Books from the Book Fair

I must admit I suffered a bit of sticker shock when I checked out with the cashier at the Kentucky Book Fair yesterday. Three books: $68.78.

For someone who enjoys shopping and buying at used books stores, paying new book prices is quite a leap, but I am comfortable with my choices: a cookery, a mystery, and a history. Plus I had a blast seeing and talking with many authors even though I didn't always buy their books.

The Cookery
I certainly wouldn't consider myself a cook - not by a long shot - but I was fascinated with The Historic Kentucky Kitchen: Traditional Recipes for Today's Cook. It contains more than a hundred recipes from the nineteenth and early twentieth century that were taken from handwritten diaries and journals, scrapbooks, and out-of-print cookbooks. They were collected, modernized a bit, and taste tested by Deidre A. Scaggs who is with the University of Kentucky Libraries of Special Collections and Andrew W. McGraw, chef at the County Club restaurant in Lexington. Together they searched the Special Collections for recipes that everyday people would use.

So you have recipes for Lucy Hayes Breckinridge's Corn Soup, early 1900s; Frances Jewel McVey's Pumpkin Pie, circa 1920s; and Nanny Clay McDowell's Egg Nog, 1882. Copies of the original handwritten lists of ingredients and cooking instructions are included in the book.

As part of my book cataloging project, I just came across - tucked in a cookbook of my mother's - a few handwritten recipes of my grandmother's. One for fruit cake. No cooking instructions - she knew those by heart - just the list of ingredients. These family gems were on my mind when I saw this book.

As a value-added piece, the authors are speaking tomorrow night at an event at the local historical society and I plan to attend. Although I met and spoke with Ms. Scaggs, I will look forward to hearing some cooking tips from Chef McGraw.

The Mystery
This crime novel takes place in London, England - always a favorite location of mine. Fictional mystery writer Sebastian McCabe, his friend Jeff Cody, and Cody's wife, journalist Lynda Teal, are all swept up in solving The Disappearance of Mr. James Phillimore. Mr. Phillimore is an investment banker and member of the Sherlock Holmes Society. It looks to be great fun. Author Dan Andriacco told me that this was the fourth in his series that rely on Holmes-like investigations. I don't usually start in the middle of a series, but I was attracted to the London location and the Holmes connection. 

The History
Louisville and The Civil War takes a look at the role my hometown played during that conflict. Author Bryan S. Bush is a local historian and lecturer. He has participated as a Confederate artillery soldier in many reenactment events and he attended the Book Fair in uniform. He was quite an interesting character and I am always looking for ways to find out more about my city's history.

So those are the books. Tomorrow I will share with you the faces of the authors I met. 

Kentucky Book Fair 2013

Cost of books bought today at the 32nd Annual Kentucky Book Fair in Frankfort:  $68.78

Cost of lunch at Gibby's on Main Street in Frankfort:  $9.53

Two hours; two hundred authors:  Priceless!

Two Days - Two Book Events

Two literary events on tap for this weekend.

On Saturday, I will be at the Kentucky Book Fair in Frankfort. Last year I had a blast mingling with the authors and the readers in attendance. For the first time, Kentucky-native Sue Grafton will be there autographing her latest Kinsey Millhone mystery, W is for Wasted. Coincidentally, the book, which has been on my library request list for months, has just now become available for me. 

Also in attendance will be Duffy Brown, whom I met last year and whose Savannah-based mysteries Iced Chiffon and Killer in Crinolines I have very much enjoyed. 

The fair's website lists over 200 authors who will be present including poet, essayist, and novelist Wendell Berry, political reporter Eleanor Clift, and Bobbie Ann Mason. 

My plan, which worked so well last year, is to study the program that is online and choose beforehand the authors I want to meet. The aisles get crowded and it is best to have a strategy so I don't miss anyone. A great day!

Here are links to my posts on last year's Book Fair: here and here.

On Sunday, the award-winning, independent documentary film "Out of Print", produced and directed by Vivienne Roumani, will be shown, for free, at a theater right in my neighborhood.  It asks and debates the question Is the Book Really Dead? I am very much looking forward to seeing this. Here is how the film is described on its website:

Out of Print, narrated by Meryl Streep, draws us into the topsy-turvy world of words, illuminating the turbulent and exciting journey from the book through the digital revolution. Jeff Bezos (founder and CEO of Amazon.com), Ray Bradbury, Scott Turow, Jeffery Toobin, parents, students, educators, scientists - all highlight how this revolution is changing everything about the printed world - and changing us.

Kentucky Book Fair on My Calendar

The Kentucky Book Fair in Frankfort, which I have often attended, is coming up in a couple of weeks. This year I see that some of the regular favorites will be in attendance at this one-day event: Wendell Berry; Bobbie Ann Mason; and, the state's former and only female governor Martha Layne Collins (whom I have had the pleasure of interviewing). Sue Grafton, Louisville native and author of the alphabet mysteries featuring Kinsey Millhone, is scheduled to be there to sign her newest, W is for Wasted.

Also on the list is Duffy Brown who writes the fun mysteries set in Savannah (where I will be next week!). I met her last year, bought her first book, Iced Chiffon, and now, after reading her second, Killer in Crinolines, consider myself to be a fan of hers. 

Here is a link to author photos I took at last year's event.

