Laissez les Bons Temps Rouler

What could be a better use of our Mardi Gras holiday than lying around eating King Cake and reading books about Louisiana life and culture? We've got to get all of our indulgences and debaucheries out before the start of the Lenten season (but who are we kidding, none of us are giving up our luxurious reading habits!).

Here's a list of great books about Mardi Gras, Louisiana, New Orleans and everything in between.

Mardi Gras: Chronicles of the New Orleans Carnival by Errol Laborde

This extravagantly illustrated volume from a well-respected New Orleans expert covers such topics as the place of the old-line krewes in the evolution of Mardi Gras, women's groups, flambeaux, the Carnival foods, and more. Even with its loyalty to tradition, Carnival in New Orleans has changed dramatically since the 1980s. Terms such as Lundi Gras, Muses, Krewe d'Etat, and Orpheus are now part of the lexicon, while krewe names such as Venus, Mecca, and Freret survive only in trivia conversations and historical records. Fascinating and intimate, this book seamlessly intertwines the past with the present. The rich flavors of New Orleans-cultural and culinary-dance on every page of this handsome book.

Weird Louisiana by  Roger Manley

The essential travel guide to the land of voodoo, hoodoo, and backwater bayous, "Weird Louisiana" reveals everything weird, wacky, and wonderful about this state.

Mardi Gras, Gumbo, and Zydeco by Marcia Gaudet and James C. McDonald

An anthology of essays that afford an understanding of southern Louisiana's diverse culture;
collected here, the essays portray a land and a people that are unlike any other.

A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole

This Pulitzer Prize-winning novel has sold over three-quarters of a million copies and continues to earn critical acclaim. The story of one Ignatius J. Reilly, a "Don Quixote of the French Quarter", it is a masterpiece of human folly and tragedy.

Out of Easy by Ruta Sepetys

Josie, the 17-year-old daughter of a French Quarter prostitute, is striving to escape 1950 New Orleans and enroll at prestigious Smith College when she becomes entangled in a murder investigation.

Satchmo by Steven Brower

A biography in the form of an art book, "Satchmo" tells the story of Louis Armstrong's life through his writings, scrapbooks, and artworks, many of which have never been published before.

Louisiana Curiosities by Bonnye E. Stuart

This definitive collection of the Pelican State's odd, wacky, and most offbeat people, places, and things is filled with quirky photographs throughout and maps for each region. "Louisiana Curiosities" includes humorous state facts and amusing stories and serves as a combination almanac, off-the-wall travel guide, and wacky news gazette.

 Gaston Goes to Mardi Gras by James Rice

Gaston the alligator goes to New Orleans to celebrate Mardi Gras and joins in the "courir du Mardi Gras," watches floats being made, participates in the Zulu parade, and sees other typical sights.

Gumbo Ya-Ya by Lyle Saxon

The living folklore of Louisiana returns in this new edition of the classic long considered the finest collection of Louisiana folk tales and customs ever chronicled. A charming look at the legends and practices of the bayou country, especially New Orleans, Gumbo Ya-Ya has endured as a classic in its genre.

French Quarter Fiction by Joshua Clark and James Nolan

Beautiful, poignant, tragic, and comic, this collection of works by preeminent writers--John Biguenet, Poppy Z. Brite, Robert Olen Butler, Tennessee Williams, and others--explores the mysterious heart of New Orleans.

Dinosaur Mardi Gras by Diane de las Casas

Get ready to stomp and chomp to that mambo beat When carnival time rolls into New Orleans, these hip dinosaurs want to boogie on down. Iguanodon wiggles to the music of a marching band, while Zigongosaurus dances zydeco and Pterodactyal swoops into the crowd. From singing tunes and tossing beads, these big beasts sure know how to party.

Madam by Cari Lynn and Kellie Martin

New Orleans, 1897. Mary Deubler makes a meager living on Venus Alley, the illegal red light district. That all changes when bible-thumping Alderman Sidney Story forces the creation of a legalized district of vice that's mockingly dubbed "Storyville" in his honor. Despite her looks and intelligence, Mary doesn't think she can make it on Basin Street, where girls turn tricks in plush, velvet wallpapered bordellos. But thanks to gumption, twists of fate, even a touch of voodoo, Mary rises above her hopeless lot to become the notorious Madam Josie Arlington. Madam is a fabulous romp through The Big Easy and the irresistible tale of a woman's rise to influence and infamy in a world ruled by men.

