Mississippi Book Recs!

As part of our Mississippi History display, we're sharing some awesome recommendations for adult fiction and nonfiction! Swing by the Brandon Library for more.

ADULT FICTION:

Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward

When thirteen-year-old JoJo's father is released from prison, his mother Leonie packs her kids and a friend into her car and drives north to the heart of Mississippi and Parchman Farm, the State Penitentiary. At Parchman, there is another thirteen-year-old boy, the ghost of a dead inmate who carries all of the ugly history of the South with him. He too has something to teach Jojo about fathers and sons, legacies, violence, and love.

Find it in the CMRLS catalog here!


Paper Son by S.J. Rozan

When Lydia Chen's mother tells her a cousin Lydia didn’t know she had is in jail in Clarksdale, Mississippi—and that Lydia has to rush down south and get him out—Lydia finds herself rolling down Highway 61 with Bill Smith, her partner, behind the wheel. She soon finds that nothing in Mississippi is as she expected it to be. Including her cousin’s legal troubles—or possibly even his innocence.


Find it in the CMRLS catalog here!



Desperation Road by Michael Farris Smith

Russell Gaines has been in Parchman penitentiary for eleven years. His sentence now up, Russell believes his debt has been paid. But when he returns home, he realizes others don't feel the same. Meanwhile, a woman named Maben and her young daughter trudge along the side of the interstate, spending their last dollar on a room for the night. By morning,  a dead deputy lies in the middle of the road, and all signs point to Maben. When their paths cross as morning dawns, Russell must decide whose life he will save—his own or those of the woman and child.

Find it in the CMRLS catalog here! 

ADULT NONFICTION:

Goat Castle: A True Story of Murder, Race, and the Gothic South by Karen L. Cox

In 1932, the city of Natchez made national news when Richard Dana and Octavia Dockery--known in the press as the "Wild Man" and the "Goat Woman"--enlisted a black man named George Pearls to rob their reclusive neighbor, Jennie Merrill, at her estate. During the attempted robbery, Merrill was shot and killed.  Pearls was killed by an Arkansas policeman in an unrelated incident before he could face trial. 

However, the white community demanded "justice," and an innocent black woman named Emily Burns was ultimately sent to prison for the murder. Dana and Dockery not only avoided punishment but also lived to profit from the notoriety of the murder. Karen Cox highlights the larger ideas that made the tale so irresistible to the popular press and provides a unique lens through which to view the transformation of the plantation South into the fallen, Gothic South.

Find it in the CMRLS catalog here! 

Dispatches from Pluto: Lost and Found in the Mississippi Delta by Richard Grant

Richard Grant and his girlfriend of New York City buy an old plantation house in the Mississippi Delta on a remote, isolated strip of land, three miles beyond the tiny community of Pluto, where they learn to hunt, grow their own food, fend off alligators, and more. Grant brings an adept, empathetic eye to the fascinating people he meets, capturing the rich, extraordinary culture of the Delta, while tracking its utterly bizarre and criminal extremes. Reporting from all angles as only an outsider can, Grant also delves deeply into the Delta’s lingering racial tensions. Yet even as he observes major structural problems, he encounters many close, loving, and interdependent relationships between black and white families—and good reasons for hope.

Find it in the CMRLS catalog here!

The Cadaver King and the Country Dentist: A True Story of Injustice in the American South by Radley Balko and Tucker Carrington

Kennedy Brewer and Levon Brooks spent a combined thirty years in prison before finally being exonerated in 2008 for the assault and murder of two three-year-old girls in rural Mississippi while the real killer remained free. Balko and Carrington chronicle the careeres of medical examiner Dr. Steven Hayne, who performed the vast majority of Mississippi's autopsies, while his friend Dr. Michael West, a local dentist, pitched himself as a forensic jack-of-all-trades. Together they became the go-to experts for prosecutors and helped put countless Mississippians in prison. But then some of those convictions--like that of Brooks and Brewer--began to fall apart. Balko and Carrington raise sobering questions about our criminal justice system's ability to address its issues with racism and forensic failures.

