May was a really busy month at the bookstore and I feel like these past few days our blog has become a way for all the booksellers at Lemuria to keep up with each other. Some of us on vacation and some of us at the great book conference in NYC and thankfully, some left to run the store. Well, I just came back from the mountains in North Carolina. To sum it up bluntly, this vacation pretty much kicked my butt. A lot of that has to do with Graybeard Mountain (elev. 5650).  The expression on my face was the closest thing to a smile I could muster once we reached the top. I’ll actually be ready to go back to work on Tuesday.

Back to books, I took along two bags of books for me and my sweetie. Here’s what I dipped into:

The Imperfectionists by Tom Rachman: I liked it a lot. Very pleasant, good dialogue, laugh-out-loud sections, a really neat book. I did not gush, however. See Kelly’s blog on this. This is a great book for vacation.

The Glass Room by Simon Mawer: Gorgeous. Thanks for the suggestion, Nan. I am still not done with this one. But I can tell you that this novel has a little bit of everything: delicious prose, subtle eroticism, intrigue . . . also a great book to take on vacation.

The World Has Changed: Conversations with Alice Walker edited by Rudolph P. Byrd: This collection of interviews with Alice Walker helps the reader to get a good overall sense of Alice’s writing. I admit that I have shied away from some of her work. This books explains “the why” behind much of her writing and opens the door for the reader to pick up some lesser known novels.  The title of this interview collection comes from a poem Alice wrote in 2008. Before I opened the book, I took the title in the negative sense. It is not. The poem reminds us of the strength we have to change ourselves and the world around us.

The world has changed:
This does not mean that
You were never
Hurt.
The world
Has changed:
Rise!
Yes
&
Shine!
Resist the siren
Call
Of
Disbelief.
The world has changed:
Don’t let
Yourself
Remain
Asleep
To
It.

I mentioned in my last post that I was on vacation in France. I had the good fortune of spending a day in Paris and visiting the famous Shakespeare and Company bookstore. If you can’t get to Paris this summer, here’s a few pics.

No cute pictures of the kids today. I’m far far away in New York City at the Book Expo – the big trade show for book folks. So, what happens at the book expo? I don’t really know because this is my first time. I’ll try to update this post as I go.

First impressions? We flew in yesterday – pretty good flight – except the whole board the plane, sit on the runway, get back off the plane, then 2 hours later a second plane… you get the picture.

We had dinner last night at the amazing new restaurant ABC Kitchen. It’s Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s newest restaurant and is actually in the famous ABC Carpet and Home flagship store. We’ve carried Jean-Georges cookbooks for years – his book Simple to Spectacular is iconic. Anyway, the food was great. It’s the kind of place where everything is bought somewhere local – or at least within 100 miles or so of the city. Instead of ordering entrees we all shared a bunch of appetizers and a great mushroom and egg pizza. And of course the service was world class. (our server was our friend Liz Elkins – she’ll be famous soon so don’t say I didn’t tell you.)

After dinner we headed to the first book event of the week – a Random House cocktail party. I met some folks face to face that I’ve talked to on the phone for years. Got to talk to Steve Berry who we’re hoping will come back to the store this year – it’s been about five years since he last came to see us. Most exciting to me, however, was meeting Justin Cronin. His book The Passage is going to be huge this summer. It’s a big fat book that is already scheduled to be a Ridley Scott film. I read about 150 pages in various airports yesterday and am hooked – I could always skip the expo and sit somewhere and read…

Many of you maybe wondering what the connection between Lemuria and Cathead Vodka is since we have been talking it up on our website, Facebook page and Twitter.  Here is the deal:  John Evans owns Lemuria and Austin Evans and Richard Patrick own Bottle Tree Beverage Co. which produces Cathead Vodka.  Austin basically grew up at Lemuria  and I “adopted” him as my little brother eleven years ago when I came to work for the bookstore ( not to leave Saramel out I adopted her too!)   Many of my friends have asked me if I have ‘stock’ in Cathead because I have been spreading the word and the answer is no but I will say the Evans family has had “stock’ in me for the past decade and I want to help Austin be successful like his Dad has helped me.  I am just so damn proud of my “little brother” and the vodka is that good!!

Austin and Richard have been working on getting the Bottle Tree Beverage Co. off the ground for the past three years and the story of Cathead Vodka is really great!  The back of the bottle reads: “Stationed in Gluckstadt, Mississippi, Cathead is six-times distilled, charcoal-filtered vodka made from the highest quality grains. That’s right, Southern-Style Vodka!  We support Live Music, Genuine Arts and the fine Heritage that encompasses True Southern Culture.”   To get the whole story on what Austin and Richard are up to here are a couple of articles from the Jackson Free Press and The Clarion-Ledger.