 Orleans by Sherri L. Smith

First came the storms.Then came the Fever.And the Wall. After a string of devastating hurricanes and a severe outbreak of Delta Fever, the Gulf Coast has been quarantined. Years later, residents of the Outer States are under the assumption that life in the Delta is all but extinct...but in reality, a new primitive society has been born. Fen de la Guerre is living with the O-Positive blood tribe in the Delta when they are ambushed. Left with her tribe leader's newborn, Fen is determined to get the baby to a better life over the wall before her blood becomes tainted. Fen meets Daniel, a scientist from the Outer States who has snuck into the Delta illegally. Brought together by chance, kept together by danger, Fen and Daniel navigate the wasteland of Orleans. In the end, they are each other's last hope for survival.

 Midnight Bayou by Nora Roberts

Sitting deep in the bayou of Louisiana, Manet Hall has a secret that's been buried for 100 years. Its new owner is maverick Declan Fitzgerald, a man distracted by the alluring Angelina Simone, a woman with her own surprising connection to the mystery.

Unfathomable City by Rebecca Solnit and Rebecca Snedeker

A reinvention of the traditional atlas, one that provides a vivid, complex look at the multi-faceted nature of New Orleans, a city replete with contradictions.

Victoria: Spotlight on Pop-Up Books

This week we'll be turning the spotlight over to Pop-Up Books!  Every kid loves a good pop-up book, right?  Well, it might surprise you to know that the first pop-up books were actually made for adults.  The earliest known pop-up book was created in the 13th century by Ramon Llull of Majorca, a Catalan mystic and poet, to illustrate his philosophical theories.  By the 18th century, pop-up books were primarily used for scholarly material.  Medical pop-up books were particularly popular because the author could show several different parts and layers of the body at once and in relation to everything else.  They were also commonly used for astronomy as well as other scientific areas.
Perhaps it should be noted that the term "pop-up book" may refer to any number of different types of books with moveable parts, such as books with pull tabs, flip tabs, and sliding tabs in addition to the traditional books with popping-out scenes.

It wasn't until the late 18th century that pop-up books were created for entertainment purposes, specifically for children.  The first person to use the term "pop-up book" was publisher Harold Lentz in the United States in the 1930's.

Most pop-up books today are primarily aimed at entertaining children, and though they can sometimes be relatively complicated, the pop-ups are often as simple as a pop-out scene or picture from the book or a pull tab that moves a piece back and forth. 

One of the most notable and recent pop-up books is Star Wars: A Pop-Up Guide to the Galaxy by Matthew Reinhart.  The book was revered for its complex pop-up illustrations and artistry in a way that most of today's pop-up books are never recognized.  The New York Times even said of the book: "calling this sophisticated piece of engineering a 'pop-up book' is like calling the Great Wall of China a partition."

Now that you know some of the history of the pop-up book, why not pop on down to the shop to see our selection?

Big Classics for Small Readers

Picture books (illustrated books for young children) have always been things of beauty. The most prestigious award in the world of children’s literature, the Caldecott Medal, is awarded each year to the illustrator of the “most distinguished American picture book for children.” We have long valued this art form. But something has been happening recently in the world of picture books – they have become a hub of not just beautiful illustration but of fabulous graphic design. Design trends are flowing concurrently to and from the world of children’s lit. I wholeheartedly approve of these actions, but when an eye for design meets a love of classic literature my heart swoons. There are two new series of board books dedicated to exposing your youngest children to the mastery of classic literature through the simplicity of great design.

The Cozy Classics series is made up of simple retellings of classic works using only twelve words that will be familiar to children. It is amazing how the authors, Jack and Holman Wang, are able to convey so much of the story through their felted illustrations and these simple words.

The BabyLit series is touted as “a fashionable way to introduce your toddler to classic literature.” Charming is really the only way I see fit to describe these books. Each is a primer featuring familiar items from classical greats such as the Alice in Wonderland Colors Primer or the Little Miss Austen Pride and Prejudice Counting Primer.

