We will bring a selection of cookbook to Suday’s Grand Tastings including books by several of the event’s featured chefs. Stop by and see us!

Embark on a mesmerizing journey where spirituality, interior design, and serendipity converge in The Color of Magic, an intimate autobiography from Ellen Kennon that unveils the profound connections between the metaphysical world and the art of interior design and color consulting. Discover the enchanting tales of synchronicity and manifestation that have guided the author’s career and personal life - from when she moved from Louisiana to New York City in the 1980s to pursue a career in interior design to designing and building her home nestled in the woods, which she first visualized decades prior and still operates her business from today.

Beyond mere aesthetics, this book celebrates the transformative power of creating healing environments that resonate with the soul. It reminds us that the true magic of design lies in how a space makes you feel and that in creating healing spaces we can unlock the greatest potential for the magic within ourselves.

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Join us under the Exhibitors tent as we once again set up shop at The Louisiana Book Festival. The event is held in front of the State Library and Capital buildings in downtown Baton Rouge ,

Meet your stabby new best friend !

"Cordelia Black loves exactly three things: her chosen family, her hairdresser (worth every penny plus tip), and killing bad men. By day, she's an ambitious pharma rep with a flawless reputation and designer wardrobe. By night, she culls South Louisiana of unscrupulous men-monsters who think they've evaded justice, until they meet her. Sure, the evening news may have started throwing around phrases like "serial killer," but Cordelia knows that's absurd. She's not a killer; she is simply karma. And being karma requires complete and utter control. But when Cordelia discovers a flaw in her perfectly designed system for eliminating monsters, pressure heightens. And it only intensifies when her best friend starts dating a man Cordelia isn't sure is a good person. Someone who might just unravel everything she has worked for. Soon enough, Cordelia has to come face to face with the choices she's made. The good, the bad, and the murderous. Both her family and her freedom depend on it"--

About the author :

EMMA C. WELLS loves anti-heroes, dark humor, witty banter, and ride-or-die friendships. Twisty relationships are her kryptonite (or catnip--depending on how you look at it). THIS GIRL'S A KILLER is her debut novel. Emma lives in Louisiana where the novel is based.

Coming to The Witches Ride ? Stop by The Conundrum first to pick up a signed copy of this magical new book for 8-12 year olds..

About the Book: In her second year of living in Boston, sixth-grader Feliciana Fruge misses everything about Louisiana but is determined to try and fit in and conceal her Cajun heritage; however, her plans are thwarted by the unexpected arrival of Roux, a magical swamp monster.

About the Author:

Rachel M. Marsh grew up in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. She earned her Bachelor of Arts from Tulane University in New Orleans, where she studied English and Psychology and minored in Spanish. After graduating, she moved to Boston where she earned her Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing for Children from Simmons University. She now lives in New Orleans, where she eats the world’s best food and stays busy with her almost-hundred-year-old house. She works for the New Orleans Public Library, and her writing is represented by Larissa Melo Pienkowski at Jill Grinberg Literary Management. Rougarou Magic is her debut novel.

You asked for it so we are restarting our book clubs !  First up will be our Murder, Mystery, Mayhem & munchies Book Club where each month we will read a new thriller , discuss , and share a snack and a beverage . First up is Sulari Gentill’s The Mystery Writer - and if you come buy your book at The Conundrum you will also get a cool “Mystery Authors are my Rock Stars “ tote bag and a letter from the author about the book !  We will discuss the book at our May 21, 2024 meeting at 5:30 so you’ve got a few weeks to come get your book and get it read !  This is gonna be fun !

Thank you to Sourcebooks for sending the great swag !

Catharine Savage Brosman will join us to share poetry from her new collection titled : Aerosols.

