Drop by the store if you would like one of the these posters to hang up.

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This blog entry is for the person who knows pretty much nothing about Chuck Palahniuk. For the people who read Chuck Palahniuk, for the people who are on the edge of their seat waiting for his latest book, they seem to be pretty tight-lipped about what they’re reading. Maybe you’re like me: You know the movie Fight Club. Well, that was based on Chuck’s book of the same name.

I am writing this blog to share some of my observations as I delve into the world of Chuck Palahniuk. If you’re still curious at the end of this blog, I urge you to spend some time on Chuck’s official fan page right here.

Chuck grew up in Washington, and after the age of 14 when his parents divorced, he spent a good deal of time on his maternal grandparents cattle ranch. His paternal grandparents he never knew but Joshua Chaplinsky explains in a bio written for The Official Chuck Palahniuk Web Page that they certainly left an impression:

The surname, Palahniuk, which is Ukrainian in origin, can be spelled and pronounced numerous different ways. According to Chuck, his paternal grandparents decided to pronounce it as a combination of their first names, Paula and Nick. But Chuck never knew his father’s parents.

As recounted in an interview with The Independent, his grandfather shot and killed his grandmother after an argument over the cost of a sewing machine. Chuck’s father, who was three at the time, watched from under a bed as Nick Palahniuk searched the house for additional victims, before turning the gun on himself.

In the article, Chuck is quoted as saying, “My grandfather was hit over the head by a crane boom in Seattle. Some of the family claimed he was never a violent, crazy person before that. Some say he was. It depends who you believe.” The tragic event is depicted on the U.S. cover of Stranger Than Fiction.

I am reading the true stories collected in Stranger Than Fiction right now. I decided to delve into this before I started reading his fiction. I wanted to know what inspired his fiction.

Some of the essays are the stories of true-life encounters with subcultures: a testicle festival in Montana, the strange world of Marilyn Manson, men building their own full-size castles and rocket ships they hope will send them into space.  These and others seem to inspire the content of Chuck’s fiction. He reminds me of my favorite sociology teacher, reporting to us what people on the fringes were doing–not judging, just reporting.

One particular essay, “Dear Mr. Levin,” seems to explain the reason behind the content. You may remember The Stepford Wives. Well, that was written by Ira Levin. Chuck explains why he believes Mr. Levin has been so successful in fan letter form:

Your books, they’re not so much horror stories as cautionary fables. You write a smart, updated version of the kind of folksy legends that cultures have always used–like nursery rhymes and stain-glassed windows–to teach some basic ideas to people.

Your books, including Rosemary’s Baby, The Stepford Wives, and Sliver, take some of the thorniest issues in our culture and charm us into facing the problem. As recreation. You turn this kind of therapy into fun. On our lunch breaks, waiting for the bus, lying in bed, you have us face these Big Issues, and fighting them.

I am about three chapters into an advanced copy of Damned. Already I am wondering what issues Chuck presents in the character of Maddy, a thirteen-year-old chubby girl who finds herself in Hell and says she died of an overdose of marijuana and suffers from extremely low self-esteem. How does she describe what it’s like to be dead? Maddy says if you’re good at watching television or surfing the Internet you’ll be good at being dead.

Our bookstore friend, Neil White commented about his introduction to Chuck from Barry Hannah:

“I’m a big fan, too. First discovered Chuck while playing tennis with Barry Hannah in the mid-90s. After a game, Barry held up an ARC of Fight Club. ‘I get five of these things a week,’ Barry said, ‘I rarely get past the first page.’  Then he handed me the book and said, ‘this one’s different.'”

“High praise from a guy who also recognized the real deals.”

Obviously, there is much more to Chuck. Check him out for yourself.

To get the details on Chuck Palahniuk’s visit to Jackson on October 20th, click here.

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Lemuria already misses Mississippi’s renowned and beloved artist and author Miriam Weems whose untimely and tragically sudden death shook us all  tremendously on Saturday, August 20. Our sympathies go to her sons, Sam and Baxter, to her husband Tommy, and to her brother Dick.

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The collection of  Miriam’s paintings, titled Mostly Mississippi, which she compiled and published in 2007, has been a best seller here at Lemuria since its publication. The gorgeous bright pink book is filled with numerous paintings for which she had been commissioned. From its opening with a view looking up Capitol Street during the Mal’s St. Paddy’s Day Parade to the last painting of New York’s Wall Street, the beautiful collection showcases her unique art.  We at Lemuria  continue to reorder it.