These books are art and whimsy at their finest.

Victoria: Spotlight on Dr. Seuss

Dr. Seuss (Theodor Geisel) is one of the most beloved children's authors of all time. He is the author of over 40 picture books throughout his career, with his two most popular books being Green Eggs and Ham and The Cat in the Hat respectively.

Seuss began writing children's books in 1937 with And to Think That I Saw It On Mulberry Street, which went through many rejections before finally reaching publication. He published three more books, but interrupted the writing of his fifth picture book, McElligot’s Pool, in 1941 to begin writing political cartoons during World War II. By 1950, Seuss was back on the picture book track with the publication of If I Ran the Zoo. His distinction as a beloved children's author really began when Life magazine published an article in 1954 about why children were not reading. The article called the Dick and Jane children's books of the time "boring" and claimed that this was the reason that children were not learning to read. The director of publisher Houghtin Mifflin at the time - an old collegue of Seuss' - challenged Seuss to write an engaging, fun children's book comprised of no more than 225 different words.  From this list of words he was given, Seuss created the classic children's picture book The Cat in the Hat in 1957. The book was a raging success, and this inspired Seuss and his wife to start Beginner Books, a division of Random House that would publish books for early readers.

 

Seuss wrote Green Eggs and Ham in much the same way.  In 1960, a friend remarked that Seuss could not write a book with fewer than 50 words, and Green Eggs and Ham was born. Seuss continued to write Beginner Books, and even dipped his pen into the realm of political or moralistic children's tales. The Lorax, Yertle the Turtle, The Butter Battle Book, The Sneetches, and Horton Hears a Who! are several of Seuss' books that he used to teach important lessons to children about racism, freedom, environmentalism, and even the futility of the arms race. Seuss wanted to teach children without boring or preaching to them. He was quoted as saying, "I think I can communicate with kids because I don’t try to communicate with kids. Ninety percent of the children’s books patronize the child and say there’s a difference between you and me, so you listen to this story. I, for some reason or another, don’t do that. I treat the child as an equal." 

Though he died in 1991, Seuss' books are still favorites with children and parents alike today. The rhythm, rhyme, and whimsical nonsense found in his books appeal to readers of every kind. Seuss' obvious influence on child literacy continues over two decades after his death, and it is seen most clearly in the National Education Association's event to promote children's literacy, Read Across America. The event is held yearly on March 2nd, Seuss' birthday, or "Dr. Seuss Day."

Summer of Stories

Come join in the fun this summer as Cavalier House Books begins its summer storytelling series!  Each Saturday, we will feature games and activities centered around one book that we will all read together!  Our goal is to promote children’s interest in reading with an afternoon of fun!

Tea Party featuring Tea Rex by Molly Idle

May 25, 2:00-2:45 PM

You are cordially invited to a dinosaur tea party! Join us for a roaring good time with teatime and games centering on the picture book Tea Rex!

Art2-D2 Star Wars Party featuring Art2-D2's Guide to Folding and Doodling by Tom Angleberger

 June 8, 2:00-2:45 PM

May the folds be with you as you join forces with the Origami Yoda and Star Wars crew to battle the Dark Side and bring balance to the Force!

Don't Let the Pigeon Throw a Party featuring Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus by Mo Willems
June 22, 2:00-2:45 PM

We have to stop the Pigeon from throwing a pigeon party in the bookshop for his 10th anniversary! Join in the fun while reading Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!

 Crayon Capers Party featuring The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt and Oliver Jeffers (ills.)
July 6, 2:00-2:45 PM

The crayons have all quit their jobs, and we have to use our creativity to bring them back! Join us for colorific fun and a reading of The Day the Crayons Quit! 

 Not-So-Scary Monster Romp featuring Romping Monsters, Stomping Monsters by Jane Yolen and Kelly Murphy (ills.)
July 20, 2:00-2:45 PM

Join us for romping, stomping fun while we celebrate monsters! We’ll have fun and games centering on the book, Romping Monsters, Stomping Monsters!

 Pete the Cat's Back to School Bash featuring The Wheels on the Bus by James Dean
August 3, 2:00-2:45 PM

School is almost here, and Pete the Cat is ready to learn! Join us for our Summer of Stories finale while we get back into the school spirit and read Pete the Cat: The Wheels on the Bus!