Publisher Marketing:
THESE POEMS-PUFFS OF AIR, OR "AEROSOLS"-are auras, emanations of being, lingering, prolonging meaning. Following the title poem, they are arranged in sections, structured according to themes, inspirations, forms, or other markers. Among the underlying vectors are perception and imagination-how we see, feel, and picture things. The approach is, loosely, phenomenological. Hence the importance here of painting and of poetry itself. Vision as both tool and matter plays a major role. Vivid scenes, memories, daydreams, and concocted idylls arise from stores of sight, outer and inner. Such visions are essential for personal and collective health. -Catharine Savage Brosman, From Introductory Note

Praise for Aerosols and Other Poems
"The foliage around us shakes, not with wind, /but being."So writes Catharine Savage Brosman in her rich new book of poetry,Aerosols.Brosman is timeless in her sensibility. She conjures up the mystic ontology underlying space, time, and the memory of time. This nearly cosmic reach is intertwined with an unparalleled ability to be in the moment as an opening towards eternity, and all is conveyed with craftsmanship of the most impeccable character. As if this weren't enough, she brings back the grand tradition of including exquisite translations from other poets-José-Maria de Heredia, Verlaine, Apollinaire. She is master of literary translation, as these poems live in English as they live in French, and resonate with the themes of Brosman's original work. -Jonathan Chaves

Praise for Brosman's previous poetry.
"Catharine Brosman has produced one of the most remarkable bodies of work in contemporary poetry."
-Jesse Graves.

"Her poems are illuminating." -Marc Jolley

"For nearly half a century now, Catharine Savage Brosman has been one of this country's finest poets, not just because of her mastery of language and form, but also because of the courage to remain true to her traditionalist aesthetic." -Claude Wilkinson.

"Catharine Savage Brosman, one of the greatest poets of our age, has recovered for contemporary poetry a concern for the essentially human and universal within a romantic poetry of reflection." -James Matthew Wilson

This year’s event will feature authors:

Claudia Gray

Robert Mann

Kevin Couhig

Sarah Guillory

and Louisiana Poet Laureate : Alison Pelegrin

Tickets are available at : BonTempsTix | 2024 Writers & Readers Symposium

Join us as we welcome the authors of this beautiful new book for a Book Signing at The Conundrum on Saturday Nov 18, 2023 from 3pm - 4:30pm.

“A young reader's adaptation of the story of the youngest American to ever orbit the Earth - cancer survivor Hayley Arceneaux - who shows us all that when we face our fears with hope and faith, the extraordinary is possible. "It may be hard to believe while I'm gravity-bound on my bedroom floor, but if there's one thing I've learned in my time on Earth, it's that as long as you keep saying yes, everything is possible," says Arceneaux. In this adaptation of her heartfelt memoir, especially inspiring for middle-grade readers, Arceneaux shares the details of her wild ride with never-before-told stories written especially for kids coming to this edition. Arceneaux not only tells readers what it was like to go to space - from training in a fighter jet to lifting off in a Dragon capsule - but she also offers stories from her childhood: things that she faced at the hospital when going through cancer treatment, what she had to overcome when she went back to school, and the courage it took to dream big dreams for her teenage and adult years. For students navigating a time of uncertainty, and for the adults and educators who seek to offer them hope, Arceneaux's uplifting story is one that will inspire kids for years to come. She offers wisdom and courage to anyone fighting against the odds, and shows us that dreaming is always possible"--

Biographical Note:
Hayley Arceneaux is the author of Wild Ride and a St. Jude Children's Research Hospital physician assistant, a career she committed to at age ten after surviving pediatric bone cancer. She joined the first all-civilian orbital space mission, Inspiration4, on September 15, 2021, and successfully water-landed three days later. At age twenty-nine, she became the youngest American to orbit the Earth, the first pediatric cancer survivor in space, and the first astronaut with a prosthetic body part.

Sarah Gullory will join us to talk about and sign her middle grade book: Nowhere Better Than Here .

Brief Description:
In a town slowly being destroyed by rising tides, one girl must fight to find a way to keep her community's spirit from drowning.

For thirteen-year-old Jillian Robichaux, three things are sacred: bayou sunsets, her grandmother Nonnie's stories, and the coastal Louisiana town of Boutin that she calls home.

When the worst flood in a century hits, Jillian and the rest of her community band together as they always do--but this time the damage may simply be too great. After the local school is padlocked and the bridges into town condemned, Jillian has no choice but to face the reality that she may be losing the only home she's ever had.

But even when all hope seems lost, Jillian is determined to find a way to keep Boutin and its indomitable spirit alive. With the help of friends new and old, a loveable golden retriever, and Nonnie's storytelling wisdom, Jillian does just that in this timely and heartfelt story of family, survival, and hope.