Now after you have gone by your favorite liquor store and have gotten your Cathead Vodka you might be wondering how to drink it.  Let me tell you it is smooth enough to just drink it straight up or on the rocks but if you are looking to mix a few cocktails we have pulled out some various mixology  books to help you out.  Here are a couple with some recipes!

The Complete Book of Mixed Drinks by Anthony Dias Blue

Algonquin Blood Mary (Jimmy Fox, Bartender Blue Bar, Algonquin Hotel, NYC)
1.5 ounces vodka
4 ounces tomato juice
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Juice of half a lime
1 teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce
4-6 dashes of Tobasco
1 lime wedge

Combine all ingredients, except lime wedge, in a shaker filled with ice. Using the glass and metal container, shake quickly, 9 or 10 times. Strain into a fresh glass and drop in the lime wedge.

Porch Parties:  Cocktail Recipes and Easy Ideas for Outdoor Entertaining byDenise Gee

Watermelon Cooler

4 cups 2-inch cubes Watermelon
1 cup Vodka, chilled
2 Tablespoons Honey
Garnish: Small Watermelon Wedges with Rind

Freeze the watermelon chunks in a zip-top plastic bag until just frozen, about 1 hour.  Remove from the freezer and add to a blender.  Pour in the vodka and honey.  Process until blended and pour into frosted cocktail or jelly glasses.  Garnish, if desired.

Henry Youngman is credited with saying…”When I read about the evils of drinking, I gave up reading.”  Well here at Lemuria we say you can do both and a lot of it!!

Actually, this post would be more accurately titled, “What I’m doing on my summer vacation…” As you read this, I’m 4,644 miles away in the picturesque French village of Verrines (pop: about 200). When my wife and I decided to take a trip to visit my paternal grandparents, one of the first things I did was start making a list of books to take. Having the right books on vacation is of critical importance. This is not a decision to be made standing in an airport newsstand. After careful consideration, the books I’ve taken with me are:

The Big Short by Michael Lewis — Probably the best nonfiction writer in the world. He made baseball front office management and football offensive line play interesting and engaging to non-sports fans. When Joe gave it his thumbs-up the other day, it made the vacation list. I prefer taking paperbacks on vacation (for obvious reasons), but I’m making an exception for Michael Lewis.

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Airships by Barry Hannah — One of the humbling things about working in a bookstore is the constant realization of how many great writers I’ve never read. The sad reality is that it’s often not until a writer’s death that I’m motivated (to my great shame) to move him from the “To read in the future” category to the “To read right now” category.

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Gilead by Marilynne Robinson — I read Housekeeping (see Ellis’s review) in college and while I enjoyed it, I think the experience was somewhat impoverished by the necessity of absorbing the “pertinent” information for exam time. I wanted to take another shot, and figured this was a good time.

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The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein — I think I too quickly dismissed this book as just a dog novel, but multiple recommendations from car buddies convinced me it’s worth a read. It didn’t hurt that I found out the author is a former Spec Miata series driver. Pat reviewed this book back in 2008.

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The Lost City of Z by David Grann — After reading a great new book about cave divers (review coming next month — watch this space), my appetite for a good “adventury” book was rekindled. I skipped this book when it first came out, but good reports have continued so it made the vacation list. It also made the 2010 Indies Choice Book Award list.

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Point of Impact by Stephen Hunter — I finished Michael Connelly’s Nine Dragons the other night and needed something to fill the void until his next Harry Bosch novel comes out. Stephen Hunter was here in January to sign I, Sniper and I really enjoyed his talk. Joe recommended Hunter’s Bob the Nailer series highly and it was Joe who got me reading Michael Connelly, so it seemed like a safe bet.

Lemuria is still wrapping things up after our dreamy night with Karl and Barry. We were glad to see that Karl and Barry really hit it off visiting with a few brews on the porch of our DotCom building!

This weekend before last I went down to Biloxi. It was my first time, ever, in a casino. It was an interesting experience to say the least. Few times in my life have I ever encountered such a true stereotype. It was like a deposit station with neon lights. An incredible business model if you ask me. People giving you their money…and enjoying every minute of it. Though there is one game on the floor that stands apart from the rest. The competitors do not compete against the house at soaring odds; they go head to head in a fight to the death, using all the weapons and skill that they have to try and overcome their opponents (at least that’s what it feels like sometimes).  And Poker is the game.

I bought in with what little I could spare and was short-stacked by at least triple what every other player had. Two days later I had more than doubled my money, feeling pretty good about myself. Then the Lady smiled on me and God gave me a miracle from heaven. Our table hit a Jackpot hand and I won $1200 cash right there on the spot. It was opportune to say the least (having impending dept on my car). Even though it just seemed to be my day, I wouldn’t have even been on the table if I had busted early on that first day.

