to all of my fellow geek love fans out there…

get your hands on this book now.  it doesn’t matter if you give a hoot about boxing or not, you won’t be able to put this book down.

one ring circus is a collection of katherine dunn’s boxing essays and articles that have been published together for the first time.  this is sports writing like i’ve never seen before and probably won’t see again.  dunn’s writing it absolutely fantastic whether it’s about circus freaks or boxing champs.

by Zita

Clarksdale, Mississippi — The production crew from the blues documentary “M for Mississippi: A Road Trip through the Birthplace of the Blues” will host a booth this Thursday and Friday at the Mississippi Blues Marathon Expo in the Jackson Convention Complex.

The Blues Expo — an official preamble to Saturday’s Mississippi Blues Marathon — will feature multiple vendors as well as live blues music, including performances by artists featured the award-winning film “M for Mississippi.”

“The film ‘M for Mississippi’ showcases the state of Mississippi blues today,” according to Roger Stolle, one of the film’s producers. “By mixing firsthand accounts of cotton plantations and chain gangs with live music at traditional juke joints and house parties, we sought to capture the essence of this amazing living history and the personalities behind it.”

The movie “M for Mississippi” is available on DVD and features two accompanying CD soundtracks. It is a Blues Music Award and Living Blues Award winner and has been screened in the US, Canada, Italy, Belgium and Denmark.

Filmed in 2008, “M for Mississippi” is an entertaining, week-long road-trip movie that visits a dozen veteran bluesmen throughout the Magnolia State — including legends James “T-Model” Ford, LC Ulmer and Jimmy “Duck” Holmes. Three of the film’s producers — Roger Stolle of Cat Head Delta Blues & Folk Art, Jeff Konkel of Broke & Hungry Records and Kari Jones of Mudpuppy Recordings — will be attending the “M for Mississippi” booth at this week’s expo.  (Cinematographer Damien Blaylock and recording engineer Bill Abel rounded out the production team.)

“Roger, Kari and I will be on hand to discuss the movie and offer a selection of our blues DVDs and CDs,” explained Jeff Konkel. “We’re excited to be introducing Jackson to our movie and record labels during the Blues Marathon Expo.”

The Blues Expo will be held at the Jackson Convention Complex (105 Pascagoula Street) and open from 5pm-9pm on Thursday, January 7th, and 10am-7pm on Friday, January 8th.

Up From the Cradle of Jazz: New Orleans Music Since World War II dives into one of the city’s most alluring and charming qualities. The authors explain the culture from the origins of New Orleans Rhythm and Blues to the aftermath of Katrina.  Musicians mentioned are: Professor Longhair, Eenie K-Doe and his Mother in Law lounge, Earl King, Allen Toussaint, The Funky Meters, Fats Domino, Dr. John, The Mardi Gras Indians, the Wild Magnolias, The Neville Brothers and more.  Some of the photos shown capture action shots of musicians on stage and bands second lining, while others depict old band photos.  The history of the musicians, and the songs  as well as the musical culture of New Orleans is told through lyrics and stories of Cajun and Creole traditions which are used to translate lyrics such as Hey Pocky Way. It also explains how New Orleans music has been an influence all over the world.  Many of Allen Toussaint’s songs were covered by bands such as the Rolling Stones who did Fortune Teller, and Ringo Star who redid Lipstick Traces. Up From the Cradle of Jazz tells the stories of great musicians and traditions that have influenced music all over the world and kept the culture of New Orleans fun and unique.

-Sarah Clinton

The fab review by Jonathan Lethem in the Sunday Times Book Review convinced me to pick up Lorrie Moore’s novel, her first in eleven years, the day I read it.  Then the book sat on my bookcase for two months while I was distracted by the barrage of holidays during this time of year.  I picked it up again halfway through December, and even amid nights of holiday and retail exhaustion I found myself unable to read less than thirty pages in one sitting.

Tassie Keltjin is a Midwestern farmer’s daughter who, while in college in a liberal university town (her semester docket includes such fare as “The Neutral Pelvis,” “Wine Tasting,” and “Soundtracks to War Movies;” though the latter two are self-explanatory, it bears mentioning that the first is a yoga class), is hired as a nanny by an enigmatic couple on the verge of adopting a mixed-race little girl.  All this is happening in the fall of 2001, just after the September 11 attacks, and during the semester following the winter break, when Tassie begins to work for the Thornwood-Brinks, bonding with little Mary-Emma as if she were her own, and she meets darkly handsome, supposedly Brazilian Reynaldo in her “Intro to Sufism” course, embarking on a blinding infatuation with him, she becomes enmeshed in a culture of extreme political correctness, experiencing the consequences of emotional inattention and detachment that are an inevitable result of that culture.

At this point you may be nodding your head and thinking such smug thoughts as, “I know where this is going.”  Well, you don’t.  Not really.  Well, you sort of do.  But not in all the most important ways.  The reason Moore’s book ended up being one of my favorites this year goes deeper than its narrative.  The reason can be found in the subtle ways Tassie learns that she’s not so unlike her sometimes-lunatic employer Sarah Brink, because a life-changing event can be caused by inaction, and too late Tassie realizes that she has let her indecision become a crutch, and that there are forces that can take destructive advantage when one has let herself become mired in insouciance.

A Gate at the Stairs is sometimes laugh-out-loud funny, sometimes darkly sarcastic, sometimes heavy and tragic, and always brilliant.  And Lemuria has autographed copies.

The Story Behind the Pick: Bloodroot by Amy Greene

One of the store’s favorite people, Valerie, who is an alum employee of Lemuria and now our Random House rep was the first to bring this book to our attention.  Valerie wrote a letter about Bloodroot which was included with the advanced readers copies sent out to bookstores all over the great land.  When Valerie was in Jackson around Christmas time helping out at the store, she was quite adamant about us Lemurians getting on board with this book.

Norma was the first of us to pick up Bloodroot and give it a go. When she finished it she was pumped about it which got the ball rolling on our decision to choose it for First Editions Club.

“I think Amy Greene is going to be somebody special.  She writes beautifully, but perhaps even more important than that, she takes her time.  Her words conjure not just images but feelings.  The setting of Bloodroot is the Appalachian mountains which is a perfect background for Greene.  Her words roll on nice and leisurely just like the scenery and her understanding and respect for these mountain people is very much in evidence.  I think it’s exciting to read a young author that you know will be back again and again.” -Norma

This is a debut novel by Amy Greene.  She told us while signing her books that her next novel has already been turned into her editor.

Seeing as Bloodroot was already in its second printing before publication, it very well could become a collectors item.

You can see a video of Amy Greene’s book tour of the south which includes a bit of Lemuria on her website.

Amy Greene was here for a signing and reading on February 10 2010. Bloodroot had an initial print run of 50,000 copies.  It was published by Alfred A Knopf.

First Editions Club: February 2010

First Editions Club: March 2010

First Editions Club: April 2010

by Zita