Even though I am in the midst of getting ready for my Grand Southern Literary Tour 2013, I am definitely going to put this book fair on my calendar. It makes for a fun, literary day. And one that is always full of surprises.

Malice Domestic: The Agatha Award Nominees

Malice Domestic: Agatha Awards

Over at Death in the Stacks, I came across the nominees for the 2012 Agatha Awards. The awards, named for Agatha Christie, honor the 'traditional mystery' and the books nominated contain no explicit sex or excessive gore.

Well, that is a relief. 

The conference - it is celebrating its 25th year - is put on by Malice Domestic the first weekend in May in Bethesda, Maryland. The attendees vote for the winners. 

The guest of honor this year will be Laurie R. King who writes the Mary Russell/Sherlock Holmes historical mysteries. The international guest of honor will be Peter Robinson who pens the Inspector Banks mysteries which take place in Yorkshire. 

I am happy to see that one of the books nominated in the Best First Novel category is Iced Chiffon by Duffy Brown. I met Ms. Brown at the Kentucky Book Fair in November 2012. The action of her mystery takes place in Savannah, Georgia - a city whose beauty is not in the least marred by murder - and I found it to be a fun read. 

The main character in Iced Chiffon is Reagan Summerside, owner of the consignment shop The Prissy Fox, and her attempts to solve the murder of her ex-husband's girlfriend.

Another nominee, in the Best Novel category, is G.M. Malliet's The Fatal Winter. I have read everything by Ms. Malliet except this last one but I do have it on reserve at the library.

The Fatal Winter is the second in her series concerning Max Tudor, the handsome, haunted vicar of St. Edwold's in Nether Monkslip. Max was introduced in the book Wicked Autumn (here and here) which I quite enjoyed.

Malliet's other series stars Detective Chief Inspector St. Just. There are three books in that series and they are all quite amusing.

I really must try out some of the past and present books nominated over the past twenty-five years. And who knows, maybe I will just make plans to attend this year's conference. 

If you are interested in reading more about the nominees and the conference, this is the link to the web site: Malice Domestic.

Photo album: Kentucky Book Fair

Samuel, the handsome bookseller, at the Kentucky Book Fair.
Joseph-Beth is an independent bookstore in Lexington and had people at the Fair taking payment for books purchased. I wandered up and down the aisles chatting with authors and picking up books as I went. I paid for all on my way out. I couldn't resist taking Samuel's photo as he stood in line to meet one of his literary idols, Wendell Berry.

Author Bobby Ann Mason looks darling in her beret. She was wearing it in honor of her newest book The Girl in the Blue Beret. I bought and had her sign a copy of Elvis which she wrote in 2002. I had seen Ms. Mason at the Book Fair shortly after publication of that book, part of the Penguin Lives series, but in my ignorance failed to buy it. So, I had to settle for getting her autograph in the paperback edition.

Kentucky literary icon Wendell Berry. I bought a copy of his agrarian essays, Art of the Common Place, and joked with him that I was embarrassed to say that although I had read some of his work I didn't actually own any of his books but was putting that to rights today. He laughed and said, "If you can read them for free, why not?" He began the day wearing his jacket but by noon was signing books in his shirtsleeves. There was always a line of fans at  his table.

And now let me introduce three mystery writers whose books I bought and chatted with about murder most foul:

Gale Borger writes the Miller Sisters Mysteries.  Ms. Borger is a correctional officer, wife, and mother to a college-student daughter. She lives in Wisconsin and was smiling to be in Kentucky. She also is a master gardener and gave me a packet of basil seeds. I am looking forward to starting her books, Totally Buzzed and Totally Fishy.

Abigail Keam writes mysteries that take place in Bluegrass country and star Josiah Reynolds, beekeeper extraordinaire.
Death by a Honeybee is Ms. Keam's first book in the series. She has written four so far. Ms. Keam is a beekeeper herself and has won awards for her honey at the Kentucky State Fair.

Duffy Brown's Iced Chiffon is a cozy mystery featuring Reagan Summerside, consignment store owner in Savannah and part-time amateur sleuth. I love the city of Savannah and couldn't resist buying this first-in-the-series book. Besides, Ms. Brown looked so fresh in her yellow jacket and red carnation.

Kentucky Book Fair

Cost of books purchased today at the Kentucky Book Fair: 

$85.64

Lunch at Gibby's on Main Street in Frankfort: 

$9.51

Chance to meet Wendell Berry, Bobby Ann Mason, and mystery writers Duffy Brown, Gale Borger, and Abigail Keam: 

Priceless

Book Events

There are some bookish events coming up soon that might be worth checking out.

On Saturday there is a Writers Block Festival with workshops and discussion panels. The workshops don't interest me, but one of the panels is going to be on blogging. I might check that out.

This is the second year for this event which is held in an up-and-coming retail/restaurant/gallery neighborhood.

In November, the Kentucky Book Festival will be held in Frankfort. I have attended this a few times and have always enjoyed the trip. It is held indoors and is not too overwhelming. It is nice to see all the Kentucky writers.

On a different note, I started John Grisham's Calico Joe. By page 20 I could see where it was going...maybe. There is some fun baseball history and the names of famous and familiar players are scattered throughout. I hope it doesn't disintegrate into a sad story. Alas, I fear it will.