As one grows older, reading for hours on end is a luxury. More often than not, a book is read in bits and pieces. So it was delightful to discover the books of Katherine Rundell, who writes with such vivid lyricism that I finished both of her books, uninterrupted, in one Sunday afternoon.

Cartwheeling in Thunderstorms (Simon and Schuster, 2014)

This book is perfect to read, in fact, when it might be thundering outside. Wilhelmina Silver (or Will for short) loves running wild on the African savanna where her father is the foreman of Two Tree Hill farm. Rundell’s prose dances like the lilting speech of the savanna: “It was like the world was carved out of expectant silence. Will sniffed and tucked her legs under her chin. Her knees smelled the same as the air, of woodsmoke and earth. Had anyone ever been as happy as her?” When Will’s father dies of malaria, she is left an orphan and is sent away to boarding school in cold, urban London. Boarding school in England, she discovers, is not a place that welcomes racing, singing and cartwheeling, but is a gray contrast to her sunny Africa. Young readers will recognize Will’s journey to stay true to herself as the world around her changes. The magic of the African savanna comes from Rundell’s own childhood growing up in Zimbabwe, where she lived until she was 14.

Rooftoppers (Simon and Schuster, 2013)

Rundell’s first novel begins with the lines, “The morning of its first birthday, a baby was found floating in a cello case in the middle of the English Channel.” In Rooftoppers, Rundell flexes her storytelling muscles: “Think of night-time with a speaking voice. Or think how moonlight might talk, or think of ink, if ink had vocal chords. Give those things a narrow aristocratic face with hooked eyebrows, and long arms and legs, and that is what the baby saw as she was lifted out of her cello case and up into safety. His name was Charles Maxim, and he determined, as he held her in his large hands — at arm’s length, as he would a leaky flowerpot — that he would keep her.” Charles names the baby Sophie, and what follows is Sophie’s adventure to find her mother, whom she believes is still alive. As she races over the rooftops of Paris, young readers will be swept up in the magic of the story.

Written by Clara

3 or 4 nights a week I moonlight as a bartender. And so whenever a new cocktail book comes out, I can’t wait to see what it’s all about. The craft cocktail revolution over the last ten years has brought in many new “classic cocktail” books. But I am not exaggerating when I say, they all pale in comparison to Death + Co’s book. Here are some reasons:

1. This book is sexy. The cover (black boards with silver inlay lettering, the photography, and the illustrations (pen and ink drawings of the tools of the trade are interspersed throughout) all come together to make this a well-rounded addition to any cocktail enthusiast.

2. Reading recipes was never this much fun. I’m sure that not everybody wants to spend their Sunday afternoon reading cocktail recipes, but that’s not the only thing on these pages. Wondering exactly what Aquavit is? Check out page 37. The authors recommend that you try Linnie Aquavit or Krogstad Aquavit. Wondering what bitters do to a cocktail, page 47 is invaluable. (Did you know there are 2 basic ways bitters work in a drink–lifting or binding?)

3. The Regulars. Being a bartender is great, not just for the creativity of making something that somebody is going to drink and enjoy immediately, but because of the regulars. Death + Co features some of the people who have kept them on their toes and in business throughout the book. This homage to the man or woman on the other side of the bar is pretty classy. (I’m also nosey; I want to know what Sherri Harrison drinks and why.

4. Graphs and Charts. There is a flow chart to help you decide what kind of spirits/cocktails you should drink. There is a glossary of bar terms. A pie chart breaking down the flavor profile of the major spirit categories and how they mix together.

5. It’s for everybody. Yes, this book is chockfull of information for bartenders and restraunteurs (in fact, I think that EVERYBODY working behind a bar should read this book) but it’s also a great starting point for the hobbiest. There is advice for setting up a bar in your home, and even recipes for large-batch cocktails to serve at your next Christmas party.

6. The Drinks. Death + Co opened in NYC in 2006 and their attention to detail has made them one of the best cocktail bars in the country. Taste a drink and you will know why. From simple and classic (Negroni, Last Word, Old Fashioned) to complex (Smoked Horchata, Cobra’s Fang, Sweet Hereafter) these drinks are worth lingering over.

-A

The Life- Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo is brimming over with a treasure-trove of wisdom.  What can I possibly say to convince you that it is a gem of a book that may be the pick of the non-fiction crop of best books of 2014-2015?  Moreover, it is a call to action that can make anyone’s life better.

