Ann Patchett's Blog, page 28
November 15, 2019
Poetry for Fall, Plus Some of Our Favorites From This Year
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It’s been a while since we talked poetry here on Musing, so it’s time to correct that! If you’ve been into the shop, you know that Ben is the bookseller a lot of customers turn to for recommendations off our poetry shelves. (He’s also a published poet himself.) To kick off 2019 gift guide just a little bit early, we’ve got four four new(ish) poetry titles to recommend, plus a look back at some of our favorite staff-picked collections from the quickly disappearing year 2019.
[image error]The Milk Hours
by John James
John James’ collection The Milk Hours covers lots of ground as he swerves from philosophy to ecology to personal experience in an attempt to reconcile the sense of loss and wonder we get from being in the world. One minute he’ll invoke Plato or Ovid, and the next he’ll ground himself in a clear sense of place, describing Arizona highways, a Chilean volcano, apple blossoms in Kentucky. Many of the poems deal with the notion of a father figure, both the one he lost in childhood and the one he is to his own daughter. While this may sound like he’s doing too much, biting off more than he can chew, his understanding of his own lack of sureness prevents pretension from creeping in. His probing mind and awareness of the inadequacies of language crop up in lines like: “approximations are the best / we can do” (“Driving Arizona”), “the instability of a bookcase in the most non-metaphysical terms” (“Forget the Song”), and “that’s not the line I’m searching for” (“Scarecrow”). One of the most enjoyable aspects of this debut is how he follows observations to unexpected places; the feathers in his pillow become birds flying east in the shape of a V. Taken as a whole, these poems explore how the physical, biological world relates to itself and to us, and what it means for us to be a part of nature and existence. Histories converge and entwine, something is buried (a root system, a Parisian catacomb), and something new is born. —Ben
[image error]Be Recorder
by Carmen Giménez Smith
“It seems so impossible — I can’t imagine how a person wrote that.” That’s how Hanif Abdurraqib described this book in his interview with Musing earlier this year. And you know what? That’s a pretty good way to describe my reaction to it as well. In one poem Giménez Smith might be talking about how she’s going to stop saying “sorry” so much. A few pages over, she might be wrestling with what it means to be a brown artist and an American when sometimes those identities don’t feel compatible. She writes directly into the contradictions and complications: “I wanted to always live in a place like US / which is how America becomes / an event that happens only for the lucky / so the question where are you from means I was born / foreign in American but not their America / I mean the chain of land called America connected / by chains of mountains where minute threads of / the first people who lived that America live in me.” There’s a powerful sense of wonder and inquisitiveness that makes this collection so compelling. —Steve
[image error]An American Sunrise
by Joy Harjo
The other day, someone came into the bookstore looking for a collection of poetry to give as a gift for her daughter, who she felt might benefit from something that, if not spiritual exactly, really wrestled with matters of the soul in a hopeful sort of way. The mother mentioned that her own personal go-to was Mary Oliver, so that was our jumping-off point. I pulled several books, and the mother took a seat and started going through them. The one she left with that day was An American Sunrise by Joy Harjo. Harjo is the United States Poet Laureate, and the first Native American to hold that post, but more than that, a writer of tremendous empathy and attention. I return again and again to these lines from her poem “The Fight”: “I grow tired of the heartache / Of every small and large war / Passed from generation / To generation. / But it is not in me to give up. / I was taught to give honor to the house of the warriors / Which cannot exist without the house of the peacemakers.” —Steve
[image error]A Clearing Space in the Middle of Being
by Jeff Hardin
In his enchanting sixth collection, Jeff Hardin’s poems meander down the pages like a path through the woods, full of tiny epiphanies and reveling in mystery. He invites you to “wonder, ponder, wander” with him as he seeks revelation and “a taste of the eternal” in the ambiguous and transient. I admire how attentive he is to the world around him, how he doesn’t jump to conclusions, though he can jump from R.E.M. to the Apostle Paul in the span of two lines, and show how it’s not that much of a leap after all. These poems are full to the brim with a humble appreciation of the magic of language, calling forth words like “susurration” and “eucalyptus,” and inviting readers to slow down and live inside those syllables for a moment or two. In one poem, he asks: “How far away are we, really, / from home, from searching, from forgiveness, / from nothing more to say, from austerity, / from what we have not known or did not / know we needed to know?”. How far indeed? Let’s amble awhile with these poems and find out. —Ben
More of our Favorite Poetry of 2019
A Fortune for Your Disaster , by Hanif Abdurraqib (Read an interview with Abdurraqib here.)
The Tradition , by Jericho Brown
Soft Science , by Franny Choi
Here: Poems for the Planet, edited by Elizabeth J. Coleman
Life of the Party: Poems , by Olivia Gatwood
Night Sky with Exit Wounds , by Ocean Vuong
Brute , by Emily Skaja
How to Love a Country , by Richard Blanco
The Twenty-Ninth Year , by Hala Alyan
Deaf Republic , by Ilya Kaminsky
November 8, 2019
20 New Reads for the Young and Young at Heart
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Longer nights, more snug reading time — the chill in the air is worth it if you’re a bookworm! And luckily, we’ve got a whole new batch of great under-the-covers reads to get you through these less-than-balmy times. Our booksellers have hand-selected read-along picture books, fantastic tales for independent readers, epic young adult yarns and much more. Get comfortable!
PICTURE BOOKS
Recommended by Rae Ann
The HugBy Eoin McLaughlin & Polly Dunbar
A picture book about perspective. Read the turtle’s story then flip the book to read from the hedgehog’s point of view. Delightful!
Recommended by Rae Ann
Kevin the Unicorn: It’s Not All RainbowsKevin the unicorn’s life is filled with magical awesomeness. Until his day starts off on the wrong hoof. This sparkly picture book shows it’s OK to have a bad day.
Recommended by Rae Ann
SaturdaySaturday is the best day because Ava and her mom spend the entire day together. One special Saturday, things don’t go as planned. Caldecott honoree Oge Mora’s beautiful story paired with collage art is a delight.
Recommended by Chelsea
The BalconyThe illustrations are center stage in this wordless picture book. When the main character moves from the country to the city, she is sad to leave her plant-filled setting behind. As she grows plants on the balcony of her new apartment, she finds the plants lead to more than just a reminder of home.
Recommended by Kay
Stretchy McHandsomeA wild and silly cat goes on quite the adventure, only to find a home with a wild and silly girl of his own in the end. Really, how can you not fall in love with a cat named Stretchy McHandsome?
Recommended by Chelsea
Mama Mable’s All-Gal Big Band Jazz Extravaganza!In the 1940s, all-female bands formed to spread musical cheer during bleak times. This book pays tribute to those bands and tells the story of Mama Mable, her all-gal band, and the joy music can bring. The illustrations are especially fantastical!
INDEPENDENT READER
Recommended by Rae Ann
Friend or FictionWhat happens when an imaginary friend shows up at school? Jade writes about a new best friend in her notebook and the next day she shows up at school. When her notebook is lost, what will happen to her friend?
Recommended by Chelsea
Roll with ItEllie’s voice makes this book un-put-down-able. She is complex, refreshingly honest, and sassy. She doesn’t sugarcoat her experiences in a wheelchair or with cerebral palsy, and she isn’t defined by those experiences either. Every person needs to read this book.
Recommended by Chelsea
Dear Sweet PeaReaders who know of Murphy from her young adult books will not be disappointed with this delightful middle grade story. The themes of friendship, self-acceptance, and enduring through challenges make this a great read for all ages. I love Sweet Pea’s gumption.
Recommended by Kay
Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the SkyThis is easily one of the most interesting fantasy adventures you’ll ever read. Where else will you find a cast of characters that includes Brer Rabbit, John Henry, Anansi, and more? Tristan Strong is the hero every kid deserves, and his adventures through the magical realm of Alke are hilarious, heartfelt, powerfully written, and bursting with action.
Recommended by Devin
Some Places More Than OthersAmara gets the chance to see her father’s home in Harlem when he brings her along on his work trip. She’s tasked by her mom to help repair the argument between her father & grandfather, all while learning about the history and culture of the city that raised her family. This is a beautiful story about family and forgiveness, and it has great discussion questions in the back for book clubs!!
YOUNG ADULT
Recommended by Rae Ann
Games of Deception: The True Story of the First U.S. Olympic Basketball Team at the 1936 Olympics in Hitler’s GermanyGames of Deception is the story of basketball — how it started and made its way to the 1936 Olympics in Berlin. Perfect for readers of Boys in the Boat and anyone who likes a good story about sports or history.
