Louisiana Books

Investigative reporter and award-winning playwright Jason Berry presents Last of the Red Hot Poppas, a mystery novel following the consequences when the Governor of Louisiana is suddenly found dead. In search of the murder motive, a young attorney must navigate the tangled skein of local politics, following a trail that leads to diverse and dangerous locales ranging from a brothel in the swamps to Angola Prison to an isolated mortuary and amidst a dramatic capitol funeral. At the center of the intrigue are a cabal of ruthless oil brokers who heedlessly poison the land with their toxins, in this modern-day parable of greed and ruthlessness. Utterly absorbing from cover to cover.

You can smell the sweet rot of political corruption in Berry's novel like the stench of a bad oyster or a flooded New Orleans cemetery. This novel revolves around a dead man, but it couldn't be more alive if it got up and danced. Take a writer with a history of great political nonfiction and turn him loose on a novel and you have a gritty, spicy gumbo of a book, full of enough politics to satisfy a jonesing junkie along with all the suspense, sex, and colorful characters any lover of a good read could want. Underneath it all runs a dark current of moral and spiritual questioning that will leave you haunted.

In the wake of all the books about Katrina's devastation, this new novel about Louisiana is better than a breath of fresh air. It's pure oxygen. No, it's laughing gas. The dialogue of the state's spectacularly corrupt politicians is so perfect, I think the author is channelling them. And the depictions of the hard-hustling music promoters, the back-woods evangelists, and the poor folk victimized by the government's environmental racism make you feel like you've been zapped smack into the bayou state. Couldn't stop turning the pages or put the book down. A great, rollicking read.

This is one of the best books I have ever read! Because I am a huge fan of CANE, I had to read this bio of Toomer. It is very detailed, very insightful, and provides a full view of Toomer and his family, leaving it to the reader to make a judgement about The Toomer family and Jean Toomer. I feel Toomer was a genius, and yes he was an egomaniac, but who cares? He was sensitive and spiritual and sexual and hungry for understanding and all those qualities come across in CANE and in this bio. Interestingly enough, his detatchment from blackness makes him more interesting because he forces you to think outside the box. [After all, the Black race is the only one in the US history to be said to hinge on "one drop" which is pretty ridiculous. "One drop" was a tool to keep lightskinned blacks from getting access to the money of their fathers.] I only wish Toomer could have written 1 or 2 more books in the vein of CANE.

This is a great book focusing on a man who had the courage to reject society's efforts to impose a "racial" identity upon him. He steadfastly refused to be labeled "colored" (black) or "white" and considered classification the nemesis of mankind, a reflection of intellectual empty-headedness. A quote from the book: "Thus Toomer propounded the rather unpopular view that the racial issue in America would be resolved only when white America could accept the fact that its racial 'purity' was a myth, that indeed its racial isolation produced blandness and lack of character. On the other hand, racial purity among blacks was just as much a myth and only encouraged defensiveness and unconscious imitation, like that of an adolescent who defines his revolt against his parents by the very values he is trying to renounce. Race, he said, was a fictional construct, of no use for understanding people." We need more people like Jean Toomer today!

The authors make it clear that Toomer rejected the racist ideologies of both 'blackness' and 'whiteness':

"And he had lived among blacks, among whites, among Jews, and in groups organized without racial labels around a shared interest such as literature or psychology, moving freely from any one of these groups to any other. One mark of membership in the 'colored' group, he said, was acceptance of the 'color line' with its attendant expectations; neither his family nor he had ever been so bound. To be in the white group would also imply the exclusion of the other."

It's a great book!

Lucius Shepard is a national treasure.

Louisiana Breakdown is well written, fun up to a point and terrible at the end. Not a book for the faint at heart.

Two centuries ago, the townspeople of Grail, Louisiana made a deal with the entity they call the Good Gray Man. The Good Gray Man promised good fortune to the town as long as it provided him with a Midsummer Queen he found acceptable. Accordingly, every twenty years, the town elects a 10-year-old girl to be their Midsummer Queen, the person who draws all of the town's bad luck to her for the next two decades until the next queen is selected, and the Good Gray Man comes to take her away forever.

