Saturday, June 2, 2012

Grand Southern Literary Tour Bonanza

I hate messing with the computer. I spent two hours trying to sync my new phone with my PC so I could transfer this photo of my treasures from the Grand Southern Literary Tour.
I finally gave up and just e-mailed it to myself. Then I spent another bunch of time trying to get the photo posted to the blog.
Sigh. I could have finished half a book in that time.
Anyway, here are the books bought.  From the bottom up:



Writers of the American South: Their Literary Landscapes by Hugh Howard - Lovely text and photographs by Roger Straus III of Southern writers and their homes. It was through this book that we discovered Shelby Foote's house and burial spot. A treasure.
Calico Joe by John Grisham - My first ever Grisham book and it is signed by him. It is about baseball which is why I bought it.
The American Plague by Molly Caldwell Crosby - This story of the yellow fever was suggested by Jorja the historian at Elmwood Cemetery in Memphis. Crosby is a Memphis writer.
The Points of My Compass by E.B. White - I have this in paperback and was glad to find this hardcover edition.
The Beach House by James Patterson - I have not read any of Patterson's mysteries. This one was free from Off Square Books in Oxford, Mississippi.
The Eye of the Story by Eudora Welty - These are essays and reviews. The Professor across the street told me that her essay here on place is the best he has ever read.
Every Day by the Sun by Dean Faulkner Wells - This is written by William Faulkner's niece.  She lived with the Faulkner's after her father, William's brother, died in a place wreck.
Lanterns and Lances by James Thurber - I can never pass up a book by this wonderful humorist.
Small Wonders by Barbara Kingsolver - A book of essays. Her thoughts on why she doesn't have a television are totally in sync with mine. It was through that essay (published elsewhere) that I discovered this book. I think I may have checked it out of the library years ago but I never got around to reading it. I was glad to find a copy for my own shelves.
All the King's Men by Robert Penn Warren - A Kentucky author. I have never read this book or indeed anything else by him. But I did see his library, desk, and typewriter on our stop at the Kentucky Museum and Special Collections Library at Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green. I was very impressed with the range of subjects in his collection. What an intellect.
Winnie-the-Pooh by A.A. Milne - No explanation needed. A perfectly fine, used, hardback edition.
A journal with a typewriter on the cover. I couldn't resist.
Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg - This is one of my favorite books about writing. I already have a copy and have no idea why I bought another one. It is a different edition, though.
Derby Day and Other Adventures by A. Edward Newton - A delightful discovery which has led me to read his Amenities of Book-Collecting.
What Now? by Ann Patchett - Her commencement speech to the graduating class of Sarah Lawrence College, her alma mater, in 2006. I just read it this morning. A lovely, funny address. It is not just for college graduates as we all have many "What Now?" moments in our lives. A signed copy.
Great Essays edited by Houston Peterson - A collection of 50 essays for 50 cents. "Nuff said.
The topper of the pile, that sweet little journal featuring shelves of books on its cover, is the autograph book. All the 'stars' that I met on the trip were asked to sign and leave a message. 
What fun I had pulling these volumes out from the shopping bags. I found other mementos as well: bookmarks, a coffee mug from the Fairview Inn in Jackson, a book bag from Square Books, and pamphlets from many of the places I visited.
A nice little recap of the Tour.

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