Day 239 : Dollbaby

Chatting Books Online Day 239. Today's recommended book is Doll-Baby by Laura Lane McNeal.

I first heard about this book when some ladies came into the shop one weekend and after seeing all of the very Southern novels we carry one of them asked if we had Doll-Baby. I had not heard of this book at all so I asked her to tell me a bit about it. It sounded fascinating so I tried to order it but it was not currently available. The next day the same group of ladies came back into the shop and one of them had this book for me, they had seen a used copy at another shop while exploring our fair town and decided I needed to read it. So I did and I thoroughly enjoyed it but still wasn't able to order it. Periodically I have checked with our main distributor but until recently have not been able to find it available - and then guess what? It was suddenly available - and in paperback!

The book in set in Civil Rights era 1960's New Orleans . The characters are at the same time both endearing and eccentric ( I did say it was set in New Orleans, right?). Ibby Belle ends up being dropped off in New Orleans to live with Fannie, her grandmother, who has spent some time here and there in the local mental health facility; Fannie's housekeeper Queenie, and Queenie's daughter Doll. In this deeply evocative, quinticenitially Southern, coming-of-age novel you will find plenty of mystery, deception, drama and most of all love. Much of the book is set in Fannie's time-worn and ill-kept Queen Anne Victorian home which is crumbling down around them on Prytania Street (a street I know quite well as a matter of fact). Take a ride down the River Road with us and meet this engaging cast of characters in this flavorful debut novel by Laura Lane McNeal.

We currently carry the book in paperback. It is 352 pages and sells for $17.00 a copy.

To purchase a copy come see us at the shop during business hours or you can call or message me to have a copy shipped to you -Now mask up , stay positive and test negative!

Day 238 : The Week in Review Nov 1-8, 2020

Chatting Books Online Day 238. The Week in Review Nov 1 - 8, 2020

Another week gone by, and a week's worth of book recommendations just for you!

This week I told you about a another 6 books including the following:

We started the week with the most fun the Blues can be in Alycat and the Monday Blues.

Then we talked about a favorite novel about New Orleans from days gone by in Dinner at Antoine's.

We discussed a cookbook that helps you get the most out of the flavors of every season in the most creative ways in The Southern Harvest Cookbook.

Then we went back to the children's section to visit our old friend Georges the Goose from Toulouse who Slurped his Juice.

Favorite writer Rick Bragg has a new book out that you won't want to miss

And finally we wrapped up the week with a book all about Louisiana Wildflowers.

I hope you enjoyed reading about my recommendations, and maybe have come in to pick up a book to add to your TBR (To Be Read) pile. Next week brings another assortment of recommendations to get ready!

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 10:00am and 4pm and between noon and 4pm on Sundays.

Day 237 : Louisiana Wildflower Guide

Chatting Books Online Day 237. Today's recommended book is The Louisiana Wildflower Guide by authors: Charles Allen, Kenneth wilson, and Harry Winters.

This is the definitive book on Louisiana Wildflowers. I have been so intrigued by pictures of friends Wildflower Gardens posting on facebook lately I am determined to have one myself - and my bees agree , it is definitely something I should do soon! Well this book will help me get there. With full color pictures and descriptions and charts that will help you narrow down your choice of flowers to plant by several characteristics including flower color, and habitat. This is exactly what I need. The book boasts over 500 photographs, a glossary, plant anatomy line drawings, and an index.

The book is paperback and sells or $30 a copy.

To purchase a copy come see us at the shop during business hours or you can call or message me to have a copy shipped to you -Now mask up , stay positive and test negative!

Day 236 : Where I Come From

Chatting Books Online Day 236. Rick Bragg has a new book out! I don't know about you but everytime I see Rick Bragg's byline in Southern Living or Garden and Gun I always read what he has to say so I was thrilled to see that this new book is a collection of his most personal and southern writings from these magazines and other publications. So as you have probably guessed by now today's recommended book is : "Where I Come From: Stories from the Deep South" by Rick Bragg.

To give you a more thorough description I include here the "official" description from the publisher .

"A collection of wide-ranging and endearingly personal columns by the celebrated author, newspaper columnist, and Pulitzer Prize winner Rick Bragg, culled from his best-loved pieces in Southern Living and Garden & Gun. From his love of Tupperware ('My Affair with Tupperware') to the decline of country music, from the legacy of Harper Lee to the metamorphosis of the pick-up truck, the best way to kill fire ants, the unbridled excess of Fat Tuesday, and why any self-respecting Southern man worth his salt should carry a good knife ... [this] is an ode to the stories and the history of the deep south, written with tenderness, wit, and deep affection"--

The book is hardcover, 256 pages and sells for $26.95 a copy.

