Southern Books

It is very hard to find a good clean book that you can really enjoy these days. This was a great book that brought the characters to life. When you read about the people and the mountains, you can actually feel like you are there with them. I was so excited when I heard that "It Happened On Kendell Mountain" had a sequel. When I read "A Very Wealthy Man" I felt the same closeness to the characters as I did in the first. I would recommend this book to everyone.

It is so refreshing to read books that are good clean entertainment! I am an avid reader and very much enjoyed this sequel to "It Happened on Kendall Mountain". The characters are so real and become like family to you by the time you finish the book. The great descriptions of the countryside and all the things of that era are very vivid and if you close your eyes you can really picture yourself in the North Georgia Mountains. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes to read books without all the "ugly" things of the world written in every other page.....overall, very good clean interesting reading.

We enjoyed the continuation of plot development in this sequel to the previous book, "IT HAPPENED ON KENDALL MOUNTAIN". The characters appear in believable real life situations, centered around the North Georgia mountain area, with actions extending far and wide. The complex story contains much intrigue, folklore, historical development, and excitement. Readers, both young and old, will enjoy this well written book.

Obviously Mrs. King had more story to tell when she completed her first novel, and this book is the perfect sequel. It picks up with the lives of the main characters and a few lesser characters and weaves their stories as skillfully as the first novel. As before, this is pure entertainment in the old fashioned story telling genre. Thank goodness there are still authors out there who do not think they have to shock readers with every conceivable foul word or behavior!

I was given this book as a birthday gift many years ago. It is filled with beautiful pictures depicting our lovely city of Vicksburg along with the most delicious recipes. I now use this as my standard wedding gift. I also purchase one for a hostess gift when staying with someone out of town.

I have owned a copy of Vintage Vicksburg for over 15 years. It is my primary source of recipes. This compilation is diverse and delicious. I know that when I choose a recipe, I will not be disappointed. I haven't been yet!

I have this book and have given it as a gift many times. Everyone raves about it. All recipes have been tested and the color pictures are lovely. Many exceptional & unusual recipes, as well as basic Southern recipes. Book also offers menu & garnishment ideas, quick appetizer ideas, a Table of Equivalents, & a Substitutions List. This book is a must for anyone who enjoys cooking and entertaining.

Received this as a gift, and enjoy searching these for those outstanding, unique recipes you'd never find in other sources.

There are some good ones in here, besides all the collection of basic, good food with southern emphasis. Finds include: Collection of recipes from former Miss Mississippi, Hostess Twinkie Dessert,Shrimp-stuffed Catfish, Bass and Artichoke Supreme, Oysters Bienville, and Fruit Tea.

this holiday i decided to make the recipe for monkey (pull apart) cake from this cookbook. it's been a hit everywhere! (so far i've made 4 cakes for 4 different functions).

the best thing, is that it's super easy to make. i don't cook, so i appreciate easy to understand recipes.

that's the good thing about all of these recipes. they're simple and straight forward. with all the recipes i've tasted from the JWC cookbook, i haven't been disapointed yet. yum!

The Virginia Hostess is a fabulous guide for anyone! Whether you are an experienced chef or a novice, this cookbook is more than the average collection of recipes. It features themed chapters with beautiful historic sketches from Virginia. Each chapter has complete menus for different occasions, including showers, children's parties, formal dinners, picnics, holiday occasions and more! An educational and comprehensive wine selection section is included. I highly recommend this beautiful and resourceful cookbook and entertaining guide!

The menus ideas are terrific! I enjoyed all the recipes and was glad to have a cookbook that covers most any occasion. The layout is superb and makes a great bridal or hostess gift. This book has really made my life a lot simpler when I am called to entertain. I own a lot of cookbooks but this one is well worn and used often.

I've owned this book for a couple of years now, and have reallyused it alot! It has great recipes in it, but in addition, it hasmenu and entertaining suggestions, a list of Virginia wineries, and even ideas for kids' parties. (Who knew how to make face paint?) I also like the fact that it comes from a community service organization, so I know part of my purchase price went to a good cause.

