LibraryThing Author: Jane Anderson Jones

About me Jane is a community college professor (by training a medievalist; by practice a generalist and feminist: literature and humanities). Doug is a repertory actor. We're transplanted Floridians, but we've been here for 25 years, and our children were born (well, one of them) and raised here. I became passionate about Florida when I started putting together an anthology of Florida poetry -- traveled around the state, learned the history, and came to savor the fragrances, bird song, winds rustling through the palms, and subtle and not-so-subtle seasonal changes. As someone who grew up in western NYS where winter lasts from Halloween until past Easter, I relish Florida weather -- despite the hurricanes.

About my library This is really our library -- Jane and Doug's -- we met as English majors at Hobart and William Smith -- the books have travelled with us for over 30 years from Geneva to Baltimore to Cleveland to NYC to Florida. Lots of fiction and poetry and drama. And, of course, Floridiana. We own all the books cataloged in our Library, but for those who want other suggestions about Florida books, here's an ongoing bibliography: http://faculty.mccfl.edu/jonesj/Flbib/FL... .

The authors named favorites are those who were important to me at one point or another in my life.

Homepagehttp://faculty.mccfl.edu/jonesj/JAJones.html

Membership LibraryThing Early Reviewers

Real nameJane Anderson Jones

LocationSarasota, Florida

Account typepublic, lifetime

Connection NewsConnection News

URLs http://www.librarything.com/profile/janeajones (profile)
http://www.librarything.com/catalog/janeajones (library)

Member sinceMar 4, 2007

Comments from other LibraryThing-ers

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I'm so glad you're enjoying www.HistoricalNovels.info! I've been having a good time putting it together and am learning a lot.

It's fun seeing the books we have in common. Everything from the Borrowers and Grimm's Fairy Tales to Magdalena and Balthasar (a favorite of mine) and Slammerkin (another favorite).

posted by margad at 8:09 pm (EST) on Jun 5, 2008

Hi, "Florida in Poetry" appeared on my doorstop today. I've poked through a little, it's quite a fascinating collection. I'm very happy to have it. cheers,d

posted by dchaikin at 10:09 pm (EST) on May 28, 2008

Hi Jane, I enjoyed your Delightful Compendium review, especially the last paragraph. Funny that we both got a copy, I think there were only 25 Early Reviewer copies given out...

Also, I must have missed it before, but I just noticed you have an LT author button! Now, I'm going to hunt down a copy of Florida in Poetry. Cheers,d.

posted by dchaikin at 7:07 pm (EST) on May 12, 2008

Sounds like we have a lot in common -- I also teach at a community college, outside Atlanta and am a medievalist by training, and a generalist -- English, Humanities - by trade. I have friends near you -- Tampa, New Port Richey, Maitland (I realize that's more a line across the state and . . .) St. Pete, Elfers. I've gotten very little of my library on line so far -- maybe 5%?? Adding when I can between classes and study.

posted by medievalmama at 9:20 pm (EST) on Feb 4, 2008

Welcome to Books Compared. I see we have a lot of books in common, including some of my old favorites like The King Must Die. Your idea for a new topic to compare hurricane books is great - go for it!

posted by margad at 11:58 pm (EST) on Oct 24, 2007

I love that quote. :) An excerpt from Zora's storm description was quoted in The Swamp: The Everglades, Florida, and the Politics of Paradise by Michael Grunwald - it was this quote that drove me to read the book. I love how she captures Okeechobee threatening and then bursting it's dike.

Early in the storm:
"It woke up old Okechobee and the monster began to roll in his bed. Began to roll and complain like a peevish world on a grumble."

And the dike collapse:
"And the lake. Under its Multiplied roar could be heard a mighty sound of grinding rock and timber and a wail. They looked back. Saw people trying to run in raging waters and screaming when they found they couldn’t. A huge barrier of the makings of the dike to which the cabins had been added was rolling and tumbling forward. Ten feet higher and as far as they could see the muttering wall advanced before the braced-up waters like a road crusher on a cosmic scale. The monstropolous beast had left his bed. The two hundred miles an hour wind had loosed his chains. He seized hold of his dikes and ran forward until he met the quarters; uprooted them like grass and rushed on after his supposed-to-be conquerors, rolling the dikes, rolling the houses, rolling the people in the houses along with other timbers. The sea was walking the earth with a heavy heel."

PS: Enjoyed your comments on the books compared thread.

cheers,d

posted by dchaikin at 10:06 pm (EST) on Oct 24, 2007

Hi Jane, I've already forgotten so much about Their Eyes Were Watching God. I have to go back a bit find my recall. (I have a review, but, rereading it, it's only semi-coherent.) I struggled a lot with the Language, but eventually got sucked in the world and really enjoyed it. The story itself never hooked me, but I really enjoyed the atmosphere. The hurricane description was fascinating, brilliant...and powerful since I assume she knew who to talk to and got it authentic on some level.

Now that I think about it, I wish I had saved my questions to ask you them, but I can't recall what my main questions were.

You might find this thread of interest: Books Compared : The Sound of Waves / Their Eyes Were Watching God

posted by dchaikin at 11:40 pm (EST) on Oct 21, 2007

Jane,

I hadn't thought about the poem being haunting before but i can see how that can be the case since the frames are empty.

It seems that there is a connection between memory, the spirt world, and that which is haunting.

I have never been to Florida but one book that I read which discussed many aspects of Florida's history was the [Orchid Thief].

David Perrings

posted by dperrings at 2:42 pm (EST) on Oct 9, 2007

Jane,

thanks for your kind note regard the Poem "The Curator" by Miller Williams

David Perrings

posted by dperrings at 12:38 pm (EST) on Oct 8, 2007

i love the heron picturee!

rare that it's lifted a foot And is turning it's head.

the herons & egrets we get up here seem to move more slowly.

maybe it's the cool night air ...

posted by tim_watkinson at 10:30 am (EST) on Oct 3, 2007

Thanks for the www.floridabookreview.com link!

Regards,
Dan

posted by dchaikin at 11:40 am (EST) on Jun 5, 2007

Wow, your home page is an incredible reference on FL lit! Glad I found this. (by seaching the tag "Florada Literature")

posted by dchaikin at 10:04 am (EST) on Mar 19, 2007

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