The second book, for which she was known, is a cookbook published by the Mississippi Animal Rescue League titled Best in Show: Our Best Recipes for Man’s Best Friends, for which Miriam painted the front which shows dogs and cats as chefs and as diners in a brightly lit happy restaurant which serves only our animal friends. Miriam’s recipes for Curried Chicken Salad, Hearty Vegetable Soup, and Fudge Pudding will certainly be favorites of all.  A fervent animal lover and activist, Miriam was through and through. Her home was filled for years with dogs that she had adopted. She delighted to hear of her friends giving  dogs and cats a home.

Though we Lemurians  have loved showing customers her two beautiful books, what we will miss the most is when Miriam came into Lemuria to sign them! Her effervescent smile and contagious personality brought the store alive within moments of when she walked in. Pretty soon, we were all smiling and laughing with her!

Maggie and I left Lemuria last Tuesday morning and went to Miriam’s celebration of life service/funeral at my church, St. Andrew’s Episcopal Cathedral. To say there was only standing room is an understatement, for the nave and chapel were filled to capacity; friends were standing five to ten deep at the back—what a testament to her capacity to make and keep friends from far and wide. She was truly loved by many. The theme of the homily and the entire service, including the music was “light”, as in “this little light of mine”. Everyone there would agree that Miriam was a bright happy light who spread joy wherever she went, not only in person but in every single painting she created. Light and color and happiness emanated from her work, just as they did from within her.

Miriam’s prominent portrait artist son Baxter Knowlton worked at Lemuria a decade or so ago. It is not hard to determine from whence his great talent and sensitivity come. Maggie often talks of the fun that she and Baxter had at the front desk many years ago. In the dedication of Mostly Mississippi, Miriam wrote: “To the men in my life–My husband Tommy, who makes me happy, my sons Sam and Baxter, of whom I am very proud, and my brother Dick, who is always there for me….and to my parents, to whom I am forever grateful.”

Miriam was my neighbor, my friend, and a fellow church communicant for almost thirty years. We also shared the mutual joy of having wonderful artist sons of whom we talked about with much pride incessantly. I will miss her greatly. Miriam was a gift to all who knew her.  -Nan

Dear Listener,

Within my first couple of weeks at Lemuria, I caught book fever.  If you are not familiar with this disease, I’ll have you know it can be very deadly (to your bank account).  The symptoms include, but are not limited to: salivating over first editions, feeling a yearning to take books home with you every day, and searching the dense data base for interesting editions of books you may already have.

This is how I ended up ordering an annotated version of Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions (1884) by Edwin A. Abbott, a book I already own twice over.  As densely written as it is, this new annotated edition (annotated by Ian Stewart) brought to light so many ideas that I had not understood in previous readings.

Isaac Asimov said this about Flatland:

Why has the book remained so popular for almost a hundred years? Because, like Mark Twain, Professor Abbott must have thought: I refuse to be serious about a serious subject. Churches brim with seriousness and snoozers snooze. Scientific conferences of one denomination or another drone on through endless and ungoiden afternoons and one chooses the catnap as against suicide. The only medicine is high spirits and good humor.

If you find 19^th century mathematical science fiction to be dense and un-interpretable, this timeless song from Neutral Milk Hotel’s 1998 album In the Aeroplane Over the Sea might help you feel more willing in your artistic acceptance.

by Simon

When I hear about recipes designed for those with special nutritional needs or food allergies, I instantly think that I will never get all the ingredients together. That’s not the case with Allergy Proof Recipes for Kids. Designed by two moms, this cookbook is beautiful, simple and educational.

Every recipe is gluten free and free of other problem foods, such as wheat, dairy products, egg, peanuts, tree nuts, sugar. Most recipes are accompanied by a photograph, tips, techniques and key nutritional information. Also included are suggestions for substitutions so that you can adapt many recipes to fit your child’s needs.

While this cookbook is designed with kids in mind, adults will also find the recipes appealing. Some of my favorites include: crunchy granola bars, turkey rice salad, mini quiches, bean dip, gourmet oatmeal chocolate chuck cookies and chicken noodle soup. With all these yummy recipes, there’s no need to feel intimidated by a food allergy.