The scenic images that Louisiana brings to mind -- moss-draped cypress, lush marshlands, alligators gliding through bayous, herons coasting across an open sky -- all spring from one of the most diverse and productive ecosystems on the continent. This varied and inviting landscape gives rise to one of the state's many monikers, "Sportsman's Paradise," which rings true whether you are boating on picturesque Lake Martin or bird-watching among the ancient live oaks of Lafitte Woods. From the precious maritime forests of Grand Isle to the steep contours of Tunica Hills, Louisiana's wild outdoors defines each region's sense of place and value. For nearly thirty years, The Nature Conservancy in Louisiana has served as a steward of these ecological riches, protecting and maintaining more than 285,000 acres of the state's land. Now, for the first time, readers can observe the vast array of flora and fauna found in these complex habitats in Louisiana Wild, with the awe-inspiring photography of C. C. Lockwood. After trekking and canoeing through more than sixty properties managed by The Nature Conservancy, Lockwood presents a vivid photo narrative that journeys from the little-known Copenhagen Hills, a prairie habitat with the largest variety of woody plants in Louisiana; to the swampland lake of Cypress Island, with its massive rookery of roseate spoonbills and great egrets; to over a dozen other sites that showcase Louisiana's distinct environs. With 220 color images, Louisiana Wild pays homage to the immeasurable impact of The Nature Conservancy's efforts and will delight anyone who calls Louisiana home.

Tiger Ann Parker wants nothing more than to get out of the rural town of Saitter, Louisiana--far away from her mentally disabled mother, her "slow" father who can't read an electric bill, and her classmates who taunt her. So when Aunt Dorie Kay asks Tiger to sp the summer with her in Baton Rouge, Tiger can't wait to go. But before she leaves, the sudden revelation of a dark family secret prompts Tiger to make a decision that will ultimately change her life. Set in the South in the late 1950s, this coming-of-age novel explores a twelve-year-old girl's struggle to accept her grandmother's death, her mentally deficient parents, and the changing world around her. It is a novel filled with beautiful language and unforgettable characters, and the importance of family and home. My Louisiana Sky is a 1998 Boston Globe - Horn Book Award Honor Book for Fiction.

SOON TO BE A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE SLATED FOR PRODUCTION IN 2018: Rural Louisiana country life is peaceful, idyllic, and sanguine. One bucolic town leads to another in an endless series of southern country life. Yet beneath the tranquil surface lies another story. A story of the south which hasn't been told only hinted at. As 26 -year -old Jody stands on the cracked, aged driveway of his childhood home, a black mass settles itself on his chest. A sense of fear is manifesting around the edges of his psyche as unmentioned memories flood back to the last time he stood on this spot years ago. There is an empty space where the trailer once stood. The place he called home; thought of as his refuge together with his mother and younger brother, but all was ripped apart along with the innocence of childhood. Growing up in the late eighties and early nineties in the small town of Hammond, Louisiana, with his best friend Jack, was full of wonderful memories. Their lives on Rhine Road are typical for boys their age. Time is spent playing in the woods, shooting pellet guns, blowing up mailboxes, fighting at school and the beginnings of interests in girls. Their lives are what you would expect from children with no responsibilities or worries beyond the next pop-quiz or getting to second base. As they grow older together and experience the joys and pains of life, love, family and friendship, they discover a meddlesomeness borne of lazy summer days, boredom and childhood rebellion. Through idle curiosity, they stumble upon something horrific in the woods one evening and their lives quickly take a turn. They soon become hunted by an unspeakable evil and the hunting ground was home.

