Lemuria Books – Page 153

Page 153 of 257

Otis and the author visit!

On September 6, 2011

As a children’s book buyer, I see all kinds of illustrators and all kinds of mediums: Pen and ink, digital, oil painting, paper cutting, water colors, colored pencils, and even crayons. With each illustrator comes a unique style that often becomes instantly recognizable.

One of the first illustrators I first became familiar with in Oz was Loren Long. His acrylic illustrations have graced the books of Angelia Johnson, Watty Piper, Madonna, and President Barack Obama.

In his first series, Loren has created the character Otis, a small red tractor with a big heart. In his first adventure, titled simply Otis, Otis makes friend with a orphaned calf, is replaced by a bigger tractor, and ends up saving the day with his compassion.

Otis lives in the mid-west, so it only makes sense that a tornado would show up in an Otis book as it does in Otis’ newest adventure, Otis and the Tornado.

As Otis and his farm friends enjoy a lively round their favorite game, follow-the-leader, everyone on the farm gets involved–that is, everyone except the bull. The bull has no interest in playing and stays in his pen, and when the other animals get close to his pen, he purposely intimidates the other animals.

Suddenly the nice day turns cloudy scary, something we all know about here in Mississippi: the birds stop chirping, the wind picks up, and the sky turns dark and stormy. It’s a tornado!

Otis uses the follow-the-leader game to get all of the farm animals safe and sound in the dried-up riverbanks of Mud Creek. But Otis hears a cry in the distance – it’s the bull, still locked in his pen! Quick as his tires will take him, Otis putt puff puttedy chuffs back to the farm to save the day. This new story from Loren Long feels classic already and is one I am already enjoying sharing with kids and parents.

Loren Long is such an accomplished author that just a new book from him is worth celebration. In the follow excerpt from Loren’s biography on his website, we see how accomplished he is:

“Two-time Golden Kite award winner and New York Times #1 bestselling illustrator Loren Long is an artist straight from the heart of America. Born in Joplin, Missouri, and raised in Lexington, Kentucky, Long is a storyteller in pictures who draws on his roots to depict a soulful American landscape peopled with imaginative characters who take on mythic, even heroic, dimensions.”

However, a visit from him is worth jumping for joy. Loren Long will be here to read and sign his books on Wednesday, September 7th at 4:00! He will read and speak at 4:00, with a signing to follow.

Because of Loren’s amazing illustrations, Otis and the Tornado will be our Oz First Edition Club pick for September. We also have first editions of President Barack Obama’s book Of Thee I Sing, which Loren illustrated, which we will be offering as well at list price!

You don’t want to miss this, so come on out on Wednesday at 4:00!

The ADHD Workbook for Kids

By admin

On September 5, 2011

In Parenting/Family

There are many books out there about kids with ADHD, but how does a parent cultivate and reinforce good social skills, self-confidence and self-control into a busy day?

Child Psychologist Dr. Lawrence Shapiro has compiled a workbook of 44 simple activities for a child to work on alone or with a parent’s help. The workbook is divided into four sections on the following ADHD challenges: Learning self-control; Overcoming school problems; Making and keeping friends; and Feeling good about yourself.

Shapiro has written this workbook to teach the skills of emotional intelligence as research shows that these skills can be taught just as a child can be taught to read or play a violin. This workbook is designed to compliment a comprehensive treatment program for ADHD. Schools may provide extra help for children with ADHD but that is often not enough. Even after medication and counseling, parents still need to set aside extra time to work with their child. Shapiro’s activities on “How to sit still,” “You can have a best friend,” and “How to handle days when everything seems to go wrong” may be a good place to start.

Middle School Book club reads Raised by Wolves

By Former Lemurians

On September 4, 2011

In OZ: Young Adult Fiction

Our kids book clubs have been pretty sporadic this summer, but starting in August, we returned to our once a month scheduling. A couple of months ago, our middle school girls book club read Raised by Wolves by Jennifer Lynn Barnes. Gracie, one of the girls in the book club, read the book for the book club and has written a review for those of you interested in what kinds of books this book club reads:

Raised by Wolves is the first book in the new series by Jennifer Lynn Barnes. Bryn, the main character in the first book, was raised by wolves, literally! Bryn is a stubborn and smart girl who throughout the story is trying to figure out her complex past while at the same time keeping up the shroud of being a normal human girl. Easy as all this might sound, Bryn’s life is a constant battle of what she thinks is best as opposed to what her adoptive mother Ali and her guardian Callum think. Her course of life never seems to change until the presence of a new wolf is sensed by the pack. Naturally told to keep away, Bryn goes to Callum arguing and pleading with him to see the new wolf. After the arrival of the new wolf Chase, the story is set into overdrive as Bryn separates from the pack with Chase, her new love. Together they conquer demons from their pasts and form a new family of young wolves. This book is a wonderful and thrilling ride with words that ride with you through the betrayal, romance, and adventurous scenes of being raised by wolves.

