Georgia Books

I stayed up reading this book and then stayed up another night re-reading it. Often, I felt the pang of something so profound and felt on the verge of tears, even in its funniest moments. The book is hilarious, and yet heartbreaking. It offers a glimpse into a time and the people and the bit of America that seems filled with dreams and nostalgia. It's an addicting read.

I loved this book. It was about where my mother as born a raised. We readed it aloud to each other. We laughed all weekend. I could just see all the people he wrote about. My mother knew some of them. I readed it a couple of times. Laugh every time.

Mr. Swift has written a humorous, pathos filled and somewhat haunting view of a young man growing up in a very remote cultural part of Texas called 'The Big Thicket'. The stories of his family members, characters within the community and his journey with all these people in becoming the individual author that he is today are compelling and touching. The photos by Lynn Lennon are reminiscent of Eudora Welty's during the depression. This is a must read for lovers of Southern literature. Ed Swift presents a riveting study of this uniquely classic portion of Texas.

This is a poignant memoir but not at all in the sappy, cliched way. Mr. Swift eloquently brings a sense of place and culture for this area of the South. His portrayals of his characters are entertaining and are real tributes to their individualities. Even if you don't know eccentrics like these, you will finish reading this story deeply appreciating unique traits of those who are influential to you.

I have just "discovered" this poet and reading his poetry over and over again means rediscovering language, sound, wit, and everything else that I love about poetry. I consider his language Old English, with pastoral themes in a post-modern context. Very interesting.

"MC-S is an Englishman who has worked in the US for some years and perhaps the transatlantic shift underwrites the quick-change dialect of these poems--they ARE dialect poems of a kind, although they skate across a variety of vernaculars; grammar fractures without undue force, fragments of older written English float through. Quasi-folk-rhymes break up narratives, the 'songs' seem ghosts of untold stories. The title sequence formalises the multivocality by identifying speakers in the manner of a play, introducing a disjointedness I feel uneasy with; there is a more flowing transition from the opening Songs to the impressive closing sequence To Absent Minister. Good balance between sound-control and unruliness. I can't identify all the voices and prefer the mystery of it anyway, but Clare keeps turning up (rhythms and textures of the journals rather than the poems) and I hear David Jones now and again. And nice to meet Mr. Beddoes on page 16.

For some tastes, the playful mode of nonsense verse which Corless-Smith often engages in might wear thin. Yet with a little patience (and a dictionary), even the most dense passages prove inventive and rich. The style of Of Piscator is highly original, and even idiosyncratic. Given this fact, it adapts to a remarkable emotional range

It's as if the poet managed the almost impossible: to make contemporary techniques combine with the traditional in such a way that he turns on his head both the old and the new. If the Charles Bernsteins and Bruce Andrews of the Language poets make you long for song, for feeling of the old poetries, you must turn to Martin Corless-Smith. You will not miss the disjunctive, discordant alogical manipulations of contemporary poets, but you will also hear the rich sounds of a language achieved by a poet who is as steeped in the solid rhythms of Old English monosyllables--"hound heavens house"--as in the sonorities of Chaucer...It is that retention of music in his lines that makes Corless-Smith a most uncanny, original postmodern poet, singing the contradiction and disorders of the millennium.

A great way to learn about the history of a state. My wife loves children's books and she feel in love with this one.

This book is amazing! I got to meet the illustrator and he signed a copy for me! I am using this with a 3rd grade class. It's a great way to introduce the state and all it has to offer. The pictures are beautiful, and it's very interesting for children and adults alike! I would highly recommend it!

This book is a great piece of work. I use it in my classroom as a way to introduce students to places/things of interest in the great state of Georgia. It inspires students to ask questions and to want more information. It also makes a great gift. I gave a copy to my nephew who lives in Indiana so that he will know his second home.

This is the best book I read about Georgia. It gives me lots of information.

A wonderful job of compiling and organizing all the basic Southern recipes and so many new decadent ones! The format - stories in simple language - is such fun and so Southern!! I have already thought of many "Folks" to present with copies. A truly clever cookbook!... Keith Headley, Memphis, TN.

I bought three copies for "Yankee" friends with whom I have been exchanging recipes and cookbooks for years - the Amaretto pie is unbelievable!...Suzann B. (a Southern Belle from MS)

As an avid cookbook collector, I was excited to find this true Southern Masterpiece to add to my shelf. Raleigh's recipes are both invaluable and delicious, and her keen sense of humor flavors this charming book with wit and wisdom...Jack Morton, three-time Emmy Award-winning stylist and owner of Indulgence Salon in Atlanta, GA

A delightful book and I love and use it. I am a cookbook collector and I can truthfully say that have enjoyed this one more than any of my others! I am from VA and my southern accent "comes back" when I read this lovely book. GREAT RECIPES!

It will break your heart but it will make you want to read more.

It was souch a great book I finished it in one night! Although it was sad, It was very interesting. You really got to know the characters. I hade to get the three other books as soon as I could! One night I stayed up till one in the morning to finish one of the books!