In her stunning debut middle grade novel, Sarah Guillory has written a lush story about an indomitable girl fighting against the effects of climate change.

Biographical Note:
Sarah Guillory has always had a passion for literature. Coming from a family of teachers, she learned to read before she'd even started school and has escaped into fictional worlds ever since. Sarah loves being outside, whether that's walking her dogs, sitting under a tree with a book, or running countless miles before the sun has even come up. She teaches high school English and lives in Louisiana with her husband. She is the author of Nowhere Better Than Here and Reclaimed.

Review Quotes:

*Four Starred Reviews!*

*A Kirkus Reviews' Best Book of the Year!*

*The International Literary Association's Intermediate Fiction Winner!*

*A Children's Book Council Best Book of the Year!*

*A National Book Festival Pick for Louisiana!*

*A Louisiana Readers' Choice Nominee!*

Call it what you like (previously Polos and Pearls and Vibes in the Ville among others) , our late summer St Francisville festival is back with a fun new theme. It will be called “Pop & Shop” and will be a Champagne themed event with different festive drinks and decorations at each shop throughout town. We will have music by Steve Judice and Gordan Graham from 5:30 - 7. We will serve a champagne citrus punch and other refreshments all day , and of course there will be books.

So Music, Books and Bubbly what could be better?

Authors Ken Wells and Hillary Wells will join us to talk about and sign their new book Swamped !

For more information about the book and to pre-order your signed copy here : Swamped ! by Ken Wells & Hillary Wells — The Conundrum (conundrumbooks.com)

Today, most of Louisiana's camellia gardens feature plants of recent vintage that are sources from 20th and 21st century nurseries. Only a few scattered "ancients" such as 'Alba Plena' have been generally recognized. Marketed by European and northeastern American nurseries, camellias once enjoyed enormous popularity, though information about varieties bought to Louisiana between 1828 and 1860 has been scarce. Inspired by the recreation of their own historic gardens, the contributors to EARLY CAMELLIAS IN LOUISIANA have uncovered evidence in archival documents and in their landscapes' original plantings.

This research venture unexpectedly yielded thirty historic camellias growing in the field and nearly double that amount documented in letters, advertisements, and other catalogs. Some of the plants identified are lost treasures about which there has been minimal study. In this book, extensive photography provides the reader with detailed pictures. For some blossoms, multiple images show their stages of developments, illustrating a fascinating evolution of shapes and colors. List and charts are helpful for those seeking plants or guidance about their garden collections. Information is provided about antique cultivators that are presently available commercially and about the authors' efforts to propagate rare specimens.

Enjoyed far beyond the Gulf South, old varieties of camellias continue to captivate gardeners with their spellbinding beauty. The splendor and vitality of these flowers, as well as their extraordinary history, make the compelling case for their preservation and inclusion anew in contemporary gardens. EARLY CAMELLIAS OF LOUISIANA serves as a guide for the rediscovery and identification of these prized blooms.

As the story begins, young Robert Emmet Coogan's biggest challenge is determining if he should pursue life as a musician or as a professional footballer in England, but it is 1974 and the bitter conflict in Ireland rips young Rob Coogan's life to shreds.

Coogan unwittingly plays a part in an IRA car bomb detonation that takes several lives which leaves him emotionally devastated. He departs Ireland for a prestigious music school in Boston, where he begins life as a guitarist and songwriter. In church one night, he discovers the younger brother of a friend being molested by a priest. The choice he makes that night sets his life down an unforeseen path of justice, rage, and secrets.

His story culminates in a trial for his life in a small southern town in the United States shortly after Katrina Hurricane in 2005. The trial joins Rob’s story with a painfully haunting subplot about the long-term consequences of child abuse.

About the Author:

Kevin Couhig is a storyteller a retired businessman and a recovering politician. After retiring from business he has made writing his focus, putting the same energy into storytelling as he did to building ventures. A Man for Others is his first novel. He is currently working on his second, tentatively titled, If One of Them is Dead.

Join us as we welcome Suzanne Duplantis to tell us about and sign copies of her new cookbook Lagniappe Leftovers .