Bryn lives with a pack of wolves. That might sound fun but when you have all of them breathing down your neck to be perfect… not so much. Even though her friends are always there for her when she meets Chase its a bond like no other in their eyes, but the pack thinks otherwise. And so of course as all good and great books do, our Bryn goes out on an adventure to find her parents killer, the truth to her past, and most importantly her reason for being saved as a child. Once our epic story comes to an end after a battle against Wilson the rogue were. All seems well for now with Bryn, her new rescued pack of adolescent werewolves, and of course her soul mate Chase. But will it last?

Remember, if you are wanting to be a part of the book club, email emily@lemuriabooks.com. Members get 10% off of the monthly book and we are always looking for new members.

A Mother’s Garden

By Former Lemurians

On September 3, 2011

In Art/Photography, Southern Fiction

Growing up in a household with not one but two parents who are artists, I was never bored. I was also constantly surrounded by beautiful art. Whether it was my parents own stunning photography or various other artists on display in our turn-of-the-century house in Sumner, Mississippi, our walls were and still are always full of handsome art.

That being said, my appreciation for art is not limited to only things that hang on a wall. I also love beautiful art books, which is why I am so excited to talk about a lovely new book on Eudora Welty’s gardens that is soon to be published by the University Press of Mississippi. The book features writings (and some photos) by Susan Haltom and Jane Roy Brown with photographs by Langdon Clay, who just happens to be my dad!

Accompanying my dad’s photos is a wonderful and engaging look at the history of the garden of the Welty house or as Eudora called it, “my mother’s garden.” Haltom and Brown do an excellent job of telling the story of Chestina Welty, Eudora’s mother, and her love for gardening, which strongly influenced Eudora and her writings.

Before I perused this book, I was not aware that as Eudora was establishing her writing career in her late twenties, she was also becoming an adept gardener thanks to her mother Chestina’s guidance. Sadly the gardens of Chestina’s generation did not last, but towards the end of Welty’s life, the restoration of her “mother’s garden” was underway and the results continue to impress at the Welty house today.

The book will be launched on October 6th with a signing party in the garden at the Welty House from 12-3 p.m., hosted by the Eudora Welty Foundation. For more info, check out the Welty Foundation’s website.

Also, Lemuria will host a signing on Saturday, October 8th at 11:00 AM.

by Anna

Spend some time with a new author over Labor Day!

By Former Lemurians

On September 2, 2011

In Mystery

Labor Day Weekend is upon us…for many it is the last weekend of summer which means the last time to sit by the pool or on the beach just reading. I was thinking about what end of summer reads that I would be suggesting to folks and then I thought about football season. College football starts this weekend which means also this weekend I will also be suggesting to non-football fans what books to read while the game is on in the other room of their house. (I happen to love football but I do read while I’m watching the game.) I wonder what the difference in the type titles the customers will choose if there is a difference at all.

Here is a new title by a debut author that I think will work for Labor Day weekend either at the pool or while the game is on or maybe both!

The Stranger You Seek by Amanda Kyle Williams

The Wishbone Killer is terrorizing Atlanta, Georgia. Keye Street’s career in the FBI ended as her battle against addiction began. She has started a new life working as a a private detective taking jobs when she can find them from tracking down bail jumpers and adulterers to finding people who have stolen company secrets. The last thing she wants is to become involved in a case involving a serial killer but then the Atlanta Police Department comes calling but how can she say no since Lt. Aaron Rauser, her best friend, is doing the asking. As she uses her skills acquired in the FBI as a profiler, Keye begins to realize that the Wishbone Killer just might be someone she knows and all those close to her could be the killers next target.

I really loved this thriller. It was really fun to read especially if you are familiar with Atlanta and that the protagonist is a female detective. It is nice to have a ‘southern belle’ saving the day instead of just getting the vapors!

Chuck Palahniuk’s Damned Book Night Poster

By Lemuria

On September 1, 2011

In Newsworthy

Drop by the store if you would like one of the these posters to hang up.

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Curious about Chuck

By admin

On September 1, 2011

In Staff Blog

This blog entry is for the person who knows pretty much nothing about Chuck Palahniuk. For the people who read Chuck Palahniuk, for the people who are on the edge of their seat waiting for his latest book, they seem to be pretty tight-lipped about what they’re reading. Maybe you’re like me: You know the movie Fight Club. Well, that was based on Chuck’s book of the same name.

