Good Reads, Part II

In my last post I mentioned a few of the books I've read lately. I want to continue that today with a few more.

Chronicles, Volume One, by Bob Dylan
I read this book after a friend of mine mentioned it in her blog a few months ago (http://laurieishere.blogspot.com). I down-loaded the audio book from itunes and liked it so much I decided I needed a "real" copy. Note to self for future reference: the word "abridged" on an audio book means they leave a LOT of stuff out.

If you are a Bob Dylan fan, you will likely love this book. If not, it is still an interesting read. In addition to being a living encyclopedia of American music, Bob Dylan is a master poet with a dry sense of humor. His prose is often more poetical than most poets' poetry. I especially enjoyed the middle section of the book ("Oh Mercy") which recounts the time Dylan spent in New Orleans recording the album of the same name.

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, John Berendt
This is another book that's hard to put down. It is written by a New York author who decided to move to Savannah, Georgia, and who subsequently lands right in the middle of the story of a lifetime. It is supposedly based on a true story of a murder (or not a murder, you decide). The story's richness is in the characters that can only exist in southern towns. Be forewarned that many of the characters in this book would not likely be found sitting next to you in Sunday School (and that's a shame).

The Most They Ever Had, Rick Bragg
One of Alabama's best authors writes the stories of poor whites and their struggles working in the cotton mills. Having grown up in central Alabama and being only one generation out of the mill village, I found the book to be a humbling reminder of the trials and tribulations that my recent ancestors went through just to put food on the table and survive. If you can read this one without a tear or two, your momma didn't raise you right.

Bragg writes great stories, all nonfiction (All Over but the Shouting, Ava's Man, and The Prince of Frogtown, to name a few). He can turn a phrase with the best of them. I believe he intends to try his hand at fiction in the near future. I'm looking forward to that.

The Widow and the Tree, Sonny Brewer
Another Alabama author, Brewer has written a couple of books set in Fairhope, a south Alabama town on Mobile Bay. This story is a fictionalized account of an historic live oak tree that meets an untimely fate. While not likely to make the New York Times Best Seller list, it is a very good read that I believe most southerners would enjoy.

I hope these short reviews inspire you to cut off your stinking T.V. and read some. There are a lot of great stories out there.