"Captain Saturday"

All-in-all, this past weekend was a lovely and low-key one. We hung around the house, I puttered a bit (laundry, tidying) and did some good knitting on some little bears. I also read a truly enjoyable book, and that is what I wanted to share...

I will preface this by admitting that I do have a soft spot for Southern literature, both the serious and the not so serious. And to my delight I've found a new (well, new to me) Southern author - Robert Inman. The novel is called Captain Saturday - and it's the story of Will Baggett, who is the most popular TV weatherman in all of Raleigh, NC.

Will's pretty much on top of the world: he loves his job, and he loves his adoring fans. He and his beautiful wife have a lovely home, and a son in med school. In short, Will's on top of the world.
Until the station is sold, and Will finds himself out of a job. And that's just the beginning of the woes the universe has in store for him.

This story deals with how Will reconnects with his roots, and in doing so reconnects with himself, and his wife and son. It was beautifully and descriptively written. Inman has a very good eye and ear for details. Even the more outrageous characters ring true.

I'm excited to have discovered Robert Inman. First, because I did genuinely enjoy this book; and second, because he has several more books out there. It's always nice to "find" someone who already has a couple of books under his belt, so that when you like their writing style, you don't have to wait years for the next book to come out* - you can go back and read some of the older stuff.

Although, this week, not much time for reading.... I'm paying for my leisurely weekend! Our big-time neighborhood festival begins Friday, and the unofficial kickoff is the children's party which I am helping to put together, which is on Thursday night. The rest of my week is going to be all about Festival....

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*And yes, I mean you, Donna Tartt. You wrote The Secret History which was absolutely wonderful. Then you made us wait NINE YEARS for The Little Friend, which wasn't....