2010 – Page 11 – Lemuria Books

Year: 2010 (Page 11 of 45)

The Fall of the House of Zeus by Curtis Wilkie (Crown, October 19, 2010)

“In the fall of 1995, Scruggs called upon his best contact in the nation’s capital, his brother-in-law, the second ranking Republican in the U.S. Senate. He told Senator Lott of a possible breakthrough against tobacco . . .” (60)

“The tobacco issue did not thrill Lott. As a deeply conservative, pro-business lawyer, he was philosophically opposed to the profession of trial lawyers and the idea of mass torts. Over the years, he had become friends with many of the chieftains in the tobacco industry. But like his brother-in-law, Lott enjoyed swimming in political back channels and consummating deals behind closed doors. There could be something in it for him. A business connection. A political IOU. The satisfaction of brokering an important agreement.”

“The process would introduce Scruggs to the Washington branch of the Mississippi network he thought of as ‘the dark side of the Force,’ a consortium of political interests led by Lott and his principal factotum in Washington, Tom Anderson.” (61)

Zeus goes on sale Tuesday, October 19th.

We hope to see you at the signing/reading event with Curtis Wilkie on Thursday, October 21st, but if you cannot attend, you can reserve a signed copy online.

Click here to open an account on our website and we can save your information for future visits to LemuriaBooks.com.

You can also call the bookstore at 601/800.366.7619 and we can put your name on our reserve list.

Read other excerpts from The Fall of the House of Zeus.

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Great House by Nicole Krauss

By Former Lemurians

On October 16, 2010

In Fiction

by Kelly Pickerill

When asked to consider how memory works, do you tend to think about how the smell of oatmeal cookies triggers a vivid memory of your grandmother or how a song takes you back to that high school dance? When I think about memory I think of Proust and his madeleines. I think about the nights, as a child after a day at the beach, when I would experience that peculiar physical memory phenomenon that allowed me to feel the ebb and flow of the waves as I fell asleep. I’ve always thought that to have amnesia would be horrifying, and to lose the ability to process long term memory (anyone remember that Adam Sandler movie, 50 First Dates?) even more so. But to have a memory that’s infallible, too, would be just as traumatic. In Jill Price’s memoir The Woman Who Can’t Forget, she writes from her unique perspective of having perfect recall of everything she’s ever seen, thought, read, and experienced. Instead of the flood of bittersweet nostalgia when you heard that song from your prom, what would it be like vividly to remember the awkwardness of the dance with your crush, every inane thing you said to him, or how you stepped on her toe. The beauty of memory is that it’s forgiving and self-preservative, and to that end it has the ability to be selective, to meld an experience into a whole that’s more ideal than the sum of its parts.

Great House, Nicole Krauss’s new novel, while not about memory per se, features characters who are relating past events. There are misunderstandings, misinterpretations, misreadings, yes, but more than that Krauss seems to have used the function of memory as the medium of her story. There are four main narrators, and each simultaneously relates and interprets his story as his memory serves, without the burdensome need to follow a timeline and sometimes even to give the reader much context. Tenuously linking the narratives is a desk — an immense, imposing piece of furniture that contains many drawers — for some of Krauss’s characters it conspicuously represents the very essence of their identity. Most of the characters are writers, though one is in the heights of procrastination on her doctoral thesis, and one shamefully (because of paternal disapproval) and in installments persists in writing a story about a shark who is forced to absorb the nightmares of dreamers hooked up to its tank with tubes. All of the characters are extremely lonely, and sometimes their voices can seem quite small, and they themselves admit it would be a relief to disappear:

Until my eyes adjusted enough to make out the lines of the furniture, or some detail of the previous day came back to me, I hung suspended in the unknown, the unknown which, still loosely tethered to consciousness, slips so easily into the unknowable. A fraction of a second only, a fraction of pure, monstrous existence free of all landmarks, of the most exhilarating terror, stamped out almost immediately by a grasp of reality which I came to think of at such times as blinding, a hat pulled over one’s eyes, since though I knew that without it life would be almost uninhabitable, I resented it nevertheless for all it spared me.

Only memory, in those moments, keeps them from being lost.

Kaycie wrote about The History of Love a few weeks ago, and we talked about how both novels showcase Krauss’s unconventional storytelling. You may remember that Nicole Krauss’s much acclaimed second novel was Lemuria’s First Editions Club pick for June 2005. We recently sold our last signed first edition of The History of Love, but we still have first editions of Great House — look for the front page review in the NYT Book Review tomorrow.

