North Carolina - Asheville Books

If you enjoy quick, short histories about old homes and the families they sheltered, then this is a good book to own. It is a photographic book, where the captions tell a condenced hisotry of the Bitmore Estate and the family that lived there.

The black & white pics describe Biltmore Estate - from acquiring the land, erecting the main house & adjacent buildings to their families & lifestyles. Very interesting book, highly recommended reading for those visiting Biltmore.

Unlike the other books on Biltmore, this covers information and photos on the Vanderbilt family who owned and lived at this monument.If that is what you want, this book is for you

This book is a wonderful romp between insight into the lives of famous Appalachian authors, the angst of a writer trying to get published, and a glimpse into the complex world of publishing from the viewpoint of a seasoned insider. It should be required reading for all aspiring writers. I once read (I don't recall where) that if you can convince yourself not to write, do so, because becoming a writer is tough; however, if you can't stop writing, then write because that's proof that you are a writer. It is a tough business, and this insider's look was very informative. Stephen Kirk's book made me laugh and broke my heart, sometimes on the same page. Now, that's what I call a good book.

Scribblers is a fun book to read. The author intersperses thoughts on his
own life and attempts to publish with interviews with Appalachians writers (well, with the live ones, anyway).
The best part for me was his description of the people in his
writers' group in Asheville. Why did these people, mostly older
and retired from their day jobs, keep trying to publish when
they could have been playing golf? What is their drive?
Kirk is very honest about the difficulty of getting a book published. But he does meet some older writers, like Joan
Medlicott, who did make it and are quite successful.
A great book written in an appealing style, whether you are interested in writers or trying to become one yourself.

"When I go to the barbershop and the barber says, 'What do you do for a living?' it's like I can't think of a thing to tell him. And the only answer I've come up with, which I have not had the courage yet to speak to a stranger, is to say, 'I collect people's lives.'"

In Scribblers, Stephen Kirk, who for 16 years has been editor-in-chief at John F. Blair, Publisher. For Scribblers, he visited Asheville, North Carolina, and its environs, including the Black Mountains and the Blue Ridge Mountains, to collect people's lives, or, as Kirk elsewhere puts it, "stalking the authors of Appalachia."

A better title for Kirk's book would be Scriveners and Scribblers, for he writes about both professionals and amateurs, veterans and wannabes, the masters of prose and those posing as masters.

Asheville's greatest literary son is Thomas Wolfe, author of manuscripts famously carved by editor Maxwell Perkins into four novels--Look Homeward, Angel; Of Time and the River; The Web and the Rock; and You Can't Go Home Again. Wolfe was also the writer of numerous high-quality short stories.

But there are many other striking literary connections in the greater Asheville area.

At nearby Hendersonville, North Carolina, Carl Sandburg had a summer home. O. Henry (William Sydney Porter) was buried at Asheville's Riverside Cemetery, where Wolfe's remains also are interred. F. Scott Fitzgerald lived and wrote in the area, and on March 10, 1948, Scott's wife Zelda died in a fire at Asheville's Highland Mental Hospital.

Scribblers is a combination of literary history and personal memoir. Kirk interviews many contemporary writers of Appalachia--such as Sharyn McCrumb, Fred Chappell, Charles Price, Gail Godwin, Robert Morgan, Jill Jones, Randy Russell, Bill Brooks, Jan Karon, Joan Medlicott, Ann B. Ross, and Charles (Cold MOuntain) Frazier--sharing fascinating anecdotes about their lives and work.

Kirk peppers Scribblers with a self-deprecation that will make you laugh out loud. Moreover, he includes informative details about the creative process, the craft of writing, the publishing industry, the book trade, and print-on-demand technology.

An attempt to position this book in a specific genre is doomed to failure. Let's just say that it features many items of interest for inveterate readers.

For instance, a woman whom Kirk met at a writers' workshop "began taking trips to Ireland, the land of her ancestry. Struck by the many parallels in folklore, dance, music, and crafts between Ireland and the southern Appalachians--attributed to the Scots-Irish migration of the nineteenth century--she resolved to write a book on the subject."

Kirk voice is unpretentious; he pulls no punches; he lets the chips fall where they may; he can laugh at himself as well as at others. And, although one should think twice about riding with the author in his decrepit Oldsmobile, accompanying him through the pages of Scribblers is a delightful trip.