Find it in the CMRLS catalog here!

Summaries collected and condensed from Goodreads.

Almost Halfway Through August and Still Lots To Do At The Pearl Library!

You know.  The thing that makes the Family Night program - which is every second Tuesday of the month at the Pearl Library- really special is that well, it's for the WHOLE family!

That means August Family Night's Back to School Breakfast, Tues. Aug. 13 at 6 p.m, sponsored by Waffle House, is breakfast for dinner for EVERYONE!

So, come on in! The nice folks at Waffle House will be bringing a selection of breakfast items from their yummy menu, and it's FREE! 

Now, there will be a limited supply so be sure to get to the Pearl Library early!

Hey, nothing goes better with dinner than a movie! We all know that! That's why this is a great week at the Pearl Library. 

Following the Family Night feast on Tuesday is Third Thursday Flicks on Thurs. Aug. 15 at 5:45 p.m. 

Ben heads up adult programming at the Pearl Library and his big screen feature selection for this month is  E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial which came out in 1982! What a movie! Directed by Steven Spielberg, it's a heartwarming story about a young boy, Elliott and a kind alien E.T.! Light refreshments will be served!

August programming wouldn't be complete without a creative element! August's How-To Tuesday offering on Tues. Aug. 20 at 6 p.m. will not let you down! Don't miss fun stenciling using paper, paint, jar lids and a TOOTHBRUSH! Yep, you read that right! See! Creative! No reservation needed and all materials supplied!

Remember all programs are FREE!

We'll see you there!

No Wafflin' Now! Plan to Come and Get It at the Pearl Public Library!

Can you hear that dinner bell a'ringin'? I know you can!

That's because the big grub night is soooooo close!

Family Night, Tues. Aug. 13 at 6 p.m. The Pearl Public Library. Be here!

It's Back to School Breakfast compliments of the Waffle House, and it's ...

FUHRRREEE! 

There will be enough breakfast vittles to feed 100 folks! So, please make sure you get to the Pearl Library early enough to get in on the feast!

You know the Waffle House doesn't play when it comes to great food! Be sure to work up an appetite before you come!  Wanna know how you can do that? Glad you asked!

Join in Simply Crafts on Tues. Aug. 6 at 6 p.m. and do some gardening! Yeah! They'll take recycled plastic bottles and turn them into PLANTERS! Cool, huh? I know!

You aren't finished yet! Got to keep on programming to get your HUNGRY ON! So, how do you spell that? B-I-N-G-O! 

That's Thurs. Aug. 8 at 6 p.m! BINGO FOR BOOKS! It's such a fun time and a chance to win not only books, but DVDs and video games too! Light refreshments will be served!

Don't miss out! 

We'll see you there!

Participate in Snapshot Day and Support Your Local CMRLS Branch

Tuesday, August 6, has been designated Snapshot Day by the Mississippi Library Commission. It is a day where libraries statewide will be photographing patrons to show the many ways libraries are relevant to our communities. In addition to photographs, you will be given an opportunity to tell us why your library is important to you.

Please participate in "A Day in the Life of Mississippi Libraries" by visiting your local library tomorrow. The best advocate for libraries is YOU, the patron, and we appreciate your support tomorrow and throughout the year.

Brandon Author Feature: John Floyd

Photo by Nancy Jacobs on
mswritersandmusicians.com

Say hello to John Floyd, a local author in Brandon who has written over 1000 published short stories, articles, poems, and more!

John grew up in Sallis, Mississippi with his parents and sister and graduated from Kosciusko High, after which he went to MSU for engineering. After graduating, he worked for IBM in Jackson, during which time he served in the U.S. Air Force at Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma City, which is where he met his wife Carolyn. He says that the start of his writing career probably began in the airports and hotels on his travels during his thirty-year career at IBM.