Recommended by Chelsea
I Hope You Get This MessageEarth is a mere experiment and could be wiped out by an alien colony named Alma, or at least that’s what the world learns when it intercepts a message. Three teenagers must come to grips with their past in order to make peace with their present during the countdown to possible destruction. This fantastic what-if novel is a must-read for fans of John Green.
Recommended by Devin
The Revolution of Birdie RandolphDuring her latest grounding, Dove “Birdie” Randolph gets to know her Aunt Carlene who has recently moved in for stability after recovery for alcoholism. Birdie trusts Carlene with the secrets she can’t tell her strict mother. She longs to become bolder and show her family that she can make her decisions and handle the good or bad consequences.
Recommended by Devin
JackpotRico lives on the edge of poverty and works at a convenience store to help make ends meet. So when someone comes in, buys a lottery ticket, and wins the jackpot but doesn’t claim it, what else can you do but enlist a friend to go on a heist to find the person and maybe get a reward for your efforts? Every story Nic Stone writes will always illuminate real issues, and they’re authentic, humorous, and full of heart.
Recommended by Kay
The Scorpio Races“Today is the first day of November and so, today, someone will die,” just might be my favorite opening line in all of YA literature, and things only get better from there. Two highly motivated protagonists compete in their island’s unique and deadly tradition of killer horse racing in a story that’s twice as beautiful as it is bloody. There’s a reason readers return to reread this book year after year.
Recommended by Ben
His Dark Materials: The Golden Compass (Book 1)Growing up, this trilogy was my absolute favorite. The new HBO miniseries looks like it will (finally!) do the books justice, and it excites me that it will introduce a new generation of readers to Pullman’s thought-provoking books. They are imaginative, adventurous, expansive, as well as philosophical, political, heartbreaking. Dive into this gripping world, then watch the first season of the miniseries!
Recommended by Jordan
Sick Kids In LoveFans of John Green’s The Fault in Our Stars will laugh and cry throughout this new YA novel about two teens battling chronic illnesses who happen to fall in love at the hospital.
Recommended by Jordan
Frankly in LoveWhat could possibly go wrong when two friends create a fake dating scheme to please their parents? Find out in this intersectional coming of age novel by David Yoon, the husband of beloved YA author Nicola Yoon.
ParnassusNext — Our November Selection
[image error]Our November ParnassusNext selection is The Last True Poets of the Sea by debut novelist Julia Drake. It is epic, funny, and sweepingly romantic.
Here is some early buzz for the novel:
“A warm, wise, strange meditation on developing the strength to be vulnerable.” ―Kirkus (starred review)
“Violet emerges as a genuine, sympathetic protagonist struggling to create something new from the wreckage of her life.” ―Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“At once hilarious, insightful, and swashbuckling, Drake’s debut is a lyrical adventure like no other.”
―David Arnold, New York Times bestselling author of Mosquitoland
ParnassusNext is the book subscription box for YA lovers. Every member of ParnassusNext receives a first edition hardcover of each month’s selected book, signed by the author. There is no membership fee to join — and no line to stand in for the autograph. Not only will you have one of the best YA books of the month when it comes out, you’ll have it straight from the author’s hands, with an original, authentic signature! Set up a subscription for yourself or buy a gift membership for your favorite YA reader for 3, 6, or 12 months.
And don’t miss these great kid-friendly events coming up!
Sunday, November 17 at 2pm: Megan Alexander, author of One More Hug
November 7, 2019
20 New Reads for the Young and Young at Heart
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INTRO
PICTURE BOOKS
Recommended by Rae Ann
The HugBy Eoin McLaughlin, Polly Dunbar (Illustrator)
A picture book about perspective. Read the turtle’s story then flip the book to read from the hedgehog’s point of view. Delightful!
Recommended by Rae Ann
Kevin the Unicorn: It’s Not All RainbowsBy Jessika von Innerebner, Jessika von Innerebner (Illustrator)
Kevin the unicorn’s life is filled with magical awesomeness. Until his day starts off on the wrong hoof. This sparkly picture book shows it’s OK to have a bad day.
Recommended by Rae Ann
SaturdayBy Oge Mora
Saturday is the best day because Ava and her mom spend the entire day together. One special Saturday, things don’t go as planned. Caldecott honoree Oge Mora’s beautiful story paired with collage art is a delight.
Recommended by Chelsea
The BalconyThe illustrations are center stage in this wordless picture book. When the main character moves from the country to the city, she is sad to leave her plant-filled setting behind. As she grows plants on the balcony of her new apartment, she finds the plants lead to more than just a reminder of home.
Recommended by Kay
Stretchy McHandsomeA wild and silly cat goes on quite the adventure, only to find a home with a wild and silly girl of his own in the end. Really, how can you not fall in love with a cat named Stretchy McHandsome?
Recommended by Chelsea
Mama Mable’s All-Gal Big Band Jazz Extravaganza!By Annie Sieg
In the 1940s, all-female bands formed to spread musical cheer during bleak times. This book pays tribute to those bands and tells the story of Mama Mable, her all-gal band, and the joy music can bring. The illustrations are especially fantastical!
INDEPENDENT READER
Recommended by Rae Ann
Friend or FictionBy Abby Cooper
What happens when an imaginary friend shows up at school? Jade writes about a new best friend in her notebook and the next day she shows up at school. When her notebook is lost, what will happen to her friend?
Recommended by Chelsea
Roll with ItBy Jamie Sumner
Ellie’s voice makes this book un-put-down-able. She is complex, refreshingly honest, and sassy. She doesn’t sugarcoat her experiences in a wheelchair or with cerebral palsy, and she isn’t defined by those experiences either. Every person needs to read this book.
Recommended by Chelsea
Dear Sweet PeaBy Julie Murphy
Readers who know of Murphy from her young adult books will not be disappointed with this delightful middle grade story. The themes of friendship, self-acceptance, and enduring through challenges make this a great read for all ages. I love Sweet Pea’s gumption.
Recommended by Kay
Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the SkyBy Kwame Mbalia
This is easily one of the most interesting fantasy adventures you’ll ever read. Where else will you find a cast of characters that includes Brer Rabbit, John Henry, Anansi, and more? Tristan Strong is the hero every kid deserves, and his adventures through the magical realm of Alke are hilarious, heartfelt, powerfully written, and bursting with action.
Recommended by Devin
Some Places More Than OthersBy Renée Watson
Amara gets the chance to see her father’s home in Harlem when he brings her along on his work trip. She’s tasked by her mom to help repair the argument between her father & grandfather, all while learning about the history and culture of the city that raised her family. This is a beautiful story about family and forgiveness, and it has great discussion questions in the back for book clubs!!
YOUNG ADULT
Recommended by Rae Ann
Games of Deception: The True Story of the First U.S. Olympic Basketball Team at the 1936 Olympics in Hitler’s GermanyGames of Deception is the story of basketball — how it started and made its way to the 1936 Olympics in Berlin. Perfect for readers of Boys in the Boat and anyone who likes a good story about sports or history.
Recommended by Chelsea
I Hope You Get This MessageEarth is a mere experiment and could be wiped out by an alien colony named Alma, or at least that’s what the world learns when it intercepts a message. Three teenagers must come to grips with their past in order to make peace with their present during the countdown to possible destruction. This fantastic what-if novel is a must-read for fans of John Green.
Recommended by Devin
The Revolution of Birdie RandolphDuring her latest grounding, Dove “Birdie” Randolph gets to know her Aunt Carlene who has recently moved in for stability after recovery for alcoholism. Birdie trusts Carlene with the secrets she can’t tell her strict mother. She longs to become bolder and show her family that she can make her decisions and handle the good or bad consequences.
Recommended by Devin
JackpotBy Nic Stone
Rico lives on the edge of poverty and works at a convenience store to help make ends meet. So when someone comes in, buys a lottery ticket, and wins the jackpot but doesn’t claim it, what else can you do but enlist a friend to go on a heist to find the person and maybe get a reward for your efforts? Every story Nic Stone writes will always illuminate real issues, and they’re authentic, humorous, and full of heart.
Recommended by Kay
The Scorpio Races“Today is the first day of November and so, today, someone will die,” just might be my favorite opening line in all of YA literature, and things only get better from there. Two highly motivated protagonists compete in their island’s unique and deadly tradition of killer horse racing in a story that’s twice as beautiful as it is bloody. There’s a reason readers return to reread this book year after year.
Recommended by Ben
His Dark Materials: The Golden Compass (Book 1)Growing up, this trilogy was my absolute favorite. The new HBO miniseries looks like it will (finally!) do the books justice, and it excites me that it will introduce a new generation of readers to Pullman’s thought-provoking books. They are imaginative, adventurous, expansive, as well as philosophical, political, heartbreaking. Dive into this gripping world, then watch the first season of the miniseries!
