Reading List

By Staff
Here is a look at books written by authors with ties to East Central Mississippi and surrounding areas.
Author: Dr. Alan Brown
Age: 50
Occupation: Professor of English at the University of West Alabama.
How to get the book: Contact the University Press of Mississippi at www.upress.state.ms.us.
Cost: $18 paper, $46 hardback
About the author: Dr. Brown lives in Meridian. His other books include "Literary Levees of New Orleans," "The Face in the Window and Other Alabama Ghostlore," and "Shadows and Cypress: Southern Ghost Stories." Brown said he wants his book to "bring a deeper appreciation of the history and lore of our own community and the landmarks that we drive by every day. It just makes life more interesting." Brown's plans include a book about veterans.
About the book: For those wishing a cold and creepy brush with the supernatural, this book has what you're looking for. Brown tells the stories of haunted places in Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky and other Southern states. Places many readers will recognize in Meridian include Peavey Melody Music and the Pigford Building.
Author: Bess Hull Boswell
Age: 78
Occupation: Retired teacher from Neshoba Central Elementary School, where she taught for more than 20 years.
How to get the book: Visit www.publishamerica.com.
Cost: $19.95
About the author: Bess Hull Boswell, also known as Mrs. Webb Boswell, is a graduate of Mississippi State University for Women. She holds a master's degree from Mississippi State University. She is married, has six children, and lives in Noxapater. Boswell is working on her second book.
About the book: When Camille Taylor elopes with handsome, charming Cliff Barrett, she thinks she has escaped from a sheltered life to one of bliss but things to wrong on their honeymoon. Taylor gradually becomes aware of Barrett's dark past, his gambling and his violence. Then, her parents and sister are killed in a plane crash and Taylor learns that Barrett has wasted her inheritance. Part of the book is set in Jackson.
Author: Joe Lee
Age: 37
Occupation: Novelist, part-time weatherman for WAPT-16 in Jackson and host of "Time Warp" on WTYX 94.7. He is working on his second book.
How to get the book: Visit www.dogwoodpress.com or write Dogwood Press, P.O. box 5958, Brandon, MS 39047-5958.
Cost: $19.95
About the author: Lee is originally from Jackson. He is a 1987 graduate of Mississippi State University with a degree in communication. Lee lived in Meridian in 1996 and 1997 and was a weatherman for WTOK-TV.
About the book: In his debut novel "On The Record," Lee introduces Maureen Lewis, a consumer protection director for the attorney general's office. Her consumer protection bill is signed into law and gives her department firepower to fight con artists and fraudulent business practices around the state. What Maureen doesn't know is that Attorney General Frank Cash and other influential people are embezzling from the office and prepared to frame her.
Author: Sylvia Higginbotham
Occupation: Former executive director of Columbus Arts Council and a freelance writer.
How to get the book: Write Parlance Publishing, P.O. Box 841, Columbus, MS 39703 or send e-mail to parlancepub@aol.com.
Cost: $19.95
About the author: Higginbotham is a native of Jones County. After living along the East Coast for several yeas, she moved with her husband and children to Louisiana, where she worked in media and public relations. She has written about Mississippi for 12 Fodor's travel publications. Her other books include "Marvelous Old Mansions and Other Southern Treasures" and "Reflections: Homes and History of Columbus, Mississippi." She is at work on a novel and a play about Southern women.
About the book: Higginbotham writes, "As I drafted this book, I wondered what category it would fit into. It's not exactly a travel guide, not entirely a cookbook, not a lengthy and precise historical account, not fiction, not high drama."
The book features a glimpse into the life of Mississippi cities through photos, brief interesting tidbits about each city and, of course, tasty Southern recipes. Meridian highlights include a photo of the Causeyville General Store.
Author: Jerry Lee Bustin
Age: 59
Occupation: Attorney and municipal judge in Forest
How to get the book: Call Mississippi Midnight Book, Inc., at 469-0010, or Bustin's office at 469-4311.
Cost: Soft $17, hardback $25
About the author: Bustin published a short story in the book "Christmas Stories From Mississippi" which included short stories from other Mississippi authors like William Faulkner, Eudora Welty and Willie Morris. The first edition, published by University Press in Jackson, sold out in 2001. Bustin said the book is now in its third printing.
About the book: "To Kill a Viper" was published earlier this year by Xlibris Corp. of Philadelphia, Penn. The novel is set in Central Mississippi, where judges who are helping the gambling industry locate in Jackson are killed with injections of poisonous snake venom.