Chris Rose is the voice of post-katrina New orleans. This book is a compilation of his editorials that appeared in the Times-Picayune during and in the months following Katrina. He doesn’t mince words and he speaks from the heart. This is a must read for anyone with any connection to New Orleans. I started crying from the first word and didnt stop until well after I put the book down.

This was a phenominal book. I love Iles, his books are so in depth and really pull you in. He doesn’t skimp on details and never abruptly ends the story as I find so many of my favorite authors doing recently. I finished this book during the first half of the Superbowl. At a Superbowl party. With people screaming and hollering all around me. It was that good that I really could not put it down. If you are looking for a new author, try out Greg Iles.

Turning Angel is the story of Drew Elliott, accused of murdering his pregnant, teenage lover; and his best friend Penn Cage who believes in his innocence and risks everything to prove it. Its also the story of the what really goes on underneath the sleepy, picturesque town of Natchez, what people dont see and dont want to see. It could be anytown USA.

Kristy passed this book on to me a few months ago and I’ve finally worked my way down to it on the pile. Another book that I wished I hadn’t waited so long to read. It’s a captivating mystery centered in the art world of New Orleans, but also touches upon the sensitive race issues of the south. I enjoyed Bradley’s writing style and will be looking for other books by him.

I’ve had this book for so long and kept bypassing it in favor of other books. Now I’m sorry I did! This was a GREAT read! At over 500 pages, I read the entire thing today, I just could not put it down!

Set in 1898/1899 New Orleans, this is the story of Pete (the Pope) and Tom (the Emperor) and a year of their adventures and misadventures in the Storyville District of New Orleans. The only disappointment was that book ended, and left the reader hanging, wondering if Pete and Rita ever find their way back to one another. Its an adventure, a love story and a history lesson. Anyone familiar with New Orleans will appreciate all the cultural references, some that are still in existance today.

This was an amazing book that tells the story, more so than the history of the city of New Orleans. Despite being written in 1928, its an engaging and fascinating book. At times I thought the author was speaking of present day NOLA.

Not really a book,just a few pages with “rules” to live by, one on each page…cute but not worth purchasing for the full price….kind of a “stocking stuffer” type of thing…

I started this book on New Years Eve and finished it off on New Years day. MGM is compilation of 11 sort stories, centered around Mardi Gras in New Orleans. It was a quick, fun read, great for getting in the Mardi Gras mood.

The stories all focused on the dark, macabre side of Mardi Gras: vampires, ghosts; the things that happen in dark alleys while the party goes on, the real “farewell to the flesh”.

Each story was really engrossing and I found myself wishing most of them were full length books…

This was a really fascinating book. Robert tallant describes the entire history of Mardi Gras up until the publication of this book in 1947. Its filled with facts, stories, legends and antedotes about every aspect of Mardi Gras, from parades to balls to masking, to Krewes and so much more. What was amazing to me is how little Mardi Gras has actually changed over time. I found this quote to really encompass the gist of Mardi Gras:

“Mardi Gras is a spirit. I believe it is an immortal one. It is certain that it is at least as immmortal as mans ability to make believe to escape the dreariness of the everyday life that is most mens portion, to have fun, to laugh, and to play. .........I think if there is any world left in which human beings still laugh and still, even on rare occasions, have fun, there will be a Mardi Gras and that it will live through whatever catastrophes occur, as it survived the perishing of Greece, the destruction of Rome the centuries of pain and plague that we call the middle ages, the perilous journey to the end of the earth that turned out to be America and all the wars. .....that is why Mardi Gras is not a trivial matter but a very important one. In a way it is a symbol of the art of being human, and wherever people are still human, wherever they enjoy living, it will exist in some form”

Those wordss were written over 60 years ago…they are so profoundly relevant this year, for this Mardi Gras, the first Mardi Gras following Hurricane Katrina, when people are argueing that there shouldn’t be a Mardi Gras…those words need to be revisited, because Mardi Gras is not a singular event,something that can be controlled or held at will, its’ spirit will persevere because Mardi Grasis so intricatley entwined into the very being of New Orleans.

Any fans of Mardi Gras or New Orleans history will really enjoy this book. For being 60 years old, its so timely and the writing flows easily and Tallants stories suck you right in.

This was a really quick read! But well worth the few hours it will take you to consume it. It’s a humerous look at what growing up in the South is all about, more so a guide for yankee want to be southern belles. It also has some great recipes throughout. I laughed because the first two chapters focused on things I was planning on doing this year even before I read the book: 1)Plant a magnolia tree in the yard and 2)buy a good iron skillet.