TALES FROM THE PORCH

TALES FROM THE PORCH
by Curtis R. Blanton
Illustrated by James C. Sellers
Porchtales
P.O. Box 811
Norris, TN 37828
www.porchtales.com
ISBN: 0978556003

Author Curtis Blanton has penned a humorous collection of “tall tales and short stories” about his childhood in the mountains of North Carolina. Utilizing realistic mountain vernacular, the book is filled with humorous stories and colorful characters surrounding events Blanton experienced growing up. This reviewer particularly enjoyed the stories about the formation of numerous churches due to warring congregants, the prank played on the owner of a virgin mule, frantic reaction to and cause of black snow, the wampuscat and “cats-purr fever”, along with a multitude of others. Blanton is a true storyteller and holds his readers’ interest regaling stories about the entertaining and endearing mountain folks he knew growing up, some of whom have names that are as colorful as the characters. Readers will also appreciate that Blanton maintains the dialect of the mountain people throughout, adding an extra dimension to some really good storytelling.