I am writing this blog to share some of my observations as I delve into the world of Chuck Palahniuk. If you’re still curious at the end of this blog, I urge you to spend some time on Chuck’s official fan page right here.

Chuck grew up in Washington, and after the age of 14 when his parents divorced, he spent a good deal of time on his maternal grandparents cattle ranch. His paternal grandparents he never knew but Joshua Chaplinsky explains in a bio written for The Official Chuck Palahniuk Web Page that they certainly left an impression:

The surname, Palahniuk, which is Ukrainian in origin, can be spelled and pronounced numerous different ways. According to Chuck, his paternal grandparents decided to pronounce it as a combination of their first names, Paula and Nick. But Chuck never knew his father’s parents.

As recounted in an interview with The Independent, his grandfather shot and killed his grandmother after an argument over the cost of a sewing machine. Chuck’s father, who was three at the time, watched from under a bed as Nick Palahniuk searched the house for additional victims, before turning the gun on himself.

In the article, Chuck is quoted as saying, “My grandfather was hit over the head by a crane boom in Seattle. Some of the family claimed he was never a violent, crazy person before that. Some say he was. It depends who you believe.” The tragic event is depicted on the U.S. cover of Stranger Than Fiction.

I am reading the true stories collected in Stranger Than Fiction right now. I decided to delve into this before I started reading his fiction. I wanted to know what inspired his fiction.

Some of the essays are the stories of true-life encounters with subcultures: a testicle festival in Montana, the strange world of Marilyn Manson, men building their own full-size castles and rocket ships they hope will send them into space. These and others seem to inspire the content of Chuck’s fiction. He reminds me of my favorite sociology teacher, reporting to us what people on the fringes were doing–not judging, just reporting.

One particular essay, “Dear Mr. Levin,” seems to explain the reason behind the content. You may remember The Stepford Wives. Well, that was written by Ira Levin. Chuck explains why he believes Mr. Levin has been so successful in fan letter form:

Your books, they’re not so much horror stories as cautionary fables. You write a smart, updated version of the kind of folksy legends that cultures have always used–like nursery rhymes and stain-glassed windows–to teach some basic ideas to people.

Your books, including Rosemary’s Baby, The Stepford Wives, and Sliver, take some of the thorniest issues in our culture and charm us into facing the problem. As recreation. You turn this kind of therapy into fun. On our lunch breaks, waiting for the bus, lying in bed, you have us face these Big Issues, and fighting them.

I am about three chapters into an advanced copy of Damned. Already I am wondering what issues Chuck presents in the character of Maddy, a thirteen-year-old chubby girl who finds herself in Hell and says she died of an overdose of marijuana and suffers from extremely low self-esteem. How does she describe what it’s like to be dead? Maddy says if you’re good at watching television or surfing the Internet you’ll be good at being dead.

Our bookstore friend, Neil White commented about his introduction to Chuck from Barry Hannah:

“I’m a big fan, too. First discovered Chuck while playing tennis with Barry Hannah in the mid-90s. After a game, Barry held up an ARC of Fight Club. ‘I get five of these things a week,’ Barry said, ‘I rarely get past the first page.’ Then he handed me the book and said, ‘this one’s different.'”

“High praise from a guy who also recognized the real deals.”

Obviously, there is much more to Chuck. Check him out for yourself.

To get the details on Chuck Palahniuk’s visit to Jackson on October 20th, click here.

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Mississippi Prominent artist Miriam Weems

By Former Lemurians

On August 31, 2011

In Newsworthy, Staff Blog

Lemuria already misses Mississippi’s renowned and beloved artist and author Miriam Weems whose untimely and tragically sudden death shook us all tremendously on Saturday, August 20. Our sympathies go to her sons, Sam and Baxter, to her husband Tommy, and to her brother Dick.

The collection of Miriam’s paintings, titled Mostly Mississippi, which she compiled and published in 2007, has been a best seller here at Lemuria since its publication. The gorgeous bright pink book is filled with numerous paintings for which she had been commissioned. From its opening with a view looking up Capitol Street during the Mal’s St. Paddy’s Day Parade to the last painting of New York’s Wall Street, the beautiful collection showcases her unique art. We at Lemuria continue to reorder it.