Susanne Duplantis is out to save the world one leftover at a time. You'll think twice before ever throwing edible food away again!--Poppy Tooker, host of Louisiana Eats! radio show

With this fun, family-friendly cookbook, there's no longer any excuse for standing in front of the refrigerator with the door wide open and asking oneself the eternal question: 'What in the world am I going to make?'--Adrian Miller, James Beard Award-winning author

You'll never look at your leftovers the same way again! Susanne Duplantis has unlocked the code to rethinking leftovers and reducing kitchen waste.--Cynthia Graubart, James Beard Award-winning author

Susanne Duplantis takes the last bit of leftovers from your favorite Southern dishes and repurposes them into brand-new tasty offerings. These simple home-cooked recipes combine the time-saving advantage of leftovers with the convenience of pantry staples you already have on hand to create family-pleasing meals that are also friendly on your wallet. With Susanne's guidance, you'll begin to see leftovers as a delicious way to save time, food, and money.

Contributor Bio:Duplantis, Susanne
Louisiana native Susanne Duplantis is an award-winning chef, restaurant veteran, and creator of the food waste blog, Makeover My Leftover. A Certified Health Education Specialist, she has competed in national and international cooking competitions and was a successful competitor at the World Food Championships.

Susanne works as a recipe developer for national brands, but her passion is eliminating food waste. She conducts food waste workshops and cooking demos across the state of Louisiana and was featured in the Netflix series Best Leftovers Ever! She was a guest on Tamron Hall and hosted a monthly cooking segment on Baton Rouge's CBS affiliate, WAFB.
She lives in Baton Rouge with her husband, Chris, and her donkey, Fred.

Join us as we welcome Corinne Martin to discuss and sign her book The Louisiana Herb Journal : Healing on Home Ground.

Brief Description:
"Louisiana Herb Journal introduces 50 medicinal herbs found in the state, and features details of identification, habitat, distribution, healing properties, and traditional uses. The book includes local plants that can gently support whole health, correct minor imbalances, strengthen immunity, improve nutrition, and ward off more serious health conditions. It places these plants in a context of the culture, values, and ecological bounty and threats in which they grow. Journal sections on each plant describe the author's experience of the herb and include other natural features such as animals that share use of the plants, and natural and cultural history of plant use. A guidelines section for harvesting and preparing the herbs follows journal sections. Along with providing plant information, the book reflects on the potential value of medicinal herb identification and use in addressing current challenges to the environmental and economic stability and health of the state. It encourages recognition of the natural wealth of Louisiana, awareness of how daily choices can impact personal health and the state's ecological future, and suggests stewardship of wild plants that may be at risk. Louisiana Herb Journal is an herb book, but it's also a celebration of the distinct nature of the state and its residents. It encourages readers to develop an intimate relationship with this luxurious and challenged land. Whether living in rural areas or in cities, becoming familiar with local medicinal plants can act as a daily reminder of the innate groundedness of our life on earth - of how intimately and intrinsically we are linked to a place. We co-participate in our home. We take care of what we know, and love, and use. As environmental challenges become more prominent in the future of the state, approaches to healing can no longer be limited to aspects of strengthening human health, but must take into account the health of the planet and, more intimately, of the places where we live. Louisiana Herb Journal is a small step in that direction"--

Biographical Note:

A certified clinical herbalist and amateur naturalist, Corinne Martin has practiced as an herbalist for more than thirty years. She recently retired from teaching holistic and integrative health at the University of Southern Maine Nursing School. She now divides her time between Louisiana and Maine.

The Conundrum will once again be bringing a specially curated selection of books and bookish gifts to the fair grounds at The Louisiana Book Festival for your shopping pleasure. Come by and see us., We will have lots of signed editions by your favorite authors on hand !

ABOUT WILD RIDE

In this boldly optimistic debut memoir, Hayley Arceneaux details how she overcame seemingly insurmountable odds to grab hold of a life greater than she’d ever imagined. With her signature upbeat messaging, Arceneaux recounts her odyssey, from her cancer diagnosis at age ten and the yearlong treatment that inspired her goal of working with pediatric cancer patients, to living through her father’s terminal cancer diagnosis, to getting her lifelong dream job at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital as a physician assistant. She was sure she’d finally attained the life she wanted, and then the amazing and unimaginable happened: She was invited to go to space as a St. Jude ambassador.

