Curl up by the fire with a good book

Don't forget to cast your vote in the poll to the left which asks your opinion of what Congress will do in the next two years.

Book News

These books have connections to Bessemer, in one way or another. With colder weather just around the corner, it's time to stock up on your reading material. Make yourself a cup of hot chocolate, and wrap yourself in your Snuggie and begin turning the pages.

The Sermon on the Mall

John Tarrant has written a nice book that explores the connection between progressive politics and the teachings Christianity. The Sermon on the Mall is based on the inauguration speech of Barack Obama. Here is part of the introduction.

The Messiah has come! Or so one may have thought
upon hearing the passionate, tear-stained declarations of hope
for universal peace, prosperity and goodwill to all men, women,
gays, lesbians, white folks, black folks, sick people, poor people,
and assorted "mutts like me" on the tongues of the multitudes
lining the streets, throwing their cloaks in his path. This was
the Palm Sunday-like scene at the inauguration of the 44th
President of the United States, Barack Hussein Obama. Never
before had a president been welcomed with such unattainable
expectations for change in every phase of the national life, from
foreign policy, to heathcare reform, to the rebirth of scientific
inquiry, to the crisis de jour, an economy that was sucking the
life out of the entire planet. Can he pull it off? That was the
question in all our minds. And the other mostly unspoken
question we all still have in a knotted place in our stomachs is,
can he survive, literally, or will he suffer the fate of most every
messiah and fall to the cries of "Crucify him!," egged on by the
doomsday prophets and publicans predicting the end of the
American franchise.

This book is available from lulu.com.

A good read for those who understand that Jesus was a progressive, and that today's Republican party has become a tool of that faction of conservatives that doesn't mind dividing the people and demonizing anything and anyone progressive. Heck, they would even throw Jesus under the bus if he was involved in the current debate about health care, but I digress.

People who should read the book:

1) Anyone who feels that their "conservative" political views are substantiated by Christian principles.

2) Anyone who would like to be able to better articulate the way in which their liberal political views are based in the foundational principles of Christianity.

3) Anyone who enjoys an entertaining read.

The author's son is a friend of mine.


The Teller of Burnham Bank

Troy Post, formerly of Bessemer and the Bessemer Development Board, has written a novel titled The Teller of Burnham Bank.




From the publication page:

In The Teller of Burnham Bank, a small-town newspaper editor struggles to save an historic building from an evil politician who has a different view of historic "renovation." But when the editor stumbles across a mystery (as they often do in these types of books), the suspense will keep the reader turning page after page .... because, of course, that's the only way to read a book.

Mr. Post most likely draws from his experience in Bessemer in writing this novel. It will be available one week from today, from Palmetto Branch Press.

Here's the back cover hook.

“Hey, look at this one,” said James, holding up one of the photographs. “I wonder what’s up with her?”

The photo he held was a picture of the Burnham Bank Building from 1939, as evidenced by the tax assessment sign in the still documenting the year. No longer a bank but the location for a five-and-dime store, the building itself appeared to be in good repair, with an ornate, wooden door at the building’s corner and perhaps fifteen arched windows, each topped with a marble lintel. An elegant spire, a feature missing in the present structure, covered the roof. But what instantly drew our attention was not the building – it was, rather a woman who stood in the foreground.

With arms drawn high to shield her face, one thing was apparent: she did not want to be photographed.

An interesting read, no doubt, and with the tie to local politics and historical preservation (although the book is fiction) I'm looking forward to reading it.

Those Others

My book, Those Others, is in the mix for a Lambda Literary Award, in the Gay Debut Fiction category.



Check that out here, and also you can watch a video trailer and order a book from that site.