The Book Shopper

Pulphead Confessional

I just finished John Jeremiah Sullivan's Pulphead Essays (2011), a collection of essays, which came recommended by a couple of friends in the space of a month. Not only was it good reading, but it caused me to ask myself, "Why haven't heard of this guy before?"  

That's the way it goes as a reader, there are always new writers that you have never heard of, but end up liking a book of theirs. But what is worse, is knowing that there are certain contemporary writers  who you should have read already, but for some reason haven't got around to it. For me, Dave Eggers and David Foster Wallace, come to mind as two writers I must sheepishly admit I haven't read. Probably I should add Toni Morrison to the list as well. More shame on me.  (Feel free to use the comments to let me know which book I should read and why, or you can use the comments to make your own confession.)

I connected to the Pulphead Essays in several ways. As one who spent a lot of years in Knoxville, I am familiar with some of the geography that Sullivan writes about especially in the essay "Unnamed Caves"  about the amazing number of caves (a virtual civilization) that make up the Cumberland Plateau. For those familiar with Atlanta's Dust-to-Digital Records, there is an essay  "Unknown Bards" that included a conversation Sullivan had with guitarist and composer John Fahey, who was instrumental in preserving pre-war country blues. Last year, Dust-to-Digital issued Fahey's Your Past Comes Back to Haunt You (Fontone Recordings 1958 -1965).

What impressed me about Sullivan as an essayist is that in essays such as  "Upon This Rock" and "Peyton's Place" he leads you to thinking that you are reading a feature article (about a large outdoor Christian rock concert or about how his house was used for the filming of the One Tree Hill ) and then he shifts inward and writes a personal essay within the feature article.

So check out Sullivan if you haven't already. You can no longer feign ignorance.

 

 

 

The 200th Posting: Greatest Hits 2010-12

This week's posting marks the 200th entry for The Book Shopper blog, which began with its first posting back in November of 2008 as a companion blog to The Book Shopper: A Life in Review, which by the way, is now available electronically.

One does have to enjoy this sort of thing in order to keep doing it and I like the challenges of writing something almost every week. Moreover, I find the picture taking and laying out the blog even more fun. (Sometimes I spend more time driving to get the picture than I do writing the posting, which is something I probably should not admit) .

I've also benefited in building relationships with some of the bookstore folks: Monique, Elizabeth and Jim at Books Again, (a blog sponsor- see left corner for sponsor links) Frank and Chantal at A Cappella Books (another sponsor), Warren at Eighth Day Books (sponsor), as well as Mark and Brent at Carlos Museum Book Shop (they should be a sponsor, but I've been unable to close that deal). A few publishers have been helpful as well: University of Georgia Press, National Geographic and Paul Dry Books have contributed books when I have made a request. Reading is often a solitary sport, but the blog has been something that connected me to others.

This is starting to sound like a swan song, but that is not the case. Just a brief acknowledgment of a personal milestone.

Below are postings from the July 2010 to July 2012 era that people have visited the most. At the end of the list is a link to the first set of greatest hits.

Nora Ephron on Blogging & Essay Writing

Book Shopping Santorini Greece  My leveraging a vacation to Turkey and Greece.

Touting the Istanbul Book Bazaar Ibid.

The postings of Chantal James. She has written several offerings covering books and authors I know practically nothing about, but now I do. I have a link to her reviews on the right.

Hunter S. Thompson on Hemingway's Death Always a continuing fascination with both of these authors -- unless you saw HBO's Hemingway and Gelhorn, which may have cured you of all things Hemingway.

Sarah Vowell's Unfamiliar Fishes: A Review A complementary piece to her visit to the SCAD.

 

Common Reading

Last month when I was in Boston visiting my older daughter, Cynthia, I spent an hour at the recently renovated Brewer Fountain Plaza in the Boston Common. During the lunch hour, a food truck is on site along with live piano music, chess tables and a lending library consisting of several carts full of books and periodicals. The library is staffed by The Friends of the Public Garden.

After I ate my energy bar ( I still honor the days when libraries wouldn't let food near books), I relaxed and thumbed through a hardback copy of Great Civil War Battles and Their Heroes edited by Walton Halls, which is compilation of famous generals of both sides and the battles they fought. It has a lot of Courier and Ives-like sepia toned lithographs artwork reclaimed from a book published in 1891. It's a decent book suitable for browsing, but not buff-worthy.

Atlanta has a similar Outdoor Reading Room at Woodruff Park, which I have not visited, but Baby Got Books has.

Atlanta Area Book Calendar - June 2012

Here are some of the local book events during the month of June in the Atlanta area. I basically scout around various sites looking for what interests me and provide the links. (I purposely don't include the details, in case there is a last minute change of schedule, etc.)

Andy Cohen, author of Stories from the Front Lines of Pop Culture will be at the Savannah College of Art And Design on Wednesday, June 6th ($10 admission or free with book purchase).

On Thursday, June 14th, Jen Marlowe, author of The Hour of Sunlight, will read and sign books at the Carter Presidential Library & Museum Theater. Other authors visiting the Carter Library in the month of June include Thom Reilly (Rethinking Public Sector Compensation: What Ever Happened to the Public Interest?) on June 21st and Leonard Pitts (Freeman) on Monday, June 25th.

Journalist and historian David Maraniss, author of the upcoming biography Barack Obama: The Story will be at Agnes Scott College on Tuesday, June 26th. Claire Cook, (author of Must Love Dogs) will be reading her new book, Wallflower in Bloom at the library on Monday, June 11th.  Maraniss, Cook and others are just a few of authors brought in by The Georgia Center for the Book in the month of June.

The Auburn Avenue Research Library is hosting several events in June including a reading and signing of author's Ruth P. Watson's latest book, Blackberry Days of Summer on Thursday, June 28th.

Book Sales Worth Mentioning

The First Baptist Church of Decatur will be having their huge yard sale on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, June 7-9.  Of course, their are many household items, but they usually have boxes upon boxes of books for sale as well. Also note that the Georgia Antiquarian Book Sale   originally scheduled for Saturday, June 9th and Sunday, June 10th has been moved to the weekend of  September 23rd.

Check these local bookstores for other events:

 Peerless Bookstore - Alpharetta

A Cappella Books (now in Inman Park)

Bound to be Read (East Atlanta)

Eagle Eye Books (Decatur)

Charis Books and More (Near Little Five)