Took advantage of a bright, blustery Sunday and motored out to Hagerstown, Maryland to troll the used bookstores. Picked up a bunch of history and biography at 2nd & Charles , but all the Sci-Fi at Wonder Books . The latter had a 2-for-1 deal on mass market paperbacks, which regular readers know would make me happy. The Haul:   -- The Tar-Aiym Krang -- Alan Dean Foster -- 1972   -- Probability Moon -- Nancy Kress -- 2000   -- Midnight at the Well of Souls -- Jack Chalker -- 1977   -- Bloodhype -- Alan Dean Foster -- 1973   -- Black Sun Rising -- C. S. Friedman -- 1991 Also picked up "King Jesus", by Robert Graves. Haven't read it yet, but I guess it's either an alternate history or an alternate myth, depending on your tribal allegiance. Genre-adjacent, at least.

  Mark Zwonitzer with Charles Hirshberg -- 2002     The first biography of the Carter Family, who burst out of Maces Spring, Virginia in 1927 and became perhaps the most important musical artists in American history. An inspirational tale of three people from an isolated rural community who created music that shook the world, and still reverberates today. A. P., Sara, and Maybelle Carter are universally recognized as having created the genre of Country music. But the influence of their recordings, particularly Maybelle's innovative guitar technique, also profoundly affected the development of Blues, Pop and Rock and Roll; in essence, the entirety of American popular music. This is fabulous book with very affecting stories of real people, experiencing triumph and loss, sorrow and joy. Mark Zwonitzer wrote the book, in large part from interviews conducted by Charles Hirshberg with the family, friends, neighbors and colleagues of the principals. From the stories they to...