Tailgators of Black Mountain: Jerry Pope

You may have heard (here, for instance) of the Tailgate Market, every Saturday during the summer months in Black Mountain.  I would like to introduce to you a different vendor each day for a while.  I wish you could visit them in person, and several have free samples.  All have delightful locally created arts and crafts, or locally grown food.

With a cool grey day, last week's Tailgate Market wasn't as well attended as most of us expected.

So I walked about taking some photos of friendly vendors.  Jerry is selling his children's books, his art postcards of area sites, and has this new book for sale as well.  He said if you mention that you saw this post on Living in Black Mountain's blog, he'd give you a 5% discount on any purchase.
I didn't charge him for this free mention on my blog either!  But I haven't read the book yet.  I'll do a review soon!

this photo by Rebecca Williams

Another Appalachian good book

The Little Bookstore of Big Stone Gap...by Wendy Welch.
What a lovely entertaining read.  With the subtitle of  "memoir of friendship, community and the uncommon pleasure of a good book."
With a black cat pictured on the cover.

How could it be otherwise?
I've been enjoying this book, and will be sorry when I finish it tonight as my go-to-sleep read.  Ms. Welch writes of her own life starting a used bookstore with her Scotch husband in small small town Virginia.  This book speaks of literature as comfortably as walking down the street looking in shop windows, and yet the most memorable part for me is the continuing stories of interactions with the customers of the book store.

I did have to look it up on the map...and even then didn't believe Virginia had a little town there...it's coal country, it's near KY and TN...but not as near NC as I thought it would be.  But it's just a stone throw up in the mountains even so.  Big Stone Gap, VA.

I highly recommend this book, and was delighted that our library had the large print version!

 

Our Library

I dearly love this local library, which also connects to all the libraries in the county, and then even further if we don't find what we want here!

To the right you find the periodical and reading room, as well as computer stations.  They are frequently all busy, but sometimes the waiting time isn't too long for your own hour of the net.

Looking left you see check out counter and 3 of my favorite people, the librarians.

The newest books are there in the low shelves, with DVD's and books on CD's beyond.

One of my favorite areas takes up most of the opposite wall...

And the Staff Picks are always good, and the latest large print (the sign hanging from the next shelf which glared out to white).

Music CD's are also available.
The fiction section is huge, as well as a smaller collection of paper backs.  I have even found books I enjoyed in the Juvenile Fiction area, but I confess to not having availed myself of the welcoming children's area.

I do spend time here several times a month...and if you ever drop in, I may run into you!