Take a Dance with a Creole Belle

Creole Belle is James Lee Burke's newest novel in his Dave Robicheaux series.  Dave and his sidekick and sometimes-partner, Clete Purcel, are back together again trying to solve crimes and stay out of trouble.  Dave (a deputy sheriff) and Clete (a private investigator) are both recovering from injuries sustained in the last book, while investigating the disappearance of cajun chanteuse Tee Jolie Milton and her sister Blue.  When Tee Jolie's body washes up on the shore of a bayou, partially frozen in a block of ice, David and Clete try to unravel the twisted threads that make up life in small town Louisiana.  Tee Jolie and Blue's disappearances are tangled up in the fight for big oil and the oil spills in Louisiana, and the tycoons that control the oil.  Clete, as usual, gets involved with a woman that is not good for him and in a surprise twist, meets a relative, while Dave struggles with visions that may or may not be real.  The best part of this book is also one of the saddest, because the reader can see Clete's downward spiral and is powerless to stop it.  I enjoy James Lee Burke's books because I love his descriptions of Louisiana and life among its citizens in New Iberia and New Orleans.  I also like that there is plenty of information about Alafair Burke, (James' real life adopted daughter) and their interactions, in this novel.  For more information on James Lee Burke, check out his website at http://www.jamesleeburke.com/

Mexican Recipes in Your Slow Cooker

I'm a huge fan of my slow cooker---I cook with it at least twice a week at my house!  I enjoy being able to come home to a meal that has cooked safely all day, without me having to lift many fingers to fix it.  The library has many slow cooker recipe books available, but we just received a very intriguing new one-The Mexican Slow Cooker by Deborah Schneider. I must admit, at first glance, the recipes in this book look a little complicated.  Basically, the slow cooker is used in these recipes to perform the "gentle cooking" of the recipe with the cook having to perform "prep work" and "finishing touches."  The slow cooker cornbread recipe looks delicious as well as the Enchiladas Suizas and Mole.  Also included are great recipes to make tasty-looking tortillas that you can fill with one of the meat recipes included in this cookbook.  I believe this recipe book is better suited for the more advanced cook, and there are plenty of authentice recipes to choose from!  

A Beginner's Guide to Endings...

I stumbled across a very entertaining movie that I had to watch!  It is a quirky comedy with some very memorable characters and is hilarious.  A Beginner's Guide to Endings stars Harvey Keitel as Duke White, a man who has not been a good example of a father to his five sons (from three different moms).  After Duke learns that a foolish action of his youth has endangered the lives of his three eldest sons, he sets about trying to kill himself.  Thinking that they only have a few weeks to live, the three eldest boys create their own "bucket lists" and set out to accomplish all of the risky things they have wanted to do, before they die.  The result is a zany, madcap adventure full of twists, turns and unlikely circumstances.  All five boys characters' are wonderfully acted and Harvey Keitel is the perfect grizzled, remorseful dad.  This movie is rated R (for language and some sexual references) and won the Jury Award for Best Feature Film, Cinematographer and Screenplay at the Newport Beach Film Festival in 2011.  Funny and sensitive, this movie will make you think twice about living every one of your days to its fullest capacity.

Meet author Harris Dickson Shortle on September 18!

     Join us on Tuesday, September 18 from 12:00-1:30 pm in the library auditorium for a book reading and signing with Vicksburg native, Harris Dickson Shortle.  The program will be a Brown Bag Luncheon where attendees are  encouraged to bring their lunch to the program and drinks and dessert will be provided by the library. Harris Dickson Shortle, known as Dickson, is the author of Duplicate and The Duke of Zardano both published in 2009 by Tate Publishing and Enterprises, Mustang, Oklahoma.  Both books reflect a diversity of approach and innovative techniques of expressions in two distinctively different historical genres.

     Shortles’s story-telling is a product developed as the result of the influence of his grandfather, Harris Dickson, attorney, jurist and raconteur of note who published 13 novels and received an appreciative bicentennial award from The Saturday Evening Post for his 100 contributions. He was published by Collier’s, Redbook and other magazines during his career also.  Dickson’s novel creations followed his long-standing career as a construction project engineer, project manager and general contractor.  His work experiences and interactions with people during his career , granted him a “feel” for the humanisms of the stories he tells so realistically.