I must take issue, however, with Kirk's disparagement of Thomas Wolfe as "a freshman trying to fill a blue book, desperately hoping windiness and obfuscation will cover for a dearth of substance."

As if, in his wildest dreams, Mr. Kirk could ever come close to the genius of Wolfe's artistry!

Pat Conroy's assessment of Wolfe, which Kirk relates, is more palatable. "For Conroy," writes Kirk, "Wolfe is the Babe Ruth of literature, a man who swung for the fence, who wrote like his hair was on fire, who was battered by critics but never cowed, who was more courageous than other writers because he refused to hold himself back, even for his own protection."

In this matter, Conroy rather than Kirk is closer to the truth. I agree with Conroy and consider Thomas Wolfe's Look Homeward, Angel one of the dozen greatest English-language novels of the 20th century.

Roy E. Perry of Nolensville is an advertising copywriter at a Nashville publishing house. IN addition to appreciating fine literature of any kind, he is especially interested in Western philosophy and the American Civil War. Also, he is a lover of classical music (Beethoven, Mozart, Rachmaninoff, etc.) and spends time surfing the Net and playing online chess.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Stephen Kirk, a graduate of the MFA program at UNC-Greensboro, has been the editor-in-chief at John F. Blair, Publisher, for 16 years. He is the author of First in Flight: The Wright Brothers in North Carolina. He lives in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

...but it didn't follow through. The plot was very confusing and the interaction between the characters was hard to follow. However, the book is interesting enough to hold your attention until the end.

Julia Lieber has written a true mystery. "There Came Two Angels: A Loy Lombard Mystery," will keep you on edge and turning the page. Loy Lombard is one of the most spunkiest detectives around, full of energy and wit ... she has lots of determination, and doesn't stop until she is able to crack the case. If you like a movie packed with suspense, drama and a little romantic twist ... this is the book for you!

This is what a lesbian mystery should be: gripping, witty, suspenseful, with a smart, compelling, sexy--and very, very human--protagonist. Loy Lombard--a butchy, compassionate, but quirky ex-cop--will sweep you off your feet and leave you begging for more.

The writing in this book is the best I've come across in a lesbian mystery in years. Lieber is right up there with the masters of this genre. I can't wait to see what she comes up with next--and where she will take Loy Lombard and the rest of us who have found such a treasure in her. Don't miss out on this talented new writer!

Barry Clayton is an ex. cop turned undertaker since his father is no longer able to run the business. At a graveside service for an elderly woman, her grandson strides in like Clint Eastwood complete with duster, rips out a shotgun and murder's his entire
family. I read this book with great anticipation since the I found the description of the story intriquing and I wasn't disappointed. The author writes convincingly about the
Applachian mountains and it's people, alzheimer's and the effects on a family while involving us in a compelling mystery. Along the way there are some twists and turns and a surprise at the end that I did not anticipate. I fully recommend this mystery for it's great character's and the ability of the author to transport us into the Applachian mountains and community.

I am a Charlottean who read the book to support the local author. However, I was very pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed the book. Mark de Castrique was able to capture and keep my attention and has a superb writing style.

I read this book because I live in charlotte and like reading books which take place in NC with familiar streets, subjects etc. This book, however, was a disappointment. I'm glad I borrowed this one from the library instead of purchasing it.

Mark de Castrique has created a nifty read here and has placed it in a setting with which he obviously has great familiarity. It has just the right combination of tension, wit and thought-provoking commentary about families, religion and what really counts in life and living. Terrific!

Sometimes the greatest challenge a mystery author faces is to justify why an amateur detective will feel the need to investigate a crime that is better left in the hands of the professionals. Mark de Castrique cleverly tackles this issue by having his main protagonist, Barry Clayton, an undertaker, being shot while presiding over a funeral. The killer, Dallas Willard, who was attending his grandmother's funeral appeared to go crazy killing his brother and sister just before attempting to kill Barry. The problem is that Dallas is still on the loose and Barry fears for his life. Working with his friend, Sheriff Tommy Lee Wadkins, Barry must investigate the deep dark secrets of this family to discover what exactly set Dallas off on the murderous rampage.
I place a premium on originality. Sometimes novels can be so different that they are unforgettable. Unfortunately, DANGEROUS UNDERTAKING is routine and quite pedestrian. It is skillfully written and conveys a great sense of locale. However, characters, though realistic enough, are quite forgettable as is the plot. While reading this book I could never shrug off the feeling that I read this before.