Throughout the book, Arceneaux provides encouragement to anyone feeling like the odds are against them:

• You have to hold on, because you don’t know what great thing can come and change your life.

• Take the chance and you will feel, and learn, and grow, and become even more you.

• Following your dreams can take you to dreams you didn’t know you had.

Arceneaux’s uplifting story is the inspiration we all need today. She offers wisdom and lessons in courage to anyone fighting against the odds. And through it all, she reveals how resilience and faith can help us grab hold of the life we’ve always wanted and live it to the fullest.

Meet authors Nancy Rust and Carol Stubbs as they share their books The Rose Without a Name , The Story of The Katrina Rose and Andrew Higgins and the Boat that Landed History in World War II.   

The event will be held at The Conundrum Bookstore , 11917 Ferdinand Street in St Francisville, Louisiana on Saturday  September 24, 2022 from 1:30 – 3pm

To Pre-order books for this event visit : Shop — The Conundrum (conundrumbooks.com)

About the Books:

The Rosed Without a Name:

In 2005, Hurricane Katrina swept through Louisiana and Mississippi, breaking levies and leaving great destruction in its path. Of the 400 roses in Peggy Martin's garden, only one managed to survive the 20 foot waves that devastated the land... Louisiana authors Nancy Rust and Carol Stubbs tell the story of a rose that continues to bring hope to many around the world. And Melissa Vandiver's beautiful paintings help bring the story to life.

Andrew Higgins and the Boat that Landed History in World War II:

Andrew Higgins built boats that could crunch through driftwood, bounce over logs, climb a beach, and wham up on a sloping concrete sea wall. In World War II, that was exactly what was needed to get soldiers and Jeeps from the ocean to land. This biography for young readers traces the invention of the legendary Higgins boat-and the adventurous childhood of the remarkable man behind it.

With its broad range of vision and mastery of poetic technique, ARM IN ARM shows again why Catharine Savage Brosman is, as Claude Wilkinson wrote, one of America's finest poets. Her wit, powers of observation, and depth of feeling are displayed on page after page, as she looks at the world personally, phenomenologically, and spiritually. Historical figures including Alexander Mackenzie, Samuel Coleridge, Kit Carson, and Grace King rub elbows with imaginative creations such as Old Mr. Chauvin from the Louisiana bayou country. Landscapes in Annapurna, Great Wind, and elsewhere attest to the poet's evocative powers, as topography is paralleled by landscapes of the mind, arising from the real, but multivalent, with subtle shadings and emotions. Each of three parts concludes by a series: Fourteen Modern Poems in the Chinese Manner, Six War Poems, among Brosman's finest, concerned with the two world wars, and From The Hours of Catherine de Cleves, fourteen poems on saints.

From Erica Spindler, the New York Times bestselling author of The Other Girl and The Look-Alike, comes The Detective's Daughter, a thrilling crime drama about a woman who risks everything to solve the cold case that destroyed her father-but will it destroy her as well?

New Orleans Detective Quinn Conners is haunted by her father's whiskey-soaked, last words-that he solved the Hudson murder and kidnapping. It wasn't the first time he'd made that drunken claim, and she didn't believe him. Twenty-four hours later she found him dead by his own hand.

Quinn blames the investigation for his downfall, so when a woman researching a book about the kidnapping contacts her for help, Quinn shuts her out. But an attempt on the writer's life and an anonymous message that puts her father's suicide in question convinces Quinn there's more to the writer's story.

Soon, Quinn finds herself entangled in the web of mystery surrounding Grace Hudson's disappearance and the powerful, secretive family at the heart of it. With nowhere else to turn, she immerses herself in her dad's private notes-they lead her down a dark, twisted path where nothing is as it seems and no one is above suspicion.

Too late, Quinn sees that, like her father before her, the case threatens to consume her. But turning back is not an option-she's determined to unearth the truth of whatever happened to Grace Hudson . . . even if it costs her life.

Contributor Bio:  Spindler, Erica
Erica Spindler is the New York Times and International Chart bestselling author of more than thirty novels. Published all across the globe, she has been called the The Master of Addictive Suspense and Queen of the romantic thriller. She's a Kiss of Death award winner, has won the Daphne du Maurier award of excellence, and is a four time Rita Award finalist. She lives just outside New Orleans.