Recommended by Jordan
Sick Kids In LoveFans of John Green’s The Fault in Our Stars will laugh and cry throughout this new YA novel about two teens battling chronic illnesses who happen to fall in love at the hospital.
Recommended by Jordan
Frankly in LoveBy David Yoon
What could possibly go wrong when two friends create a fake dating scheme to please their parents? Find out in this intersectional coming of age novel by David Yoon, the husband of beloved YA author Nicola Yoon.
ParnassusNext — Our November Selection
[image error]Our November ParnassusNext selection is The Last True Poets of the Sea by debut novelist Julia Drake. It is epic, funny, and sweepingly romantic.
Here is some early buzz for the novel:
“A warm, wise, strange meditation on developing the strength to be vulnerable.” ―Kirkus (starred review)
“Violet emerges as a genuine, sympathetic protagonist struggling to create something new from the wreckage of her life.” ―Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“At once hilarious, insightful, and swashbuckling, Drake’s debut is a lyrical adventure like no other.”
―David Arnold, New York Times bestselling author of Mosquitoland
ParnassusNext is the book subscription box for YA lovers. Every member of ParnassusNext receives a first edition hardcover of each month’s selected book, signed by the author. There is no membership fee to join — and no line to stand in for the autograph. Not only will you have one of the best YA books of the month when it comes out, you’ll have it straight from the author’s hands, with an original, authentic signature! Set up a subscription for yourself or buy a gift membership for your favorite YA reader for 3, 6, or 12 months.
OUTRO
November 6, 2019
Thanks for Reading: 26 Great Staff-Picked Books for November
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It’s the season of giving thanks, and we have got plenty to be grateful for this month. Just look at all these wonderful new books! As always, there are a bunch of novels to sink your teeth into, but this month’s batch of staff recommendations also includes a healthy side of great nonfiction — covering madness, memoir, single-skillet cooking and a whole lot more. We’ve got gift guides coming around the bend soon, but for now, dig in!
FICTION
Recommended by Karen
Nothing to See HereA book about children that repeatedly spontaneously combust? Sounds wild, but if you know Kevin Wilson, you know that he will bring it around to characters that you will love. This is his best, most entertaining book yet.
(Don’t miss Kevin Wilson’s upcoming appearance at Parnassus for a book signing on Monday, November 11, 2019, at 6:30 p.m.)
Recommended by Kathy
Olive, AgainDid you love/hate Olive Kitteridge years ago? Here’s more of her story, 10 years later with a new man (how?) her adult son and others from Crosby, Maine. Brilliant.
Recommended by Mary Laura
All This Could Be YoursIf you’re bummed because you’ve run out of new episodes of Succession on HBO, this is the book to tide you over until next season — with plenty of family dysfunction, secrets, and simmering resentment.
Recommended by Steve
The Water DancerLike Beloved and The Underground Railroad before it, The Water Dancer — which follows mysteriously gifted escaped slave Hiram Walker — sprinkles in just enough of the supernatural to both heighten and deepen its reality. If there were any doubts Ta-Nehisi Coates could make the jump to fiction, they have been laid to rest.
Recommended by Sydney
The Gallows PoleBased on true events, this novel is a fictionalized telling about the rise and fall of the Cragg Vale Coiners in 18th Century Yorkshire. These coiners made history by profiting from clipping coins and forging fake money. Perfect for those looking for an immersive historical read.
Recommended by Kathy
Ruby & RolandAre you tired of stories of dysfunction, or mysteries with unreliable narrators? Try this quiet novel of the early 20th-century rural Midwest where virtues like honor, respect, civility and loving family still held sway.
Recommended by Chelsea
Tuesday Mooney Talks to GhostsIf you wish it was spooky season all year, this book is for you. When a Boston millionaire dies and promises part of his fortune to whomever wins his game, Tuesday Mooney finds herself drawn into the action with unexpected sidekicks. I especially loved the widow’s character.
Recommended by Sissy
Twelve Nights at Rotter HouseThis is a really fun haunted house book. Fans of Grady Hendrix will enjoy the humor. I laughed on every page, which made the startling moments extra scary!
NONFICTION
Recommended by Karen
Bibliostyle: How We Live at Home with BooksBy Nina Freudenberger, Sadie Stein & Shade Degges
OK, I am a little biased on this pick because not only is Parnassus featured, but so are local poet and cookbook writer Caroline Randall Williams, and former Nashville resident and author Emma Straub. I dare you though to pick it up and not fall in love with these homes that are jam-packed with books. You will wonder why you ever thought cleaning out older books seemed like a good idea.
Recommended by Kim
The Witches Are ComingWHEW. So good. I can’t tell you how many pages I posted to IG Stories with excerpts circled in red. I love Rebecca Traister, but sometimes I need to laugh through the pain, and Lindy has both the writing and comedy chops to make reading about the current political climate bearable. Also, there’s a chapter on men’s love for Adam Sandler movies, and honestly, you should read it for that chapter alone.
Recommended by Keltie
A Month in SienaIf you have a heart for Italy and its subtler beauty, you will be taken by this spare memoir with color inlays of Siena’s masterpieces. If you were captivated by Matar’s Pulitzer Prize-winning book The Return, about his search for his father in Libya, you discover here its poetic epilogue. There are journeys we take to find, and ones we take to heal. For Matar, the healing is in this art, in this city, in this month.
Recommended by Ben
He Held Radical Light: The Art of Faith, the Faith of ArtThis slim memoir-literary-meditation paperback from former Poetry editor Christian Wiman explores the mysteries of art, hunger, faith, doubt, language, and mortality. At times wry and self-deprecating, the prose is precise and searching as he converses with gorgeous poems and recounts moments with other phenomenal poets (such as Seamus Heaney, Mary Oliver, Donald Hall).
Recommended by Keltie
The Queens of Animation: The Untold Story of the Women Who Transformed the World of Disney and Made Cinematic HistoryFor fans of books about pioneering 20th-century women, like Code Girls and The Girls of Atomic City, this is the book for you. It follows the personal and professional trials of five women who break into the previously all-male world of Walt Disney animation. And it’s also a fascinating history of the evolution of Disney from broke cartoon studio to high-tech global empire. Meet the women behind Dumbo and Snow White!
Recommended by Steve
In the Dream House: A MemoirPretty much every page of this book has a moment that takes your breath away — sometimes with beauty, sometimes with horror. Machado recounts an abusive relationship with another woman, and in so doing not only tells her own story but offers it as a challenge to “archival silence,” or the erasure of queer stories from the cultural record.
Recommended by Sissy
Effin’ Birds: A Field Guide to IdentificationSometimes you want to cuss, laugh, and look at pretty illustrations of birds. This book is calming and cathartic — great gift for the person who has everything.
Recommended by Sissy
The Great Pretender: The Undercover Mission That Changed Our Understanding of MadnessCahalan, a journalist, dives deep into the personal papers of the professor who, years ago, designed a study of mental institutions which had participants go undercover as “pseudo-patients.” Having experienced a mental break herself due to a severe illness, the author tells a gripping tale and brings it even closer to her readers by folding in personal details.
Recommended by Sissy
Blood: A MemoirMoorer tells a story of a loving and artistic family torn apart by severe mental illness and substance abuse. Her lyrical, calm language is in direct contrast to the frightening events leading up to her parents’ deaths. This tension perfectly encapsulates a story recalled by an adult woman struggling to heal but who has only childhood memories of the events.
Recommended by Mary Laura
Skillet Love: From Steak to Cake: More Than 150 Recipes in One Cast-Iron PanSo far I’ve made the scalloped potatoes and the beef and broccoli stir fry. YUM. I can’t wait to eat my way through the rest of the cookbook, including the pizza on the cover and every single dish in the dessert section — all using just a cast iron pan.
Recommended by Andy
EdisonPulitzer Prize winner Edmund Morris is known for his meticulous research and his penchant for biographies that don’t follow the normal constraints. In Edison, he begins with the inventor’s death and works backward. You may find yourself flipping pages back and forth, but the technique seems to work in telling Edison’s life as it reaches its climax with the invention of the light bulb. If you find his style confusing, just read it back to front.
Recommended by Cat
South: Essential Recipes and New ExplorationsFor anyone even remotely interested in cooking or eating Southern food, this is a must-have addition to your library. I highly recommend the shrimp croquettes.
Recommended by Keltie
Hymns of the Republic: The Story of the Final Year of the American Civil WarHistorians are taking a new look at the Old South. Reading Stony the Road last year made me reconsider all I thought I knew about Reconstruction. This book is further education — focusing on just the last bloody, terrible year of the Civil War. This fast-paced narrative sets the stage for everything that came next — in politics, race, and culture. Get ready to re-think what happened, and understand better how we got here.