     Born in Vicksburg, Mississippi and reared in Mississippi and Louisiana, Dickson’s background is spiced not only by the influence of his grandfather, but also by his father who was a civil engineer from Detroit, Michigan and by the grace of his mother who was an English major at the University of Mississippi.  Harris Dickson Shortle was a cum laude graduate of the Sewanee Military Academy at Sewanee, Tennessee, a member of the class of 1960 at the United States Military Academy, West Point, New York and a graduate of Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge.  Dickson and his wife, Dllona recently moved back to Vicksburg from Upper Arlington, Ohio. Their only daughter is Harra Dickson Shortle Windsor who with her husband, the Reverend Doctor Van Windsor and their sons, Dickson and Walter live in Pine Bluff, Arkansas.

Being Flynn

I just watched a very moving film that was powerful, honest and entertaining.  Being Flynn stars Robert DeNiro and Paul Dano and is a portrait of a young man and aspiring author, Nick Flynn (Paul Dano) who is struggling to find his place in life at the same time as his dad, Jonathan Flynn (Robert DeNiro), a taxi driver who imagines himself to be a great writer.  Nick is unsure of his life's calling until he meets a girl in a bar who suggests he apply for a job at Harbor House, a local men's homeless shelter.  Nick takes the job because he needs the money, but soon he grows to understand that his life has meaning and purpose when he helps others less fortunate than himself.  Nick has not had a relationship with his father, until Jonathan calls him out of the blue and asks Nick to help him move out of his apartment.  Through a set of odd circumstances, Nick and Jonathan meet again and the exploration of their burgeoning relationship is the heart of this tough but tender story.  The film is rated R, and is not a gentle movie, but the acting is wonderfull and the story is moving.  Check it out and let us know what you think!

Try Your Hand at "Chic"

I know we are all feeling the weight of summer--so what better way to escape the heat and be productive than sewing some new accessories!

Chic on a Shoestring by Mary Jane Baxter offers simple to sew vintage-style accessories.  This book is your entrée into the world of high fashion that will inspire you to create your own covetable clothes and accessories.  Learn to transform ornate trim and vintage buttons into spectacular brooches, craft a favorite silk scarf into a chic top, or rework flea market shoes into fashionable showstoppers.

With more than forty unique and stylish ideas—including quick and easy no-sew projects—Chic on a Shoestring will inspire first-time and experienced crafters alike.

In looking through this book I found more fun and funky ideas than I have seen in a long time.  My favorites are the Tie Change Purse (made from an old tie), the Quick and Quirky Ribbon Corsage (this would be a great Mother’s Day badge for next year), and my all time favorite--Panty-hose Petals.  Yes, folks they made a very cute corsage from pantyhose.  It also has a section on rick-rack.  I remember my mother trimming many an outfit with rick-rack and it looked so spiffy.  It’s nice to seem someone else thinks it’s the bomb. 

Meet Author Curt Ayers on August 23!

     Author Curt Ayers will host a book signing on Thursday, August 23 from 12:00-1:30 PM in the library auditorium.  The event will be a Brown Bag Lunch, where attendees are encouraged to bring their lunch and drinks and dessert will be provided by the library.  Curt Ayers, writing at C. P. Tertius, will be discussing his book, Every Man Truly Lives Alone:  A Novel of Love, Loss and Recovery. 

     Ayer’s book is centered around the story of U.S. Army Captain Keith Miller, who survived the conflict and danger of the Vietnam War, various clandestine operations, a plane crash and being lost in the jungle.  None of these incidences could prepare him for what was in store for him after meeting the winsome, enigmatic Jey—a courageous, indentured Thai-Karen woman—and journeying with her across the exotic landscape and high seas of Southeast Asia.
     C. P. Tertius is a pseudonym for Curt Ayers, a former military office, corporate executive and university professor who is a semi-professional musician, blue-water sailor and adventure traveler.  Mr. Ayers has attained both civilian and military graduate and post-graduate diplomas and has been published   technically under an alias.  His travels have taken him around the globe several times with major stints in Latin America, Europe and Asia.  He has resided in South-East Asia for several years where he has witnessed the plight of the stateless refugees of whom he writes.  Ayers’ story is as much his story as it is the people he has met during his life’s journeys.

