I don’t know about you, but I was a huge fan of Pizza Hut’s “Book It!” program when I was a kid. It began in the mid-1980s, and is luckily still going on today. The promise is simple: read a bunch of books (no problem), get a personal pan pizza for free.
And you bet those little pizzas tasted better than normal ones. The sense of accomplishment really added something.
MY COUSIN JIMMY
Last week we talked about the giant Jimmy Carter peanut in Plains, Georgia, and this week we meet a Norwegian man who thinks he may be related to the former president. Mr. Carter, are you trying to tell us something?
Ole Henry Snildalsli is a rising comedian in Norway who recently traveled across the U.S. to take in the culture and explore possible ties to the Carter family.
The resulting eight-episode docuseries dubbed “My Cousin Jimmy” will air next year on NRK, Norway’s federally funded public broadcaster.
So, what does a Norwegian new to the ways of the U.S. do?
- visit a dive bar in Nashville where he learned to line dance and play a harmonica
- visit the annual Plains Peanut Festival
- win a bacon-eating contest
- shoot some guns
- milk a cow on a dude ranch
Sounds about right. In Atlanta, Ole Henry had one of his most foreign experiences yet: riding a self-driving Waymo car.
“It was a little bit scary,” he said. “For a Scandinavian audience, Waymos are like science fiction.”
So glad Atlanta could contribute this piece of American culture.
🥜 READ MORE: What he found out about Jimmy Carter
THE RETURN OF THE MIDNIGHT RELEASE PARTY
In late October, surrounded by the grandeur of the Egyptian Ballroom at Atlanta’s sumptuous Fox Theatre, gaggles of fairies gathered for a magical evening.
It was the release of the next installment of the wildly popular “A Court of Thorns and Roses” (ACOTAR) series by Sarah J. Maas, and throngs of faithful readers dressed up in ball gowns, suits, and fairy ears to celebrate.
Yes, midnight book release parties! Actual physical books! In this, the year 2026! We love to see it.
You see, something like this isn’t just about the imagination-tickling fictional settings (in this case, a glittering city known as Velaris) or the promise of hours of reading pleasure. There are so many important intersections.
- Bookstores get in on the fun: We love supporting indie bookstores, and release parties like this are a great way to build readers and community. Eagle Eye Book Shop in Decatur provided books for the Atlanta event. Oh, and more than 1,500 other release parties for the new Maas book were held around the country. Think of all of the bookstores!
- A return to physical media: When everything’s digital, the tactile pleasure of holding a book, leafing through it, smelling the pages, becomes even more important.
- Friends for life: There’s safety and lifelong friendship in the nerdy communities that coalesce around big-ticket book franchises. That was on full display at the Fox.
“It’s about community,” said Kennedy Ryan, a popular romance author. “It’s about gathering around authors you love, work you love, but also with the people who love the same books that you do.”
🧚🏽 READ MORE: What goes down at an ACOTAR release party
SIPS FROM AROUND THE SOUTH
🐝 Lynchburg, VA: Virginia now has the second-highest number of “Bee Cities” in the country. The state with the most? North Carolina! Excellent job, Southern friends. “Bee Cities,” as designated by Bee City, USA, boast a profusion of native plants, pollinator-friendly practices and community conservation efforts. More from WSET
🐻 Townsend, TN: The Appalachian Bear Rescue returned six rehabilitated American black bear cubs to the wild forests of East Tennessee. Such a success requires lots of cooperation, and the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine, Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, National Park Service, and Great Smoky Mountains National Park all pitched in. More from The Appalachian Bear Rescue
🐴 Louisa, KY: A group of riders took to horseback to join the search for a six-year-old autistic boy* who had gotten lost in the woods. They were delighted to come across the young man, barely the worse for wear. His first words upon seeing his rescuers? “‘E-I-E-I-O horsey.” More from the Lexington Herald-Leader
🤸🏼♀️ Lawrenceville, GA: An eighth grader stood tall after every other member of her cheerleading squad dropped out before a recent competition. She took to the mat alone, and brought the 1,500-person crowd to their feet with her enthusiasm. Now, video of her performance is going viral. More from People
🫶🏼 Prince George County, VA: TIME’s Kid of the Year, Ledger Mann, helps first responders comfort neurodivergent children. His father, a police sergeant, asked for his advice after comforting an autistic child who had gotten lost. Ledger suggested toys, resources and actions that have now become standard tools for local first responders. More from TIME
*a note: While people-first language has been the modern standard when talking about neurodivergence and disability, neurodivergent communities have expressed a strong preference in recent years for clear, concise phrasing like “autistic people/children.”
TELL U.S. SOMETHING GOOD
Is there a cool event we need to know about? Something great happening in your town? Let us know. This is your space, too. SweetTea@ajc.com.
SOUTHERN WISDOM
That knowledge did not belong to my badge. It belonged to me.
I enjoyed this opinion piece by Atlanta businessman Robert Hawkins, who was laid off from Coca-Cola in 1994 after 17 years at the company. He used his insight and foresight, honed at the soda giant, to found a new company. His story isn’t just one of seized opportunities, it reminds us that, even at large companies, the skills and lessons we learn are ours for life. Read more here
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