M. T. Anderson’s Mysterious Delaware

By Former Lemurians

On October 15, 2010

In OZ: Young Adult Fiction

In the young adult book world, M. T. Anderson is a jack of all trades. He has written everything from his National Book Award winner The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing set in 18th century Boston during the Revolutionary War to the dystopian novel Feed about a world where electronic communication as melded with the human mind.

However, his most recent venture resembles a scrambling of Nancy Drew stories, Sherlock Holmes tales, and Diary of a Wimpy Kid. Pretty crazy, right? It would never work, you say? Well, I am here to say that in the Pals in Peril series not only works, but it is also hilariously good. Set in the dangerous land of Delaware, (bet you didn’t know it was so deadly!) Lily, Jasper, and Katie must venture into this perilous land to stop dastardly villains and save the world. This is a great series for those who like Lemony Snicket’s Series of Unfortunate Events or Michael Buckley’s Sister’s Grimm series.

I think that Anderson describes it best himself, so below is a great video of M. T. Anderson on his Pals in Peril series. M. T. Anderson will be here in the bookstore on Monday, October 18th at 5:00. Come on by and talk to him about his books. We have all of them in stock!

MT Anderson Talks

Read Both Books & Form Your Own Opinion

By Lemuria

On October 15, 2010

In Southern Culture

The reviews of Wilkie’s Zeus are starting to appear in our local publications. Adam Lynch of the Jackson Free Press makes comparisons between Zeus and Lange/Dawson’s Kings of Tort published in 2009. Read Lynch’s review here. Bill Minor also wrote a review on Zeus in The Clarion Ledger. Read it here. Read more reviews for Kings of Tort here.

Read Both Books & Form Your Own Opinion

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Lemuria Reads Mississippians: Curtis Wilkie

By John

On October 15, 2010

In Southern Culture

With The Fall of the House of Zeus, Curtis Wilkie has given us a portrait of Mississippi’s political and legal climate over the last 40 years. Zeus truly is a modern classic of Mississippi history. Zeus will endure, be taught in schools and considered by many as the primary study of these Mississippi times.

We all know the Scruggs story, but Wilkie weaves a path through the people with whom this powerful man came in contact. Political influences by those in charge are more intricate than the newspaper followers of the story, like myself, are aware of. Wilkie gives us first-hand insight into how this powerful game of charades seemed to be played. He exposes not just the flaws of legal character but the flaws of political gamesmanship as well. The quilt Curtis sews covers the gambit of a Mississippi Who’s Who of these two professions. It’s amazing how many characters are a part of the Scruggs web and how many willingly signed on or fell into the trap of Scruggs’s powerful ride to the top. It seemed there was no limit to how many Scruggs influenced with his personal display and hand-me-out payola.

Zeus drips with the sleaze of our system with its players constantly taking advantage of how it works for so much private gain. It appears Zeus hid behind the sharing of wealth for good causes, feeding his ego with the power his success bought. However, this is a confusing character front as Zeus slip-sided his way through the system’s maze to generate huge wealth. Wilkie exposes as much as he can figure out about Scruggs’s personal side, the public image he gave, and his ego.

Five months ago when I finished reading House of Zeus for the first time, I called Curtis to tell him how much I liked and appreciated his hard work. We both loved Willie Morris, and I told Curtis that Willie would have loved this book and would be very proud for him. I wished Willie were alive to experience the reactions to Zeus’s publication.

As I am now rereading House of Zeus, I believe Curtis Wilkie has given Mississippi a great enduring chronicle of our time. It’s impressive Mississippi journalism at its height. I’m very pleased to work on this fine book which I believe every Mississippian should read and talk about. The Fall of the House of Zeus could have long range positive effects on our system and how it should and should not work.

Click here to see other profiles in Mississippians. Editor Neil White will be signing Mississippians at Lemuria on Thursday, October 28th. Purchase a copy online or call the bookstore 601/800.366.7619.

We hope to see you at the signing/reading event for The Fall of the House of Zeus with Curtis Wilkie on Thursday, October 21st. If you cannot attend, you can reserve a signed copy online.