As this year's Midsummer's Night Eve approaches, the town prepares to choose a new Queen. The reigning Queen, the exquisite Vida Dumars, knows her time is short, that the Good Gray Man will soon come for her. Although Vida has faithfully served as the town's Queen, she's not ready to go-thus, she prays for a champion to appear.

Enter one Jack Mustaine, who blows into town after his BMW breaks down outside of Grail. Vida casts her spells on Jack, and he falls for her like a ton of bricks. But is Jack the champion she seeks? That's a question nobody can answer until Jack comes face to face with the Good Gray Man.

Filled with tension and lurking menace, peopled by fascinating characters, LOUISIANA BREAKDOWN provides further evidence that Lucius Shepard is one of the most original and talented writers working in the field of dark fantasy today. In its first six pages, Shepard creates a living, breathing microcosm, a realistic stage free from cliché. He peoples this world with characters so vivid they threaten to step off the page. He then proceeds to tell a story about good, evil, love, superstition, and destiny, using the traditional elements of dark fantasy to explore his characters' psyches. Told with exquisite compassion, Shepard's novella provided one of 2003's more satisfying reading experiences. Illustrated by J. K. Potter, it's also one of the nicest packages Golden Gryphon has ever offered.

Louisiana Breakdown is an impressively written and thoroughly entertaining novel by Lucius Shepard that blends superstition and lore with faith, potions, and machinations. When a new figure arrives in a small Louisiana because his BMW breaks down, he becomes caught up in the town's tradition of appointing a ten-year-old Midsummer Queen every twenty years. A dark fantasy, Louisiana Breakdown is commended as an imaginative and thought-provoking tale of the fantastic.

This book is a must have if you're unfamiliar with the Louisiana area. The book allowed us to better plan our trip and make the most of our time to get in all the site we read about.

I was able to use the information to customize an entire 1 week vacation for my family. If you like "out of the way" places and "different" things to see and do, this is the book for you. There should be a book like this for each major city in the United States.

We used several guidebooks to plan a long weekend in southern Louisiana in connection with a family wedding in Lafayette. This was one of the most useful of the books.

The author gives a short 1 or 2-page pithy description of each excursion along with good directions.

Slightly more useful (to us) as a guidebook was Cajun Country Guide by Macon Fry and Julie Posner. I say this because that book also covers lodging (we were traveling overnight).

Two final notes: Neither guidebook covers the city of New Orleans itself; and every guidebook we read had the wrong area codes for many telephone numbers (Louisiana has 2 brand-new area codes -- 225 and 337)

Julie Smith does it again, with another fabulous tale set in the Big Easy.

Julie Smith is one of those writers you can ALWAYS count on for an enjoyable read. Her writing is like a comfortable sweater--you can't wait to put it on, you enjoy wearing it, and you hate to take it off.

This, the third Talba Wallis mystery, is the best so far, and probably the best book Smith has done since the brilliant KINDNESS OF STRANGERS. The earlier Wallis books were enjoyable, but with this one Smith has really hit her stride; Talba comes through even stronger than Smith's more famous Skip Langdon.

The mystery itself is interesting, with more twists and turns than most, and it also provides a sly look inside the backbiting New Orleans literary scene. Smith's trademark wit is evident from beginning to end...the only drawback to reading one of her books is that it indeed must end...and then we have to wait for another year for the next one.

Write faster, Julie!!!

By day, she is Talba Wallis, ace private detective and junior partner in the E.V. Anthony Investigations Agency; by night, she is the Baroness de Pontalba. Dining Hurricane Carol, Talba receives a call from her hysterical half-sister Janessa, whom she met only once. Janessa wants Talba to meet her at her employer's house. When she arrives there, Talba sees a dead woman in the swimming pool with a head wound and Janessa holding the gun.

