Changing Lives

Anatomy of an Alibi

“Anatomy of an Alibi” has a classic Hitchcockian premise: Camille Bayliss and Aubrey Price come from completely different worlds, but they both believe the same man hold secrets that could irrevocably change their lives: Ben, Camille’s husband. So they make a plan together, where Aubrey will take Camille’s place for the day, while Camille will spy on her husband. The only problem: The next morning, Ben turns up dead, and now both women need an alibi, but only one has one. Ashley Elston was a wedding planner in Louisiana whose first adult novel became a New York Times Bestseller. 352 pages, $30

Counting Our Blessings

“Counting Our Blessings” takes us through the lives of 41 New Orleanians in the aftermath of the federal floods that followed Hurricane Katrina. The writings in this book share a glimpse into the struggle and perseverance of the people who survived this tragedy. “Counting Our Blessings” is an important historical document not just for the city of New Orleans, but for everyone in the world curious about New Orleans culture, and about the power of the human spirit. Authors in this collection include Jarvis DeBerry, Kelly Harris-DeBerry, Cherice Harrison-Nelson, and José Torres-Tama. Edited by Mama Carol Bebelle, co-founder of the Ashé Cultural Arts Center, the book was published by UNO Press. 496 pages, $39.95

Called by Distance

Biljana D. Obradović’s “Called by Distance” is a poetry book that spans a variety of topics, from the fall of her native Yugoslavia to her displacement after the federal floods that followed Hurricane Katrina. In her poem, “Spiritual Baptism,” Obradović writes “I told the priest how people threw me in the waves / where I melted like the soft Ganesh figurines, the Arabian / Sea polluting what little spirit I had in me even then.” This is a great example of the self-reflection and earnestness in her poetry, and how her poems take the reader on her journeys all over the world. “Called by Distance” is part of the Southern Messenger Poets Series edited by Dave Smith from LSU Press. 100 pages, $21.95

The Roads We Travel

David Armand’s “The Roads We Travel” is a writing memoir in the style of classics such as Stephen King’s “On Writing.” Armand uses his life to teach what works (and what doesn’t) when it comes to writing. Partly a tutelage on how to be a writer, partly a memoir on a life well lived), Armand uses his vast wealth of knowledge to weave so much writing information in his memoir. Armand, a creative writing professor at Southeastern Louisiana University, has published books of fiction, nonfiction and poetry. He won the 2022 Louisiana Writer Award. 122 pages, $19.95