How wonderful to read such a glowing chunk of prose home-grown from a Southern writer. John Brandon is a master at creating a sense of place in his work. His brand new third novel, A Million Heavens, opens with an exciting sense of a clear-skied desert space in New Mexico, its milieu, and its people. Only, things are a little eerie. The book sets into motion with a cast of people aching on the verge of combustion. Like in Cormac McCarthy’s The Crossing, one is a wolf. A few are musicians, which I love almost as much as wolves. The novel jumps constantly from character to character, entities that move dynamically closer to each other as the novel progresses. But the sense that overarches this narrative is a watercolor dusk over the desert. And, as is implicit on that final blank space after the last page, a dark night full of bright lights follows.

This is a short read—shorter than it looks with the beautiful McSweeney’s hardback cover, and it incidentally appealed to me as a short story lover. Almost every page turn prompts a rotation to a different character’s section and a totally different storyline. About halfway through the book, I became especially fond of this “Reggie” narrative, about a solitary boy in a weird purgatory of a living room with a piano. So I skipped ahead to a few more of his sections to see how much like a short story this one character’s narrative would be. I quickly found out that this is a novel, that there is really some power to this compound narrative. Brandon has crafted a long and textured braid of a story, and in the end, he leaves us with a clear note of resolution—the characters’ infectious aches subtly transforming into a triumphant glow.

Reminds me of: Mary Robison’s quirky organizational style; McCarthy’s serious, careful treatment of characters; Jean-Paul Sartre’s play No Exit; the well-crafted sense of place in Brandon’s own Arkansas and Citrus County.

A Million Heavens by John Brandon, $24, McSweeney’s

by Whitney

Zen Golf, an instruction manual for the mental game, brings Zen onto the green in a blend of modern psychology and traditional Buddhist philosophy.  Dr. Joseph Parent provides step-by-step instruction on how to overcome mental set-backs in the game and build confidence as a player on and off the course. Traditional storytelling and personal anecdotes combine in order to create a simple, easy to read guide to golf which will help build the confidence in the game.

Dr. Parent’s wisdom is as applicable on the green as off. “Golf and life aren’t fair on a day-to-day basis . . . everyone has to play the same course”, but Dr. Parent has found the key to shooting below par.

Where’s Waldo? In Jackson, of course. He’s turning twenty-five this year, and to celebrate, the famous fellow in the striped shirt and black-rimmed specs is visiting twenty different local businesses all through the month of July. Those who spot him can win prizes, including buttons, books, and more. From Brent’s Soda Fountain in Fondren to Buffalo Peak in Highland Village, from Nandy’s Candy in Maywood Mart to The Jackson Zoo, Waldo figures are showing up in public areas of local establishments.

Anyone who wishes to participate can pick up a “Find Waldo in Jackson!” search list with the names of all the businesses, and collect an “I Found Waldo at ___________” card for each Waldo they spot. Collecting cards from all twenty businesses and turning them in at Lemuria Books will win a Waldo gift bag and an entry for other, larger prizes to be drawn at a Waldo party on July 28. There are several prizes that Jacksonians can win, including the Grand Prize: a complete six-volume set of Waldo books! People who prefer a shorter version of the hunt can collect the cards from ten businesses and pick up a Waldo button at Lemuria Books.

Waldo is the creation of Martin Handford, whose entertaining drawings of crowd scenes swept the world in 1987. Since then, the Where’s Waldo books have held a cherished spot on bookstore shelves the world over. There are now over 55 million Waldo books in print worldwide and they’ve been translated into eighteen languages. An entire generation has grown up searching for Waldo and his cast of wandering companions.

In celebration of Waldo’s longevity and popularity, his American publisher, Candlewick Press, is teaming up with the American Booksellers Association and 250 independent bookstores all across the country, including Lemuria Books here in Jackson, to have fun and encourage people to visit local businesses. There is no charge to participate, and the game lasts for the entire month of July. For more information about hunting for Waldo in Jackson, call Lemuria Books at 601.366.7619.

Get the Find Waldo Local Search List with instructions and businesses!

Get the Find Waldo Local Search List with instructions and businesses!

Check our Waldo on Facebook!