Recommended by Kay
Medallion Status: True Stories from Secret RoomsMedallion Status explores life on the fading fringes of fame with Hodgman’s trademark balance of humor and honest reflection. Whether he’s discussing privilege and politics or famous corgis and secret societies, Hodgman always finds a way to tell a story I want to hear again and again. Also excellent in audiobook form!
Recommended by Jordan
Know My Name: A MemoirPreviously known to the public under the pseudonym “Emily Doe,” Chanel Miller reclaims her identity and tells her story as the survivor of one of the most publicized sexual assaults cases known to date. This vulnerable memoir gives readers a chance to unwrap the story we saw on the news from Miller’s point of view with a beautiful literary touch.
Recommended by Erin
The City Game: Triumph, Scandal, and a Legendary Basketball TeamThink Hoosiers meets the 1950s-era scandal of Quiz Show, in this true story about an extraordinary team who carried an era’s brightest hopes — racial harmony, social mobility, and the triumph of the underdog — and took the rap for one of the biggest gambling scandals in U.S. history.
Recommended by Keltie
The End of Hunger: Renewed Hope for Feeding the WorldBy Jenny Eaton Dyer & Cathleen Falsani (editors)
Not a policy polemic or morality play, this powerful book tackles a big issue in 29 essays. From top scientists, faith leaders, politicians, chefs, farmers and parents, the material is concise and practical. Sen. Frist explains why ending hunger stops war. Brad and Kim Williams-Paisley teach their kids gratitude by taking action. The message? We can do this — and in the season of Thanksgiving, there is nothing more important.
Recommended by Devin
Little WeirdsI am 100 percent certain that whenever I re-read an essay from this whimsical, magical, weird little book, I will find something new and touching. It’s layered with stories about love, ghosts, nature, and general observations on anything. Her writing is so vivid that it feels like a dream, and I felt such a connection with her storytelling that my own heart would break and then come back together again with hers.
First Editions Club: November SelectionNothing to See Here
One of my favorite ways to be able to describe a book goes something like this: “OK, so this sounds completely insane, but you have to read it because it works so well.” I said this when we sent our members The Buried Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro and Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders, and I’m saying it again as we send you Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson.
What so I mean when I say “completely insane”? Well, for starters, there are kids that spontaneously burst into flame. Add to that an aimless young woman brought in to take care of them, an aspiring politician father trying to keep the secret of his fire-children from the world as he rises through the ranks of government, and a stepmother who happens to be old friends with the aimless young woman.
Unusual premise? Definitely. But Kevin Wilson achieves something truly magical in this novel. It becomes more than a story of kids exploding into fiery rage — a story of the unfairness of family, the difficulty of finding people you trust, and the beauty of finding those you can. So go ahead, jump into a seemingly wild story and get ready to become totally absorbed.
Yours in reading,
Catherine Bock
Inventory Manager
More about our First Editions Club: Every member receives a first edition of the selected book of the month, signed by the author. Books are carefully chosen by our staff of readers, and our picks have gone on to earn major recognition including the Pulitzer Prize, the National Book Award, and the PEN/Faulkner Award. Plus, there’s no membership fee or premium charge for these books. Build a treasured library of signed first editions and always have something great to read! Makes a FABULOUS gift, too.
Parnassus Book Club — Upcoming Meeting Schedule
[image error]November — Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng
Monday, November 18 at 6:30pm
Wednesday, November 20 at 6:30pm
Thursday, November 21 at 10am
Classics Club — The Painted Veil by W. Somerset Maugham
Monday, December 2 at 10am and 6:30pm
Both clubs will reconvene in January 2020.
Are you a member of our store book club? Would you like to be? Parnassus Book Club and Classics Club meetings are free and open to anyone. Buy the book, read along, and join the discussion!
“It’s all about the book.”
More thoughts on reading from Kathy Schultenover, Parnassus Book Clubs Manager:
A woman who often attends my book club meetings recently stopped me after a session to talk privately. Although she attends regularly, she never contributes to the discussions. She said she felt the need to apologize for never speaking up or taking an active part in the group, feeling intimidated by large numbers, yet wanting to hear the opinions and ideas of others as well as background on the book. I assured her that she was welcome anytime, even if she never said a word, as we nearly always have plenty of folks who love to talk.
While this is not a problem in clubs at the store level, it is often an issue in smaller groups. When there are, say, six people in the group, one who never shares is quite noticeable. What can a club do? While understanding that some people are naturally quieter than others, it can help the group to do the following:
Make sure there is no individual who dominates discussions by talking too much or insisting that their opinions are always correct.
Make sure there is a welcoming atmosphere and a respect for all opinions.
Limit the time any one member can take in the discussion to allow for more member participation.
Begin meetings by having each person give his or her opinion of the book and the reasons for that opinion.
Have a facilitator to keep things moving and on track, perhaps even drawing out the quieter ones.
The goal of a book club is to examine and reflect on the different aspects and merits of a book. It’s most easily reached when all members participate by listening and sharing, yet having room for all types of personalities. By making everyone comfortable, heard and respected, a book club has chances for greater success and enjoyment for all.
November 1, 2019
Andrew Maraniss Talks About Basketball, the Olympics, and His New Book Games of Deception
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Games of Deception is the incredible true story of the invention of basketball and the first U.S. Olympic basketball team. Andrew Maraniss visits schools all over the country to talk about his books and his writing. He takes sports history and tells deeply layered stories that resonate with both young readers and adults. His first book, Strong Inside, about Perry Wallace, the first African-American basketball player in the SEC, was a bestseller. I am thrilled to interview Andrew and can’t wait for you to read his new book. I hope you’ll join us for the release of Games of Deception on Tuesday, November 5 at 6:30 p.m.
—Rae Ann Parker, Director of Books and Events for Young Readers
Rae Ann Parker: Games of Deception is a nonfiction account of the invention of basketball to the first U. S. basketball team competing at the 1936 Olympics in Nazi Germany. How did this story come to you and what do you hope readers take away from it?
[image error]Andrew Maraniss. Photo by Keith Miles
Andrew Maraniss: I was visiting the University of Kansas to speak about Strong Inside a couple of years ago and toured their basketball facilities. James Naismith’s original rules of basketball sit under glass, and there was a photo of Naismith standing with a Japanese player. The person giving me the tour mentioned that Naismith had seen his invention make its Olympic debut. When he said that it was at the Nazi Olympics in 1936, I was intrigued. I realized I would have an opportunity to write about the invention and growth of what is now such a popular international game, while at the same time writing about the rise of fascism. Much has been written about the 1936 Olympics, but most people don’t realize that’s where Olympic basketball got started. Anyone who has read Daniel James Brown’s bestseller Boys in the Boat knows how popular crew was at those Olympics. The gold medal basketball game took place on the exact same day and time as the rowing gold medal race, but crew was a much more popular sport then. Nobody paid any attention to basketball.
As far as what I hope readers will take away from the story, it has nothing to do with basketball. The whole story leads to messages about the necessity of standing up to persecution, dehumanization and injustice, of being an upstander rather than a bystander. A Holocaust survivor I interviewed for the book who attended the ’36 Olympic as a kid told me the key to resisting fascism in our own time is remembering five simple words from the pledge of allegiance: “liberty and justice for all,” with an emphasis on “all.”
RAP: You have written for both adults and young readers. Why was it important to you to tell this story for young readers?
AM: In my travels to schools to discuss Strong Inside, I noticed that a lot of kids were really interested in the origins of basketball. I think they were fascinated that this game they love could be traced back to an inventor at a specific time and place in history, that we have the original rules and we know when the very first game was ever played. So I knew young readers would be interested in that aspect of this story. But the real opportunity with this book is to use basketball as a hook to discuss more important issues about fascism, antisemitism, racism and propaganda. Students learn about the Holocaust and World War II, but they don’t typically learn as much about the years just prior. So many of the issues then are issues of our time as well. It’s important that students recognize that, so they can be good citizens and act on the side of justice.
I believe this book will also be of interest to adults. Adults love reading YA fiction and don’t think a thing of it. So why not YA narrative nonfiction? There’s no reason an adult wouldn’t enjoy Games of Deception. It’s just shorter than a typical adult book, but with attention spans and free time the way they are for most people now, that’s probably a welcome thing.
[image error]RAP: The historical photos, newspaper clippings, and basketball facts in Games of Deception layer the story in a compelling way. What is your favorite piece of history you uncovered for this story?
