Moonshine and Watermelons, Van Patten

Moonshine and Watermelons, Van Patten | 140 pages

A fun look at growing up in the Missouri Ozarks a few decades ago. Van Patten moved to the Steelville area when he was a young teen, showing up on his grandparents' doorstep unannounced after leaving a tumultuous life in California. He makes friends with the locals and learns their ways, from moonshine-soaked watermelons and trout fishing to preteens driving trucks and blowing up fields.

It's interesting to see what's similar and what's very different - while no 14yo would get away with "John Wayne-in" anymore, these Missouri gravel bed creeks are still incredible and the best place to spend a day.

Chasing Dragons: the True Story of the Piasa, by Mark and Laurie Nickless

Chasing Dragons: the True Story of the Piasa, by Mark and Laurie Nickless, 106 pages

This is a really interesting book of local interest.  Mark and Laurie Nickless hypothesize that the "Piasa bird" (painted on a cliff face in Alton, IL) was actually two Chinese dragons, painted by Chinese explorers.  The authors don't have a ton of proof for their theory, and the illustrations within leave ALOT to be desired, but it is quite provocative and really makes you wonder.