Janessa swears she did not kill Allyson Browser, the "Gatsby Girl" who loved to throw parties and a socialite with the literary greats of New Orleans. Earlier in the evening Janessa witnessed a fight between Allyson and her son Austin over money. Austin has disappeared and so has Rashid, Allyson's other employee who Janessa has a crush on. The police believe Janessa is the best suspect, forcing Talba to mobilize her troops to clear her sister's name and find out who the real killer is before her sibling is arrested.

Julie Smith is brilliant at creating characters that are easy to identify with so that readers become absorbed in the storyline, following the antics of the quirky cast. Like many of Ms. Smith's victims, Allyson is not a nice person so there are many suspects who had a motive to kill her. Guessing who it is makes for fun and exciting reading.

Harriet Klausner

I got the La legal Advisor as a gift. It is an awesome book. It covers alot and helps you to understand alot of legal issues.It covers so much and it is so easy to understand. I highly recommend this book. It is a must have.

It is very difficult to find a book on legal matters that is written in such a way that almost everyone can understand it, but well written enough that almost everyone can get information from it. Usually, a simply written book lacks info. Not this book! It is packed with the kinds of legal information that everyone who lives in LA or does business in LA needs, and it is written in simple, easy to understand verbage. If you need to understand how Louisiana, our lone Napoleanic law state, does 'legal business', this book is for you!

Whether just to gain an oversight into La's unique legal system or if you need guidance with a legal problem this is the book you need.

Mr. Covell has written a amazingly easy to understand book without all the "legal mumbo-jumbo" that you might expect to find in a book of this sort. It is a very good guide thru the pitfalls of the legal system in all facets from criminal to family law and points between.

I have owned the book for some time and have found it invaluable in dealing with some probate/sucession issues along with some debt collection issues.

In short, if you live,work, or do business in La you need this book......

The book is very good! I learned alot about Louisiana that I did not know. I liked the colorful pictures. I am learning the Louisiana Pledge of Allegiance in the book. My favorite page is C is for Catahoula Leopard Dog. My grandmother speaks French and she is going to teach me with this book. I think Louisiana Potpourri From A to Z is terrific. We use it in our classroom.

Louisiana Potpourri From A To Z: Pot-pourri Louisianais D' A + Z is a unique book. Start on one side and you will find Louisiana from A to Z in English. Start on the other side and you will find Louisiana from A to Z in French. Kathy, who is a gfted and talented genius, drew the pictures and wrote the English and French text.
This book is a real jewel - a collector's item to grace a coffee table, a source of information about Louisiana culture, and a way to learn some French.

Because Kathy Conville Sims is recognized as an outstanding educator, the purchaser can be assured that the book has sound educational principles. Because Kathy is a Christian with a well-grounded belief in God, one can be assured that the book has sound moral values. Because she is a native Louisianian, one can be sure that she understands Louisiana culture.

I hope you enjoy Louisiana Potpourri.

This is great book for all ages (even adults). The illustrations are creative and personal to the author. Her knowledge of Lousiana History is remarkable, and the French translation adds a special touch to this charming book.

What a perfect baby gift in support of a particular school. The Auburn parents thought it was great!!!

For your little Auburn Tiger this is the perfect book. It is sturdy and captures the AU life that you want your little one to treasure!

What an awesome book! It's a fantastic start to get my son prepared for his first year at UCLA come Fall 2024! :-)

A nice idea for a shower or new baby gift for a fellow alumnus, and a great way to start brainwashing your own child from the beginning.

I bought this for my friend's two year old daughter - we are both UW-Madison alums living in Seattle. The book has lots of photographs of various things around campus, including lessons on colors and numbers using Wisconsin-related items. Her daughter carries it around constantly saying "Bucky Badger!" and also lobes the picture of the hockey team! It is a great book for us to share our memories of Madison with her, even though we live so far away. :)

Some books defy almost all categories. This is definitely one of those books. It is a book of hope, dreams, encouragement and support, for those who lost so much in Hurricane Katrina. This book is the brainchild of Naomi Strasser who, along with photographer friend Paul Alexander, decided to create art that would help in some small way to heal.

