Reviewed by Francis Mont for Readers' Favorite

Meanwhile, Here in Austin by Cetywa Powell is a magical book that shows you Austin through the eyes and camera of a journalist and photographer who moved to the city in the spring with her husband and son and explored and documented her impressions throughout the following year. Austin is a large city with close to a million citizens calling it home, and, as it is with large cities, it has a lot to offer. The author made a detailed plan to explore and familiarize herself with the sites and cultural offerings during her first year living there and reported on her impressions with personal and intimate anecdotes as well as high-quality photos. The book is structured into four roughly equal parts of Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter. I wish I had read this spellbinding book before I drove through the city on my way to Los Angeles years ago. I am sure I would have spent quite a few days there.

It was the deer that won her over. The photograph of this majestic animal on the first page did not need further explanation. That photo sucked me in to read the book, turning pages, discovering more and more of the city. By the end of the book, I felt as if I had lived there for at least a year myself. Her narrative is highly literate with the right mixture of facts and personal impressions. Moving from season to season felt like moving through time, getting to know both the city and the narrator, as if I had known both for years. The cultural introduction was informative and personal, coupled with anecdotes about their adventures as well as some of the hardships, like heat waves, water shortages, electricity outages, hurricanes, and ice storms. I enjoyed this fascinating story and loved looking at the professional photographs. I very highly recommend Meanwhile, Here in Austin by Cetywa Powell to anyone who wants to read a personal and authentic portrayal of this unique and mesmerizing city.