2013 SIBA Book Award Winners

The Southern Independent Bookseller's Alliance, or SIBA, choses six books each year from the best in southern literature. One title is chosen from each category: Children's, Young Adult, Cooking, Fiction, Nonfiction, and Poetry. The titles are nominated by southern, independent booksellers (like me) and their customers (like you). While we are all reading globally, it is nice to have a regional minded award list compiled by the people who are at the forefront of localmindedness. The interest of SIBA stretches from Louisiana on up to North Carolina, but this year's seems to sit close to home for us! One of the winners, The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore by Louisiana's own William Joyce, is one of my favorite books. I am so thrilled to have this book on the SIBA list, while it was inspired by Hurricane Katrina it is a beautiful story for readers across the globe. I'm also excited to note that the winning book of poetry, though not written by a Louisiana native, was published by LSU Press. Southern literature has a deep and rich history and these authors (and many more) are a constant reminder that we will continue to build on that history.

Children's Winner

The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore by William Joyce and Joe Bluhm (ills.)

The book that inspired the Academy Award-winning short film, from "New York Times"- bestselling author and beloved visionary Joyce. Stunningly brought to life, this book is a modern masterpiece, showing that in today's world of traditional books, eBooks, and apps, it's story that we truly celebrate.

Poetry Winner

Descent by Kathryn Stripling Byer 

Navigating the dangerous currents of family and race, Kathryn Stripling Byer s sixth poetry collection confronts the legacy of southern memory and landscape, where too often "it s safer to stay blind."

Cooking Winner 

The Back in the Day Bakery Cookbook by Cheryl Day and Griffith Day

To celebrate the 10th anniversary of Savannah landmark Back in the Day Bakery, here is a fabulously fun book filled with customers' favorite recipes and irresistible full-color photographs of food and behind-the-scenes bakery shots.

Fiction Winner

A Land More Kind Than Home by Wiley Cash

In his phenomenal debut novel--a mesmerizing literary thriller about the bond between two brothers and the evil they face in a small North Carolina town--Cash displays a remarkable talent for lyrical, powerfully emotional storytelling.

Nonfiction Winner

Stand Up That Mountain by Jay Erskine Leutze

The true story of an outdoorsman living alone in Western North Carolina who teams up with his neighbors and environmental lawyers to save a treasured mountain peak from the mining company.

Young Adult Winner

Three Times Lucky by Sheila Turnage

Washed ashore as a baby in tiny Tupelo Landing, North Carolina, Mo LoBeau, now 11, and her best friend Dale turn detective when the amnesiac Colonel, owner of a cafe and co-parent of Mo with his cook, Miss Lana, seems implicated in a murder.

Review: Andrew Henry's Meadow by Doris Burn

I often feel stifled by technology. I love the access to information that the internet allows me, but I hate being tied to a computer. I admit it, I'm a luddite. That's why I am so pleased when I come across a book like Andrew Henry's Meadow. Doris Burn wrote this gem forty-seven years ago, and it is still a great read today. Burn passed away in the Spring of last year, which prompted a reissue of this, her most famous story, I can only hope that we will see new editions of her other works as well.

This is the story of Andrew Henry, a middle child. He has two older sisters and two younger brothers; each pair of siblings is always off doing their own thing. Andrew doesn't seem to mind that though. He is an inventor and always looking for new things to build, but after being pushed out of the kitchen, the living room, and his brothers' and sisters' bedrooms he decides to head off to a meadow outside of town. There Andrew builds himself a house that perfect and just for him. Soon other children from town begin coming to Andrew, asking that he create for them the perfect home away from home. The meadow soon becomes it's own town of curious and imaginative children all following their interests. It's a childhood heaven and reminds me very deeply of my own childhood off in the woods behind our house building forts from fallen palm fronds.

When I think if modern childhood I tend to think of electronics. Of Nintendo, Playstation, WiFi. But when I think of my own childhood I think of puppies, tree houses, and forts. My siblings and I stayed out until dark making up games and (though we didn't realize it then) just enjoying nature. Andrew Henry's Meadow reminded me so deeply of that (even if it did come out decades before I was born). Whether it is merely nostalgia or not, there was a charm to that time that I cannot deny. Modern childhood is so fast paced. I recommend that you grab your kids while you can and throw them outdoors until dark; when they come back inside and you all settle down for bed you should read this story. It will make them that much more hungry for tomorrow's adventures.