When the six Kelly children are split up Danny then sees a fake doctor he heard about in New York while at a medicine show out West. When he reveals the phony doctor's secret to everyone there, the doctor decides to hunt Danny down. It is a race to catch each other first before the other one catches you. A dramatic, heart-warming story filled with love, joy, and the importance of family.

This is a great book. I wouldn't recommend reading this book before: A Family Apart, Caught in the Act, and In the Face of Danger. It is the last book a Quartet about the Kelly children. Unless you don't want to read the first three I suggest you read A Place to Belong last.

The pictures of the gardens are fabulous and stunning. You will want to create your own garden paradise like the ones featured in the book.

What a beautiful book...very well done...the Holder garden in Lagrange is fabulous.....everyone should own this book

If you want to take a look at the best gardens, not only in Georgia, but in the world, just take a look inside. You'll also be accompanied by amazingly descriptive and creative writing. This is the coffee table book you will read first and then place on your mantle.

What an incredible book!!! The gardens are absolutely beautiful and the authors did an outstanding job describing them. The photography is out of this world. This is the best gardening book around. I hope we see another book from these authors! This is a must see book that will give anyone inspiration for their own garden!

I edited this work for publication. It should appeal to anyone interested in real Civil War experiences. Sallie Conley Clayton came from one of the most prominent families in Georgia and she survived Atlanta at the same time and age as the fictional Scarlett O'Hara. Her account spans from pre war slave revolt scares in Kingston, Georgia; to a visit to General Bragg's headquarters during the Battle of Chattanooga; to the shelling of Atlanta; to a preposterous Yankee plantation in Montgomery, Alabama; to riots in Augusta and Athens, with many other stories in between. However, Sallie's adventures actualy happened and are told from a real human heart.

All memoirs are prejudiced and all the more so for white former slave owners. In the introduction, I have tried to balance her extraordinary account with the details of what she did not say and, in some instances, did not know. Today Sallie lies in Atlanta's Oakland Cemetery and only a few feet from the grave of GONE WITH THE WIND author Margaret Mitchell. Sallie's grave is part of the Oakland Tour.

I found this work fascinating! Sallie Clayton's account was so descriptive as to make day by day life in war time Atlanta come alive. Her account of Sherman's seige was particularly engrossing. A must read along with other such biographical accounts of the period.

An interesting and provocitive account of the attacks on the civilian population of Ante-bellum Georgia by Federal forces under command of William (kerosene) Sherman. This book substanciates that the "Lincoln-Sherman Plan" to make Georgia "howl" was an unpresedented reaction to propaganda and political gain. The sacking and burning of Atlanta and its long term effect on the state are sobering. Another book related to this topic that fully illustrates this unlawful and evil destruction is "The War-Time Journal of a Georgia Girl," by Eliza Francis Andrews.

The "Hounds of War" destroyed Georgia's economy well into the 20th Century.

This is a wonderful story based on the true life of a young girl. The author has taken Sallie Clayton's diary and turned it into an account of life before, during, and after the Civil War.

The only problem is the long footnotes. Some of these notes take up most of the page and tell boring historical information. Sometimes, it helps set up the plot. At other times, it's annoying and makes me want to throw the book against the wall...

I say you should read this book if you want to look inside the life of a Civil War woman, or if you just want to learn more about life during the Civil War...either way, it's a wonderful book.

This is a very thorough and comprehensive guide of best trails in Georgia. This guide is not only a bicyclist requirement for exploring Georgia and its unique trails but offers intriguing historical and local information about the surrounding communities. A must for any level cyclist from the rambler to the hard core.

This book is a great resource for cyclists looking to explore Georgia on their bicycles. The guide includes everything from short, family-oriented rides to take with the kids to longer, treck-oriented rides for those who want them. The directions are clear and easy-to-follow and there are plenty of pictures to show what riders might see along the way. It's an all around good book for cycling enthusiasts.

Thorough, comprehensive, and very well written. Good photos, readable (and easy-to-follow) maps, and detailed directions make this a most useful book. John Trussell and Falcon have produced a guide that provides road cyclists with numerous opportunities to explore Georgia's varied, interesting, and beautiful panorama. Whether one rides in the cities, the picturesque hamlets, or across the rural and historic countryside, this is an important reference volume. It is equally "gear-good" for riders who live in the state and those who venture in from other locales.
A good guide to have on hand.
Bob Kornegay, May 27, 2008

This is the book to buy for any biking enthusiast wanting to have a handly reference to cover all that Georgia has to offer.

From the mountains of North Georgia, the many coastal excursions to the numberous Civil War sites and not to forget the cycling events such as Tour De Georgia and the Bike Ride Across Georgia. You will definatley need this as a reference to the many trail discriptions and maps with information to make your trip more care free. It is all laid out for you to enjoy the trip.
This author coves it all with very clean maps and detailed information. I carried on my last weekend biking trip as a reference and it proved to be a great addition to my enjoyment of the trip! A must have!!

