William D. Auman
Pioneer Paddling: Colonial Carolina

Pioneer Paddling takes readers on an exploration by canoe and kayak of the waterways of North Carolina. Readers will discover the wonders of our historic state, once home to Edward Teach (better known as the pirate Blackbeard), Daniel Boone, Fort San Juan, the Lost Colony, and the Cherokee. A guidebook, Pioneer Paddling focuses on family-oriented wilderness experiences that are presented in a historical context.

Throughout, black-and-white photographs illustrate the area’s stark beauty. This book and a few simple strokes of a paddle will transport families back to a simpler time and provide an unforgettable adventure. Readers are invited to bring not only their life vests, watercraft and paddles, but also their imagination to fully explore the majestic waterways of Carolina (readers can even search for dinosaurs by canoe). Each section of the book opens with historic information and offers tips on the art of paddling in those waters.

Author William Auman grew up southeast of Raleigh, moving to the Appalachian Mountains in 1986, and has more than 35 years of experience on the water. A trial and appellate attorney, he maintains offices in Asheville and Marshall, and also serves as an adjunct professor at the University of North Carolina-Asheville.

Pioneer Paddling: Colonial Carolina, nonfiction, softcover, $12.95, by William D. Auman, is published by Dog Ear Publishing.

Peter Kingsley
A Story Waiting to Pierce You

AStory Waiting to Pierce You: Mongolia, Tibet & the Destiny of the Western World offers the author’s insights into our past—and our future—as human beings. Peter Kingsley traces the ancient threads that connect Mongolia, Tibet, and Native Americans and ties them the very origins of Western civilization. It is those sacred ties, posits the author, that have shaped our lives today. With simplicity but with precision, he describes the very source of our modern day Western culture.

Jack Weatherford, author of Genghis Khan & the Making of the Modern World, says of A Story Waiting, “By challenging some of our most fundamental perceptions of early European history, Peter Kingsley pushes out the horizon of the modern world and opens a new chapter in our appreciation of European-Asian relations.”

This is the fourth book by Prof. Peter Kingsley, an authority on Western civilization. In writing this book, he collaborated with leading experts in Mongolia, China, India, and Russia. A Story Waiting will draw readers into an awareness of the oneness of all cultures and, as a result, perhaps provide them with a renewed sense of purpose and life.

A Story Waiting to Pierce You: Mongolia, Tibet & the Destiny of the Western World, nonfiction, soft- cover, $35.00, by Peter Kingsley, is published by The Golden Sufi Center. The author will be giving a talk and signing copies of the book at Malaprops at 7 p.m. on November 20.

Hal Herzog
Some We Love, Some We Hate, Some We Eat

How do we reconcile our love for animals with our desire to eat them? Do children who abuse animals often become violent adults? These and myriad other questions are posed, and answered, by Hal Herzog in his latest book, Some We Love, Some We Hate, Some We Eat: Why It’s So Hard to Think Straight About Animals. “My interest in this topic really began in 1974 when my wife and I moved to a rural part of WNC and I found out that some of my neighbors were cockfighters,” Dr. Herzog told The Laurel. “That culture became the subject of my doctoral dissertation—I wanted to find out how such nice people could become involved in such a brutal sport.”

Despite the growing number of people who are vegetarians, the amount of meat we consume per capita continues to increase. “In 1975, the average American ate 170 pounds of animal flesh a year. Now the average American eats nearly 240 pounds of flesh. Go figure!” he says. Therein lies the paradox of our relationship with animals, and therein lies the title of the book.

Dr. Herzog is regarded as one of the world’s leading experts on human-animal relations. He is Professor of Psychology at Western Carolina University and lives in the mountains of North Carolina with his wife Mary Jean and their cat Tilly.

Some We Love, Some We Hate, Some We Eat, nonfiction, hardcover, $25.99, by Hal Herzog, is published by HarperCollins.

Dr. Tom Bibey
The Mandolin Case

The Mandolin Case: A Novel about Country Doctors, Honest Lawyers & True Music is a medical legal mystery that ends up being solved by the local blue- grass community. While it lays out the truth, it tells no facts. That sentence might not make any sense. It will, however, after you read The Mandolin Case.

In this latest book by Dr. Bibey, the patient of a southern country doctor dies, and the ensuing legal battles, initiated by the widow, reveal basic human truths— our frailties as well as our strengths—and our innate fortitude to persevere. Throw into that mix down-home bluegrass music and the people who create it.

“Like a master fiddler weaving notes through the melody of a song, Bibey holds forth simplicity as the most complex asset when prejudice and greed place honor and integrity on trial,” says Dan Hays of the International Bluegrass Music Association.

Dr. Tom Bibey, a contributor of bluegrass music articles for The Laurel, grew up in rural North Carolina and made house calls with his country doctor father. His mother was an English teacher who took him to the library every week. A blue- grass musician of some renown (Dr. Bibey would love that description), his knowledge of music and medicine make this book immensely believable. He continues to write and doctor.

The Mandolin Case, fiction, softcover, $18.00, by Dr. Tom Bibey, is published by Ford, Falcon & McNeil.