Alexander donated his time in photographing celebrities from around the world and from different strata of society. Many others contributed to the work, from the stylists working with the celebrities, to Ryan Priest doing the design and layout. This book was the work of the generosity of many, many people who all championed it and gave of their time and talents to make it happen.

The book is a collection of 71 unique portraits of celebrities, from Johnny Depp, Kelly Hu, and Coldplay, to Viggo Mortensen, Helen Bonham Carter and so many more. Accompanying each portrait is a letter, or encouragement note, to encourage the giving to continue. And it is for those who are far from home now, that they should keep hoping and dreaming of their return. Interspersed with photos of the actual devastation from Katrina, these notes provide hope, encouragement and support.

From Johnny Depp who writes "Help and Keep Helping", to Helen Bonham Carter stating "No amount of rain can drown the music of New Orleans", the words will challenge us to appreciate what we have and to help those less fortunate than we find ourselves to be.

The publisher, Naked Ink Press, is doing their part as well; they have committed to give at least $25,000 US dollars to both the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund and to Habitat for Humanity's Operation Home Delivery. That is $2.50 from each book, sold for a minimum of $25,000 each more depending on sales.

Shawn Ashmore states: "She beat you, but she didn't break you!! Stay strong!!" Picking up this book, either for yourself or for others as a gift, will help to make those words come true. So along with Kevin Bacon we will say "Thinking of U."

It may be trite, but giving this book as a gift, will be a gift that keeps on giving.

Emotions and Words expressed in this book were heartfelt and real.
A great book of rememberance and may we never forget.

Gentle and not so gentle reminders of what happened, what's been done, and what needs doing abound in this book. Each person's eyes tells me that they're not doing this as a pretty face, but as a witness. Let us each witness in our own way that what happened in New Orleans, in Florida, in Texas, could happen to us, to anyone we love, and let us witness, too, how we can each, in our own way, support, care for, and aid each other and ourselves in time of need.

As a first time viewer of wildlife/landscape photography, I expected this book to be little more than a book of pretty pictures. However, Julia Sims managed, with vertiginous purity, to bring the swamps of Louisiana to my very living room over a thousand miles away. Her lyrical use of brilliant colors and vivid backdrops enabled me, and many others with whom I have shared this book, to feel the majestic and natural beauty of Manchac Swamp. Nearly ever picture tells a story that enables the reader to feel a part of this American treasure. Mr. Kemp's ability to illuminate the personalities of those who call the swamp home is equally impressive. These "guardians of the swamp" have coexisted beautifully for decades with this as their wallpaper and any reader of this book will understand their fortune for having been able to do so. This is more than just a coffee table book to be shared during polite conversation; these 144 pages are a visual love letter to the flora, fauna and wildlife of a dying swamp. Ms. Sims and Mr. Kemp will be thanked for many years to come. Manchac Swamp: Louisiana's Undiscovered Wilderness is a true work of art and a source of inspiration.

My husband and I are natives of the area Julia Sims photographs! We've been gone 34 years! This book lets us relive the beautiful wilderness we grew up in and also to hopefully, preserve it! We have never seen such gorgeous photographs of the Manchac Swamp, except maybe in her gallery in Ponchatoula, LA. ANY nature lover will enjoy this book, even if not from LA!

A beautifully written, heartbreakingly photographed book that will haunt your dreams. The majesty of the swamp and the dignity of the people will move you to tears. Julia Sims is an amazing photographer with an eagle's eye and a full heart. Manchac swamp and it's people won't easily be forgotten by anyone who opens this book. It is the book, that once given, the giver gives it to another, who gives it to another...and so on. You want to pass it on.

Susan Bryan, Memphis Tennessee svmarsh@yahoo.com