Ann Patchett's Blog, page 31
June 18, 2019
Birds of a Feather: An Excerpt from Alix Ohlin’s Dual Citizens
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We’re thrilled that Alix Ohlin, author of the new novel Dual Citizens, and Julia Phillips, author of Disappearing Earth, will be appearing together at Parnassus on Tuesday, June 25 at 6:30 p.m. to sign and discuss their books. In anticipation of their arrival, we’re delighted to share an excerpt of Dual Citizens right here. (And don’t miss out later this week, when we’ll share an excerpt from Disappearing Earth!)
In Dual Citizens, Lark and Robin are half-sisters whose similarities end at being named for birds. While Lark is shy and studious, Robin is wild and artistic. Raised in Montreal by their disinterested single mother, they form a fierce team in childhood regardless of their differences. As they grow up, Lark excels at school and Robin becomes an extraordinary pianist. At seventeen, Lark flees to America to attend college, where she finds her calling in documentary films, and her sister soon joins her.
Later, in New York City, they find themselves tested: Lark struggles with self-doubt, and Robin chafes against the demands of Juilliard. Under pressure, their bond grows strained and ultimately is broken, and their paths abruptly diverge. Years later, Lark’s life is in tatters and Robin’s is wilder than ever. As Lark tries to take charge of her destiny, she discovers that despite the difficulties of their relationship, there is only one person she can truly rely on: her sister.
In this excerpt, Lark and Robin are sharing an apartment in New York City. Robin has just spent the summer performing in Europe.
In New York, I waited for Robin’s return. I hadn’t heard from her during her trip, and I’d had to imagine her summer for myself. Now I was restless with anticipation, wanting to know how closely the reality would conform to the pictures in my mind.
But Robin wasn’t doing any of the things I’d imagined. She wasn’t testing the keys of a ramshackle piano, feeling its bones shift as she rehearsed before rows of empty red velvet seats in an auditorium that had been resplendent a hundred years ago. She wasn’t nursing a coffee at an outdoor café, steadying herself for the evening performance, or sipping some aromatic liqueur the owner insisted she should try at least once. She wasn’t dipping her toes in foreign rivers. She wasn’t playing Rachmaninoff — I knew now that she was a Rach 3 pianist — to adoring crowds. She wasn’t holding Bernard’s hand as they walked over a footbridge in the early morning, his hair skunky with potent local hash, their eyes pleasantly glazed. She wasn’t thinking about me, back in New York, in the Tunnel. She wasn’t getting ready to come home.
Instead of Robin, a postcard came, bearing a picture of a little blond girl wearing flowers in her hair. Above her head was the word Ytterby. Robin’s usual taste in postcards was kitschy; she liked to find the tackiest one available, with cartoon animals or neon lettering, and I couldn’t tell if this little girl was cute or too cute, in Robin’s opinion, or merely the only postcard available.
I spent a long time dwelling on the image because the message on the back made so little sense. Robin had written only a short sentence: Don’t look for me.
I was confused. Why would I look for her when she was on her way home?
On a Tuesday morning, the phone woke me. I’d had trouble falling asleep the night before, and the ringing filtered only gradually into my groggy brain. When I picked up, the man on the other end sounded annoyed.
“It’s about time,” he said, vexed. “Where were you?” It seemed a rhetorical question, and I said nothing in response. “Are you there?” he said. “Yes.” I recognized the low register and unconcealed impatience as belonging to Boris Dawido. I wandered into Robin’s room, the only one with a sliver of window. Outside, the day was spectacular, the kind of sleight-of-hand morning only New York can provide. Yesterday had been oppressive and terrible, but this day was fashioned from different material. The last of the summer flowers clung bountiful in the trees, but fall had snuck into the air. The sky was a wide and cloudless blue. There was for a brief moment no traffic, no yelling, and no car horns: a pocket of perfection.
“Can I speak to Robin?” he said.
“She’s not back yet.” I was puzzled.
“Have you heard from her?”
“I got a postcard,” I said.
“I received a call last night from Nils Anderssen.”
“I don’t know who that is.”
“Hold on and I will tell you,” Boris said, his tone even more vexed and irritable. “He’s my contact who set up Robin’s trip. He had been trying to reach me for days but I’ve been in Durban, working with a composer on a commissioned piece about the new South Africa.” I said nothing during the pause he left. “Anyway, we finally spoke last night. Robin walked off the tour.”
“Walked off?”
