What I’m reading lately

If you are looking for a stocking stuffer for someone who enjoys reading fiction, I recommend Fannie Flagg’s Redbird Christmas. This is a feel-good Christmas novel. A strong cast of characters, including a redbird named Jack, packs its 240 pages.

Flagg wields a deft touch in her portrayal of Southern cultures and environments. She also captures the human heart, from heartbreak to healing kindness. Set in Lost River, Alabama, both the residents and life in the small town could have been inspired by scenes from my childhood.

There were, for example, my 32 aunts and uncles, all gone now. That included the in-laws grafted into my parents’ families. All of them, except two of the spouses, were native Mississippians who grew up on farms in tight-knit, rural communities.

Then there were the colorful characters who were in my life during the time we spent on our primitive houseboat on the West Pearl River in Louisiana. From my pre-school years until Hurricane Camille smashed the houseboat when I was a young married, my family and I spent part of every summer and many weekends at the houseboat.

We were accepted as transients in the river culture. Whether fishing, gathering muscadines, visiting or going to Mr. and Mrs. Blocker’s artesian well across the river for potable water, small boats and outboard motors were a part of our life.

I treasure experiencing the visit to Flagg’s fictional Lost River, where engaging and amazing events unfold. It was a good read that also resurrected those childhood memories for me. 

The only regret I have about this book is that in a fit of making room for more books, I turned it into our library’s paperback one-for-one swap section. I may just buy it for my Kindle and read it again during this Christmas season.