Cliche Book Review: Of my own book, because I wrote it

Alright. I'm ready to do this blog thing. First, I needed some time to plan. After all, it's been a while. A lot has changed. I'm not an Objectivist. I'm barely homeschooling. My youngest is in [gasp] public school.

There goes 90% of my former audience, so who's even reading this right now? How do I entertain an audience of total strangers without being cliche or self-indulgent? With a book review of a book that I wrote, obviously.

Yes, it is.

I first read 100 Things To Do In Jackson, MS, Before You Die as I wrote it. And again as I proofed it. Then countless times while making changes. Several more times while praying before sending it in as a final draft. And once more through my fingers when the final copy was sent prior to publication. Suffice it to say that there is no one more familiar with this book than I. 

I made this for you. I hope you like it.

100 Things To Do In Jackson, MS, Before You Die is a handy, concise local guide to 100 places and events primarily in Jackson, Mississippi. People often ask me, "But are there really 100 things to do here?" I tell them: No. This is a book of lies.

Just kidding.

This selection was actually narrowed down from a list of over 350 things, and that was just an arbitrary stopping point. We could have added more. Take that, cynical haters.

In the preface, I defend explain how selections were carefully edited down to help readers get over it understand the criteria: locally owned, locally relevant, affordable, inclusive, engaging and generally not lame. Yes, your favorite dive bar probably should have made the cut, but it didn't. A lot of really cool places didn't. Folks were mad.

Write your own damn book. 

And now, a review:

100 Things To Do In Jackson, MS awkward comma Before You Die is broken into five parts with 20 entries in each section: Food & Drink, Music & Entertainment, Sports & Recreation, Culture & History, and Shopping & Fashion. 

Interspersed among the entries are photos, tips and trivia. For example, if you want to sit in the original part of Walker's Drive-In, be sure to tell them when you make a reservation or you may end up sequestered on the upper level. The Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and Museum has the largest collection of Dizzy Dean memorabilia in the world. Parts of Fondren and Belhaven, two Jackson neighborhoods, were featured prominently in The Help (take a tour). And, Ole Tavern on George Street is totally haunted. So is Fairview Inn. 

Each entry includes the address, phone number, and website along with an honest assessment. That last part is important. To keep it authentic, I wanted to have the same experience anyone walking through the doors might have.

Before visiting, I didn't contact business owners or event organizers.  Most didn't know there was a book much less that they'd be included in it until after it dropped. The whole team did a great job of keeping it quiet. I'm terrible at keeping secrets, so I'm proud of that.

100 101 Things!

So, what would a typical weekend be like in Jackson? Where should you start? These entries are like my children, and I love them all equally. Don't make me choose. Besides, there are no simple answers to those questions. It depends. What do you like to do? 

Do you drink? Me, too. We have local beer, vodka, wine and bourbon. How do you feel about art? Me, too! Fine art, emerging art or street art? Are you a theatre buff? Would you prefer a literary tour or blues experience? Which part of Mississippi's vast history do you want to connect with and how much time do you have? On a scale of basic to bougie, how foodie are you, really? Wanna see some incredible architecture? Did you know there's a place where you can fish, camp, canoe, hike and play golf, and visit two family-friendly museums smack in the middle of the city? Do you enjoy motor sports? Collecting vinyl? Collecting fashion? Collecting vinyl fashion? 

Jackson, Mississippi is a fascinating city to visit and the book is an excellent comprehensive guide, in my humble opinion, but perhaps I should create with a flowchart to help readers distill these overwhelming options into a manageable menu. 

Stop asking me this question.

Of course, you could just buy a copy. 100 Things To Do In Jackson, MS, Before You Die was published by Reedy Press in November, 2016. Almost a year after it was published, it really caught fire. Literally. And now it's more difficult to find.

There are no plans for a second edition at this time, but I already have something new in the works. In the meantime, there are still a few copies available at Lemuria Bookstore, the King Edward Hotel downtown (behind the lobby reception desk) and Barnes & Noble in Ridgeland. There are also new and used copies available online at Amazon (also available on Kindle). Once those are gone, it's gone. 

I hope you enjoy 100 Things To Do In Jackson, MS, Before You Die as much as I enjoyed writing it. Thanks for reading my review. 5/5 stars. Would definitely recommend.⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