Friday, August 22, 2008

Reminders and a new book

Yesterday I began reading The Front Porch Prophet by Raymond L. Atkins. Although normally I wait to finish a book before I begin raving about it, I thought I'd mention it here because I'm really liking it. The book is a debut novel and was released on July 1 of this year. I'm not too far into the book, but I can already tell that Mr. Atkins has that wonderful storytelling gene. The book is also based in the South, which I love. I don't have too much experience with the South personally, but I love books based there. There's something about southern life that feels really homey to me.

From the inside cover:

What do a trigger-happy bootlegger with pancreatic cancer, an alcoholic helicopter pilot who is afraid to fly, and a dead guy with his feet in a camp stove have in common?

What are the similarities between a fire department that cannot put out fires, a policeman who has a historic cabin fall on him from out of the sky, and an entire family dedicated to a variety of deceased authors?

Where can you find a war hero named Termite with a long knife stuck in his liver, a cook named Hoghead who makes the world’s worst coffee, and a supervisor named Pillsbury who nearly gets hung by his employees?

Sequoyah, Georgia is the answer to all three questions. They arise from the relationship between A. J. Longstreet and his best friend since childhood, Eugene Purdue. After a parting of ways due to Eugene’s inability to accept the constraints of adulthood, he reenters A.J.’s life with terminal cancer and the dilemma of executing a mercy killing when the time arrives.

Take this gripping journey to Sequoyah, Georgia and witness A.J.’s battle with mortality, euthanasia, and his adventure back to the past and people who made him what he is - and helps him make the decision that will alter his life forever.
And here's a little about Raymond L. Atkins (this makes my heart smile too):

Raymond L. Atkins resides in Rome, Georgia, with his wife. They live in a 110-year-old house that they have restored themselves, and they have four grown children who drop by from time to time. Raymond has had a variety of occupations during the past thirty-five years, but now that the children are grown, he is pursuing his lifelong ambition of being a novelist and writer.

His hobbies include reading, travel, and working on the house. His stories have been published in Christmas Stories from Georgia, The Lavendar Mountain Anthology, The Blood and Fire Review, and The Old Red Kimono.

Anyway, if you haven't heard of this book, you can check it out on Amazon. Or hop on over to Raymond L. Atkins' Web site. The book was also reviewed by Shana over at Literarily. And read the prologue to the book here (This is what hooked me).


Also, I have a little bit of housecleaning to do. First, there are only five days left to enter for a chance to win a signed paperback copy of Matrimony by Joshua Henkin. To enter go here and leave a comment.

And I wanted to remind you all that we'll be discussing Persepolis at the end of this month. If you've already read the book, please leave a comment linking to your review so I can include it in my review on Aug. 31.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Becca, I *loved* this book.

I just posted a book giveaway and interview with Mr. Atkins HERE.

Colin Matthew (TheBookPirate.com) said...

The book seems pretty interesting. I'll have to add it to my list. Thanks