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Octavia Books continues to advance New Orleans' fine
tradition of independent bookselling. Tom Lowenburg and Judith Lafitte and their
staff carefully handpick every title to ensure a quality selection.
Patrons also return to savor the store's relaxing natural ambiance, spacious
aisles, high ceilings, exposed New Orleans hard-tan brick walls, coffee bar,
outdoor courtyard and waterfall -- complete with hungry goldfish and tropical
plants. Tom and Judith's renovation of this 100-year-old building, which once
housed a corner grocery and stable, earned them Best of New Orleans
Architecture honors from New Orleans Magazine
and a Golden Hammer award from the City of New Orleans.
The Octavia Books family hopes you will stop by to sip
complimentary coffee or tea, explore our shelves, and share your thoughts with
us. And when you can't shop in person at our physical store, we hope
you'll enjoy visiting us here on the web where you can find out the latest news,
check out upcoming events and order from well over two million titles at your
fingertips. We are happy to ship directly to you; or you can arrange to pick up
your order at our store.
Thank you for acknowledging the importance of our
role as an independent bookstore and for making us your bookstore of
choice!
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Greetings from Octavia Books, where we are pleased to report that our Katrina-proof goldfish are still happily swimming in the fountain and our bookselling activities continue to thrive as we to work to rebuild our New Orleans community. Octavia Books' entire wide and remarkably varied selection is available for perusal and purchase both at octaviabooks.com as well as in the store -- where our well-read staff is always happy to provide the best service to you.
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What's Happening at Octavia Books Title of Event: The Prince of Frogtown by Rick Bragg -Author Reading and Signing
When: Monday, May 12, 2008 6:00 PM
Location: Octavia Books, 513 Octavia St., New Orleans, LA 70115
Phone: 504-899-READ (7323)
Description: Please join us in
welcoming back Pulitzer prize-winning writer Rick Bragg who will read from and sign copies of his new book, The Prince of Frogtown.
The third of Bragg's books to chronicle the lives of his family, The Prince of Frogtown tells his father's story, relating their difficult and tempestuous relationship. The book reaches new ground as it looks at Bragg's father through the lens of how Bragg himself relates with his step-son.
To mark this special event, we have produced our first podcast, in which Fred Kasten interviews Rick Bragg for Octavia books. Click
here
to download; and listen to Rick Bragg discuss The Prince of Frogtown.
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Booklovers like to say that "books take your places," sweeping you away to other lands and times. But it is also true that there are many wonderful books which will open our eyes to the unique history, people and environment of areas much closer to home. New Orleans, Louisiana, and the Gulf South are the subjects or settings of all kinds of books. And of course, you will find an extensive collection of local interest titles at Octavia Books. Check out these.
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Ralph Brennan's New Orleans Seafood Cookbook
by
Brennan, Ralph,
Bourg, Gene
Over a decade in the making, famed New Orleans restaurateur Ralph Brennan, and his perfect storm of Louisiana talent are proud to unveil Ralph Brennan's New Orleans Seafood Cookbook, a definitive guide to the preparation, cooking and serving of local seafood. This 432-page cookbook features 170 recipes— 25 percent classic (Trout Amandine, Oysters Rockefeller and Shrimp Creole) and 75 percent contemporary recipes (Crawfish Spring Rolls, Barbeque Oysters, Grilled Redfish "On the Half Shell" and Crabmeat Lasagna with Crab-&-Chanterelle Butter Sauce). The book includes step-by-step instructions, a seafood cook's manual, tips and illustrations, a glossary of Creole and Acadian food terms, suggested wine pairings and a comprehensive ingredients source list (including ordering information).
Ralph Brennan's culinary team dedicated the past four years (including a nine-month hiatus in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina) to creating the ultimate guide to New Orleans seafood. This crème de la crème team includes Ralph Brennan, his five executive chefs; veteran writer and editor Gene Bourg (The Times-Picayune, Saveur, Food &Wine); acclaimed photographer Kerri McCaffety (Obituary Cocktail, Etouffée Mon Amour); and The Times-Picayune recipe tester Paulette Rittenburg (Chef Paul Prudhomme's Louisiana Kitchen).
"Despite a gastronomy based so largely on local seafood, New Orleans has never had a comprehensive book on the subject -- until now. Ralph Brennan, one of the city's finest restaurateurs, and Kerri McCaffety, on of America's great photographers, have combined their efforts to produce a book on Louisiana seafood that is not just authoritative and mouthwatering but exceptionally beautiful."
-- John Mariani, Esquire Magazine and author of The Encyclopedia of American Food |
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Unique and provocative selections from a great diversity of voices...all personally recommended by the independent booksellers of America.
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At Octavia Books we are always eager to help you make new discoveries. Select below for a taste of just a few of the books we've been enjoying.
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Mouse Noses on Toast
by
King, Daren,
Roberts, David
"Ever heard of a mouse being allergic to cheese? Paul Mouse is: His behind turns blue and his tail curves into a question mark. To make matters worse, while at a neighborhood restaurant he hears a human order mouse noses on toast (with whiskers)! This fun and captivating story tells how a Christmas tree ornament, a shaggy sheepdog, and a sort-of monster help Paul remedy a dreadful situation." --Judith |
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Informative titles on the importance of building and strengthening a vibrant local economy.
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Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life
by
Kingsolver, Barbara,
Kingsolver, Camille
“Tracing the food year,
Kingsolver—with her characteristic candor,
poetry, and grace—brings us meditations on
asparagus, turkeys, tomatoes, and mulch as she
and her family try to eat locally as much as they
can. This is a distinct hybrid of The Omnivore’s
Dilemma, Under the Tuscan Sun, and Walden.”
—Matt Plies, Annie Bloom’s Books, Portland, OR |
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New Orleans' unique culture and charm have captivated hundreds of writers, including William Faulkner, Walker Percy, Andrei Codrescu and Pulitzer Prize winners Rick Bragg and Richard Ford. Best-selling author Anne Rice was born in the City That Care Forgot and considers her birthplace the perfect muse. Photographers Richard Sexton and Kerri McCaffety have painstakingly documented the Crescent City with richly detailed images. Choose an author name for more information.
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The Prince of Frogtown
by
Bragg, Rick
In this final volume of the beloved American saga that began with "All Over but the Shoutin'" and continued with "Ava's Man," Rick Bragg closes his circle of family stories with an unforgettable tale about fathers and sons inspired by his own relationship with his ten-year-old stepson.
He learns, right from the start, that a man who chases a woman with a child is like a dog who chases a car and wins. He discovers that he is unsuited to fatherhood, unsuited to fathering this boy in particular, a boy who does not know how to throw a punch and doesn't need to; a boy accustomed to love and affection rather than violence and neglect; in short, a boy wholly unlike the child Rick once was, and who longs for a relationship with Rick that Rick hasn't the first inkling of how to embark on. With the weight of this new boy tugging at his clothes, Rick sets out to understand his father, his son, and himself.
"The Prince of Frogtown" documents a mesmerizing journey back in time to the lush Alabama landscape of Rick's youth, to Jacksonville's one-hundred-year-old mill, the town's blight and salvation; and to a troubled, charismatic hustler coming of age in its shadow, Rick's father, a man bound to bring harm even to those he truly loves. And the book documents the unexpected corollary to it, the marvelous journey of Rick's later life: a journey into fatherhood, and toward a child for whom he comes to feel a devotion that staggers him. With candor, insight, tremendous humor, and the remarkable gift for descriptive storytelling on which he made his name, Rick Bragg delivers a brilliant and moving rumination on the lives of boys and men, a poignant reflection on what it means to be a father and a son. |
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