This week I finished Natalie Bakopoulos’ first book, The Green Shore, a novel set in Greece in the 1960s and 70s. I celebrated with a gyro on the deck at Keifer’s.

Ms. Bakopoulos came in Wednesday night for a reading, and I had a chance to sit down and talk with her at length about Greece, writing, and history (we’ve both learned most of our world history from novels). With that being said, before I began The Green Shore, my post-World War II knowledge of Greek history was feeble at best. I have therefore set myself on a track of diligent YouTube video study in order to educate myself on the finer points of Greek culture (I’ve included some links at the bottom of the blog).

The Green Shore opens with a coup d’état: it’s 1967, and the right-wing Junta, led by three officers in the Greek military, have overthrown the democratic government and established themselves as the rightful government of Greece. Backed by the USA, the Junta removed eleven articles of the Greek constitution and left the Greek people unprotected from their own government. Almost simultaneously, Greek intellectuals and politicians were imprisoned and tortured.

Ms. Bakopoulos’s book is not so much about Greece, as much as it is about a family abandoned by their own country—expatriates in their own homes. Eleni, a widowed mother of three children, struggles to come to terms with the radical change in government while her eldest daughter distributes leftist literature and her son prepares to leave for college in the States. Even under the hand of harsh rule, the microcosm of family is what really keeps the plot pushing forward. Anna, Eleni’s youngest child, falls in love with a married man twice her age. Various members of the family are imprisoned, underground health clinics are opened, and summer holidays to Hydra are rife with intrigue. The book culminates with the Athens Polytechnic School uprisings which eventually was the harbinger for the end of the dictatorship.

The best part of the book? Ms Bakopoulos’s self-portrait she drew in my copy.

Recent Riots in Athens

Cool Greek Chill Out Music

How To Make Greek Gyro

My Big Fat Greek Wedding

George Seferis–Nobel Prize winning Greek Poet

For James Brown the magic of the One was a trade secret. The One had mystique and that was good for business. The One was the way to find yourself in music. In Africa, the One was means for drummers to come together. For James Brown, the powerful One was his heart, soul and strength. The One was up beat, putting him in touch with his past and then who he became. Also, it put him in charge of a culture for which he was king.

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The upbeat is rich and powerful, and the downbeat weak. By stepping up proud and becoming The One, you didn’t follow the passive. Power was the music as it was in life, the One.

R. J. Smith has given Soul Brothers and Funksters a fascinating look into the Godfather’s Life. James Brown’s amazing story is one through his trials, abuse and at times a celebration. The One is a masterful story of the most important musician during my growing up. R. J.’s book has given me a clearer understanding of Brown’s life which is the tool to understand the music in full and grasp to some degree how it was created.

The One is so well researched and expertly written the reader feels how close this book and JB became a part of R. J.’s inner being. A book that seems composed and driven not just by the subjects powerful force but one guided b y an inner spirit, a passion. R. J.’s passion is rewarded. It’s a wonderful biography where James Brown’s mystique is brought forth into reality. Hey, I’m glowing about The One. This book is born from will power and fire and smoke it is not.

Personally, my James Brown attraction began in my mid-teens. Driven by the great AM radion station WOKJ, my love for Soul Brother #1 grew. The recently built Jackson coliseum became my fortress for the southern post-chiltlin acts, largely out of Memphis. At fourteen, before I could drive, I maneuvered myself to a tag-a-long to catch Mr. What I Say Ray Charles and the Rayletts. During the Soul hey-day, Jackson exploded with black music. The likes of Sam and Dave, Joe Tex, Bobby Blue Bland, Jackie Wilson, Otis Redding and others. This was the era when white audience began to really open up to to black music. However, without question, the king pen appearances I experienced were of The One.

I believe it was the summer of 67 and 68 that the Godfather blessed his children. Both shows were marvelous and there was a time for cold sweat and we received the blessing. I welcome any comments or memories of these concert times. Give me a shout out if you attended either.

Lemuria is having a James Brown throw back as we celebrate R. J.’s The One. Please join us at 5:00 on Friday. Bring your stories and memorbilia. R. J. will share his take on our king as we spin vinyl and add our localism to honor Soul Brother #1.