A good read. The similarities between the initial phases of a large wildland fire and "combat confusion" are apparent. Too many people doing their own thing, at least in the initial phase of the fire. A tribute to the firefighters of different agencies that no one was lost on this fire.

This book tells the story of one fire in Southern California. It's not really a battle to save Southern California, only one small part. But laying the sub-title aside, it's a good inside story on how they fight a big fire.

As I read the book I find myself with several related but almost random thoughts.

First, these kinds of fires were beautifully described in John McPhee's book 'The Control of Nature,' (recommended reading) along with other things that people do that contradicts what nature wants (think New Orleans). This book is much better in discussing the fire fighting efforts, but McPhee covers other things like the Mississippi river wants to change course but the Army Corp of Engineers is keeping it where it is.

Second, when people want to live in areas like this, they should at least bear in mind what might happen. Some houses were built of fireproof materials (wood shake roofs are especially bad), remove brush from being close to their house, and so on. These houses survived.

Third, the mountain right across the valley from my house hasn't burned for 20 to 30 years. The fuel from all those years is sitting there waiting for a good lightening strike or thrown away cigarette.

Fourth, one thing mentioned in the book was firefighter management not wanting to call the airborne water tankers to put water on the fire. Here some six or seven agencies (National Forest, State Forest, Bureau of Land Management, etc.) have gotten together to fund the water tankers. The costs are automatically split between the agencies regardless of where the fire is. I wonder if this is a result of the problems discussed in this book.

All in all, this is a 'cannot put down book' that anyone living in the fire prone West should read.

I loved this book. If you want to know how it felt to be on the front lines of the Grand Prix or Old Fire during those days in October,2003. I worked in the San Bernardino Police Department mobile command post the first night of the Old Fire and remember watching the flames marching down Waterman Canyon towards us. Mr. Krauss captured the fire fighter's story quite well. He also touched on Critical Incident Stress which most authors leave out of their books. As part of the SBPD CISD Team I too was faced with dealing with Police Officers and Dispatchers who had lost their houses or were facing the loss of their homes. In fact, one of the dispatchers I worked with at the mobile command post watched the TV coverage of the Old Fire and saw his neighborhood go up in flames so I kicked him loose to make sure his house was okay. The next night, my neighborhood was evacuated but, after working through the early stages of the fire, I was too tired to evacuate. I would like to see more on the fight against the Old Fire in another book. After having lived and worked through it on the law enforcement side, it was good to read at least the small part that was included in this excellent book.

My uncle told me that I would love this book, and he was right. Although I don't fight fire, most of my family does. I grew up around firefighters as a child, but I didn't truly understand what they went through on a big fire until I read this book. It made me realize that when a big one hits, there is very little firefighters can do but steer the blaze around threatened communities. The problem is made worse by organizations such as Fish and Wildlife that doesn't let the fire departments conduct prescribed burns. The wild land fire departments have their hands tied with red tape, but when big fires happen like the grand prix , they get blaimed for not putting the blaze out in the first few hours. This book documents the battle (both with the fire and politics)that occured on the front lines of the biggest fire siege in California history back in 2003. With helicopter pilots, hotshot crews, dozer operators, municipal crews and Incident Commanders each getting their own chapters, you get to see all sides of the fire and the different opinions that are occuring out on the fire line. It shows how the lack of communication between the wild land guys and the municipal guys can cause disaster. An exceptional read!!!

The story that Jeanne Mcdonald has written is one of the best I have read in a long time.From the first chapter the reader is captured and the story line keeps wraping itself around you until the end. The author has a keen sense of the male mind in stress and her charactors are people you have meet.The changing of events kept me on edge wondering "What in the hell is Miller going to do now!" There is another book coming out, I am hoping,that will continue this story.This is a book that makes you want to attend an authors book review so you can ask all the questions of why?