His short stories have been featured in over 200 publications since the early nineties, after Carolyn convinced him to send his work to editors. He’s been nominated for several writing awards and won the 2007 Derringer Award for short mystery fiction. Though he’s tried out many different types of writing, he says short fiction is his favorite—a fact that can be clearly seen in his seven published short story collections. His most recent collection, The Barrens, came out in 2018 and includes a story featured in The Best American Mystery Stories 2018.

August at the Rez

August Happenings at the Rez 

Summer 2019 is drawing to a close! As we look back on this fun summer and the Summer Library Program, we hope that all of our patrons have had as much fun as the librarians at the Northwest Point Reservoir Library.  In addition to all of the fun memories we have made, we learned so much about outer space from our many performers who came to visit us. We hope to see all of our patrons back next summer for another fun and exciting Summer Library Program.

Back to school Pizza Party 

Are you ready to go back to school? Wanting to have one last hour of summer freedom before settling down for another school year of academic study? Come by library  Wednesday, August 7th, from 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., to say goodbye to summer 2019 with free pizza! .

Family Movie Matinee  

Join us Thursday, August 22nd, at 11:00 a.m.,  for a special summer showing of the beloved Walt Disney movie Toy Story staring Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, and Jim Varney. Produced by Walt Disney Production in 1998, (G) 81 minutes long. Free popcorn whiles supplies last. We hope to see you there!

Dog Days of Summer Drawing 

Do you have a pet dog? Does your dog enjoy the Dog Days of Summer? Come by the Northwest Point Reservoir Library to draw or bring in a hand drawn picture of your dog to be put in a drawing for a prize!


High Noon Book Club 

Join us Thursday, August 15th, from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. for another meeting of the High Noon Book Club! This month we will have a "Book Report Meeting". All participants are encouraged to read a book of their own choosing and then give a report on it and we will choose the next book to read for the next meeting.  All participants are encouraged to bring their own brown bag lunch. Desserts will be provided courtesy of the Northwest Point Reservoir Library.  All who attend are also welcome to bring any desserts they want as well. We hope to see you there!

Loose Knit Group 

Are you a master knitter who is looking to pass on your knowledge to a new generation of knitters? Are you a beginner who is looking to learn from master knitters? Come by the library every Tuesday, from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.  All experience levels are welcome as we work on our own projects.

Mugshots Family Trivia Night 

Are you a trivia master looking for their next game to conquer? Are you a complete newbie to the game of trivia and wanting to know how the game is played? Come join us Tuesday, August 20th, from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at Mugshots of Flowood for  Mugshots Family Trivia Night for another exciting night of great trivia courtesy of G. Chastaine Flynt Memorial Library and the Northwest Point Reservoir Library.

Saying Goodbye to July Only Means an Even Greater Month Ahead!

That's a sure bet when you are talking about Pearl Public Library programs!

So, how about we take a little stroll among some of the library's delightful, August offerings shall we? And, uh, remember the programs are FREE! Come on now! You know that got your attention! Hey, it got mine and I'm the one WRITING THIS! LOL!

One man's trash is another man's treasure. Ever heard that? Well, it's true when it comes to August's Simply Crafts. You'll never look at plastic bottles the same again! Come on by the Pearl Library on Tues. Aug. 6 at 6 p.m. and turn what you might have thought a useless, empty plastic container into a beautiful flourishing PLANTER!  Simply Crafts is every first Tuesday of the month at 6 p.m.

Plan on coming by the library two days later on Thurs. Aug. 8 at 6 p.m for everyone's favorite BINGO FOR BOOKS! It's such a fun time and a chance to win not only books, but DVDs and video games too! Light refreshments will be served!

All right! Let's get serious now! You must mark your calendars for this HUGE treat! Waffle House of Pearl is sponsoring the Pearl Library's August Family Night program - Back to School Breakfast - on Tues. Aug. 13 at 6 p.m.  Yes, you read that ABSOLUTELY RIGHT!  So, come on to the library and have some tasty breakfast for dinner.  And, uh, we talked about this earlier. It's FREE!   

