Gris-Gris Gumbo


Book Description

Crayton Breaux makes minimum wage clerking in a French Quarter voodoo shop aimed at tourists. It’s enough to pay the rent and keep him in beer and partying because, in New Orleans, every day is Fat Tuesday, brah! As for the “voodoo”? Well, the shop, with its skull-and-candles altar and clouds of incense, definitely spooks the tourists in from Iowa or Delaware. They clutch their go-cup hurricanes and nervously joke about sticking pins in dolls and gris-gris bags full of REVENGE ON YOUR ENEMY! spell powder. Crayton thinks it’s hilarious. More than a few of these idiots think this stuff’s real … He won’t be laughing long.




Poppin' A Cold One


Book Description

Finn Coffee's scored the perfect job, in the perfect town, with the perfect girlfriend, and the perfect boss. What could go wrong? Funny you should ask. . . From golf balls to corpses, Finn Coffee likes things to go neatly underground. When he lands a job after graduating from mortuary school with a prestigious funeral home in the glittery casino town of Treasure Coast, Mississippi, the perfect setup turns sour once Finn discovers his co-worker Brad Sheepcake has been making movies on the side—starring attractive ingénues with a singular talent: they're dead. Brad's sideline—necro-porn—is so successful, a ruthless crime syndicate muscles in on the action. Problem is, there aren't enough pretty girls dying fast enough to meet the demand. To speed up the process, hotties in Treasure Coast start disappearing — including a New Orleans heiress. Enter Crescent City PI Kip Quigley, hired to find the girl. Kip might look like a grown-up Hardy Boy, but he was fired from the NOLA police department for excessive violence and he's lost patience with a stupid world. During his investigation, he befriends Finn. And when the mobsters kidnap Finn's girlfriend, Polly Whitlock, to ensure he keeps his mouth shut, Kip must widen his scope to take on the entire Dixie Mafia and a lunatic former Southern rock musician. Otherwise, Polly might well become the the star of the mob's next film — The Naked and the Dead.Because poppin' a cold one ain't always about beer. . . Rick Koster is a native Texan who lives in New England with his wife, the writer Eileen Jenkins, their Catahoula Leopard Dog, Gumbo, and the spirits of the late, great greyhounds, Moosie and Puppy Brown. Poppin' a Cold One is his first novel. He cannot promise it will be his last. "Sick, twisted, and very funny. Think Six Feet Under meets the Sopranos." —Ace Atkins "Hilariously obscene! . . .as beautifully twisted as anything John Waters ever dreamed up, yet Koster's smooth command of voice and character puts him right up there with the likes of Tarantino and Elmore Leonard. Crime fiction never felt so deliciously dirty."—Joe McKinney, author of Dead City and Mutated 106,894 Words




Under a Hoodoo Moon


Book Description

This autobiography of legendary New Orleans piano man Dr. John--"the hippest, fonkiest cat to come down the musical turnpike" (Library Journal)--is one of the most original, colorful, and acclaimed music books ever. Photos.




Dr. John Sheet Music Anthology


Book Description

(Piano/Vocal/Guitar Artist Songbook). 17 classic songs as played by this legendary New Orleans jazz/blues singer and pianist, including: Bring Your Own Along * Down in New Orleans * Gris-Gris Gumbo Ya Ya * I Walked on Gilded Splinters * Iko Iko * I'm on a Roll * Mama Roux * Right Place, Wrong Time * Such a Night * and more.




Gumbo ya-ya


Book Description




The Voodoo Queen


Book Description

Witch? Sorceress? Daughter of Satan? Thief? Saint? Born in 1794, Marie Laveau reigned as the undisputed Queen of the Voodoos for nearly a century. Her beauty and powers were legendary, and caused her to be the subject of wild gossip throughout her life. She passed on her secrets to a favorite daughter, who helped her dominate the underworld of voodoo in New Orleans. "It is an absorbing tale, and the emotional undertones, the conflicts in her human relations, the overwhelming loneliness of her position, all come through the story of a strange life." Kirkus Reviews "The author creates a vivid, haunting atmosphere, which (like Marie's arts) holds the reader in spell. . . . an intriguing novel that is competently mounted and exceedingly well executed." New York Times




Voodoo Hoodoo Spellbook


Book Description

“Voodoo Hoodoo” is the unique variety of Creole Voodoo found in New Orleans. The Voodoo Hoodoo Spellbook is a rich compendium of more than 300 authentic Voodoo and Hoodoo recipes, rituals, and spells for love, justice, gambling luck, prosperity, health, and success. Cultural psychologist and root worker Denise Alvarado, who grew up in New Orleans, draws from a lifetime of recipes and spells learned from family, friends, and local practitioners. She traces the history of the African-based folk magic brought by slaves to New Orleans, and shows how it evolved over time to include influences from Native American spirituality, Catholicism, and Pentecostalism. She shares her research into folklore collections and 19th- and 20th- century formularies along with her own magical arts. The Voodoo Hoodoo Spellbook includes more than 100 spells for Banishing, Binding, Fertility, Luck, Protection, Money, and more. Alvarado introduces readers to the Pantheon of Voodoo Spirits, the Seven African Powers, important Loas, Prayers, Novenas, and Psalms, and much, much more, including:Oils and Potions: Attraction Love Oil, Dream Potion, Gambler’s Luck Oil, Blessing OilHoodoo Powders and Gris Gris: Algier’s Fast Luck Powder, Controlling Powder, Money Drawing PowderTalismans and Candle MagicCurses and Hexes




The Language of the Blues


Book Description

A comprehensive dictionary of blues lyrics invites listeners to interpret what they hear in blues songs and blues culture, including excerpts from original interviews with Dr. John, Bonnie Raitt, Hubert Sumlin, Buddy Guy, and many others.




The Last Days of Louisiana Red


Book Description

"The Last Days of Louisiana Red blends paradox, hyperbole, understatement and signifyin' so expertly you can almost hear a droll black voice telling the tales as you read it." The New Republic




The Big Book of King Cake


Book Description

"I once ate more than eighty king cakes in a single Carnival," author Matt Haines proudly remembers, demonstrating his dedication to this delicious Mardi Gras tradition. "So you can imagine how amazed I was to learn there has never been a coffee table book dedicated to king cakes!" The Big Book of King Cake changes that, telling the thousands-year-old story through lush photography of more than one hundred and fifty unique king cakes, as well as stories from the diverse and talented bakers who make them. While king cakes are typically only available during Carnival season, readers can enjoy this book year-round. From the traditional cakes generations of New Orleanians have loved, to the unconventional creations that break all the rules, this book is your guide to the Crescent City's favorite baked good. The Big Book of King Cake is for anyone who loves food, history, sweets, culture, and of course, New Orleans.