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skippy dies

By Former Lemurians

On October 14, 2010

In Foreign Fiction

i saw this book come in a few weeks ago and immediately fell in love with the looks of it and had to have it. they say you shouldn’t judge a book by it’s cover but i say phooey. cover judging is how i’ve found most of my favorite books including this little gem.

the books starts off with skippy’s dramatic death scene in a doughnut shop which i thought would just ruin the whole story but boy was i wrong. this is one hell of a “coming of age” story that delves into your normal growing up misadventures and goes on to other dimensions almost literally.

by Zita

Curtis Wilkie’s The Fall of the House of Zeus: Scruggs’s “Freewheeling Style” and the Elusive P. L. Blake

By Lemuria

On October 14, 2010

In Southern Culture

Curtis Wilkie reveals the face of the elusive P. L. Blake

The Fall of the House of Zeus by Curtis Wilkie (Crown, October 19, 2010)

“In late May 1994, the case to recover damages from Big Tobacco for Mississippi was filed in chancery court in Pascagoula, the home of Moore and Scruggs.” (page 58)

“For Mississippi, Moore would serve as the public official representing the state’s interests, while Scruggs would emerge as the principle voice for the plaintiffs. They worked in tandem, backed by the investments of others in the group . . . They called themselves the ‘Health Advocates Litigation Team’–HALT for short.” (page 58)

“Scruggs’s practice of making lone decisions for the partnership annoyed some of his associates. His freewheeling style and his propensity to make secret side payments to people such as P. L. Blake also ate into his own resources.” (page 59)

We hope to see you at the signing/reading event with Curtis Wilkie on Thursday, October 21st, but if you cannot attend, you can reserve a signed copy online.

Click here to open an account on our website and we can save your information for future visits to LemuriaBooks.com.

You can also call the bookstore at 601/800.366.7619 and we can put your name on our reserve list.

Read other excerpts from The Fall of the House of Zeus.

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The Social Network

By admin

On October 13, 2010

In Business/Economy

The current #1 movie in the country is The Social Network – if you don’t already know, it’s the movie about the making of Facebook. (don’t be ashamed if you didn’t know – I’m so in the dark that I haven’t actually seen a single ad for this movie although I’m certain they are everywhere – curiously not during football games though) So, what does the bookstore nerd do when a big movie comes out? Especially since I don’t really do movies anymore – I haven’t watched an entire movie in probably a year. Well, of course the bookstore nerd doesn’t go to the movie – he reads the book. The Social Network is based on Ben Mezrich’s 2009 book Accidental Billionaires. (Mezrich is the guy who wrote Bringing Down the House – the book about the M.I.T. students who beat Vegas)

Lemuria has been trying very hard lately to figure out how to give the best service we can to our customers on Facebook – I actually think it’s a great tool for us to communicate with you. Facebook is trying to help you put your social experience online. 500 million people are on Facebook – that’s one in 14 on the planet. So, a lot of people are on Facebook, but also folks are logging in more often and stay on Facebook longer than any other site. We know you’re on there, so please “like us” on Facebook and dialog with us so we can learn how to give you the best service that we can on Facebook.

But what about the book? Accidental Billionaires is fast paced, sexy, and gives you all of the inside scoop about the “social network” of friends who started the ultimate “social network” website. (Mark Zuckerberg, Eduardo Saverin, and friends) It illustrates very well the excitement of those first days. There seems to be no question that the original idea came from Zuckerberg’s frustrations with the dating scene on the Harvard campus. I think it has a few faults – it’s hard to tell what Facebook was in those first days. It sounds like it was just a profile that others could view – a pure ego site. I know the actual evolution of the site doesn’t make for a page turner, but a little bit of info would have been nice. My other criticism is in the origin of the title, Accidental Billionaires, I think the idea that Zuckerberg just stumbled onto this idea is false. The book downplays all of the continued work and creativity still going on that keeps Facebook vibrant and constantly in the media – it may be that all of those who got rich by being “friends” with Zuckerberg got “accidentally” rich, but I don’t believe for a second that it was an accident for Zuckerberg himself.

So, enjoy the movie and if our bookstore is important to you then consider letting us into your social media world by “liking” us here. Thanks

Pat Thomas: Mississippi State of Blues by Ken Murphy and Scott Barretta

By John

On October 13, 2010

In Blues

Photographed by Bill Ferris in Leland, MS, 1968. From the William R. Ferris Collection. Click on the above image for an amazing trip through the Southern Folklife Collection.

Around 40 years ago, I learned about Son Thomas from Bill Ferris’s research and work. Soon there after, at Patti Black’s Capitol Folk Series, I heard Son live in the restored senate chamber. These two folks have done so much to preserve and guide our education about Mississippi blues.

About five years ago, I heard Pat Thomas performing with his ever-slanted head gear in Clarksdale. Pat looks remarkably like his dad and patterns his musical style from his father, performing many of the same songs as he carries forth his dad’s legacy. Pat, like his father, molds out of clay–“heads” also patterned after his father’s art style. Pat loves to draw cats which he enjoys labeling with “Love Dad” as part of signing his artwork.