Hey, a Waffle House breakfast just might want to make you phone home!  OK, maybe not, but it might get you in the happy mood to watch E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial! And, that's the Third Thursday Flicks big screen showing Thurs. Aug. 15 at 5:45 p.m. 
E.T. is the famous 1982 Steven Spielberg produced and directed American Science Fiction film about a young boy named Elliott and the lovable alien E.T.! Come on to the Pearl Library and enjoy the movie, popcorn and drinks!

Spielberg is simply an amazing artist when it comes to filmmaking, but hey there are all types of artist out there. You can be one too! That's right! How-To Tuesday, on Tues. Aug. 20 at 6 p.m. will let you do just that. This art stenciling project will allow you to let your imagination and creativity flow! How-To Tuesday is every third Tuesday of the month at 6 p.m.!

So, come on now! 

Don't miss out on any of these FREE, wonderful programs!

We'll see you there!

Friday Reads: Mississippi Authors!

Hi, y'all! In honor of Brandon Library's massive Mississippi History display, we're sharing a list of some truly spectacular Mississippi authors! Be sure to check them out (ha!) from your local CMRLS branch and let us know your favorites!

Angela Thomas

Angie Thomas was born and raised in Jackson, Mississippi. A former teen rapper, she holds a BFA in creative writing from Belhaven University. Her award-winning, acclaimed debut novel, The Hate U Give, is a #1 New York Times bestseller and major motion picture. Her second novel, On the Come Up, is on sale now.

https://angiethomas.com/

Laurie Parker

Born in Bruce, Mississippi, Parker moved to Starkville before turning one and has lived there since. She wrote and illustrated her first book, Everywhere in Mississippi, which was released in 1996. In 2013 she switched from poetry to prose and released her first “big person book,” The Matchstick Cross. In 2014, Parker’s work was recognized by the Mississippi State Committee of the National Museum for Women in the Arts.

http://www2.netdoor.com/~lauriep/writer/about_files/Page400.htm 

Mary Abraham

Mary Abraham grew up in Greene County, Mississippi. She is a graduate of Leakesville High School and the University of Mississippi Medical Center School of Nursing. Her years in nursing were spent at UMMC in Jackson and Forrest General Hospital in Hattiesburg. She is married, has two children, and three grandchildren, and lives in Hattiesburg. Where the Creek Runs is her first novel. 

http://www.greenewoodspublishing.com/about.html

Jesmyn Ward

Jesmyn Ward's works have received of two National Book Awards for Fiction for Sing, Unburied, Sing and Salvage the Bones. She is also the author of the memoir Men We Reaped, which was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award and won the Chicago Tribune Heartland Prize and the Media for a Just Society Award. She is currently an associate professor of creative writing at Tulane University and lives in Mississippi. 

Ashton Lee

Ashton Lee was born in historic Natchez, Mississippi, into a large, extended Southern family which gave him much fodder for his fiction later in life. Ashton inherited a love of reading and writing early on and did all the things aspiring authors are supposed to do, including majoring in English when he attended The University of the South, also known as Sewanee. Ashton lives in Oxford, Mississippi.  He is author of the popular Cherry Cola Book Club series.

Darden North

Darden North's mystery and thriller novels have been awarded nationally, most notably an IPPY in Southern Fiction for Points of Origin. His fifth novel, The 5 Manners of Death, was nominated for the 2018 Mississippi Institute of Arts and Letters Award in Fiction. Darden has presented or served on author panels at writing conferences including the 29th Natchez Literary and Cinema Celebration. 

https://www.dardennorth.com/

John Grisham

Born on February 8, 1955 in Jonesboro, John Grisham graduated from law school at Ole Miss in 1981 and went on to practice law for nearly a decade in Southaven. One day at the DeSoto County courthouse, Grisham overheard a harrowing testimony and was inspired to start a novel, A Time to Kill, and finished it in 1987. Spending 47 weeks on The New York Times bestseller list, Grisham’s second novel, The Firm, became the bestselling novel of 1991. There are currently over 300 million John Grisham books in print worldwide.

