday between 10:30am and 4pm

Day 160: Lift Your Spirits

Chatting Books Online Day 160. You know those days when a particular book seems to be on everyone’s mind ? This is one of those books. Though we have carried it since the first of the year it hadn’t caught much attention ... until yesterday that is. For some reason this book kept coming up . First I suggested it to someone who said they were making a Cocktail themed birthday basket for a friend , then an hour later someone else just walked up to the counter to buy it , then later someone else asked about it.

Rather than me tell you about it I’m just going let LSU Press tell you a bit:

In Lift Your Spirits: A Celebratory History of Cocktail Culture in New Orleans, Elizabeth M. Williams, founder and director of the Southern Food and Beverage Institute, and world-renowned bartender Chris McMillian illuminate the city’s open embrace of alcohol, both in religious and secular life, while delving into the myths, traditions, and personalities that have made New Orleans a destination for imbibing tourists and a mecca for mixologists.

With over 40 cocktail recipes interspersed among nearly three hundred years of history, a sampling of premier cocktail bars in New Orleans, and a glossary of terms to aid drink making and mixing, Lift Your Spirits honors the art of a good drink in the city of good times.

We have copies of this Book signed by author Elizabeth Williams herself , this small book (5.00 x 7.00 inches ), is hardcover , 152 pages . Sells for $22.50 a copy .

To purchase a copy of this book come see us Mondays - Saturdays between 10:30am and 4pm at the shop, or you can message me and we can ship a copy directly to you. Take Care, Mask Up, and Salut ! .