I have played a decent amount of poker I suppose, a home game every now and then. I have watched a little TV and a few World Series of Poker tournaments, most people have since the sport took off almost a decade ago.  But I can definitely say that one thing has helped me more than any other. Playing Poker Like the Pros by Phil Hellmuth. Before this book I had just enough experience to get me in trouble and had reached a point where I wasn’t learning anything new.  This book  has laid a firm foundation of poker thought from which I am able to grow and learn, giving insight into the mind of arguably the best poker player in history.

Phil Hellmuth has won 11 WSOP bracelets and an incredible figure in tournament winnings.  He is the mountain over which others must climb if they want to put their mark in poker history. He starts the book at the very beginning, a very good place to start. He goes through game theory and techniques at different levels in all the popular games. His strategy gives you the knowledge of the game that then gives you confidence, the key to any poker game. Giving you important rules to follow…like not playing over your level but to build in small increments. Although the game has changed a bit in the upper skill levels over the years since it was written, the “poker-craze” allows for many little fish to be eaten in the big pond of small stakes poker. If one applies oneself, one can use Phil’s work to cash out on these donating machines.

-John P.

HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY!!!!!!!!

Oh no….are you reading this and realizing that you forgot to get the Mom in your life a special gift to thank them for all the wonderful things that they have done for you!!  Well, you are safe because Lemuria can help you out!  We are open today (Sunday) from 10:30 – 3:00.  Come on in  and let us suggest some books for your Momma!  If you are in a big hurry to get to lunch or just to hang out with your Momma might I suggest one of our great Lemuria t-shirts (My Momma is getting one) or a Lemuria gift card and she can come in and relax and pick out the book she would like to read.  There are lots of ways that we can help you out in your time of need!

Here are a few “MOM” book suggestions…

This is a wonderful little book  that is a tribute to our mothers using over 200 works of art by a wide range of artists from Caravaggio, Monet, Renoir and many more.  The illustrations are paired with wonderful quotations from many literary and public figures from Plutarch, Dante, and Shakespeare to Mark Twain, Oscar Wilde and Mae West.

“The most beautiful word on the lips of mankind is the word ‘Mother’, and the most beautiful call is the call of  “My Mother.”…She is the source of love, mercy, sympathy, and forgiveness….Everything in nature bespeaks the mother. –Kahlil Gibran

“My mother had a great deal of trouble with me, but I think she enjoyed it.”–Mark Twain

Gayden Metcalfe and Charlotte Hays have done it again with Some Day You’ll Thank Me For This: The Official Southern Ladies Guide to Being a “Perfect” Mother. Do I really need to say anymore about this book?  Basically we all know that the southern matriarch is a more formidable being than the much nicer southern male after all she has a sacred mission to instill good manners, proper religion and ancestor worship into the next generation.

A Mother’s love means different things to us all.  Whether it is that our mothers know just how we like our grilled cheese to the comfort they give us when we are sad.  This book reminds us that “Mother’s love is…never too busy for hugs and kisses.”

Happy Mother’s Day to all of you and I hope you have a wonderful day!!  I am now off to go hang out with my wonderful mother!

Well, maybe I’m not as cool as some of the folks blogging here on the Lemuria blog and maybe this little picture of me in the right hand corner needs an update and maybe I’m not able to read enough to sustain this what I’m reading blog, but at least this little guy still likes me. I think he’s saying “you’re number 1 to me daddy” but it’s probably more like “TRUCK!”. This reading list is going to be much shorter than the last couple – but I maintain that it’s credible – I’m either reading or trying to read everything that I’m blogging about. I’ll try to have more going on next time. Maybe a new parenting book. So anyway, here goes…

Sailor & Lula: The Complete Novels by Barry Gifford

This is what’s been taking up most of my reading time – and I’m glad. The language is amazing. This is what it would be like if Merle Haggard wrote brilliant literary novels. Part beat writer – part Russian – part I don’t even know – wow. It’s hard to describe why you get attached to certain characters in certain books – especially those that you don’t really think you should be relating to – but I guess something times an author creates characters that are truly human…

Big Short by Michael Lewis

I didn’t mention that I was going to read this last time, but I think I started it just after my last blog. I finished it last night and think I’m going to start back at the beginning. Michael Lewis is a really great writer – takes something that you know nothing about and explains the parts you need to know and makes the characters real to you. Let’s put it this way – people did know what was going on – a lot of people were and are still making money betting against America. Stinks doesn’t it.

The Great Reset by Richard Florida

Always trying to figure out what’s going to happen next – is it going to go back to normal or is there going to be a whole new economy. I read The Rise of the Creative Class when it was new in 2002 and respect Florida’s opinion – I’m going to start this tonight – this book was released today.