https://www.jgrisham.com/

Greg Iles

Greg Iles was born in Germany in 1960, spent his youth in Natchez, and graduated from the University of Mississippi in 1983. While attending Ole Miss, Greg lived in the cabin where William Faulkner and his brothers listened to countless stories told by “Mammy Callie,” their beloved nanny, who had been born a slave. Iles wrote his first novel in 1993, a thriller about Nazi war criminal Rudolf Hess, which became the first of twelve New York Times bestsellers. His novels have been made into films, translated into more than twenty languages, and published in more than thirty-five countries worldwide. 

https://www.gregiles.com/

Donna Tartt

Donna Tartt was born in Greenwood, Mississippi, and was raised in nearby Grenada. She enrolled in the University of Mississippi in 1981, where her writing caught the attention of Willie Morris. Following a recommendation from Morris, Barry Hannah, then an Ole Miss writer-in-residence, admitted the eighteen-year-old Tartt into his graduate course on the short story. She transferred to Bennington College where she graduated in 1986. Her novel The Goldfinch won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2014. That same year she was included in Time magazine’s list of the “100 Most Influential People.”

Jackie Warren Tatum

Jackie Warren Tatum’s Unspeakable Things is a tale of loss and devastating truth woven into a crime thriller. Since the book's release, the author has spoken to and/or participated in author events in three states. She has been a classroom teacher and a corporate trainer, conducted a rural law practice, and served as a Mississippi special assistant attorney general. Jackie is the mother of two sons and the grandmother of eight grandchildren and one grandson-in law. She is writing her second novel and chasing her rescue dog Dallas out of the front yard vegetable garden.

https://jackiewarrentatum.wordpress.com/

Willie Morris

Morris was born in 1934 in Jackson, Mississippi and moved to Yazoo City when he was six years old. After a short time in graduate school at Stanford, he moved to New York City where he landed a job as editor of Harper’s Magazine. Morris’s writings deal with his personal experiences in the the South. He is known for Good Old Boy, My Dog Skip, and more. Morris died in September of 1999 of a heart attack. 

Barry Hannah

Barry Hannah, author of numerous Southern novels and short stories, was born in Meridian and grew up in Clinton. Geronimo Rex, Hannah’s first novel, earned him the William Faulkner Prize for writing and a nomination for the National Book Award. Hannah has twice been nominated for the National Book Award and honored by the American Academy for Arts. In 1987, Hannah also received the Mississippi Governor’s Award and the Letters Award. He was director of the MFA program at the University of Mississippi, where he taught creative writing for 28 years. He died on March 1, 2010, of a heart attack.

Natasha Trethewey

Natasha Trethewey was born in Gulfport, Mississippi. Encouraged to read as a child, Trethewey has earned an MA in English and creative writing and an MFA in poetry. A former US poet laureate, Trethewey is the author of five collections of poetry as well as a book of creative non-fiction: Beyond Katrina: A Meditation on the Mississippi Gulf Coast (2010). Trethewey’s first collection, Domestic Work, won the Cave Canem Prize for a first book by an African American poet, the 2001 Mississippi Institute of Arts and Letters Book Prize, and the 2001 Lillian Smith Award for Poetry.

Ace Atkins

New York Times Bestselling author Ace Atkins has been nominated for every major award in crime fiction, including the Edgar three times. He has written nine books in the Colson series and continued Robert B. Parker’s iconic Spenser character after Parker’s death in 2010, adding seven best-selling novels in that series. A former newspaper reporter and SEC football player, Ace also writes essays and investigative pieces for several national magazines including Time, Outside and Garden & Gun. He lives in Oxford, Mississippi with his family, where he’s friend to many dogs and several bartenders.

https://aceatkins.com/

Summer time is Always a Good Time for "The Great Outdoors" at the Pearl Public Library!

