honky-tonk heroes and hillbilly angels

i picked up honky-tonk heroes and hillbilly angels by holly george-warren (with darling illustrations by laura levine) yesterday when i finally had a chance to check out an adorable store in my neighborhood called the ranch 'n roll. full of reclaimed wood furniture, quirkily upholstered armchairs, vintage cowboy western shirts, and dozens of other country and western wares, i could have spent much more time in the store if my meter wasn't running out a few blocks away!

and so i bid storeowner libby adieu (i know, not very country of me. it gets worse! earlier that morning at breakfast, i passed on a side of grits and opted for regular west-coast breakfast potatoes. baby steps yall! im gettin there!) and went home to peruse my new find. this book is not only a must-have coffee table book for any and all music lovers, but it reads like a (very smart) children's book to give you a good background on all the necessaries of country music: buck owens, patsy cline, george jones, loretta lynn, and more. in fact, i almost feel like a trip up to bakersfield is in order...