AM: My favorite discovery that’s a bit quirky is that half of the players on the first U.S. Olympic basketball team worked as stage hands at Universal Pictures in Hollywood. Back then, companies sponsored basketball teams as a form of marketing. Universal had a great team, and when they traveled around playing games, they were also promoting Universal’s movies. The organizer of the team was a man named Jack Pierce, who was the lead make-up artist at the studio. He created the iconic looks for characters such as Frankenstein, Dracula and the Hunchback of Notre Dame. There was a really tall player on the basketball team named Frank Lubin. Before games, Pierce would put green make-up on Lubin and dress him in a Frankenstein costume. He’d entertain the crowd and then once the game started, he’d clean off the make-up and change into his basketball uniform.
RAP: Basketball and politics are in the news again. Do you think there’s something about the sport, or its history, that lends itself to politics?
AM: Sports and politics have always been intertwined, so when people say they should be kept separate, they’re misguided about reality. There’s no more stark example of the connection between the two than the Olympic Games. That’s a theme in this book. As far as basketball, I think one of the reasons that we see the connection is because that since the very beginning, basketball has been an international game. Global issues are relevant to basketball, as we’ve seen with the NBA-China controversy and with NBA players speaking out about social justice issues the last few years.
In Games of Deception, I show how Phog Allen, the legendary coach at the University of Kansas, worked for years lobbying international sports officials to have basketball included in the Olympics. He failed to get basketball included at the 1932 Olympics in Los Angeles, but he succeeded with the Nazis in 1936. An important connection for him was a leader of the Hitler Youth who had previously attended a basketball camp with Allen in the United States. That was a connection between sports and politics I had not anticipated. I’d also say that we see connections between basketball and politics because it is a city game, so issues related to urban issues like race, immigration, wealth and poverty, education, crime, labor and neighborhoods are relevant.
Also, it’s a game that in the United States has always been popular with immigrants and African Americans. In the 1930s, some of the best basketball was played by Jews in New York City. The team at Long Island University had several Jewish players, and the team voted not to participate in the U.S. Olympic qualifying tournament in protest of Hitler. Today, African-American players in the NBA have tremendous power, even relative to professional athletes in other sports, and many of them are using their platforms to speak out about injustices.
RAP: If you could travel back in time to attend the 1936 Olympics, which person in your story would you most want to talk to?
AM: Wow, there were so many iconic figures at those Olympics, including the great Jesse Owens. One of the major characters in my book that I would like to meet is Sam Balter. He was the only Jewish player on the U.S. basketball team, and was the only player who was conflicted about participating in the Nazi Olympics. He ultimately decided that the best way he could stand up to Hitler was to perform well — and he indeed was the only Jewish American athlete to win a gold medal in Berlin. Balter was disappointed in the antisemitism of American Olympic Committee president Avery Brundage. He heard Brundage say things on the boat to Germany that made him wonder if he’d made a big mistake in participating. In Berlin, he was startled by the presence of Nazi soldiers in the Olympic Village and the numerous pieces of propaganda left in the dormitories. Still, he enjoyed his one Olympic experience and later said it was the highlight of his life. He became a radio star after the Olympics and was on the air to announce the end of World War II after the Japanese surrender. He also started a national sports radio show that was a sort of precursor to ESPN SportsCenter. His granddaughter now works for NPR. So, I’d love to meet Sam and see the 1936 Olympics through a Jewish Olympian’s eyes.
RAP: And finally, we ask everyone: What’s your favorite thing about indie bookstores?
AM: I love the sense of community and the personal relationships. When I walk into Parnassus, I feel like I know everyone and they know me. My kids even feel like they are known there, and that makes them feel special. Booksellers at independent bookstores get to know their customers so well that they are able to make personalized recommendations. Independent bookstores bring out-of-town authors to a community, which is an important civic function. I suppose this all boils down to people. Independent bookstores are about books, obviously, but they are about real human relationships and conversations, which is something that can’t be replicated online or at other stores that don’t have the same community ties.
***
Join author Andrew Maraniss
as we celebrate the publication of Games of Deception
Tuesday, November 5, 2019
6:30 p.m. at Parnassus Books
This event is open to the public and free to attend!
October 28, 2019
Read an Excerpt From the New Ta-Nehisi Coates Novel, The Water Dancer
And I could only have seen her there on the stone bridge, a dancer wreathed in ghostly blue, because that was the way they would have taken her back when I was young, back when the Virginia earth was still red as brick and red with life, and though there were other bridges spanning the river Goose, they would have bound her and brought her across this one, because this was the bridge that fed into the turnpike that twisted its way through the green hills and down the valley before bending in one direction, and that direction was south.
I had always avoided that bridge, for it was stained with the remembrance of the mothers, uncles, and cousins gone Natchez-way. But knowing now the awesome power of memory, how it can open a blue door from one world to another, how it can move us from mountains to meadows, from green woods to fields caked in snow, knowing now that memory can fold the land like cloth, and knowing, too, how I had pushed my memory of her into the “down there” of my mind, how I forgot, but did not forget, I know now that this story, this Conduction, had to begin there on that fantastic bridge between the land of the living and the land of the lost.
And she was patting juba on the bridge, an earthen jar on her head, a great mist rising from the river below nipping at her bare heels, which pounded the cobblestones, causing her necklace of shells to shake. The earthen jar did not move; it seemed almost a part of her, so that no matter her high knees, no matter her dips and bends, her splaying arms, the jar stayed fixed on her head like a crown. And seeing this incredible feat, I knew that the woman patting juba, wreathed in ghostly blue, was my mother.
No one else saw her—not Maynard, who was then in the back of the new Millennium chaise, not the fancy girl who held him rapt with her wiles, and, most strange, not the horse, though I had been told that horses had a nose for things that stray out from other worlds and stumble into ours. No, only I saw her from the driver’s seat of the chaise, and she was just as they’d described her, just as they’d said she’d been in the olden days when she would leap into a circle of all my people—Aunt Emma, Young P, Honas, and Uncle John—and they would clap, pound their chests, and slap their knees, urging her on in double time, and she would stomp the dirt floor hard, as if crushing a crawling thing under her heel, and bend at the hips and bow, then twist and wind her bent knees in union with her hands, the earthen jar still on her head. My mother was the best dancer at Lockless, that is what they told me, and I remembered this because she’d gifted me with none of it, but more I remembered because it was dancing that brought her to the attention of my father, and thus had brought me to be. And more than that, I remembered because I remembered everything—everything, it seemed, except her.
It was autumn, now, the season when the races came south. That afternoon Maynard had scored on a long-shot thoroughbred, and thought this might, at last, win the esteem of Virginia Quality he sought. But when he made the circuit around the great town square, leaning back, way back in the chaise and grinning large, the men of society turned their back to him and puffed on their cigars. There were no salutes. He was what he would always be—Maynard the Goof, Maynard the Lame, Maynard the Fool, the rotten apple who’d fallen many miles from the tree. He fumed and had me drive to the old house at the edge of our town, Starfall, where he purchased himself a night with a fancy, and had the bright notion to bring her back to the big house at Lockless, and, most fatefully, in a sudden bout of shame, insisted on leaving the back way out of town, down Dumb Silk Road, until it connected to that old turnpike, which led us back to the bank of the river Goose.
A cold steady rain fell as I drove, the water dripping down from the brim of my hat, puddling on my trousers. I could hear Maynard in the back, with all his games, putting his carnal boasts upon the fancy. I was pushing the horse as hard as I could, because all I wanted was to be home and free of Maynard’s voice, though I could never, in this life, be free of him. Maynard who held my chain. Maynard, my brother who was made my master. And I was trying all I could to not hear, searching for distraction—memories of corn-shucking or young games of blind man’s bluff. What I remember is how those distractions never came, but instead there was a sudden silence, erasing not just Maynard’s voice, but all the small sounds of the world around. And now, peering into the pigeonhole of my mind, what I found were remembrances of the lost—men holding strong on watch-night, and women taking their last tour of the apple orchards, spinsters remanding their own gardens to others, old codgers cursing the great house of Lockless. Legions of the lost, brought across that baleful bridge, legions embodied in my dancing mother.
[image error]I yanked at the reins but it was too late. We barreled right through and what happened next shook forever my sense of a cosmic order. But I was there and saw it happen, and have since seen a great many things that expose the ends of our knowledge and how much more lies beyond it.
The road beneath the wheels disappeared, and the whole of the bridge fell away, and for a moment I felt myself floating on, or maybe in, the blue light. And it was warm there, and I remember that brief warmth because just as suddenly as I floated out, I was in the water, under the water, and even as I tell you this now, I feel myself back there again, in the icy bite of that river Goose, the water rushing into me, and that particular burning agony that comes only to the drowning.
