Filled with recipes from "old style" southern cooking, not for the calorie/cholesterol counting folks. We all have a copy of this in my family and have for many years. Our favorite recipe is the asparagus casserole...yum!!!

Poetry chapbooks don't usually fly off the shelves in massive numbers, but this debut by Jim Murphy deserves to. Murphy covers a wide range of subjects -- from Faulkner's characters to Elmore James -- with dense, lyrical language and an exacting yet awed gaze that seems to me quintessentially American. His "Florida Resort Scene, 1964" is unquestionably one of the most brilliant poetic observations on the sordid power of celebrity in poetry, and many other pieces in this 30-page work pack a similar punch. "The Memphis Sun" marks the debut of a powerful new voice in American poetry. Catch him now before everybody else does.

I remember my mother getting this book in the early 80's and as a child I enjoyed the sweet illustrations. As I got older and helped around the flower beds I found the book very useful. The book's writers covered everything from choosing areas for planting to pruning to fertilizing. The Memphis area has alot of opportunities with flowers and trees but this book is very helpful in regards to what can live in the mid-south. I am disappointed that it is not in print. I did recently see an updated version but have not seen another when I was able to purchase.

I went to High School with Gloria, and I never knew that she had such a work in her. I found myself not being able to put it down. The book has such an easy reading style, and quite funny too, (especially the loss of hair segment). I knew many of the places that she referred to, as I said I was raised in that town also. Her references to lifestyle and struggles after childhood were quite profound. I would reccommend that anyone of any race read the book, because It was quite enjoyable. Gloria Watkins

This title is a marvelous, authoritative, not-boring, complete (as far as it can be asked for a popular account), well-illustrated and better documented and researched, as it cannot be otherwise from the hands of Dr. Lauer, the famous re-discoverer of the Step Pyramid of Djoser at Saqqara. His intimate knowledge of what he is writing about is the best guaranty for an amusing and nice "guided-tour" to Saqqara, the impressive cemetery of the royal city of Memphis and the greatest indeed in Egypt, not only in size but also in span of time covered by the monuments, which range as from the earliest dynasties till the latest Christian and Arabic periods. A real must for everyone: recommendation: You Must Own One of This!

Can't understand how this country works if you don't see how racism has been used, especially to divide workers. Honey writes about a pivotal time in American history when the working class was organizing and had the potential to transform the South for workers and African-Americans. The lessons are no less true today. A must read for organizers of any persuasion.

I've been growing my own herbs for a couple of years now, but didn't own a good cookbook on how to use them. "Today's Herbal Kitchen" solved my dilemma. The recipes are categorized by season so I always have the correct herbs to use along with appropriate dishes to serve. I highly recommend it.

Andria Lisle has written a personal tribute to the warm, eternally fulminating Memphis Music scene. For such a short book it encompasses so much history, taking you literally from W. C. Handy to 2003. Lisle knows what she's talking about and her tour of her home town is inspiring and full of interesting arcana about the mystique of the River City's constantly changing and important contributions to the art of music. Al Green, Big Star, Stax, Sun, even Elvis--they're all here and in a fresh, invigorating format.

Rudy Baylor is a rookie lawyer who is almost broke. The first case he ever bags is a doozy. It is a bad faith case against a big insurance company. The insurance company could have saved a life if they had not denied a valid claim. Rudy Baylor's story is told in first person, using the simple present tense all through the book. Maintaining the interest of the reader throughout the substantially lengthy story using this kind of comparatively uncommon style of writing is indeed a feat and only a very confident writer would dare attempt it. John Grisham dares - and succeeds. The book starts by giving some background about Rudy Baylor. From there on, the plot threads off in diverse and interesting directions. The longest thread is of course the one about the insurance case. It occupies more than half the book. The next most prominent thread concerns the love affair of Rudy with Kelly, who is a young girl married to an abusing husband. The other plot threads involve Rudy's financial troubles, his relationships with various people: his business partner named Deck, an old lady nicknamed Birdy, two underworld characters called Bruiser and the Prince, and other assorted characters. The book has a lot going for it. It is well-paced. There is no lapse of interest at any time. The courtroom scenes are relentlessly gripping. The legal machinery is depicted with authority, and why not? Mr Grisham was a lawyer himself. The novel has no sleazy sex and it has a dash of idealism; two features that are becoming very rare in the best-selling fiction of today. Well done, Mr Grisham. The only gripes, and minor ones, that I have about the novel are two. First, in the initial part of the book, the writing is not tight. It is possible for the reader to skip chunks of text on almost every page and still be able to follow the plot threads. But the writing becomes almost air tight once the courtroom scenes start. My second gripe is about the ending. I don't know why Mr Grisham tried for multiple climaxes. They lessen the impact of the ending. In summary, The Rainmaker is one of the best books to reach the best-seller lists in the recent past.

Summers are hot in Memphis, and the sweat is sticking to Rudy Baylor's shirt. His creditors are biting at his heels and the future's not looking too good. Once he had ideas of breezing his way through law school and jumping on the dollar train to anywhere. Now he doesn't even have a job. He's grasping at straws, and one of them is a smoking-related insurance dispute. The family are poor and Rudy Baylor struggles to file the lawsuit. In a novel heavy with suspense and legal shinnanekins, Rudy eventually gets to court and finds himself against a heavyweight corporate defense team. That's when he discovers he's in way over his head, facing a nightmare of lies and legal maneuverings. What started as a small insurance claim explodes into a million-dollar war of nerves that could even cost the young lawyer his life. Rainmaker is not Grisham's finest book, but it's certainly not his worst. At his worst, Grisham can pick up three stars from anyone. At his best, ten stars is not enough. This novel fits easily into the five star category. On the final page, it leaves a satisfied reader and an author who has met his commitment to deliver the goods.

John Grisham is my favorite author, and of the six books that he has written, The Rainmaker has to be my favorite. It actually made me laugh out loud! The main character, Rudy, is very funny, but somewhat egotistic. Then again, that is a good quality for a lawyer. The hardships that he encounters throughout the book tend to be typical ones that the reader can identify with, such as being sued, filing for bankruptcy, and having no job and home. I immediately sympatized with Dot Black for her troubles, and was depressed for three hours when I got to the part where Donny Ray died. I must admit, though, when I read the synopsis of the book, I assumed that he would win the case, and that would be that. Man, was I wrong! Grisham shocked me by throwing a little romance in the mix. I felt sorry for Kelly and what she had to go through, even though she was a fictional character. All in all, I would recommend this book to Grisham fans or anyone who love to read about secrets, because this book has it in spades