"In a market of thinly plotted who-dunnits, "Water Dreams" is a more stubstantive "WHY-dunnit," with McDonald's skill at taking it even further down the path of memorable fiction--a "what-now." . . . It deals with the tricky business of fathers and sons growing up and growing away. It's a love story that flips the coin between family peace and outrage. It shows what happens when the lights go out on reason and responsibility, even if done with explainable, though blatantly illogical reasons and with no ill intent. . . In her first novel Jeanne McDonald doesn't even let her readers get their feet wet before they are deep into her story. By the last page, her characters are bona fide members of the reader's literary family."

In Water Dreams, Jeanne McDonald has written a touching, unflinchingly honest account of guilt and redemption. Faced with unresolved grief following the death of his father, Miller Sharp finds himself in the midst of a mid-life crisis. Convinced that he can never live up to his father's example, Miller is presented with an opportunity to prove himself when he attempts to save a young man, Jimmy Duane Goodfriend, from drowning. However, when the drowning victim nearly drags Miller down with him, Miller chooses his own life over Jimmy Duane's.

Riddled with guilt, Miller is drawn to Jimmy Duane's young widow, Adra. He sets out to try to make amends to her and her child for what his cowardice has cost her. But as he becomes increasingly entangled in Adra's life, he risks everything--his career, his marriage, and the respect of the son he loves.

McDonald's prose is luminous and her characters ring true on every page. She has an almost uncanny talent for creating sympathy for both her protagonist and the people he wounds. I loved Miller and pulled for him in spite of his flaws. This is an absolutely beautiful novel, one that resonates long after the final sentence. Quite simply, Water Dreams is the best work of fiction I've read this year.

I've read thousands of books and I can honestly say this is one of the best I've ever read. It caught me at the beginning, it flowed beautifully, the ending was perfect. All the characters rang so true, especially Miller. The story showed every weakness, every strength of these characters and made me completely forget that they weren't real people.
As I read the book, I felt everything they were feeling along with them. I felt so sorry for Miller, so angry with Miller, so disgusted with Miller, yet I understood that Miller was a good man. I felt deeply sorry for Katie, and felt her anxiety, fear, bewilderment, depression and pain. I felt disgusted with both of them for their stubborness, but could relate completely. Judd was very much the teenager with his mood swings, outbursts of anger and lack of respect for his parent's marriage bed. And I felt like I knew Adra, until the end...now that was a shocker! I should have seen it coming, but I didn't, and it was Great! This was a real, emotional, exciting, beautiful book and I enjoyed every minute of it.

After a stressful day at work, this is a book to curl up with on the sofa. It warms you like a cup of tea and a cozy quilt; little snipets of neighbors and friends and their every day but important events that may change how you view those around you. A real treat! I enjoyed every word.

Heartwarming characters and cozy stories that bring the residents of Ella Louise, Texas to life. Smith has a gift at storytelling and these friends you will meet in this book are real and ones you would like to know.

I love my Southern heritage and Annette Smith makes me love it even more. Keen observations lead Annette to write with great meaning and wit. Her celebration of love and care through her wonderful stories is a message that we all need to read and share.

Five stars isn't enough! I'd give it 10 if I could. I loved Annette Smith's latest book-Watermelon Days and Firefly Nights, and didn't want to leave the delightful town of Ella Louise, Texas (which I predict will soon join the ranks of Jan Karon's Mitford and Andy Griffith's beloved Mayberry.) And I'm in good company, too. Publisher's Weekly also likens this wonderful book and Smith's charming, poignant writing to the bestselling Mitford. So don't take just my word for it. These Southern-fried slices of life are alternately hilarious and heartwarming. I laughed and cried at the antics of the eccentric characters peopling this small Texas town and so will you. It made this Yankee gal--by way of California--long to move to Ella Louise...except I couldn't find it on the map. Bless her heart, Annette has done such a masterful job of writing, I thought it was REAL! You will, too. I can't wait for the sequel. Please, Annette, write more. I want to know more about Faye Beth and Harvey Newman, Millard and Sugar, and I'm dying to know if newly widowed Bessie Bishop and her handyman neighbor Crow Buxley get together! Don't keep me in suspense.