There is no sensation like drowning, because the feeling is not merely the agony, but a bewilderment at so alien a circumstance. The mind believes that there should be air, since there is always air to be had, and the urge to breathe is such a matter of instinct that it requires a kind of focus to belay the order. Had I leapt from the bridge myself, I could have accounted for my new situation. Had I even fallen over the side, I would have understood, if only because this would have been imaginable. But it was as though I had been shoved out of a window right into the depths of the river. There was no warning. I kept trying to breathe. I remember crying out for breath and more I remember the agony of the answer, the agony of water rushing into me, and how I answered that agony by heaving, which only invited more water.
But somehow I steadied my thoughts, somehow I came to understand that all my thrashing could only but hasten my demise. And with that accomplished, I noted that there was light in one direction and darkness in another and deduced that the dark was the depths and the light was not. I whipped my legs behind me, and stretched out my arms toward the light, pulling the water until, at last, coughing, retching, I surfaced.
And when I came up, breaking through dark water, and into the diorama of the world—storm clouds hung by unseen thread, a red sun pinned low against them, and beneath that sun, hills dusted with grass—I looked back at the stone bridge, which must have been, my God, a half mile away.
The bridge seemed to be almost racing away from me, because the current pulled me along and when I angled myself to swim toward the shore it was that current still, or perhaps some unseen eddy beneath, pulling me downriver. There was no sign of the woman whose time Maynard had so thoughtlessly purchased. But whatever thoughts I had on her behalf were broken by Maynard making himself known, as he had so often, with hue and cry, determined to go out of this world in the selfsame manner that he’d passed through it. He was close by, pulled by the same current. He thrashed in the waves, yelled, treaded a bit, and then disappeared under, only to reappear again seconds later, yelling, half treading, thrashing.
“Help me, Hi!”
There I was, my own life dangling over the black pit, and now being called to save another. I had, on many occasions, tried to teach Maynard to swim, and he took to this instruction as he took to all instruction, careless and remiss at the labor, then sore and bigoted when this negligence bore no fruit. I can now say that slavery murdered him, that slavery made a child of him, and now, dropped into a world where slavery held no sway, Maynard was dead the minute he touched water. I had always been his protection. It was I, only by good humor, and debasement, that had kept Charles Lee from shooting him; and it was I, with special appeal to our father, who’d kept him countless times from wrath; and it was I who clothed him every morning; and I who put him to bed every night; and it was I who now was tired, in both body and soul; and it was I, out there, wrestling against the pull of the current, against the fantastic events that had deposited me there, and now wrestling with the demand that I, once again, save another, when I could not even conjure the energy to save myself.
“Help me!” he yelled again, and then he cried out, “Please!” He said it like the child he always was, begging. And I noted, however uncharitably, even there in the Goose facing my own death, that I had never before recalled him speaking in a manner that reflected the true nature of our positions.
[image error]Excerpted from The Water Dancer (Oprah’s Book Club) by Ta-Nehisi Coates. Copyright © 2019 by Ta-Nehisi Coates. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Ta-Nehisi Coates is the author of The Beautiful Struggle, We Were Eight Years in Power, and Between the World and Me, which won the National Book Award in 2015. He is the recipient of a MacArthur Fellowship. Ta-Nehisi lives in New York City with his wife and son. The Water Dancer is his first novel.
See Ta-Nehisi Coates at a Salon@615 event on Wednesday, Nov. 6, at Tennessee Performing Arts Center. Coates will be in conversation with Nashville poet Tiana Clark. More information and tickets are available here.
October 24, 2019
Innovators, Artists, and Icons: A Glimpse into the New Book All About Southern Women
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To all those who resolve annually to get their holiday shopping wrapped up early, good news: This might be the year you finally nail it. Your winning strategy? Give everyone on your list a copy of Southern Women, the gorgeous new book from the editors of Garden & Gun magazine. Featuring more than 100 actors, chefs, musicians, writers, businesswomen, and activists who have played a hand in making the contemporary South what it is today, the collection includes plenty of notable Tennesseans, including Loretta Lynn, Reese Witherspoon, Amanda Shires, Dolly Parton, Carla Hall, and lots more.
The magazine has sought since its founding to paint a nuanced portrait of Southerners, shining a spotlight on women in particular — and all the ways they defy the “Southern belle” stereotype. With more fascinating and talented subjects than they could possibly highlight in each issue, the editors knew it was time to envision something bigger on the topic of Southern womanhood.
Amanda Heckert — deputy editor of the magazine and editor of Southern Women — offers a peek into the book’s pages on Musing today. Here, she shares with author Mary Laura Philpott (who interviewed both Lee Smith and Dorothy Allison for the book) some of her favorite behind-the-scenes moments from the project.
[image error]Nathalie Dupree. Photograph by Sully Sullivan.
Nathalie Dupree
“Nathalie is a Southern culinary legend, and a hoot. She just published her 15th cookbook this month, and over the years she also taught literally thousands of people through her classes at Rich’s Cooking School in Atlanta. Now she lives in Charleston, and we photographed her at her home here, which is chock full of — you guessed it — cookbooks, along with beautiful dishware and art. So we knew we had to have fun with some food props, including this collard bouquet fit for a queen. Garden & Gun’s visuals and photography director, Maggie Brett Kennedy, oversaw the photography for the book, and so the images throughout are just super stunning and varied in style. But they all have that aesthetic that, really, Maggie built — she’s been with the magazine before it even had a name. As a sidenote, one of my favorite quotes in the book came from Nathalie’s interview. She said, ‘If one pork chop is in a pan, it goes dry. If two or more are in a pan, the fat from one feeds the other. So there’s always room to move over for another woman.’ ”
[image error]Maya Freelon. Photograph by Chris Charles.
Maya Freelon
“Maya is an amazing artist, and this is one of my favorite photo shoots we did for the book. She works primarily with tissue paper, creating these massive installations that have appeared in museums such as the Smithsonian. After years away, she moved back to her hometown of Durham, North Carolina, and we photographed her on the Vanhook Family Farm in nearby Hillsborough. Later, she told us the significance of the farm: It had been black-owned and -operated for more than 52 years, and she said that when she first stepped foot on it a few years ago, she felt as if the earth said, ‘This is your land, this is your home.’ In her interview for the book, Maya talks more about why she moved back to North Carolina, about how her grandmother, in particular, inspired her artwork.”
[image error]Ashley Fliehr. Photograph by Chris Edwards.
Ashley Fliehr
“So, you may not recognize Ashley without her spangles and spandex, but she is known to wrestling fans the world over as the WWE wrestler Charlotte Flair, and she’s carrying on the family tradition — she’s the daughter of the iconic wrestler Ric Flair. Garden & Gun contributing editor Allison Glock interviewed her for the book — Allison had previously written a terrific profile of Ashley for ESPN the Magazine, so they had a great rapport — and I loved hearing about Ashley’s childhood in the hometown that inspired her stage name, Charlotte, North Carolina. In fact, after learning those stories, we decided to photograph her at her childhood home, which had since been sold, but the homeowners agreed to let us shoot there. Here you see her sitting on a playhouse in the backyard that her father built for her.”
[image error]Mary Margaret Pettway. Photograph by Elizabeth Bacon.
Mary Margaret Pettway
“Mary Margaret is not only a wonderful Gee’s Bend quilter, but she’s so involved in other initiatives in her community of Boykin, Alabama, and beyond. Among other things, she’s an instructor at the Black Belt Treasures Cultural Arts Center, and board chair of the Souls Grown Deep Foundation, which preserves and promotes African American artists in the South. Here, the photographer captured her in Boykin with the stunning quilts on the clothesline, which I loved because in her interview for the book, she talks about how people will drive past if they see them hanging in the yard, and then turn around to creep by again for a picture.”
[image error]Dorothy Allison. Photograph by Paige Green.
Dorothy Allison
“I grew up near Greenville, South Carolina, where Dorothy Allison grew up and where set her debut novel Bastard Out of Carolina, and I’ve always admired her and her writing with a bit of wonder and awe. Mary Laura, I think your interview captured so well why I and others feel that way — nearly every quote made my spine tingle. Especially when you asked her what she meant when she said that when she writes, she’s reaching for ‘glory,’ and part of her reply is, ‘Glory does not require approval. Glory is like the angels take over and you’re flying.’ We photographed her at her home, which is not Greenville now, but Guerneville — California — in front of her books, which, I mean, #bookcasegoals.”
[image error]Gina Chavez. Photograph by Wynn Myers.
