7 Books for Mayberry Days 9/23-9/29
Amber Brown, Quail Ridge Books
Every self-respecting North Carolinian knows Mayberry, the fictional home of Andy, Barney, Opie, and Bee. Songs have been sung, comic books written, statues erected, even a Wisconsin bed-&-breakfast and Indiana cafe, all in Mayberry’s honor — it evoked a nostalgia even as it aired, which continues even now. Mount Airy, the town on which Mayberry was based and home of the Andy Griffith Museum, has its Mayberry Days. For the past thirty years, they’ve hosted a week-long festival, paying homage to Andy Griffith himself, The Andy Griffith Show, and the town both real and fictional that is beloved across the country.
If you plan to head out to see one of the shows, to participate in the porkchop-eating or apple-peeling contests, or just to get that content feeling of walking around a place that feels like a home away from home, here are some great books to enjoy along the way.
The Andy Griffith Show Book by Ken Beck and Jim Clark
You can’t go back to Mayberry without a guide to The Andy Griffith Show, packed with information on everything from the specific episodes and characters to miracle salve to kerosene cucumbers.
Andy and Don: The Making of a Friendship and a Classic American TV Show by Daniel de Vise
Learn more about the relationship between Andy Griffith and Don Knotts, from their first meeting on Broadway through their friendship that lasted over half a century.
Aunt Bee’s Mayberry Cookbook by Ken Beck
Celebrate Mayberry Days with some of Aunt Bee’s mouth-watering recipes, plus a special addition: Barney's Famous Boarding House Chili.
Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe by Fannie Flagg
Whistle Stop, Alabama is a small town with a lot going on, with love and laughter and maybe a murder this one one time.
Dimestore: A Writer’s Life by Lee Smith
This honest, nostalgic memoir from Lee Smith explores her Appalachian childhood and the culture of small-town southern living, without shying away from difficult subjects.
The Barrowfields by Phillip Lewis
In the vein of Thomas Wolfe and William Styron, Lewis’s debut novel is set in a small Appalachian town, and it investigates the relationship between fathers and sons, and the importance of home and family.
Brighten the Corner Where You Are by Fred Chappell
A day in the hilarious and charming life of a North Carolina farmer/teacher, with a dash of exaggerated storytelling courtesy of his son. A poignant yet fun narrative from an NC author.
