Alabama Literature
ALABAMA BOOKSHELF Each month, we offer a summary of recent books that are either about Alabama people or written by Alabama authors. Summaries are not reviews or endorsements.
We also occasionally highlight book-related events. Email submissions and events to bookshelf@alabamaliving.coop
Watch of the Pelicans, by Lenela Glass-Godwin, CreateSpace, December 2014, $9.99 Spirited and independent, Grayce MacKenzie is a dedicated wife and mother, as well as a wildlife biologist and former military police investigator. A friend invites her to a Florida wildlife refuge, and she looks forward to simply surveying wintering birds on the Atlantic coast; instead, she finds herself thrust into a web of theft, deceit, and murder swirling around a very rare timepiece. Walmart, Jesus and You: Discovering the Gospel in Everyday Living, by Joey Rich, CreateSpace, March 2013, $9.95 This book by Alabama native Rich is an invitation to hear Jesus speak about the importance and significance of everyday events. Each independent chapter opens with a true experience from the author’s life. A teaching from the scripture is then presented, and the chapter concludes with a challenge to the reader. Living Our Later Years, by Lura Zerick, LifeRichPublishing, October 2014, $11.99 The 84-year-old author from Geneva says she used to dread each day, and knew that was no way to live her life. She shares her enthusiasm for her new life, along with tips, quips, and no small amount of humor. She says she now lives a life filled with challenge and a sense of achievement. Lemonade Journal, by Sandy McDaniel, CreateSpace, November 2014, $10 The work of fiction is told through the eyes of 85-year-old Lelia and her “lemonade journal,” in which she chronicles a small town’s buried secrets. The author, who is from Ariton, based the book on the lives of her grandparents, and in the process of writing came to understand their struggles, dreams and desires. Tales of a Strange Southern Lady, by Jan Fink, Fifth Estate, August 2014, $15.93 These 10 short stories are drawn from the life experiences of the author, who lives in Arab. The characters are contrasts of good and evil, and the stories deal with themes of love, guilt, sin and human frailty. But each character is, in his or her own way, searching for meaning and freedom. 40 MAY 2015
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