Gina Chavez
“Gina is an incredible singer-songwriter from Austin, Texas, and she writes in both Spanish and English. She also has been a cultural ambassador for the U.S. State Department, so she’s traveled the world sharing her Latin folk-pop music and messages of inclusion. The photographer Wynn Myers captured Gina for us in Austin at Jennifer’s Gardens, a historic house and garden on Shoal Creek — a location that was as colorful and vibrant as she is. For the book, we asked a lot of the women, ‘What does being a Southern woman mean to you?’ and I thought she had a really interesting answer. She said, ‘Honestly, when I think about being Southern, I think of all the ways that I don’t identify with that word. I think of white women in the Bible Belt with big hair and sweet Southern accents. I see the stereotypes I’ve swallowed. That’s what’s so interesting about being a practicing Catholic and a lesbian. Most people look at you like, How? It’s about realizing that it’s possible to be all the things that you are called to be. We’re all multidimensional. We put other people into boxes, and that’s where the stereotypes come in with words like Southern and pride. There’s a part of me that wants to reclaim the word Southern. The South is so open in a lot of ways. There’s open land, open sky, open roads. Why can’t it also mean open-minded? Why can’t it mean open for everyone?’ ”
[image error]Willie Anne Wright. Photograph by Michael JN Bowles.
Willie Anne Wright
“Willie Anne was pitched to us by a Virginia writer named Amanda Dalla Villa Adams, and I knew from her description of Willie and her accomplishments that I had to get her in the book. Willie Anne is a talented artist who also pioneered color-Cibachrome-pinhole photography back in the 1970s — among other things and people, she often photographed women at pools. Willie Anne is in her mid-90s now, and through her interview with Amanda she shared so much wisdom about Southern womanhood and being an artist. We decided to photograph her at her home in Richmond; the photographer used four-by-five black and white film for this shot, and then worked with alternative printing for this really cool double-exposure effect — a fitting way to capture a photographer’s portrait.”
Learn more about the book here, find out where and when you can catch the Southern Women book tour around the South this fall, then get your copy from Parnassus!
October 18, 2019
Tales of Terror: 21 Great Spooky Reads
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It’s October, the nights are getting longer, and it’s the perfect time of year for spooky books! Our booksellers have selected some of the best spine-tingling, goose-bump-raising, and downright creepy tales to set the mood. Monsters, witches, mysterious text messages, real-life morticians and more — it’s enough to make you sleep with one eye open! (All the better to read more, right?) And now, browse our list of tantalizingly terrifying books — if you dare!
FICTION
Recommended by Karen
Lost and WantedFreudenberger combines science and the supernatural in this beautifully written novel about female friendship. Helen and Charlie became fast friends in college and even as their lives grew apart there was always a bond that could not be broken. Even after Charlie dies, it appears that that bond is not severed, when Helen continues to receive texts from her friend.
Recommended by Karen
Killing CommendatoreBy Haruki Murakami, Translated by Philip Gabriel & Ted Goossen
A portrait painter finds himself unable to put brush to canvas after his life is upended by his wife asking for a divorce. He finds himself living in a secluded mountain home full of secrets that start revealing themselves to him. As he gets to know his neighbors, he starts painting again, but in a completely different way. Once again, Murakami takes us on a satisfying, surreal ride.
Recommended by Cat
MelmothSettle in for a truly eerie story based on the tale of Melmoth the Wanderer; Perry’s gothic novel will have you glancing over your shoulder and wondering what the shadow in the corner of your eye was as you read about Helen Franklin’s desire to leave the demons of her past behind, only to be haunted by what she learns of Melmoth.
Recommended by Kay
The Girl With All the GiftsThis is the story of a conflicted teacher trying to protect a brilliant young girl in a world willing to tear them both to pieces. Go into this book completely blind if you can, but I promise it will keep you guessing long after you think you’ve figured out the first twist. It’s full of complex characters, bursting with tension, and has an ending left me shaking the whole next day.
Recommended by Sissy
A Lush and Seething Hell: Two Tales of Cosmic HorrorThese two beautifully crafted stories are just dark enough; don’t let the title scare you away! Jacobs is a lyrical writer who dives deep into the dark side of human nature. One tale takes place in South America, the other in the American South. If you loved the latest Ken Burns doc, you’ll be fascinated by one character in search of rural, unheard music during the Great Depression.
Recommended by Kevin
The Little Buddhist Monk & the ProofBy Cesar Aira, Translated by Nick Caistor
These wicked little novellas should come with a warning label. The Little Buddhist Monk causes troubled afternoons; The Proof, long quickening walks after midnight.
Recommended by Kay
Strange Practice (A Dr. Greta Helsing Novel)With the third book in the series out now, this is the perfect Halloween season to jump into Dr. Greta Helsing’s adventures. Dr. Helsing is a doctor to London’s monster population, but when an unknown danger surfaces to threaten her unusual patients she is forced to battle with much more than broken bones and common colds to protect the city she loves.
Recommended by Nell
Her Body and Other Parties: StoriesThis short story collection is in the eerie, otherworldly tradition of Shirley Jackson, Angela Carter, Kelly Link, and Karen Russell. Which is to say it will grip your shoulders very firmly, pull you out of yourself, and put you back down in a territory you don’t recognize. Look out for her memoir In the Dream House in November.
Recommended by Chelsea
The Haunting of Hill HouseConsidered by many as the template for haunted house stories, Jackson’s classic is worth a revisit during October. Four people converge on Hill House, which doesn’t seem too bad during the daylight hours. As the sun sets, the house’s true personality comes out. Jackson’s mastery of tone and environment will make you read this one with the lights on.
NONFICTION
Recommended by Keltie
Savage Appetites: Four True Stories of Women, Crime, and ObsessionWomen love true crime — and tales of serial killers. This book sets out to understand why. Monroe profiles four women: an eccentric heiress obsessed with creating dioramas of crime scenes; a woman who helps free — and marries — Damian Echols of the Memphis 3; a woman who inserts herself into the family of Sharon Tate; and a woman who aspires to become a killer-celebrity herself. More riveting than an episode of Snapped!
Recommended by Steve
Slime: How Algae Created Us, Plague Us, and Just Might Save UsSure, this book sets out to demystify slime, which is kind of the opposite of spookiness. But slime! Humans basically come from slime! What could be more horrifying than that?
Recommended by Keltie
Smoke Gets in Your Eyes: And Other Lessons from the CrematoryCaitlin Doughty is a popular blogger, YouTube star, and social media maven, and her new book Will My Cat Eat My Eyeballs? is a bestseller. Want to know how a nice girl from Hawaii with degree in in medieval history from the University of Chicago grew up to become a mortician and champion of the Death Positive Movement and Funerary Arts? Read this fascinating (and informative and funny!) memoir.
PICTURE BOOKS
Recommended by Rae Ann
Creepy Carrots!By Aaron Reynolds, illustrated by Peter Brown
Jasper Rabbit loves carrots. Until they start following him! A creepy read-aloud with some laughs.
Recommended by Jordan
Creepy Pair of Underwear!By Aaron Reynolds, illustrated by Peter Brown
What child (or adult) doesn’t love a silly story about spooky underwear? Jasper Rabbit is back in this sequel to Creepy Carrots.
INDEPENDENT READER
Recommended by Rae Ann
Small SpacesA class field trip goes off the rails in this spooky novel for independent readers. Now out in paperback!
Recommended by Jordan
How to Scare a GhostBy Jean Reagan, illustrated by Lee Wildish
This fun and spooky story tells readers of all ages how to scare a ghost! Fans of Reagan and Wildish’s other works including How to Babysit a Grandma and How to Get your Teacher Ready will enjoy this cute book.
Recommended by Kay
BunniculaBy James Howe, Deborah Howe, and Alan Daniel (Illustrator)
Bunnicula just might be the perfect blend of spooky and funny for young readers. The family dog and cat must team up to figure out if their family’s new bunny is actually a vampire before disaster strikes. Now featuring a fancy fuzzy cover to celebrate its 40th anniversary!
Recommended by Chelsea
The Graveyard BookBy Neil Gaiman, illustrated by Dave McKean
Available in both novel and graphic novel form, this story focuses on Bod, a boy raised from infancy ghosts, werewolves, and other graveyard inhabitants. Can Bod navigate both the living world and the dead as he grows up?
Recommended by Kay
The Okay WitchThis coming-of-age story about a young witch who suddenly gets her magic on Halloween is a funny and heartfelt treat for the season. When Moth discovers just how closely her family’s history is entwined with her town’s witch-hunting past, she has to question where she truly belongs herself.
Recommended by Kay
Scary Stories to Tell in the DarkBy Alvin Schwartz, illustrated by Stephen Gammell
Experience the books that entertained (and traumatized) a generation, newly collected in one complete volume with their original illustrations. Schwartz collects and analyzes short, traditional ghost stories from all over, while Gammell brings each to life with horrifying skill. Perfect for taking turns to read out loud around a campfire.