It’s all about getting your house in order, both literally and figuratively; by following a set of perhaps counter-intuitive steps.  Rather easy steps if you want to start your again life feeling fresh, transformed, and light as a dust bunny.  Ms. Kondo’s mantra is “discard anything that doesn’t spark joy.”  Are you truly ever going to wear that t-shirt that made you feel like Superman? Touch it.  Does it still give you a spark of joy?  If not, discard it.  She says discarding things is a letting go, that frees you up for your passions and your purpose.  Are you holding onto letters from old boyfriends who are now just pleasant memories of things past?  Throw them away.  That was then.  Now is now.  Make room for yourself.

Ms. Kondo is a self-professed lover of tidiness, a love kindled as early as age 5 when she was left to her own devices and imagination by a well-meaning mother whose nurturing centered around a younger and an older sibling.  While other kids played on the playground, our gentle author tidied up the bookshelves and janitor’s closet; not for recognition, but out of a passion for putting things in their rightful place.  Now she is a consultant around the world and her book has sold more than 2 million copies, having been particularly embraced by the Japanese, German and British.

So take my word for it.  Read it, act on it, then pass it on.  Ms. Kondo says of practicing the principles in this book, ”A dramatic reorganization of the  home causes correspondingly dramatic changes in lifestyle and perspective.  It is life transforming.”

Here’s a fun Christmas idea that we book movers at Lemuria can do for you, except for the bow:  Buy 5 or 6 books, just enough to stack without them toppling, starting at the bottom with Jackson by Ken Murphy, and then top it off with The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up.  Secure with flat, thick strands of gold ribbon leading to the fluffy generous bow right on top of Ms. Kondo’s book.  All tidy and nice.

Marie Kondo  213 pages, $16.99 Ten Speed Press

Written by Pat

Adie’s got a nose for winners, ladies and gentlemen! Redeployment just won the National Book Award! 

The National Book Award for fiction (as well as the other genres) will be announced this Wednesday, and the list of contenders is, as it is every year, a compilation of some of this year’s finest releases.

This year’s list is a fruit salad of books. Blockbuster Marilynne Robinson’s Lila. Overlooked until now, Emily St. John Mandel’s Station Eleven. Anthony Doer’s World War II novel, All the Light We Cannot See. Lebanese-American Rabih Alameddine’s quiet but unboring An Unnecessary Woman. And Phil Klay’s debut collection of short stories, Redeployment.

The real surprise here is Redeployment. As we head into another year of war in the Middle East, American soldiers once again returning to Iraq, this is a war we would like to see behind us. Give us stories of soldiers returning home. Of lives rebuilt from the wreckage of war. Of battlefields grown over. Of anything except IEDs and terrorist cells and soldiers crippled with PTSD. But Klay writes about the Second Gulf War in a way I have never read about it before.

Each of the 12 stories drowns the reader in a different facet of contemporary warfare–the chaplain sent to minister to marines, a state department worker establishing a water treatment facility for Sunni and Shiite, a veteran on the GI bill, a soldier in charge of collection remains.

Reading Redeployment, I was pleasantly surprised by the subtle power Phil Klay displays. Many of the stories walk the line between comedy and tragedy. His adherence to his characters is a force to be reckoned with.

Written by Adie

Epic Sports, 2000.

With this year’s exciting football season, even booksellers find a way to participate in Mississippi’s football madness. Rick Cleveland’s Vaught: The Man and His Legacy is a pictorial history of Johnny Vaught, the Texan who became an icon in Southern football and led the University of Mississippi through 25 seasons of some of its most historic football from 1947-1973. Ole Miss won six Southeastern Conference championships under Vaught and the team has not won another championship since then.

What was the secret to the Legendary Vaught’s success? Cleveland addresses this question throughout the book. Robert Khayat cites Vaught’s natural leadership abilities: the assembly of the best coaching team, the setting of goals and maintaining of focus, and the recruitment of players who could meet those expectations. The late Bruiser Kinard added that Coach Vaught wanted his assistant coaches to problem solve on their own. Vaught is quoted saying, “I didn’t want yes-men; I wanted people who would speak their mind.” Vaught earned his staff’s respect and they stayed with his team for a long time.

When Vaught: The Man and His Legacy was released in 2000, the 91-year-old Vaught graciously joined Cleveland for signings at bookstores and other venues. Signed copies of “Vaught” are great mementos to Mississippi’s football history. Rick Cleveland has spent over 40 years sharing his love for writing and sports with Mississippi and beyond. As I watch this historic football season unfold, I can’t help but wonder if Cleveland will be able to keep his book-writing pen still.