This candid and humorous chronicle shows how one woman goes from casual observer to obsessive bird nerd as she traverses Louisiana’s avian paradise. In Adventures of a Louisiana Birder, readers follow Marybeth Lima across her adopted state in search of 300 species of birds. Bisected by the Mississippi flyway and home to 400 miles of coast, Louisiana has a variety of habitats, which serve as a beautiful backdrop to this remarkable journey. In birding circles, some devotees attempt what is known as a “big year,” a bird-sighting challenge to identify as many bird species as possible in a particular geographical area over the course of one year. Lima’s initial effort amounted to 11,626 miles in sixty-one road trips to log an impressive 280 species. But on a subsequent quest to exceed her record, she endures elusive birds, embarrassing misidentifications, and hungry insects in an effort to reach her goal. In the midst of these obstacles, Lima celebrates the camaraderie and friendly competition among fellow birders, from novices to a world-renown ornithologist. Requiring both mental focus and physical agility, birdwatching becomes an active sport through Lima’s narration. She vividly conveys the elation over a rare species seen or heard and the disappointment when one is narrowly missed. An appendix provides the location and date of every species she identifies. Lima’s personal experiences are interwoven with the excitement of tracking down one intriguing species after another. She faces a near-fatal burn accident to her spouse, end-of-life care for her mother-in-law, and Louisiana’s great flood of 2016. In the midst of these situations, her devotion to birding provides a much-needed outlet. “Somewhere in the roiling confluence of birds, locales, and human personalities,” writes Lima, “the center of my heart sings with utter abandon.” Adventures of a Louisiana Birder is the author’s call to a deeper passion for and awareness of Louisiana’s unique natural beauty and vulnerability.

"A thorough study of Louisiana's early Creole and Acadian furniture (1735-1835) featuring a full-color catalogue of furniture forms made in the upper and lower Mississippi River valley, along with contextual essays on the history of the region, woods, inlay, hardware, cabinetmakers, interiors, and the import trade"--Provided by publisher.

Forest Hill boasts one of the largest nursery industries in the country, despite its tiny population. In the early days, the community was a summer retreat for plantation owners. The lumber industry rolled into town with the railroad, which eased the transportation of virgin timber. By 1901, the nurseries had emerged after Samuel Stokes began selling a variety of plants from his woods. Today, more than two hundred nurseries are in operation, many by the families who founded them. Author Chere Dastugue Coen reveals the deep roots of this horticultural hub.

Provides a look at the controversial Louisiana statesman who fought, with sometimes questionable methods, to improve the quality of life of the poor

Owen Foster has never wanted for anything. Then his mother shows up at his elite New Orleans boarding school cradling a bombshell: his privileged life has been funded by stolen money. After using the family business, the single largest employer in his small Louisiana town, to embezzle millions and drain the employees' retirement accounts, Owen's father vanished without a trace, leaving Owen and his mother to deal with the fallout. Owen returns to Lake Cane to finish his senior year, where people he hardly remembers despise him for his father's crimes. It's bad enough dealing with muttered insults and glares, but when Owen and his mother receive increasingly frightening threats from someone out for revenge, he knows he must get to the bottom of what really happened at Louisiana Frac...and the cryptic note his father sent him at his boarding school days before disappearing. Owen's only refuge is the sprawling, isolated pecan orchard he works at after school, owned by a man named Gus who has his own secrets--and in some ways seems to know Owen better than he knows himself. As Owen uncovers a terrible injustice that looms over the same Preacher Woods he's claimed as his own, he must face a shocking truth about his past--and write a better future.

Late summer 1941. Louisianas piney woods are engulfed by a tidal wave of soldiers engaged in the largest army maneuvers ever undertaken on American soil. For many of these young men, as well as the isolated Southern communities, life will never be the same. Although no one knows it, our nation will be at war in three months. Elizabeth Reed is a young Louisiana schoolteacher who dislikes soldiers. Harry Miller is a Wisconsin soldier who hates Louisiana. It only makes sense that they should meet and fall in love. Their story begins with a bulletan empty cartridge tossed from a truckload of soldiers. The note inside it will change the destinies of these two young people. In the midst of large-scale battles between the red and blue armies, Harry and Elizabeth are each fighting their own war with dark secrets from their pasts. They have nothing in common except mutual desires to escape these pasts. In spite of clashing at every turn, they run right into each others arms as they jointly learn that the hardest person to forgive is yourself. Within this clash of cultures lies the core message of A Spent Bullet. Rural Louisiana is never the same, and neither are the soldiers who learn about Louisiana mud, mosquitoes, and misery mixed with memorable Southern hospitality. More than a love story, A Spent Bullet recreates a memorable but largely forgotten time in Louisiana and our nations history. Told in the warm and touching style loved by readers of his previous eight books, Curt Iles weaves a story of love, history, and redemption.