This book has some very interesting information on the areas of western NC. The details are accurate and I do plan to take the motorcycle tours as the book describes. This book is ideal for anyone planning to visit western NC, motorcycle or not. If you live here like I do, you will still get some useful information.

I just returned from a motorcycle trip to this region with my son. One of the routes we used was totally from the guide. It was just as described!
The little extras that change a ride from routine to something special are all there.
I recommend it!

This is a wonderful account of everyday life in the mountains of Western North Carolina during the 1940's and 1950's--my own early years. The details are so clear that you can imagine the setting even if you've never been there nor seen the implements being described. There are enough amusing anecdotes to keep the book from being just a history lesson. I was fascinated by every chapter, and could identify with a number of things even though I grew up far away from this setting.

While there's some very good information contained within this 450-plus page guide, it is very difficult or impossible to access quickly. Speed is what most travelers want in a guide right after quality information. The Richards have the quality down but need to work on the index in the next edition. There's just not an excuse in this technology-driven age (with "word search" engines, etc.) to not include highlights in the index that *are* included in the text. The organization by chapter headings (Restaurants, Art & Culture, Recreation,etc.) rather than by geography makes this particularly necessary.
Several times in the week we spent in the Western North Carolina mountains we sat in the car on the highway shoulder thumbing through trying to find info on a particular historic spot. We came up empty by using the index only to later discover there was something in the guide afterall. . . .five miles down the road! Very frustrating. "Historic Johnson Farm", anyone? Nothing in the index under any of those three words and yet it was in those 450-plus pages somewhere. The challenge would be to find it *again*....much less the first time for anyone. The glorious North Carolina Arboretum (just outside Asheville)? Couldn't find it anywhere. A serious mistake to have missed including or an offense that one can't access the info? Either way an irritating loss.
A better way of organizing this guide would be to follow the 'tried & true' Fodor's formula which divides first by geography and then subtitles 'Restaurants', 'Places to Stay', etc. It's only because of a dearth of North Carolina guides that I feel this earns three stars. With much competition it would have been two.....even with all that good information. If you can't access it how much good is it to you? Few people have the time to read a guidebook from front to back and certainly not while they're on site.

I use this book from to time when I'm in the mountains in NC. I find it more of a textbook rather than interesting reading. Don't get me wrong, it's a good book but not what I was looking for.

This book offers a traditional and predictable look backward, weighted toward identification of the principal players in the city's history with an emphasis on "good" families. The author explicitly shies away from close examination of the recent past, with the disclaimer, "History cannot be written while it is happening," By comparison, another recent title, ASHEVILLE: A HISTORY (McFarland, 2007), by Nan K. Chase, is a fine example of critical history, the result of an investigation below the surface aimed at explanation of how the modern city came to be. tackles the present and future head-on. The difference in the two volumes is clearly evident in discussion of race relations and the lingering trauma inflicted on the city's black population by slavery, segregation and urban renewal. Harshaw is upbeat in her limited treatment, with emphasis on notable black leaders and general progress and cooperation noting that "Asheville black and white leaders have often met together through the years to talk over problems," and observing that groups addressing prejudice are "hopeful, dedicated, constant and diligent." By comparison, Chase doesn't shy from the issue and starts a full chapter on the subject by stating, "Asheville's sorry race relations date from the earliest days of the settlement, with increasingly separate black and white communities waxing and waning over the next two centuries in their tolerance of each other." She goes on to illustrate that racial disparities in wealth and power remain very much present today. While both books identify the movers and shakers who shaped the city, this is a book for readers interested in images of captains of industry and portraits of politicos along with the monuments they built to themselves and for the public. Harshaw's long tenure with the Chamber of Commerce is very evident throughout.

This book is just a bunch of lists. It has no information that you couldn't find in the phone book. Unbelievably bad. Do not get this book

My husband's book is 476 pages long, and contrary to the negative reviews of the two other reviewers, it is not just a bunch of lists. Far from it, it is a comprehensive reference book, written in the format of a traditional guidebook, with commentary on restaurants, accommodations, natural and cultural attractions in the mountains, history, architecture and much more. It is proven guidebook,covering every aspect of Western North Carolina that would be of interest to visitors, and over 20,000 copies have been sold.

I didn't find this book to be at all what I expected. It has alot of lists, may be more helpful for someone moving to North Carolina than visiting or vacationing.