Janice: 1489 books

I was fascinated, flattered when the carrier pigeon kited down to my wicker porch swing. He was wearing a gold band above his right claw encircling a white paper scrap. I held out my hand for him to give me my message. He jittered and squawked. So I went inside for some dry grits to use as a bribe....

General Norton receives a visit from a thief, and he is in for the time of his life. An invalid with nothing to do, General has advertised a goat on a radio exchange program, which "the Hippie" picks up on. The odd pair go out to see the goat and get into a fight about religion, among other...

It's a well doccumented fact that old men since Adam have believed that a young virgin might not only make them happy but prolong their lives.

At first "the boy" finds the inbred calves he has to tend a burden and embarrassment. That is until the squatters at a country store try to pass the calves off to a stranger traveling through. "Never name a cow, boy," one of the men say. But it's too late. The boy has named and fallen in love with them, especially the cow he calls Dumdum.

Fishing from the Alapaha River bank, Dump Watson faces off with his long-time enemy Boss Pender who is fishing from a boat. Dump has a deep-seated hatred of Pender, one of the farmers who he used to farm on halves for. Pender has mocked and insulted the poorer tenant farmer and now Dump recalls it all. But when Pender has an accident Dump risks his life to help him...

"Husband and wife, they looked blood-related; they looked perfect, like arm-linking dolls on the top tier of a wedding cake. Except when they were drunk..." Assistant Professor Randolph Sears--Randy to his only two friends--is about to learn why Anthony and Verandah drink so much when they are with him. And then he sees himself as he really is, not how he hopes he is.

Obese, long-time school secretary Alene finally gets her first truck and boyfriend, a hitch-hiker who winds up in her bedroom in the house she shares with her saintly, finiky mother. Then Alene gets replaced at work by a young woman with a ponytail. The principle sends Alene to set up office in the...

Rattlesnakes measure "8 foot long," where I come from. AND some even chase you. Nobody knows what happens if they catch you. We tell our tales for hours, gathered round a pickup's tailgate, around campfires--even standing in line at the supermarket. Dead snakes dangling from...

For thirty years the Crandell family, near Albany, Georgia, have been going to Jackson Prison, near Atlanta, to witness the execution of the killer of four family members. So far, each time, the Crandell's have been greeted with a stay of execution, but finally they see justice done. Their celebration is soured by unexpected emotions as they view the murderer draw his last breath

Chelsea, my adopted great-niece, loves competing in beauty pageants. But because of a serious heart condition the least jolt or surprise can result in exaggerated shows of emotion. For instance, when Chelsea discovers that her new pageant friend has flipper-teeth she is shocked to tears.

Temple, little beauty-queen pro, knows that her mother, Cammie, has spiked drinks of her competitors. Once Cammie even "accidentally" stepped on a child's dress tail and ripped it from the bodice. But tonight is Temple's first contest in her mother's small hometown and Temple will be competing with her first real friend, daughter of one of Cammie's former high-school classmates.

Beth is pregnant again and her son is only seven-teen months old. Both she and her husband Donnie work but they can't seem to catch up their debts. They cannot afford another baby, so it's decided that Beth will get an abortion. They have no choice. She keeps putting it off. Then she goes to a shopping mall to get a haircut and everything comes undone.

What would you do if you were suddenly blessed with a piebald deer mount in your small living room? No problem if it was placed as a centerpiece by an enemy, but a husband of many years is a different story. Add to that, this husband really thinks "Piebald" is a masterpiece.

An old lady reaches out from the grave with a message on a dollar bill to her grown daughters and grandchildren. After the funeral, they gather at the old lady's home to go through her meager belongings. Fannie, boss over the family, finds the dollar bill and they all quarell over what the hand-written...