Suddenly Southern: A Yankee’s Guide to Living in Dixie by Maureen Duffin Ward

Blurb:

Moving South? Feeling a little out of place? Craving pizza from home and faking a passion for sweet tea? Not generating much Southern hospitality? Wondering if you'll ever fit in?
Well, honey, here's your complete guide to living in Dixie, providing migrating Yanks with tips on living, eating, greeting, driving, walking, talking, and what food to bring to a funeral. From his 'n' her Southern Hair Dos (and Don'ts) to The A to Z Dixie Dictionary, Suddenly Southern includes everything you need to know about living south of the Mason-Dixon Line, including:

·         Recipes that range from mint juleps and hoppin' john to recipes for disaster

·         "Know Your Bugs by Their Mugs," a handy identification chart

·         10 ways to say, "Now that's ugly" in Dixie

·         How to walk from the store to the car without dying, a Fun-in-the-Sun Survival Kit

·         100 Southern Things Worth the Trip

From Southern tailgate food (deviled eggs and cheese straws) to minding your BBQs, from pronouncing pecan to knowing when your cat's a true Southerner, from knowing when you're fittin' in to knowing when you're not, this is the ideal guide for anyone moving, planning a move, or just plain ol' interested in this fascinating American region. With this book on your shelf, they'll never be able to say "Yankee, go home" again.

Review by Rose Thornton:

Suddenly Southern, by Maureen Duffin Ward, is a light and funny read, informative as well. Although it’s a bit hyperbolic in places, having grown up in the South I can affirm that it is spot-on for the most part. It is based on Ward’s actual experiences in adjustment as a transplant from the North to the South. One of my favorite parts of this book is the look at NASCAR, which starts out with, “Dirt track racing got its official start in Daytona in 1948, and it got its unofficial start from Southern moonshiners after World War II. They made their own booze to avoid paying taxes and raced around the farmlands at breakneck speeds to make sure all their customers could celebrate happy hour. ‘Now, that looks like fun.’ And a sport is born.” Ward continues from there to explain the various elements of NASCAR racing in a humorous, yet accurate way.

This is a great book for traveling, especially if going South. The reader can enjoy the comical aspect as well as become educated on southern peculiarities without the demand for deep-thought and analytic skills that some books require. Enjoy it on your next vacation!

Thanks for visiting, Rose, Julie, & Rochelle

Length:   176 Pages

Prices:

Print:  $12.99

Digital:  $9.46

Buy Link:

http://books.simonandschuster.com/Suddenly-Southern/Maureen-Duffin-Ward/9781451603965

The Complete How to Speak Southern By Steve Mitchell

Blurb:

The laugh sensation that swept the nation, How to speak Southern and More How to speak Southern, are now collected in one complete—and completely hilarious—volume.  Embraced by Southerners everywhere and dedicated to all Yankees in the hope that it will teach them to talk right, this uproarious book decodes “Suthun” wit and wisdom for “Nawthun” upstarts everywhere.  From “aig (a breakfast food that may be fried, scrambled, boiled or poached) to “zackly” (as in precisely), here’s just a sampling of what you’ll find inside:

ATTAIR: Contraction used to indicate the specific item desired. “Pass me attair gravy, please.”

EVERWHICHAWAYS: To be scattered in all directions. “You should have been there when the train hit that chicken truck. Them chickens flew everwhichaways.”

YONTNY: Do you want any. “Yontny more corn bread?”

Funny as well as informative, this laugh-out-loud dictionary will keep you laughing and learning–no matter where you fall on the Mason-Dixon Line!

Review by Rose Thornton:

The Complete How to Speak Southern, by Steve Mitchell, is a fun and lively book. Having grown up in the South, I found it to be rather exaggerated for the most part, but that is part of its charm. It makes a sharp point of the fact that people in the South do have their own peculiar way of communicating, and that they are delighted about this truth. Two of my favorite expressions found in Mitchell’s book are:

Kerosene cat in hell with gasoline drawers on: A colorful Southern expression used as an evaluation of someone’s ability to accomplish something. Ex: “He ain’t got no more chance than a kerosene cat in hell with gasoline drawers on.”

Motuhsickle: A two-wheeled missile with a powerful engine that is capable of great speed and is inherently unstable, thus providing physicians, hospitals and funeral directors with a regular source of income. Ex: “Johnny had his motuhsickle up to 120 last night.”

This book is filled with humorous definitions and usage examples and I do recommend it for light, entertaining reading.

Length: 105 Pages

Prices:

Print: $11.00

Digital: $9.99

Buy Link:

http://www.randomhouse.com/book/search/search.php?title_subtitle_auth_isbn=the+complete+how+to+speak+southern&x=0&y=0