“She told Nils one night after the performance that she couldn’t feel the music. He asked if she needed more practice time, less practice time. It wasn’t his first encounter with a diva. She said she was very sorry, but she had to go. He reminded her that she had certain obligations. She said her heart wasn’t in it right now. He suggested perhaps her heart could get in it with the aid of a small financial bonus. She shook her head and said something about her soul. Nils is furious with me, and I will have to bow and scrape to him.”
I shook my head. The picture I’d held in my mind, of Robin and her shabbily elegant touring life, was so vibrant that I couldn’t dislodge it even in the face of this new information. “What about Bernard?”
“Nils said the boy departed separately.”
“Do you mean they broke up?” I said.
“I cannot emphasize how little I care whether they did.”
“But is she okay?” My voice rose higher, an anxious squeak. “Your guess,” he said, “is as good as mine.”
“But this happened a while ago? So where is she?”
He said nothing, and I understood that he wasn’t worried about Robin; rather he was angry, deeply and perhaps permanently angry, and since Robin wasn’t available he was prepared to be angry with me instead. “I don’t know,” he said, “but if I don’t hear from her soon—”
Rather than let him finish the sentence I hung up, and sat in the quiet of my sister’s empty bed, looking at the beautiful morning in my pajamas.
***
I didn’t know what to do. Call our mother, call the police, get on a plane to Europe and look for Robin myself? Maybe my sister was heartbroken; maybe she’d lost her mind. I’d read that after Agatha Christie’s husband fell in love with somebody else and asked her for a divorce, she disappeared for eleven days. Some people think she was trying to frame her husband for murder, or at least embarrass him, but others believe she was so traumatized by heartbreak that she lapsed into a dissociative fugue and forgot who she was. She was found in a hotel in Yorkshire, registered under the last name of her husband’s mistress, and never spoke publicly about what had happened during those eleven days. It’s possible she didn’t know herself.
I could call all the hotels in Scandinavia, asking if they had a young Canadian woman staying there who didn’t seem to know who she was.
I could look for Bernard, but I had no idea where to find him. I didn’t know his aunt’s name, or his mother’s.
In the end I called home, not having anywhere else to turn. My expectations for help were low, and still weren’t met.
“So, she’s gone off somewhere,” Marianne said without distress once I’d explained the situation. I could hear her heavily exhale, then inhale.
“Are you smoking?”
“Of course not,” she said, and the exhalations stopped. She was a terrible liar, probably because she didn’t care very much whether anyone was fooled.
“I’m worried about her.”
“And you want me to do what?” she said.
Standing in the Tunnel’s tiny kitchen, I closed my eyes in irritation and wished I’d never called.
“Your sister fait comme elle veut, Lark. She wants to be famous, she tries to be famous. She has enough, she leaves. She’s a narcissist.”
“She’s an artist.”
“She gives herself permission to do whatever she wants, if that’s what you mean,” she said.
It seemed to me that she was describing herself. We lapsed into silence, stalemated.
“I can’t believe you aren’t concerned,” I finally said.
“She left me, and now she left you,” Marianne said, and I could hear the satisfaction in her voice. “Now you know how it feels.”
* * *
Excerpted from Dual Citizens by Alix Ohlin. Copyright © 2019 by Alix Ohlin. Excerpted by permission of Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Penguin Random House LLC. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Meet author Alix Ohlin
as she presents Dual Citizens
with Julia Phillips, author of Disappearing Earth
Tuesday, June 25, 2019,
6:30 p.m. at Parnassus Books
Presented with The Porch
Wine & light snacks
June 11, 2019
A Batch of Beach (or Backyard) Reads for Young Book Lovers
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With school out, homework on hiatus, and bedtimes more relaxed, now’s a good time to stock up on new books to keep the days full and fun. Perfect for a vacation, a blanket on the grass, or just lounging around on the sofa, this month’s hand-picked selections offer a little something for new readers, independent readers, and YA fans alike.
Staying local for the summer? Don’t miss our weekly storytimes, Saturdays at 10:30 a.m. and Thursdays at 4 p.m.!
PICTURE BOOKS
Recommended by Niki
The Sad Little Fact By Jonah Winter, Pete Oswald (Illustrator)
This picture book is for kids AND parents. It’s a funny little parable about the truth and facts — perfect for kiddos who embellish the truth. (Also perfect given the current news cycle.)
FOR INDEPENDENT READERS
Recommended by Katherine
Finding Orion In this heartwarming story, a quirky family embarks on a road trip to attend the funeral of their beloved, yet mysterious, grandfather. I recommend this book to any middle schooler who loves realistic stories about family. Both poignant and funny!
