by Abbie Walker

One of my favorite areas of the Lemuria store is the Southern fiction section. Nestled in a corner of the fiction room behind a bust of Eudora Welty, this part of the store is one I love to explore. From Rick Bass to Alice Walker, and everyone in between, the shelves are filled with some of the best writers that speak to my southern spirit. So when I came across Margaret Eby’s South Toward Home, I was instantly intrigued.

South Toward Home, whose title is a play off Willie Morris’ North Toward Home, is a literary road map of the South. From Oxford and Jackson to New Orleans and Gainesville, Eby takes you on a tour of some sites with famous southern author connections. Eudora Welty’s garden, William Faulkner’s liquor cabinet, and John Kennedy Toole’s hot-dog carts are just a few of the places covered. Eby does an excellent job of describing each setting, drawing upon text from the authors’ works to show if and how their surroundings influenced their writing.

I love how Eby was able to tie her personal travel journey into her literary discoveries. She expertly planted me in a place by describing how it looked in the present, while also weaving in quotes from the author to create a rich history of the landmark. I enjoyed getting to travel to places near and far with Eby, in particular, Eudora Welty’s garden. I loved hearing Eby’s take on this local treasure. I learned more about the authors I’ve read and got to know the ones I’m not that familiar with. Eby’s research, as well as her own reading experiences, made me want to read more of not just the authors she mentioned, but also more southern writers in general.

I especially appreciated how Eby compared these landmarks. She discussed how one writer’s house may have been turned into a museum, while another was torn down. Some towns proudly use an author’s spot as a tourist attraction, while others are hesitant to acknowledge its existence. It was interesting to see how certain places have changed over the years and how the community has responded to them.

One of my favorite chapters of Eby’s journey was the one about Flannery O’Connor’s peacocks. It was entertaining to read about her house in Georgia where she raised all sorts of birds and where her peacocks still roam today. Having background information about O’Connor and the other southerners mentioned gives me a better understanding of their writing and what inspired them.

Whether you’re new to Southern fiction or a long-term reader of those below the Mason-Dixon, Eby’s road trip will inspire a literary pilgrimage of your own.

Lemuria also has a very limited number of signed first editions of South Toward Home available here.

I am currently reading The Midnight Cool by Lydia Peelle, meaning there’s no chance I can spoil the ending for you in this blog. Regardless, I can already say that I would fully recommend this book. Set at the brink of World War I, the story follows two drifters, Billy and Charles, who arrive in a small Tennessee town to buy and sell horses. Billy is a middle aged Irishman that has immigrated to the United States at a young age to build a better life for himself, while Charles is a young, idealistic dreamer who envisions himself one day becoming a rich man. Together they wander from town to town, not yet living the life they truly want to live.

The Midnight Cool is a slow build that always feels like there’s a seam that’s just about to burst. Each character has got their secrets, which has me trying to guess all the possible outcomes that could come from each of them. Charles unwittingly buys a murderous horse named The Midnight Cool from the richest man in Richfield, Tennessee. This horse, as both we and Charles find out, is a force to be reckoned with.

Usually, I don’t like the use of flashbacks as a literary device. However, they work here really well. I’m enjoying seeing Billy as a young man and seeing how he’s made himself into the expert con man that he becomes.

Peelle has a wonderful way of writing that feels like this entire story is a distant memory, one that’s been retrieved to tell to a willing listener. And don’t let the lack of quotation marks throw you off: it was disconcerting when I started reading, but it was easy to acclimate to once I got pulled into the world of the story. Now, I feel that the device is part of what’s helping me to become fully immersed in this story. Rather than being an omniscient third party, I am part of Billy and Charles’ racket of horse trading. I am helping them try to break The Midnight Cool. I feel everything they feel, from hope to disappointment and all that’s in-between.
I’m going to be honest and say that this is a book I would not have normally picked up, but I’m so glad I did. The pacing of this book allows me to slow down and actually chew on what I’m reading. It keeps me thinking long after I’ve set it down. What more could you ask for from a book?

Lydia Peelle will be at Lemuria on Wednesday, January 18,  at 5:00 p.m. to sign and read from her new book, The Midnight Cool. You can reserve your signed or personalized copy here. In addition, Ketch Secor of the Old Crow Medicine Show will be giving an acoustic performance in conjunction with the reading.