YOUNG ADULT
Recommended by Chelsea
JackabyAbigail has arrived in New England in 1892, looking for a job that is not mundane. In her search, she meets Jackaby, an investigator who can see the supernatural. Abigail’s first assignment? Assisting Jackaby on a serial killer case. A fun, spooky read that is the start of a great series.
Previously Picked and Still Spooky:
We Sold Our Souls by Grady Hendrix
Monster She Wrote by Melanie R. Anderson & Lisa Kröger
The Warlow Experiment by Alix Nathan
Pursuit by Joyce Carol Oates
My Best Friend’s Exorcism by Grady Hendrix
The Magicians by Lev Grossman
The Stranger Diaries by Elly Griffiths
Neverworld Wake by Marisha Pessl
Light From Other Stars by Erica Swyler
Sir Simon: Super Scarer by Cale Atkinson
Wilder Girls by Rory Power
Pumpkinheads by Rainbow Rowell and Faith Erin Hicks
Thirteen Doorways, Wolves Behind Them All by Laura Ruby
House of Salt and Sorrows by Erin A. Craig
Got little ones? Don’t forget our special trick-or-treat storytime on Thursday, Oct. 31 at 4pm. Come in costume!
October 9, 2019
Hanif Abdurraqib, Author of A Fortune for Your Disaster, Coming to the Southern Festival of Books
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Reading Hanif Abdurraqib’s latest poetry collection, A Fortune for Your Disaster, almost feels like staying up all night with someone you’ve just met, talking about the world in a way that is thrilling and vulnerable — one of those long soul-searching talks that just clicks with exactly how you need to be thinking about things in that moment. And like those late-night conversations, this is a book that is deceptively simple, unusually profound, and over before you realize how much it’s changed you. (Luckily, with a book, you can go back and read it again.)
Abdurraqib is a poet who pays attention to the world in a very intense and particular way, such that a poem about admitting that Michael Jordan pushed off just before burying a game-winning, championship-clinching jump shot is also a poem about a mother’s death, and about love and distance. He’s also a writer who not only published a terrific poetry collection this year — a feat in itself — but also published an equally terrific book that defies easy categorization. Go Ahead in the Rain: Note on A Tribe Called Quest is, as its cover announces, “a love letter to a group, a sound, and an era.” It was also longlisted for the National Book Award for nonfiction. All of this to say: Hanif Abdurraqib has skills.
Nashville will get the chance to see those skills on display; he will be appearing at the Southern Festival of Books on Friday, October 11 at 3pm in the Nashville Public Library Special Collections Room. For a complete festival schedule, click here. In the meantime, get to know Hanif Abdurraqib a little better by reading his responses to our Authors in Real Life questionnaire.
I’ve been listening to: JPEGMAFIA, black midi, Injury Reserve, Daniel Johnston, EXES, Carried By 6.
I love to watch: Lately I’ve been watching Schitt’s Creek — I don’t often have a lot of time to watch television, and so I’m usually a bit late to shows. It can be really wonderful, to immerse myself into a show that so many people have been pushing me towards.
Something I saw online that made me laugh, cry, or think: I recently saw this video of a cat defending its dog friend against another cat. The dog got too curious, as we all do sometimes. It moved too aggressively into the other cat’s space and the cat swiped at its nose. And just like that, the cat that was idle leapt to the dog’s defense. It didn’t make me laugh, or cry … and it certainly didn’t make me think too much. But I did appreciate seeing it and considering what affections might cause me to leap into the fray in such a defense.
[image error]Hanif Abdurraqib is the author of four books, including Go Ahead in the Rain: Notes to A Tribe Called Quest, They Can’t Kill Us Until They Kill Us, and The Crown Ain’t Worth Much. Photo via Instagram.
Best meal I’ve had in the past month: I don’t have as good of a memory for food as I do for everything else, sadly. I do recall recently having several flight cancellations and settling into some near-airport hotel where everyone else was also wallowing in their inability to go to wherever they had planned to be. And I ordered a large piece of chocolate cake. It was near midnight, and that’s not something I’d usually eat right before falling asleep, but it was so satisfying in the moment.
A creator who’s doing something I admire or envy: There are far too many to list, but I absolutely love the new Carmen Giménez Smith book. It seems so impossible — I can’t imagine how a person wrote that.
A book I recently recommended to someone else: Everything Saidiya Hartman has ever written.
The last event I bought tickets to was: Well just today, moments before typing these answers, I purchased tickets to a Robyn concert. She’s coming to Columbus, and even though I don’t really like going to concerts anymore, I sometimes get the tickets so that I feel forced to go at least for a little bit.
Most meaningful recent travel destination: Every time I get to come back home to Columbus, Ohio.
I wish I knew more about: Everything.
My favorite thing about bookstores: I love the way a bookstore can be a mirror for the community it serves.
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The Southern Festival of Books
What: Talks and book signings featuring 200 of the nation’s foremost writers, plus lots of fun exhibitor booths, food trucks, and performances for all ages
When: Friday, October 11, through Sunday, October 13, 2019
Where: In and about the Nashville Public Library and War Memorial Plaza
Cost: Free
For information on schedule, location, parking, and more, click here, or download the festival app.
October 7, 2019
Meet Taylor Jenkins Reid, Author of Daisy Jones & The Six, at the Southern Festival of Books
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You’re likely to love Taylor Jenkins Reid’s blockbuster 2019 novel Daisy Jones & The Six if you:
– stop whatever you’re doing to watch Almost Famous every time it comes on
– went through a Stevie-Nicks-in-Fleetwood-Mac phase in your personal style
– still think about the abrupt breakup of The Civil Wars after their brief stratospheric success
– love a good behind-the-scenes celebrity profile
That’s assuming you haven’t already read it, of course, which many, many readers have. Hailed by The New York Times as “easily her most sophisticated and ambitious novel,” the bestseller follows the rise and mysterious fall of a band led by two big, charismatic talents: Billy Dunne and Daisy Jones. Written like an oral history straight out of Rolling Stone or VH-1’s Behind the Music, Daisy Jones succeeds not only as an ensemble story about friendship and ambition, but as an exploration of longing — for success, love, and some impossible combination of thrills and stability.
For those who wish to read the book before they watch the TV miniseries set to be produced by Reese Witherspoon (we see you, purists), now’s the time to jump aboard the Daisy train. Fortunately for Nashville readers, Reid will be making an appearance at the Southern Festival of Books on Saturday, October 12, 2019 at 9:30am, in the Nashville Public Library Auditorium. Along with fellow writers Karen Thompson Walker (The Dreamers), Anissa Gray (The Care and Feeding of Ravenously Hungry Girls), and Alexi Zentner (Copperhead), she’ll be part of the morning’s Coffee with the Authors panel, presented by the Women’s National Book Association. Due to the popularity of this annual session, the WNBA strongly recommends reserving your seat in advance here.
Check out the rest of the Southern Festival of Books schedule online here. Meanwhile, get to know Taylor Jenkins Reid as she answers our Authors in Real Life questionnaire.
[image error]Taylor Jenkins Reid is the author of six books, including 2017’s popular The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. Photo by Deborah Feingold.
I’ve been listening to: Taylor Swift’s new album and Carole King’s Tapestry.
I love to watch: The Office, on repeat. And I’m desperately sad that Jane the Virgin has ended.
Something I saw online that made me laugh, cry, or think: Amy Hatvany puts up great memes on her Instagram that sometimes feel curated just for me. The other day she put up one that said, “I may act like I’m okay, but deep down inside, I’m hungry again.” And I felt SEEN.
Best meal I’ve had in the past month: The Impossible Burger.
A creator who’s doing something I admire or envy: Phoebe Waller-Bridge. How can one person be so good? It boggles the mind.
A book I recently recommended to someone else: Good Talk by Mira Jacob
The last event I bought tickets to was: Fleetwood Mac at the Forum.
Most meaningful recent travel destination: It’s only a half hour away but I rented a beach house in Malibu two months ago and invited all of my friends and it was everything I ever wanted. I will remember it forever.
I wish I knew more about: Everything. And Greek mythology.
My favorite thing about bookstores: That moment right before I realize I can’t buy them all.
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The Southern Festival of Books
What: Talks and book signings featuring 200 of the nation’s foremost writers, plus lots of fun exhibitor booths, food trucks, and performances for all ages
When: Friday, October 11, through Sunday, October 13, 2019
Where: In and about the Nashville Public Library and War Memorial Plaza
Cost: Free
For information on schedule, location, parking, and more, click here, or download the festival app.
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