Author Interview from the Front Porch - Jimmy Carter In Plains

Here is my interview with the blog "From the Front Porch" the official podcast from the great south Georgia book store "The Book Shelf" of Thomasville.
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Description
Welcome to "From the Front Porch," a collection of conversations on books, small business, and life in the South. Each week, we share stories from the shop and happenings from our small town in South Georgia, all recorded from the comfort of Annie's front porch settled among the streets of downtown Thomasville. Follow along our adventures in store ownership, and eavesdrop into quirky conversations from our staff's day-to-day behind the counter. We'll introduce you to Thomasville's diverse cast of characters and share our favorite books of the season.

https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/from-the-front-porch/id906463114?mt=2

In defense of Fuller House

Okay so by now the wave of public opinion has washed all hope of extended glory away from this 1990's reboot. But here's the thing, all the negative reviews for "Fuller House" seem to be limited to its pilot episode. Now this is quite justified, and if I wasn't binge watching the show with my wife, I would have probably stopped right there. The most commonly referenced description was from the The AV Club’s review, saying that Fuller House felt like “a porn parody without the sex,” implying both bad dialogue and horrible characters.
Don't get me wrong, I work three different jobs and have a new born. When I want to relax, I want to relax. Sure I have re watched "Wolf Hall" more times than most. But for the most part I enjoy light heart-ed programs for my pre-bedtime moments of chill. That being said, I really disliked the first episode, and think its universal negative appraisal is very justified. But, heres the thing, the show gets better.. a whole lot better, surprisingly better as it goes on.
To the point that I'm looking forward to seeing what happens next. Actually going to sleep later, denying myself the few hours of sleep I get while my young child isn't losing his head, just to watch this silly, stupid, and refreshingly amusing show. Look this ain't groundbreaking entertainment people and it never ever claimed to be. This was and remains simple predictable family television.



Plus there is the added bonus that the new characters on the show are used wisely. The new  male children in particular are fully formed characters that at their best moments steal whole sections of the show.  Middle Child Max, I would even go so far as to describe him as the show's best virtue.
And yes I get the comments made about Stephanie's appearance and I do find it a bit off-putting at first. yet, this too improves as the show moves forward, and her "taters" as my wife calls them get put away in less revealing outfits.



My point = This is a good show and one that you can easily binge. Plus I'm pretty sure it won't be going anywhere.

First Entrepreneur: How George Washington Built His – and the Nation’s – Prosperity

Da Capo Press, $25.99, 296 pages
Washington is a colossal figure in the annals of American History. An individual so mythical in his features and actions that it’s almost impossible to remember he was once an ordinary man, entirely divorced from the marble statues we see him as today or the fabled president immortalized in our currency. Edward Lengel’s book  First Entrepreneur attempts to awaken this forgotten dimension of Washington’s personal story.
Washington from the onset knew that his every action was setting a precedent; not only in how he handled himself in office, his determination to leave that office after two terms, and his goal to remain a neutral nation during foreign conflicts, but also in the way he handled his financial dealings and gains while in the presidency. Lengel’s Washington is presented as a figure who married for money and developed into a skilled social climber; someone who reluctantly took up the presidency, actually losing sleep the night he was elected. Washington was a disciplined executive and agribusiness man who innovated his nation’s economics as well as his own. Tragically, by creating both peace and prosperity for his nation, he denied himself both qualities of life.
Reviewed By Robert Buccellato