The city where I grew up... I just had to have this book for my coffee table. The pictures are just beautiful. This book has great pictures to enjoy. I'm so glad I bought it.

I just returned from a trip to beautiful Savannah and immediately orered this book. It is a beautiful book and made me want to go back to such a beautiful city all over again! The images were wonderful and so familiar! A must have for any Savannah lover!

Brings me back to the time I spent in Savannah, one of my favorite places!

As promised, A Photographic Portrait of one of the South's finest "ladies". Savannah, Georgia is not just a lovely place to visit, but I would want to live there.

Totally absorbing, wonderful read about the South Carolina Low Country and it's Gullah people. I loved it.

Written by former plantation mistress Julia Peterkin, Scarlet Sister Mary is a novel of intellect, individualism, coltish word play, tradition and most importantly, respect. The novel, like, Their Eyes Were Watching God and The Color Purple, is written in an old southern vernacular, and it tells the story of Sister Mary or Si May-e, a young and sprightly woman at the novel's start. It is some time after Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation, and freedon (used loosely, historically speaking), has come for those individuals who were field slaves or indentured servants. Their opportunity to flee has come, to seek opportunities for self and financial betterment. For some, however, betterment is not up north or anywhere else in the country; it is exactly where it is: the native coastal terrain of South Carolina - the setting for the novel. Religion, faith, folklore, generational history and magic are the ties that bind the folksy and hard working men and women of the Quarters. Dignity and peacefulness does not come from being nomadic, as was in the case of the pioneers to the Midwest and far West; it is closer. It is in the hoeing, the field labor, the mud between the crevices of the rough and crackling flesh. It is in the earth. To combat the joyous harshness of the work is love and a family. And thus, Sister Mary comes into the picture; she is at the marrying age, and July, her suitor, is ready to be her protector and provider. Or so one would believe. Using faith in lore and mythology, Sister Mary's marriage is almost doomed from the start: "'Do, Master, look down and see what a rat is done!' Mary's heart flew up into her mouth. Cold chills ran over her as she ran to see what happened. There it was, a great hole gnawed deep into the bride's cake's tender meat...she fell into bitter dumb sobs...Such bad luck was hard to face." (p.29) And it only advances to something worse via the aid of a love charm and another woman's insatiable lust for the groom's affections. Time passes, and Mary is all alone with her son Unex (shortened for Unexpected). A suffocating cover of depression smothers Sister Mary, and as time heals old wounds, Mary rises into a life of self-satisfaction and sexual gratification. She enters the dominion of sin and religious transgression; she is altered in the eyes of those around her. From Sister Mary, she becomes Scarlet Sister Mary - red with hungry passion as the adjective implies. She has a flock of children, but they are not heart children, as in the case of Unex, but they are passion, lust children. Redemption is nil, and her destiny upon her final breath (in the eyes of her brethren) is clearly understood; her spirit, her soul, is scudding rapidly to the flaming and billowing sulphur pitts of hell. Can redemption and acceptance ever come into her grasp? Will peace ever rectify the wrongs incurred in her heart and mind? Her somewhat sardonic life philosophy and world-weary actions narrow down the chances for hope. But that hand-clenching curiosity does get solved. Banned in Boston when it was first published in 1928 and winner of the 1929 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, Scarlet Sister Mary is a classic among classics - lyrical in prose and description, vivid in the intellectual exploration of the "Negro question" - (vii) and complex as well as humane. But it is by no means an accurate representation of a specific catagory of people. Consequently, the work, although brilliant, is slightly antiquated and beguiling.

This delightful story by Julie Peterkin caught the eyes and surely the hearts of the committee to garner the Pulitzer Prize in 1929. Mary has the misfortune to become besot by July, the biggest rascal in the Quarters. The love-charm that Old Daddy Cudjoe makes for her comes too late to win back July as he drops out of sight with Cinder and is lost from Mary's life for the next twenty years. Mary goes on to be the Venus of the Quarters eventually having nine children by an untold litany of befogged lovers. A word of advice Mary gives to Seraphine, her eldest daughter, is telling of her view of men. "But don' never let yousef tink on one man all de time. It'll run you crazy if it don't kill you." After the death of her first-born son, Unex, Mary undergoes a religious conversion and welcomed back into the Heaven's Gate Church. But she secretly holds something in reserve.

Scarlet Sister Mary is the story of a free-spirited woman's life in the post-Emancipation South. It is unique in its portrayal of an African-American community as capable of independent existence in the South at that time. The culture of the community is portrayed most interestingly and permeates through the religious, spiritual and even medical undertones of story. While Peterkin tells a poetic tale of an independent, strong, rebellious woman (of whom you grow dearly fond, and cannot help but cheer her on in her resistance), one finds it hard to wonder how accurate a picture Peterkin paints as one who viewed African-Americans in the South rather than lived as an African-American in the South. But all in all, this book is a must read (and if you attempt to read it as you would imagine people read the book when it was first published, you have a most scandalous story of taboo story before your eyes!)