SIBA's 2012 Book Award Winners

I wrote about the SIBA awards last year, and I am happy to announce that the time has come again. These are the six best books in southern literature. One title is chosen from each category: Children's, Young Adult, Cooking, Fiction, Nonfiction, and Poetry. The titles are nominated by southern, independent booksellers (like me) and their customers (like you).





Children’s Winner: Jo MacDonald Saw a Pond by Mary Quattlebaum
 
“A delightful riff on ‘Old MacDonald Had a Farm’” -- Books Plus

Blurp. Croak. Quack. What is making those sounds? Come along with Jo MacDonald and learn about the wild creatures at the pond on her grandfather's farm. You'll find fish, frogs, ducks - and a few surprises.  Author Mary Quattlebaum engages little ones with rhythm, repetition, wordplay, and onomatopoeia and illustrator Laura Bryant charms them with lively watercolors of a pond community. And check out the outdoor activities and games in the back, sure to encourage young naturalists at home and school.


Cooking Winner: The New Southern Garden Cookbook by Sheri Castle 

“This book helped me make the most of my vegetable garden!” --Quarter Moon Books and Gifts

In The New Southern Garden Cookbook, well-known food writer Sheri Castle aims to make "what's in season" the answer to "what's for dinner?" This timely cookbook, with dishes for omnivores and vegetarians alike, celebrates and promotes the delicious, healthful homemade meals centered on the diverse array of seasonal fruits and vegetables grown in the South, and in most of the rest of the nation as well.

Fiction Winner: Iron House by John Hart

“I enjoyed Iron House because it had so much more to offer the reader than ‘whodunit.’  John Hart is southern mystery writing at its best.”  -- The Country Bookshop

A New York Times-bestselling author delivers his most devastating novel yet--the remarkable story of two orphaned brothers separated by violence at an early age. When a boy is brutally murdered in their orphanage, one brother runs and takes the blame with him. Twenty years later--a seasoned killer--he returns to North Carolina.

Nonfiction Winner:  Lions of the West by Robert Morgan

“I really appreciate Mr. Morgan's distinction that the historical figures through which he delves into the westward expansion weren't all ‘hero’, nor all ‘villain’, but usually a mixture of both.”  -- The Fountainhead Bookstore

From Thomas Jefferson's birth in 1743 to the California Gold rush in 1849, America's Manifest Destiny comes to life in Morgan 's skilled hands. Jefferson, a naturalist and visionary, dreamed that the U.S. would stretch across the continent. The account of how that dream became reality unfolds in the stories of Jefferson and nine other Americans whose adventurous spirits and lust for land pushed the westward boundaries.

Poetry Winner: Abandoned Quarry  by John Lane 

“Lane's poetry is rich with love of place and environment.”  --City Lights Bookstore

Abandoned Quarry is a collection of poems by one of the South's most admired environmental writers. The collection makes available for the first time under one cover poems from a dozen full collections and chapbooks. The poems range in subject matter through relationships, nature, improvisational pieces, and rants about the strangeness of the modern condition.

Young Adult Winner: Darwen Arkwright and the Peregrine Pact by A.J. Hartley

“Takes place in Atlanta Georgia, and incorporates fantasy along with the real struggles of being a teen in a new place, adjusting to a new school, and a new culture.” –Fountainhead Bookstore

Eleven-year-old Darwen Arkwright has spent his whole life in a tiny town in England. So when he is forced to move to Atlanta, Georgia, to live with his aunt, he knows things will be different - but what he finds there is beyond even his wildest imaginings!  Darwen discovers an enchanting world through the old mirror hanging in his closet - a world that holds as many dangers as it does wonders. Scrobblers on motorbikes with nets big enough to fit a human boy. Gnashers with no eyes, but monstrous mouths full of teeth. Flittercrakes with bat-like bodies and the faces of men! Along with his new friends Rich and Alexandra, Darwen becomes entangled in an adventure and a mystery that involves the safety of his entire school.