美国国家公共电台 NPR An Alabama Booksmith Picks 3 Books To Read This Summer

An Alabama Booksmith Picks 3 Books To Read This Summer

AUDIE CORNISH, HOST:

There's nothing more luxurious¹ than time - time to just dig into that stack of books that have been waiting for you. To help build the perfect stack, we're talking to booksellers from all over the country this summer to help you Pack These Pages.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

CORNISH: We found a one-of-a-kind store in Homewood, Ala.

JAKE REISS: Every book in the store is signed. We don't carry paperbacks². We only carry hardback books that are signed by the author. And folks ask us, is there another one of these in Alabama? I don't think there's another one on the planet.

CORNISH: That's Jake Reiss, owner of The Alabama Booksmith. He recommends three nonfiction books that are bigger than life.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

REISS: Well, the first book I'd like to brag³ about is - the title is "Mattie C.'s Boy: The Shelley Stewart Story" by Don Keith, as told by Shelley Stewart. And he makes Horatio Alger seem like an aristocrat⁴. He watched his daddy kill his mother with an axe⁵. And this is in the 1940s in Alabama. And he went on to become a famous DJ in these parts and then eventually bought the station. It's a book you absolutely cannot read without being inspired.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

REISS: "The Bad-Ass Librarians Of Timbuktu: And Their Race To Save The World's Most Precious Manuscripts." The author is Joshua Hammer, and the book reads like fiction - amazing story of a government librarian in Timbuktu who risked his life to smuggle⁶ 350,000 ancient and priceless manuscripts out of the city. And this is under the watchful⁷ and murderous eyes of al-Qaida and their ilk.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

REISS: And National Book Award winner James McBride - "Kill 'Em And Leave: Searching For James Brown And The American Soul. This is a - really a spellbinding biography, and it unearths⁸ much that we've never been told about the Godfather's private life. I didn't realize James Brown had a huge amount of wealth that he accumulated that rivaled some of the greatest stars ever. And he was a very generous man. He left his fortune to help educate children of the South, black and white.

CORNISH: That was Jake Reiss, owner of The Alabama Booksmith. Once you're done with these three, be sure to check out many more Pack These Pages picks to help keep you cool at npr.org.

1 luxurious   

adj.精美而昂贵的；豪华的

参考例句：

• This is a luxurious car complete with air conditioning and telephone.这是一辆附有空调设备和电话的豪华轿车。
• The rich man lives in luxurious surroundings.这位富人生活在奢侈的环境中。

2 paperbacks   

n.平装本，平装书( paperback的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• This shop only sells paperbacks. 这家书店只出售平装本的书。 来自辞典例句
• Other paperbacks were selling for ten or 15 cents each. 其它的平装书每本才卖十或十五美分。 来自互联网

3 brag   

v./n.吹牛，自夸；adj.第一流的

参考例句：

• He made brag of his skill.他夸耀自己技术高明。
• His wealth is his brag.他夸张他的财富。

4 aristocrat   

n.贵族，有贵族气派的人，上层人物

参考例句：

• He was the quintessential english aristocrat.他是典型的英国贵族。
• He is an aristocrat to the very marrow of his bones.他是一个道道地地的贵族。

5 axe   

n.斧子；v.用斧头砍，削减

参考例句：

• Be careful with that sharp axe.那把斧子很锋利，你要当心。
• The edge of this axe has turned.这把斧子卷了刃了。

6 smuggle   

vt.私运；vi.走私

参考例句：

• Friends managed to smuggle him secretly out of the country.朋友们想方设法将他秘密送出国了。
• She has managed to smuggle out the antiques without getting caught.她成功将古董走私出境，没有被逮捕。

7 watchful   

adj.注意的，警惕的

参考例句：

• The children played under the watchful eye of their father.孩子们在父亲的小心照看下玩耍。
• It is important that health organizations remain watchful.卫生组织保持警惕是极为重要的。

8 unearths   

发掘或挖出某物( unearth的第三人称单数 )； 搜寻到某事物，发现并披露

参考例句：