To purchase a copy come see us at the shop during business hours or you can call or message me to have a copy shipped to you -Now mask up , stay positive and test negative!

Day 235 : Georges the Goose from Toulouse who Slurped his Juice

Chatting Books Online Day 235. Today's recommended book is Georges. The Goose From Toulouse Who Slurped His Juice by Tracey Riegel Koch and illustrated by Lauren Hawthorne.

You may remember Georges from his first book where we learned that his diet was so terrible he would only eat Couscous. Well George is back and he eats a lot more foods now but unfortunately his table manners leave quite a lot to be desired. He smacks, he slurps, his elbows are always on the table and he leaves his dishes everywhere but with a little help his manners are sure to improve! This storybook book is written in fun rhyming verse and delightfully illustrated.

This hardcover storybook currently sells for $ 16.95 a copy.

To purchase a copy come see us at the shop during business hours or you can call or message me to have a copy shipped to you -Now mask up , stay positive and test negative!

Day234 : Dinner at Antoine's

Chatting Books Online Day 234. Today's recommended book is Dinner at Antoines by Frances Parkinson Keyes.

This book, set in New Orleans in the 1940s, gives such a picture of the history, customs and mores of New Orleans it still seems absolutely possible and relevant today (which may say a lot about the unchanging nature of New Orleans society). Starting with a dinner in the 1840 room at Antoines , and taking into view a debutante presentation , Carnival festivities, and a mysterious death this book packs a lot of action into only a few days and even fewer changes of scenery.

Originally published in 1948 , I would love to hear about your first memories of this New Orleans classic.

We currently carry this book in paperback. It is 464 pages and sells for $24.00 a copy.

To purchase a copy come see us at the shop during business hours or you can call or message me to have a copy shipped to you -Now mask up , stay positive and test negative!

Day 233: The Southern Harvest Cookbook

Chatting Books Online Day 233. Today's recommended book comes helps us celebrate the bounty of all 4 seasons in the South (I know it seems we only have one , maybe two , seasons but harvest wise at least we do actually have 4).

The Southern Harvest Cookbook by Cathy Cleary is a cookbook that is also a great memory tickler. We can grow so many great things here in the south, but I don't know about you but I fall into the rut of always making a caprese salad with my fresh tomatoes and garden grown basil , or peach ice cream with every peach my trees produce. This book gives lists and recipes of OTHER things you can do to keep using this bounty - without tiring of it- as long as you can.

The book is organized by season, and then further by item of produce. So of course Summer boasts a section on tomatoes . The idea is that whether you are growing your own garden, or shopping the local farmers market you can make the most of the wonderful seasonal foods as they arrive. There are the expected things in each section like for Summer: Tomato pie, 5 salad and tomato plates, etc. But then some unexpected like how about Sungold Tomato Pesto, or making your own ketchup for instance!

I think for fall I might make a Apple Gingerbread Pound Cake , or maybe Bell Pepper Flatbread, or maybe even Homegrown Smoky Pimento Cheese - or heck, maybe all of the above !

The recipes are as inventive as they are delicious and should really help you out of the same-old-same-old rut.

This paperback cookbook is 256 pages and currently sells for $24.99 a copy.

To purchase a copy come see us at the shop during business hours or you can call or message me to have a copy shipped to you -Now mask up , stay positive and test negative!

Day 232 : Alycat and The Monday Blues

Chatting Books Online Day 232. Today's recommended book is Alycat and the Monday Blues by Alysson Foti Bourque.

Alycat is a favorite at our store, Alycat herself and her author Alysson have even visited us in the store and read to us at The West Feliciana Children's Book Festival so we feel pretty special.

In this book Alycat is not a particular fan of Monday mornings. I feel her pain. On one particular Monday Alycat is upset and not wanting to go to school because she is nervous . It seems as though she does not know what to share during the school talent competition, she doesn't think she has any talents. That is until she is at school and happens to hear her friend Spotty practicing his saxophone for the talent competition. She wrote the best lyrics for his new song and the two decided to team up and perform together. Well, as you might imagine they do so well together they win the competition performing as the new group The Harmonicats. See, Monday's are not so bad after all.

I will leave you with that today because right now "I got the - Monday morning, can't find my shoes - can't get out of bed blues.".

We currently have hardcover copies of this story book signed by author Alysson Foti Bourque, selling for $14.95 a copy.

To purchase a copy come see us at the shop during business hours or you can call or message me to have a copy shipped to you -Now mask up , stay positive and test negative!