Around the same time I heard Pat, I bought from Roger Stolle’s fine Cathead Delta Blues and Art Store a very cool head done by Pat for my son Austin’s birthday present. He placed Pat’s fine head on his mantle in Charleston, South Carolina.

Over the years as my son churned his idea for a vodka distillery with his roommate Richard, it seems that Roger’s Cathead store and Pat’s Cathead sculpture weaved through their consciousness. As their vodka distillery–Mississippi’s first legal distillery–came about, Cathead was chosen for its name and a Pat Thomas cat influences their logo design.

It’s so strange the influence of Mississippi blues on our lives. Sometimes, it’s just hard to explain. However, thanks to Roger and Pat, Cathead Vodka is now launched.

It’s not really necessary to understand why things happen, it’s just fun to go for the ride and let the blues vibe work within your soul.

Click here to see all of our blogs on Mississippi State of Blues.

Ken Murphy and Scott Barretta will be signing at Lemuria on Thursday, November 11th.

Reserve your copy online or call the bookstore 601/800.366.7619.

For a view of the beautiful photos, please visit the official State of Blues website.

jjj

In high school, during a Hot Stax show, I caught Bobby Blue Bland as a first. I think the Bar-Kays backed up the opening act for Bobby for Sam and Dave and Otis Redding. I was an instant fan for all of these guys. Bobby’s two steps from The Blues is an all-time favorite Blues/Soul album. I saw Bobby last at the Biscuit (Arkansas Blues Festival) in Helena, Arkansas. A fine evening of music sitting on the Levee in the cool October air soaking in my favorites once again.

Ken’s photo of B. B. and Bobby B is priceless, a classic, perhaps my favorite in Ken and Scott’s new book. Love radiates off these old pros.

B. B. is something very special and will be at the Helena Blues Festival. He’s still touring, still King of the Blues. The thrill may not be what it was, but it’s definitely not gone.

Click here to see all of our blogs on Mississippi State of Blues.

Ken Murphy and Scott Barretta will be signing at Lemuria on Thursday, November 11th.

Reserve your copy online or call the bookstore 601/800.366.7619.

jjj

The 24-Hour Customer by Adrian C. Ott

By John

On October 12, 2010

In Business/Economy

The 24-Hour Customer: New Rules for Winning in a Time-Starved Always Connected Economy by Adrian C. Ott (Harper Business, 2010)

The already in flux retail world is changing even faster since the recession started. Customer values have changed. Ott sets the tone in her new book:

“Time isn’t money.

It’s more important than money.”

My industry seems to be in chaos. The future of the physical book is in jeopardy with the growth of electronic publishing. The box bookstore concept appears frail at best. And easy-to-click-and-buy Amazon seems more homogeneous and stereotyped with price being its defining focal point.

Ott’s book has helped me to think about my customers while analyzing the value added service of Lemuria. We hope not to waste our readers’ time by guiding them to books of low quality or poor choice for their reading tastes. We work to provide high-value books that satisfy the time available. We strive to make knowledge-based book suggestions fed by our own first-hand reading experiences. We want to engage our customers in the store and online. We want to guide you with our blog similar to in-store interaction. We even consider the added value of a book in terms of its collectibility.

Over the years, Lemuria has had many types of customers, and many have become friends and members of the Lemuria reading family. We have not always been perfect. Bookselling is harder than it seems and being a good bookseller is not just about personal reading taste. As we start our 36th year, I’m pleased to say that my young-gun booksellers are the overall best unit Lemuria has ever had. Combined with their online efforts, we are looking for the customers who want us and value our work. Let us know your reading desires and I know we will try to match them with good books.

We hope to save you time and money while enhancing your reading life.

Year: 2010 (Page 11 of 45)

Curtis Wilkie’s The Fall of the House of Zeus: Trent Lott and “The Dark Side of the Force”

Great House by Nicole Krauss

M. T. Anderson’s Mysterious Delaware

Read Both Books & Form Your Own Opinion

Lemuria Reads Mississippians: Curtis Wilkie

skippy dies

Curtis Wilkie’s The Fall of the House of Zeus: Scruggs’s “Freewheeling Style” and the Elusive P. L. Blake

The Social Network

Pat Thomas: Mississippi State of Blues by Ken Murphy and Scott Barretta

The 24-Hour Customer by Adrian C. Ott

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