Set in the depression years in the woods of North Carolina, the Permberton husband/wife team is courageous, cunning and ruthless. Even the men of the timber camp fear this white stallion riding, eagle training, tougher than nails beautiful pioneer woman. All is well until Serena’s husband tries to protect his illegitimate son. The suspense that ensues keeps the reader on the edge of his or her chair! Do not stop reading until the unpredictable end is reached! Rash is at his best! Come hear him read at Lemuria and get your book signed on Wednesday, November 5 at 5 p.m.

-Nan

Being determined to finish this incredible novel about Katrina’s wrath in New Orleans before Piazza’s reading tomorrow afternoon (Wednesday, August 20), I have read for much of the last 48 hours. For its humanity, its forthrightness, its honesty, and its vibrancy in the midst of pain and relived destruction experienced not so long ago by us Mississippians, who grew up visiting N.O., I applaud its author.  The poignancy of loss exhibited within its pages will capture the heart of every reader; yet, it gives reason for hope and renewal, not only for New Orleans, but for mankind in general. This is one to get a copy of…. fast as you can! -Nan

See Sarah’s Blog on City of Refuge.

See John’s Blog on City of Refuge.

-Nan

City of Refuge: A Novel

Tom Piazza

Harper: August 19, 2008

Three years ago, so many lives in Deep Dixie were affected by Katrina. Many nonfiction books of essay, memoir, photo-essay, history and commentary have been published about this life-changing hurricane. Refuge, I believe, is the first piece of serious fiction to come out about this time. Ambitious and successful, I celebrate this novel’s publication by choosing it for our September 2008 First Edition Club Selection.

Refuge deals with two families (one 9th ward and one uptown) as we see windows into their lives and their souls. We live with these folks, as if they are real, which is a magical quality of very good fiction. Their story is told in this familiar plot as if they are breathing and somehow Tom maintains his vision of truth in fiction. Refuge is writing without too much sentimentality, neurosis and without contriteness that plagues many factual situational novels. His characters live and speak and you feel alive as a reader in knowing them. Their joys, their problems and plainly just their human ways of living and surviving.

I’m excited to be involved with promoting this novel, Tom’s my pal and I thought this book might be too much for him, I was so wrong. He excels.

Refuge is fresh, real and a serious page-turner. Oddly enough, I’m reminded of my first reading of John Grisham’s The Firm, many years ago. Good people make mistakes and you identify with their shortcomings. Troubled folks can learn how to enhance their lives and all the time, you the reader, are part of the feelings of pain, joy and truth. To the last page, Tom is successful and especially with the ending, no sentimental sap here. Just the guts of survival.

In reading Refuge, I feel the heart of New Orleans vibrate with humanity and the livable party spirit which those of us who visit value and enjoy.

Anyone touched by the pain of association with this great storm, should enjoy the wisdom of this novel. And be motivated to get off your ass and go to New Orleans and party, and may you find Chief Bo and his band of Indians chanting joy over the drums and rhythm, relishing in the spirit of rebirth.

See Nan’s Blog on City of Refuge

See Sarah’s Blog on City of Refuge

Light Comes Through

Buddhist Teachings on Awakening to Our Natural Intelligence

By Dzigar Kongtrul

Shambala (July 2008)

Last year, or so, I enjoyed DK’s other book Its Up To You in a large scale way. Excited about his 2^nd book, I dived in ASAP. Learning how to work on our emotional selves is so interesting and it seems as constant as breathing, eating, sleeping and just seeing the world around us.

I believe, putting it simply, all of us want to love more, see our internal and external worlds as clearly as possible. We want to stay fully healthy while expressing insights and interpreting our lives. LCT is very clearly written, adaptively arranged for the reader, essay length chapters make DK’s knowledge and understanding accessible for us to study and grasp. Light is an excellent satisfying extension of Its Up to You.

Some fine endorsements:

“LCT shimmers with frank advice on becoming more intelligent about our emotions. DK offers a practical path to clarify and peace.” –Daniel Goldman

“This is a wonderful fresh look at the amazing potential of our human mind. DK continues to challenge and encourage us.” –Pema Chodron

“LCT is a wonderful guidebook for living a very different kind of life.” – Sharon Salzberg

The Selected Poems

By Li Po (701-762)

Translated by David Hinton

New Directions (1996)

About 4 years ago, I read this collection and last month I decided to reread Li Po, one of my favorite Chinese poets.

Li Po was called the “Banished Immortal,” an exiled spirit moving through this world with an unearthly ease and freedom from attachment. He is free from the attachments to self, however he profoundly belongs to mother earth. Li Po’s life was full of travel, big time pleasure drinking and a disdain of décor and authority. His meditative poems reflect his unfolding of being, rooted in non-being stillness.

I find Li Po easy to read, and that his poems lean from reading to self-reflection. Contemplative, yet, fun, profound they exist, somehow, from within the writer so long ago to within the reader of the present. Timeless so to say.

In wanting to share a poem, I just opened to a turned down page, and this was the poem:

9/9, Out drinking on Dragon Mountain

I’m an exile among yellow blossoms smiling

Soon drunk, I watch my cap tumble in the wind,

Dance in love—A guest the moon invites.

Li Po, ended his life out drunk in a boat, fell into the river and drowned trying to embrace the moon.