I grew up in a Southern Baptist Church that had been indoctrinated by the "new" SBC regime of the 80's and 90's. I graduated from a Baptist University that broke off from it and mourned the loss of the "old" SBC. I was torn and caught in the middle of a controversy I didn't quite understand. Several churches later I began to see the problems myself and learn of the truth to the SBC's historical beliefs.

I read this book about a year ago and its content has been imprinted in my mind. Humphreys' book helped me to fully understand the theological issues involved in the revisions to the Baptist Faith & Message and how Southern Baptists are not better off than they were before! I regret that I was out of college before I understood the controversy, but I am thankful that I can recommend this book to family and friends in the SBC who have absolutely no clue as to the true historical beliefs of the SBC.

I am sad to say that the SBC with its current leadership is only apt to move further away from its roots and even further away from N.T. Christianity. This book should be required reading for all those who profess themselves to be a 'Southern Baptist' today.

I also recommend reading:
Pagan Christianity: Exploring the Roots of Our Church Practices

I quickly read this book from cover-to-cover. As the Southern Baptist Convention has shifted towards Fundamentalism. I was somewhat surprised and very thankful to see such a well written example of someone publicly taking a stand against the powerful leaders of the SBC.

Part of Humphrey's success with this book is his respectful attitude toward the present and the past SBC leadership. I believe his respect for the current Fundamentlist leadership best represents a succesful Christ like discussion.

This book should be on the reading-list for all Southern Baptists. If I had the resources I would personally buy as many copies of this book as I could to give to Baptist churches.

As one who would be described as from the more conservative end of Southern Baptist life, though I'm no longer SBC, I enjoyed this book. Humphries does a good job of describing the beliefs that Baptists have with all Christians, with all Protestants, with all revivalists, and that are unique to Baptists.

He contends that of the 27 beliefs that once comprised the SBC four have been lost. Those are the priesthood of the believer, congregational decision making, seperation of church and state, and "no creed but the Bible." I don't agree with his assessment about the priesthood of the believer, I don't think it is a belief that has been lost in the SBC, and to his credit he list it as the least tragic of the 4 losses. While congregational decision making has been lost in some churches, in most it is still intact. Now that may change, but at the moment it seems to be unchanged, at least from my experience. I do agree with him that seperation of church and state has been lost, at least for the most part. And I agree with him that this is the greastest tragedy of the conservative takeover. One can only hope that the leaders recognize this and change it in the future. I also agree that the SBC is becoming to credal. While I have no problem with the 2001 BFM, I don't think those who prefer the 1963 BFM should be excluded from missionary service.

So, while I'm not in total agreement with Fisher Humphries on his assessment of the current SBC, I found it to be a good read.

I believe most Southern Baptists would be enlightened by reading this book. The author discusses what Southern Baptists have in common with all Christians followed by the commonalities with other Protestant denominations such as Methodists and Presbyterians. He then elaborates on the distinctive Southern Baptists beliefs and practices prior to 1979. He also details a number of minority views which have appeared among Southern Baptists over the years. In 1979 the Southern Baptist Convention came under the control of the Conservative element of the convention and has continued to be thus dominated. During this period many of the members of the Moderate element have formed another Baptist organization called the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship.

Having laid this groundwork, the author then talks about what has changed among Southern Baptists since 1979 and what other changes are likely in the near future.

