Welcome to the unique world of Bailey White. Her aunt Belle may take you to see her bellowing pet alligator. Her uncle Jimbuddy may appall you with his knack for losing pieces of himself. Most of all, you may succumb utterly to the charms of Bailey's mama, who will take you to a juke joint so raunchy it scared Ernest Hemingway or tuck you into her antique guest bed that has the disconcerting habit of folding up on people while they sleep. White's indelible vignettes of Southern eccentricity have entranced millions who have heard her read them on NPR. Mama Makes Up Her Mind is as sweetly intoxicating as a mint julep and as invigorating as a walk in White's own overgrown garden.
For more than a decade, Bailey White has delivered a story each Thanksgiving to National Public Radio's All Things Considered listeners. Long awaited by her many fans, Nothing with Strings is the entire collection of these Thanksgiving stories, published together for the first time. With wit and charm, Bailey White writes about an almost-gone little town where a spoon player is a guardian angel, an old woman fears that John James Audubon is living in her attic, and a homely governess wins a baby bull in a raffle and loses her heart. It's the kind of place where Heavenly Blue morning glories grow in through the windows of old houses and funeral food is shared on a Greyhound bus on a fall afternoon. You may not have ever been there, but you will feel right at home in these pages. Bailey White's beautifully written stories, teetering on the edge of the unreal, are sure to bring back memories you don't really have.
Anyone who has read her bestseller Mama Makes Up Her Mind--or who has heard her on National Public Radio--knows that Bailey White is one of the keenest observers of Southern eccentricity since Mark Twain. Sleeping at the Starlite Motel revives White's reputation as a master storyteller, Southern division, as it catalogs the oddities of the Georgia town she knows so well.
A mama cow’s devotion to her calf provides lessons in motherhood to a poor Southern woman in this novel of family, survival, and human-animal bonds. South Carolina, 1950s. Homemaker Sarah Creamer has been left to care for young Emerson Bridge, the product of an affair between Sarah’s husband and her best friend. But beyond the deep wound of their betrayal, Sarah is daunted by the prophecy of her mother’s words, seared in her memory since childhood: “You ain’t got you one good mama bone in you, girl.” When Sarah finds Emerson a steer to compete at an upcoming cattle show, the young calf cries in distress on her farm. Miles away, his mother breaks out of a barbed-wire fence to find him. When Sarah finds the young steer contently nursing a large cow, her education in motherhood begins. But Luther Dobbins is desperate to regain his championship cattle dynasty, and he will stop at nothing to win. Emboldened by her budding mama bone, Sarah is committed to victory even after she learns the winning steer’s ultimate fate. Will she too stop at nothing, even if it means betraying her teacher? One Good Mama Bone explores the strengths and limitations of parental love and the ethical dilemmas of raising animals for food.
When the kids are having a meltdown, savvy parents will keep their cool with this fun compendium of silly games, unexpected stunts, and wow-inducing facts designed to entertain little ones aged 27. This book features more than 100 clever ideas for simple and inexpensive activities that are appropriate for restaurants (Impressions with Straws), the supermarket (Go Fish), and long plane rides (Crush a Bottle Without Even Touching It!). Whether they're making raisins dance or whistling with an acorn, kids will beamazed (and distracted) by their Mama . . . thanks to her Little Book of Tricks.
"Who knew that a who-dun-it would not only keep you guessing—but have you laughing! Deborah Sharp is the new Edna Buchanan."—Hoda Kotb, co-anchor of NBC's Today show Meet Mama: a true Southern woman with impeccable manners, sherbet-colored pantsuits, and four prior husbands, able to serve sweet tea and sidestep alligator attacks with equal aplomb. Mama's antics—especially her penchant for finding trouble — drive her daughters Mace, Maddie, and Marty to distraction. One night, while settling in to look for ex-beaus on COPS, Mace gets a frantic call from her mother. This time, the trouble is real: Mama found a body in the trunk of her turquoise convertible and the police think she's the killer. It doesn't help that the handsome detective assigned to the case seems determined to prove Mama's guilt or that the cowboy who broke Mace's heart shows up at the local Booze & 'n' Breeze in the midst of the investigation. Before their mama lands in prison—just like an embarrassing lyric from a country-western song—Mace and her sisters must find the real culprit. TV APPEARANCES NBC's Today Show from November 4, 2008 Mayor's Book Talk" from January 14, 2009 NBC6 "South Florida Today" from July 17, 2009 NBC's Today Show from August 4, 2009 Praise: "Mama Does Time is a humorous, touching reflection on familial love and politics."—Mystery Scene Magazine "With a strong, funny heroine, colorful characters, and a look at a part of Florida the tourists rarely see, Deborah Sharp has an engaging new series. Make sure Mama Does Time does time on your bookshelf."—Elaine Viets, author of Clubbed to Death: a Dead-End Job Mystery "Not since the late Anne George has there been such laugh-out-loud Southern fried fun. Deborah Sharp's Mama Does Time is a hilarious page turner with crisp and intelligent writing."—Sue Ann Jaffarian, author of the Odelia Grey Mystery series "Deborah Sharp's witty way with words makes Mama Does Time as much fun as a down-home visit with your quirky Florida cousins."—Nancy Martin, author of the Blackbird Sisters Mysteries "Colorful characters and a segment of Florida seldom seen by tourists evoke a Southern Sisters feeling in this very well written Southern fried epic...A winner."—BookBitch.com "The author's surname—Sharp—is an apt adjective to describe her writing. Her characters crackle off the page."—Cozy Library "Deborah Sharp has an eye for character...She's funny, perceptive, and entertaining. What more can a cozy reader ask for?"—Reviewing the Evidence "Newcomer Deborah Sharp will knock your socks off with this clever cozy mystery."—Fresh Fiction
Anyone who has read the best-selling Mama Makes Up Her Mind or listened to Bailey White's commentaries on NPR knows that she is a storyteller of inimitable wit and charm. Now, in her stunningly accomplished first novel, she introduces us to the peculiar yet lovable people who inhabit a small town in south Georgia. Meet serious, studious Roger, the peanut pathologist and unlikely love object of half the town's women. Meet Roger's ex-mother-in-law, Louise, who teams up with an ardent typographer in an attempt to attract outer-space invaders with specific combinations of letters and numbers. And meet Della, the bird artist who captivates Roger with the sensible but enigmatic notes she leaves on things she throws away at the Dumpster ("This fan works, but makes a clicking sound and will not oscillate"). Heartbreakingly tender, often hilarious, Quite a Year for Plums is a delectable treat from a writer who has been called a national treasure.
This specially-priced, limited-time package contains the cassette An Interesting Life (a $10.95 value) and the hardcover edition of Mama Makes Up Her Mind (a $17.95 value).
The Mama’s Family and The Carol Burnett Show character offers a humorous look at what it would be like if she were president of the United States. Listen Up, America! The solution to your problems has plopped right in your lap. Mama is running for president! Discover how President Thelma Harper would handle: Immigration—I’ll tell you how we solve the problem at our border: build senior citizen housing all along the American side. No one sees more than a nosy old lady peeking through her window blinds. Emergency Preparedness—Emergency response should be in the hands of the experts who have the resources and determination to respond quickly. I’m talking about Domino’s and Pizza Hut. Airport Security—As long as we have to take our shoes off, I will install a shoe-buffing brush inside the X-ray machine so your shoes will get a little shine as they go through. Animals—If I have a dog at the White House, I will have it spayed or neutered to control its sex drive, which is something that might have been a good idea for some of our previous presidents. Thelma Harper is running for president, and the free world will never be the same!