As summer continues to heat up, July's Third Thursday Flicks movie, The Great Outdoors starring funnymen John Candy and Dan Aykroyd, is a fun, cool way to spend the evening at the Pearl Library. That's on Thurs. July 18 at 5:45 p.m.  

So come on out and enjoy not only the big screen offering of a hilarious summer vacation going way wrong, but popcorn and drinks. And, remember. It's FREE!

Speaking of FREE, don't forget about the great craft night coming up Tues. July 16 at 6 p.m.

There will be a variety of DIY crafts on the library's nine "planet stations" as part of the Summer Library Program 2019 themed A Universe of Stories. It's also the July installment of How-To Tuesday which is every third Tuesday of the month at 6 p.m.

Make your own eyes masks, Chinese lanterns, bath salts, votive candles and much much more! No reservation needed and all materials supplied!

Don't miss out!

We'll see you there!

July Greetings from Reservoir Library

The librarians at the Northwest Point Reservoir Library have been busy with Summer Library Programs this year! We have had so much fun with learning about outer space and participating in our reading program with all our performers and their shows. We hope that our patrons have had as much fun as we have during this summer and eagerly look forward to next year's Summer Library Program.

Summer Bird Watching

  

Are you interested in the various different kinds of birds that live around the Ross Barnett Reservoir? Are you wanting to see if there are any feathered visitors from other parts of the country? Come by the Northwest Point Reservoir Library to take part in our daily bird watching! We will have binoculars for patrons to use to watch for the different breeds of birds that call the Rez home as well as those who are only stopping for a brief in-flight rest.

Loose Knit Group

Are you a master knitter who is looking to pass on your knowledge to a new generation of knitters? Are you a beginner who is looking to learn from master knitters? Come by the Northwest Point Reservoir library every Tuesday from 1:00 to 3:00 pm.  All experience levels are welcome as we work on our own projects. 

Red, White, and Blue Drawing 

Do you have fond memories of July 4th? Was your day filled with hot dogs, swimming, and fireworks? Stop by the Northwest Point Reservoir Library during the month of July to tell us your favorite memories of July 4th! The contest goes from July 1^st through the 31^st. The winner will receive a gift card to a local restaurant!

Mugshots Family Trivia Night 

Are you a trivia master looking for their next game to conquer? Are you a complete newbie to the game of trivia and wanting to know how the game is played? Come join us for Mugshots Family Trivia Night July 16^th @ 6:30 p.m. for another exciting night of great trivia courtesy of G. Chastaine Flynt Memorial Library and the Northwest Point Reservoir Library.  We look forward to seeing you there! 

High Noon Book Club 

Join us Thursday July 18^th at 12:00 p.m. for another meeting of the High Noon Book Club! This month we will have a "Book Report Meeting." All participants are encouraged to read a book of their own choosing and then give a report on it and we will choose the next book to read for the next meeting.  All participants are encouraged to bring their own brown bag lunch. Desserts will be provided courtesy of the Northwest Point Reservoir Library.  All who attend are also welcomed to bring any desserts. We hope to see you there! 

Summer Library Program Events

A Tour of the Solar System 

Have you ever wanted to take a trip to the stars? Do you look up at the night sky and wonder what it would be like to visit all the stars millions of miles away? Come to the Northwest Point Reservoir Library Monday, July 1^st at 1:00 p.m. as we take a trip to the stars with Dr. Cal DeWitt. 

Splashdown with the Reservoir Fire Department 

Wanting to cool down from a hot summer spent outside reading and watching the stars? Come by the Northwest Point Reservoir Library July 15th @ 11:00 a.m. for an hour of summer fun in the sun as we join the Reservoir Fire Department for a memorable day of water and games! We will see you there!

Summer Library Program

We hope that all our patrons have had a great and restful summer of relaxation and reading! The librarians at the Northwest Point Reservoir Library have enjoyed seeing all our patrons as they have come in and out during the Summer Library events. We look forward to seeing all our patrons this fall as school gets back into session.