Although he does express his own opinion at times about some controversal matters and one can detect whether he leans to the moderate or conservative view, he is able to keep his presentation factual and I believe unbiased.

but it is a story that needs to be told. Contexts and causes, risk factors for SBS, consequences, grief and punishment, and intervention and prevention are all covered here. Ann-Janine Morey has a very sensitive writing style, you sympathize with all the people (including the murderer), and she makes ordinary people fascinating. A very moving book, you will be crying by the end of it. The death of a child-any child-is always horrible.

as a mother of a child who was severely shaken I found this book very hard to read at first. But this is a story that must be told. People must become aware of this needless senseless hideous crime and the author of this book tells the real story. I highly recomend this book.

I thought that this book was very sad. It is so cruel how a father could treat a baby like that.

I really care about shaken baby syndrome it is very sad how people actually do this to child.When the child has done nothing in this world, the child has not even asked to be in this world. I think it is a very sad and bad issue.

The book shows an amazign amount of knowledge and background concerning the subjects in the book. The Author does a great job of not only educating the reader on the findings of 30 years of research but teaches the reader what he has done. The use of non-participant observation in the book is flawless. I thought i learned a ton from the book till i read it again and learned so much more.

By far the most thorough and comprehensive text on the teen drug subculture. It's the only text I have seen that follows the subjects for an extended time period- in this case 30+ years. The depth of inside information on the subculture is second to none. You won't be disappointed.

Fr. Lowney has years of sociological real life experience all recorded in this book. I was shocked from the statistics of drug use/abuse, it certainly brought me out of "The Cave". Kudos for telling it how it is...

This book is thorough--covers 31 years of research, but presents a very human understanding of my generation. It combines the story of the young people with the author's own life journey (he even enters the priesthood during the course of his research). Brings back some great (and not so great--now that I think about them) memories!

This is a charming collection of fables retold by Ms. Hamilton. According to her research, they have been from slave tales. Important morals are taught via the adventures of birds--style similar to the Brer Rabbit tales. The paintings are beautiful, and I loved the coloquial speech and songs.

This is truely a wonderful work for young folk. The illustrations are absolutely great. The depiction of each species of bird and animal is actually quite accurate, even dressed in the human clothing provided by the illustrator. This is a collection of 19th century African American folk tales, quite similar to the famous Brer Rabbit tales. These stories have been reworded so that 19th century dialect can be understood and be ralated to by children of today. Each story has a wonderful teaching and the text throughout the book matches the illustrations perfectly. In addition, there is a nice section at the back of the book which tells the source of these stories which is quite interesting standing alone. Recommend this one highly.

You couldn't ask for more in a children's book. I tripped across this book at our local library, picked it up and started reading it to my two sons, ages 8 and 10. It's a book that is meant for out-loud reading. Hamilton's prose is written in a very conversational tone, which mimics the way in which these southern tales were originally passed along: orally. Each story is about 3-4 pages long, with a lesson learned at the end of each one. Birds and bats engage in ridiculous actions and we -- the humans -- can learn from them. The book is as much fun to look at as it is to read, due to the beautiful artwork of the illustrator, Barry Moser.

These stories were meant for telling. Virginia Hamilton adds a voice that is full. It is deep and loving. Most of the stories have a bit of verse or song. Each tale ends with the teller speaking the moral plainly to the children listening. For example, "How Bruh Sparrow and Sis Wren Lost Out" ends, "So, children, here's a leaf from the book of birds: Pick on your own size. For it's no use squabbling over what's too big for you to handle." I think these tales would be perfect for the mid to upper elementary audience as well as for adults.

There is a table of contents, but the stories are in no apparent order and are not grouped. Barry Moser's vibrant watercolor illustrations are not necessary for the storytelling. However, having seen them, it is hard to imagine the story without them.

Source Notes: The Afterword helps readers and tellers know the history and origins of these Southern, African-American tales. The stories in When Birds Could Talk & Bats Could Sing were originally written down by Martha Young who wrote them in the so-called black dialect of the plantation era. It is impossible to tell now which stories she heard from African American's and which she wrote herself. These stories are written in the prose style called cante fable. They include verse or song and end with a moral for children.

There is an entire page detailing and crediting the book designers and artists who helped put this book together.
Karen Woodworth-Roman