Tag Archives: Alabama

Double play: Mobile & Latin America

Posted on February 15, 2021 by smellincoffee

This past week has seen a little progress on the ol’ TBR front, as I knocked out three books from the list, including The Network and those below. First up was E.O. Wilson’s Why We Are Here: Mobile and the … Continue reading →

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Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe

Posted on February 2, 2021 by smellincoffee

Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe© 1987 Fannie Flagg416 pages “You know, a heart can be broken, but it keeps on beating, just the same.” Evelyn Couch is too young to feel this old. Despairing and lonely, she … Continue reading →

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Alabama: Making of an American State

Posted on January 28, 2021 by smellincoffee

Alabama: the Making of an American State© 2016 Edwin C. Bridges264 pages In December of 2019,  the streets of Montgomery were thronged with people as the citizens of Alabama celebrated its 200th anniversary. The three years prior had been full  … Continue reading →

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Where I Come From

Posted on January 22, 2021 by smellincoffee

Where I Come From: Stories from the Deep South© 2020 Rick Bragg256 pages What a joy Rick Bragg is to read! A native son of Alabama, Rick Bragg is a journalist-turned-folklorist in the tradition of Kathryn Tucker Windham, who here … Continue reading →

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Christmas Tales and Counting Buzzards

Posted on December 9, 2020 by smellincoffee

Christmas Tales collects various human interest stories around the State of Alabama that have a Christmas connection — though perhaps human interest isn’t the right word, seeing as many of these stories involve animals! The stories were collected by a … Continue reading →

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Appetizers from “The Best Cook in the World”

Posted on January 3, 2020 by smellincoffee

The following are quotations from The Best Cook in the World, which drew me in immediately with its humor and evocations of family dinners year past.  The book is a tribute to the author’s  mother,  consisting of some of her … Continue reading →

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The Best Cook in the World

Posted on January 3, 2020 by smellincoffee

The Best Cook in the World: Tales from my Momma’s Table © 2018 Rick Bragg 512 pages “Good stuff always has a story,” she said.  One of my New Years resolutions is to cook more, and that has unexpectedly introduced … Continue reading →

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This and that

Posted on December 5, 2019 by smellincoffee

Well, good news and bad news. The good news is…my book buying ban is OVER, so I have five books on the way.   A few are for next year, but I may try a couple beforehand: Rubbish: The Archaeology of … Continue reading →

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The USS Alabama

Posted on March 17, 2019 by smellincoffee

Images of America: USS Alabama© 2013 Kent Whitaker & Battleship Memorial Park128 pages When visiting downtown Mobile, one can’t help but notice the enormous battleship parked in the bay.  It’s the USS Alabama, tenth to bear the name, and its … Continue reading →

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Mockingbird Songs

Posted on March 14, 2019 by smellincoffee

Mockingbird Songs: My Friendship with Harper Lee©  2017 Wayne Flynt251 pages When I read Poor but Proud by Wayne Flynt some years ago, I never imagined I’d meet the author, let alone help him carry in boxes of books for … Continue reading →

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