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Trails of the Triangle This second edition describes more than 400 trails in Wake, Durham, Orange and surrounding counties. The guide reflects changes in the region during the decade since the book was first published, and lists close to 250 trails within a 60-mile radius of Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill. The hikes range in distance from a few yards, such as the 92-yards Honeysuckle Lane Trail in Fuquay-Varina, to the 26-mile Falls Lake Trail. There are residential trails such as Shelley Lake Trail, which is so popular it has a centerline to separate traffic, and trails in remote forests such as the Summit Loop Trail. You can find trails for equestrians, in-line skaters, cyclists and the physically impaired, along with maps, photographs and a Mountains-to-Sea Trail appendix. Author Allen de Hart is a recognized hiking authority in Louisburg. Published by John F. Blair in Winston-Salem. Softcover, 299 pages, $13.95. (800) 222-9796 |
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Lost Colony novel The fate of the Lost Colony on Roanoke remains one of America’s greatest mysteries. When the expedition’s governor returned to Roanoke Island, he could find no trace of the hundred colonists he’d left on Roanoke Island three years earlier. “The Rising Shore—Roanoke” rediscovers the vanished pioneers, and is told by two women. Elenor Dare is daughter of the governor and mother of the first English child born in North America. Margaret Lawrence is her servant. Both struggle bravely, angling against each other, to go after their dreams. The novel, by author Deborah Homsher, is based on research concerning the earliest English ventures in America. Published by Blue Hull Press in Ithaca, N.Y. Softcover, 273 pages, $13.95. |
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Kannapolis: Tales from the Towel City When James William Cannon bought a sage field seven miles north of Concord and opened his Cabarrus Cotton Mill in 1892, he sowed the seeds of Kannapolis. By the time he died in 1921, the name Cannon was “synonymous with the word towel,” and the “model mill town” grew into the city is it is today. In this collection of writings first published in the Charlotte Observer’s “A Look Back” column, Helen Arthur-Cornett brings the past to life through comic snippets and scenes from the city’s earlier years. She tells about teaching practices in the first Kannapolis schools, the fierce, football rivalry between Cannon High and Concord High, and “Granddaddy W.D’s” adventures with a runaway Model T. Softcover, 128 pages, $17.99. Published by The History Press in Charleston, S.C. (866) 457-5971 |
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“That Magnificent Army
The Historical Publications Section of the N.C. Office of Archives and History recently published a history of the Civilian Conservation Corps in North Carolina. “That Magnificent Army of Youth and Peace” is a thorough account of the program here compiled by Mars Hill College professor emeritus Harley E. Jolley and edited and indexed by Robert M. Topkins. The book is 178 pages in softcover and contains some 90 photos and illustrations. The price is $20 plus sales tax and shipping. www.ncpublications.com |
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The Crazy Kolinskis Riverdale, N.C., is a charming Southern hamlet where life is anything but mundane. Alongside changing seasons, local politics, church and colorful townspeople lie shattered dreams, guilt, secrets and the perplexing behavior of an eccentric, elderly couple. The pair, Elmer and Maude Lawson, are connected to a series of crises that share a common thread in the Kolinski family. “The Crazy Kolinskis: A Southern Novel” shows how our complex lives are tangled together and explores loss, faith and the age-old search for peace. The author, Dr. Ray N. Howell, is a senior minister in Lexington. Published by Carolina Avenue Press in Boonville. Softcover, 248 pages, $17.95. (336) 244-4440 |
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The Pink Begonia Sister’s
Famous painter Mary Ruth, Annie Mae (recently released from prison) and Nancy Ree knew what they wanted until they turned 40 and were forced to deal with breast cancer. The novel “The Pink Begonia Sister’s Caribbean Retreat” centers on these three women and emphasizes religious and Biblical themes, along with love, family, heritage and personal growth. Author Lisa Huggins Oxendine lives in the Union Chapel community of Robeson County and is a member of Lumbee River EMC. Softcover, 112 pages. Published by That I Might Enjoy Life Ministries in Lumberton. The book is available at select bookstores and through the author by sending a check or money order to Lisa Huggins Oxendine, 2007 Huggins Road, Lumberton, NC 28360. Each book is $12.95 each (that includes tax), plus $4 shipping and handling. For additional copies, add 50 cents each. (910) 843-8575 |
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Unspeakable Junius Wilson (1908–2001) spent 76 years at a state mental hospital in Goldsboro, including six in the criminal ward. He wasn’t declared insane by a medical professional nor found guilty of any criminal charge, but he was deaf and black in the Jim Crow South. Using legal records, institutional files, and extensive oral history interviews—some conducted in sign language—authors Susan Burch and Hannah Joyner piece together Wilson’s story. A deaf man accused in 1925 of attempted rape, Wilson was found insane at a lunacy hearing, committed to the criminal ward of the State Hospital for the Colored Insane, castrated and forced to labor for the institution. Lawsuits led to his release in the 1990s, and he spent his final years in a cottage on hospital property. Hardcover, 320 pages, $27.50. Published by the University of North Carolina Press in Chapel Hill. (800) 848-6224 |