The second book, for which she was known, is a cookbook published by the Mississippi Animal Rescue League titled Best in Show: Our Best Recipes for Man’s Best Friends, for which Miriam painted the front which shows dogs and cats as chefs and as diners in a brightly lit happy restaurant which serves only our animal friends. Miriam’s recipes for Curried Chicken Salad, Hearty Vegetable Soup, and Fudge Pudding will certainly be favorites of all. A fervent animal lover and activist, Miriam was through and through. Her home was filled for years with dogs that she had adopted. She delighted to hear of her friends giving dogs and cats a home.

Though we Lemurians have loved showing customers her two beautiful books, what we will miss the most is when Miriam came into Lemuria to sign them! Her effervescent smile and contagious personality brought the store alive within moments of when she walked in. Pretty soon, we were all smiling and laughing with her!

Maggie and I left Lemuria last Tuesday morning and went to Miriam’s celebration of life service/funeral at my church, St. Andrew’s Episcopal Cathedral. To say there was only standing room is an understatement, for the nave and chapel were filled to capacity; friends were standing five to ten deep at the back—what a testament to her capacity to make and keep friends from far and wide. She was truly loved by many. The theme of the homily and the entire service, including the music was “light”, as in “this little light of mine”. Everyone there would agree that Miriam was a bright happy light who spread joy wherever she went, not only in person but in every single painting she created. Light and color and happiness emanated from her work, just as they did from within her.

Miriam’s prominent portrait artist son Baxter Knowlton worked at Lemuria a decade or so ago. It is not hard to determine from whence his great talent and sensitivity come. Maggie often talks of the fun that she and Baxter had at the front desk many years ago. In the dedication of Mostly Mississippi, Miriam wrote: “To the men in my life–My husband Tommy, who makes me happy, my sons Sam and Baxter, of whom I am very proud, and my brother Dick, who is always there for me….and to my parents, to whom I am forever grateful.”

Miriam was my neighbor, my friend, and a fellow church communicant for almost thirty years. We also shared the mutual joy of having wonderful artist sons of whom we talked about with much pride incessantly. I will miss her greatly. Miriam was a gift to all who knew her. -Nan

Flatland by Edwin A. Abbott

By Former Lemurians

On August 30, 2011

In Science Fiction

Dear Listener,

Within my first couple of weeks at Lemuria, I caught book fever. If you are not familiar with this disease, I’ll have you know it can be very deadly (to your bank account). The symptoms include, but are not limited to: salivating over first editions, feeling a yearning to take books home with you every day, and searching the dense data base for interesting editions of books you may already have.

This is how I ended up ordering an annotated version of Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions (1884) by Edwin A. Abbott, a book I already own twice over. As densely written as it is, this new annotated edition (annotated by Ian Stewart) brought to light so many ideas that I had not understood in previous readings.

Isaac Asimov said this about Flatland:

Edwin A. Abbott

Why has the book remained so popular for almost a hundred years? Because, like Mark Twain, Professor Abbott must have thought: I refuse to be serious about a serious subject. Churches brim with seriousness and snoozers snooze. Scientific conferences of one denomination or another drone on through endless and ungoiden afternoons and one chooses the catnap as against suicide. The only medicine is high spirits and good humor.

If you find 19^th century mathematical science fiction to be dense and un-interpretable, this timeless song from Neutral Milk Hotel’s 1998 album In the Aeroplane Over the Sea might help you feel more willing in your artistic acceptance.

by Simon

Allergy Proof Recipes for Kids

By admin

On August 28, 2011

In Cooking

When I hear about recipes designed for those with special nutritional needs or food allergies, I instantly think that I will never get all the ingredients together. That’s not the case with Allergy Proof Recipes for Kids. Designed by two moms, this cookbook is beautiful, simple and educational.

Every recipe is gluten free and free of other problem foods, such as wheat, dairy products, egg, peanuts, tree nuts, sugar. Most recipes are accompanied by a photograph, tips, techniques and key nutritional information. Also included are suggestions for substitutions so that you can adapt many recipes to fit your child’s needs.

While this cookbook is designed with kids in mind, adults will also find the recipes appealing. Some of my favorites include: crunchy granola bars, turkey rice salad, mini quiches, bean dip, gourmet oatmeal chocolate chuck cookies and chicken noodle soup. With all these yummy recipes, there’s no need to feel intimidated by a food allergy.

Page 153 of 257

Otis and the author visit!

The ADHD Workbook for Kids

Middle School Book club reads Raised by Wolves

A Mother’s Garden

Spend some time with a new author over Labor Day!

Chuck Palahniuk’s Damned Book Night Poster

Curious about Chuck

Mississippi Prominent artist Miriam Weems

Flatland by Edwin A. Abbott

Allergy Proof Recipes for Kids

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