Never Tell...

Alafair Burke's latest novel, Never Tell stars my favorite heroine of hers, NYPD Detective Ellie Hatcher.  Ellie and her partner Rogan are asked to investigate the death of 16 year old Julia Whitmore, a young lady who appeared to have everything.  The daughter of a famous music mogul and socialite mom, Julia attended the elite Casden school in Manhatten.  Julia's mom and dad are convinced that Julia's death is a suicide, so they pressure the NYPD to investigate her death as a homicide.  Although reluctant, Ellie and Rogan work to uncover a web of lies involving Casden, some homeless kids and family relationships to find out once and for all if Julia's death was indeed a suicide.  I enjoy Ellie Hatcher's character, because she is tough, strong, but doubts herself as a detective.  This novel is the fourth Ellie Hatcher novel, the first being Dead Connection.  Alafair Burke is a former prosecutor who now teaches criminal law and lives in Manhattan.  Check out her website at www.alafairburke.com for more information about the author!

In Love with Lavendar

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First let me say I am not a gardener. In fact, when I first moved into my house and was attempting to have a nice yard, a friend gave me a sign—“I tried but it died.” Truer words were never spoken. So, of course, since I lack a green thumb the two flowers I would most like to grow are peonies and lavender. I understand we don’t live in the correct temperate zone to grow either of these but that doesn’t stop me from longing for them. Recently I ran across a new book that has re-fired my desire for one of these.



The Lavender Lover’s Handbook by Sarah Berringer Bader offers the 100 most beautiful and fragrant varieties for growing, crafting, and cooking. With its intoxicating scent, wands of gorgeous purple flowers, lavender is one of the world’s most popular herbs. Lavender expert Sarah Bader introduces readers to 100 stunning varieties—from the continuous blooms of deep purple ‘Buena Vista’ to the incredible fragrance of ‘Grosso,’ the lavender often used in making perfume.


This is an essential resource for finding the best varieties with a complete checklist of the color, fragrance, size, and foliage of each plant-(And in the introduction it does offer not one but five different species of lavender that can be grown in hot, humid summers).


Whether you want to create a fabulous container garden, a dramatic border, or an exquisite herb garden, this rich primer gives easy, proven tips for growing, harvesting, drying, cooking, and crafting with this wonderful herb.


So armed with this knowledge I am going to try my hand at lavender. Check with me in a while to see how I’m doing.

Delve into the Life of Steve Guttenberg

We have the new autobiography of Steve Guttenberg entitled “The Guttenberg Bible.”  At first I was going to give this a mention in my weekly Sunday newspaper column but after flipping through the photo section in the book, I thought Steve deserved more of a mention.  In fact it wasn’t until I was looking at the photos I realized just how long a career he had and how very many big stars he had worked with.  And by now you might be wondering who is Steve Guttenberg.  Do the movies Diner, Boyd from Brazil, Police Academy, Cocoon, Short Circuit, Three Men and a Baby, and The Day After ring a bell?  He even starred in that terrible disco movie from the 80s, Can’t Stop the Music, which also starred Bruce Jenner, Valerie Perrine, and the Village People.      

     Guttenberg tells the unique story of his first decade in Hollywood, as he went from being a complete unknown to starring in some of the most successful blockbusters of all time. He spent his early days sneaking onto the Paramount lot and meeting more actors and casting agents than most aspiring actors ever would. Even before the hit Police Academy—which his manager said would be a flop—he had already worked with such luminaries as Lord Lawrence Olivier, Richard Widmark, and Gregory Peck. Later he shared the screen with actors such as Mickey Rourke and Sharon Stone long before they became household names.

Guttenberg has lived through the addictive pull of show business and worldwide celebrity (you’re no one until you have a stalker, he learns.) With a clear-eyed appreciation for the one-of-a-kind experiences that the celebrity lifestyle has to offer, he knew that his family would keep him grounded throughout it all. And his self-awareness and sense of humor about the ups and downs of fame make this book one of the most candid Hollywood stories to date.