Porch Talk by Phillip Gulley

Porch Talk: Stories of Decency, Common Sense, and Other Endangered Species, by Philip Gulley, reviewed by Trish Burns, Library Director
(HarperSanFrancisco, 2007, 170 pages, $15.95)

A comfortable collection of short essays, Porch Talk examines the ideas and ideals of small-town life. From the local hardware guru to the owner of the Dairy Queen, Gulley writes about regular people and the simple pleasures of daily life, if you can let yourself slow down enough to enjoy them. The stories are thought-provoking, and fun, and deliver a nice dose of nostalgia.