Butter Beans for the Soul

Rating:
Summary: Authentic Humor
Review: I genuinely enjoyed this book. The stories reflect the true humor in simply being human, especially if you grew up in the South. I could have read 100 more of Mr. Adams artfully expressed stories....I hope to discover more of his work....and, yes...I actually DID go out and bring home some butter beans to further wallow in the nourishment of this read...

Rating:
Summary: Growing up in the South
Review: If you're looking for a book to keep you laughing, this is it. The stories are real and funny. The characters are real and funny. It's about growing up in the South and the book is truly food for the Southerner's heart.

Rating:
Summary: It's a Funny Funny Book!
Review: Joe Adam's "Butter Beans for the Soul" is a charming, laugh-out-loud read that will leave you with a smile on your face, and, as the title suggests, nourish the soul. This book is a collection of articles written for the author's hometown newspaper, "The Gaston Gazette" in North Carolina. The chapters are brief recollections and musings on growing up in a small, Southern town, as well as the author's humorous observations on his life today. With a heart and style as big as Mississippi's Willie Morris ("My Dog Skip"), Joe Adams tells us of the miracle of Television first coming to his small town; his grandmother stopping by the funeral parlor once a week to make sure her casket was still there (as the author notes, "Nobody had the heart to tell her it was a display model"); or taking his elderly cousins from the small town of Gastonia on a pilgrimage to Graceland in Memphis ("We've been here since 5 o'clock watching people go up and down on these glass elevators. We try to guess which floor people will get off. So far Mary's ahead'). He even locates an enchanted "healing springs" on his journeys that have been deeded outright to God. ("Although", he adds, "I don't know who pays the taxes. I would hate to see them try to foreclose on God for back taxes"). As life is a collection of moments, this witty collection of "snippets" -as the author calls them-provides warm insight and great humor into the author's rich life. All who read it will benefit from the joy contained within this book, and may find themselves craving a big bowl of butter beans once they're done.

Rating:
Summary: A Tasty, Hearty Meal of Words
Review: Joe Adam's "Butter Beans for the Soul" is a charming, laugh-out-loud read that will leave you with a smile on your face, and, as the title suggests, nourish the soul. This book is a collection of articles written for the author's hometown newspaper, "The Gaston Gazette" in North Carolina. The chapters are brief recollections and musings on growing up in a small, Southern town, as well as the author's humorous observations on his life today. With a heart and style as big as Mississippi's Willie Morris ("My Dog Skip"), Joe Adams tells us of the miracle of Television first coming to his small town; his grandmother stopping by the funeral parlor once a week to make sure her casket was still there (as the author notes, "Nobody had the heart to tell her it was a display model"); or taking his elderly cousins from the small town of Gastonia on a pilgrimage to Graceland in Memphis ("We've been here since 5 o'clock watching people go up and down on these glass elevators. We try to guess which floor people will get off. So far Mary's ahead'). He even locates an enchanted "healing springs" on his journeys that have been deeded outright to God. ("Although", he adds, "I don't know who pays the taxes. I would hate to see them try to foreclose on God for back taxes"). As life is a collection of moments, this witty collection of "snippets" -as the author calls them-provides warm insight and great humor into the author's rich life. All who read it will benefit from the joy contained within this book, and may find themselves craving a big bowl of butter beans once they're done.

Rating:
Summary: It's a Funny Funny Book!
Review: Joe Adams may be the funniest new voice in the South. The stories in this collection all make me laugh out loud, and I find myself reading them over and over again. Not only did I buy one for myself but have given it as gifts to friends who need a few laughs (and a few who didn't)