Recommended by Kay
Island Book Both classically epic and quietly personal, at once strange and familiar, this book is about a girl who takes a journey to find the beast that changed her life.
Recommended by Chelsea
Honeybees and Frenemies This middle grade novel has something for every reader — great characters, beauty pageants, and bees! When Flor won the pageant in third grade, her best friend turned her back on her. Now they’ve teamed up to try to win the pageant again — if they can get over their ‘frenemy’ status, that is. I especially loved the bee facts that opened every chapter!
YOUNG ADULT
Recommended by Katherine
BirthdayTwo teens are inextricably linked: Eric and Morgan were born at the same hospital on the same day at the same time. Told in glimpses spanning six of their shared birthdays, this novel shows how the pair experience the highs and lows of adolescence over the years as they drift apart, and then inevitably come back together. I loved the unique narrative structure and the way Russo handles issues of gender identity.
Recommended by Chelsea
We Hunt the Flame (Sands of Arawiya #1) This debut adventure novel focuses on the journey to restore magic to a land that is suffering without it. Zafira, forced to hide her identity in order to provide food for her family, sets off to meet up with unique company to save the kingdom she calls home. While this is the first of a trilogy, the ending perfectly balances wrapping things up and leaving us wanting more.
Recommended by Kay
Sorcery of ThornsThis story of magic libraries and demon-summoning sorcerers nails every aspect of a highly entertaining fantasy: action, romance, humor, and heart. I dare you not to fall in love with the main characters by the end.
ParnassusNext — Our June Selection
Our June selection is Sarah Dessen’s The Rest of the Story, an absolutely perfect way to kick off a great summer of reading! Whether you’re a long-time Dessen fan or just discovering her, there’s so much to love in this big-hearted story of a girl reconnecting with her family and falling in love for the first time over the course of a sun-drenched, magical summer by the lake.
Publisher’s Weekly called it “a rich, patient story about a teen girl who craves family and an understanding of her roots after suffering a tragic loss,” and ALA Booklist said it’s “exactly where Dessen shines brightest.”
All we know is that we couldn’t put it down. Enjoy!
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.
One for you, two for me . . . that’s how book buying goes, right? If you’re picking out a good book for the younger reader in your life, don’t forget to pick up a few new ones for yourself. Check out some of our staff’s latest picks in these recent roundups: 28 New Books That Fit Perfectly In a Beach Bag and Five Memoirs You Won’t Be Able to Put Down. Or swing by the store anytime and let us help you pick something perfect.
June 6, 2019
25 Gifts for Every Kind of (Awesome!) Dad
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Father’s Day is around the corner, and sure, another tie or pair of socks is great in a pinch. But what if you picked the perfect book instead? Whether the dad or granddad in your life is a fiction lover, a history buff, or maybe an amateur backyard chef looking to go pro, Parnassus store manager Andy Brennan has knocked it out of the park this year (really, check out his sports titles below!) with this round-up of his favorite Father’s Day selections.
Want to really go over the top? Give the gift that keeps on giving — a membership to our First Editions Club. Every member receives a first edition of the selected book of the month, signed by the author. There’s no membership fee or premium charge for these books. Dad can build a treasured library of signed first editions and always have something great to read.
And don’t forget we have a wonderful collection of coffee mugs, journals, custom Parnassus pencils, and gift cards that are a match for any book selection or perfect on their own. You might also check out our most recent list of staff-picked favorites for summer, 28 Books that Fit Perfectly in a Beach Bag, which includes a few Father’s Day ideas from fellow staffers.
Out of town? We ship! For Father’s Day, order by June 10, and select priority shipping (that part’s important).
Happy Father’s Day!
FOR THE FICTION FAN
The RiverA gripping novel of friendship tested by fire, whitewater, and violence.
Metropolis (A Bernie Gunther Novel #14)
The final Bernie Gunther novel from the late Phillip Kerr.
The Sentence Is Death
This is book two in the Detective Daniel Hawthorne series. Don’t miss book one, The Word is Murder, now out in paperback.
FOR THE SPORTS FAN
Ballpark: Baseball in the American City
A former NY Times architecture critic shows us the way in which baseball’s history is concurrent with our cultural history: the rise of urban parks and public transportation along with the development of new building materials and engineering and design skills. Goldberger also explores how the site details and the requirements of the game — the diamond, the outfields, the walls, the grandstands — have shaped our most beloved ballparks.
Commander in Cheat: How Golf Explains Trump
It’s not often that a golf book spends weeks on the bestseller list. This is a fascinating read for those who believe golf is a mirror of the soul.
The Great American Sports Page: A Century of Classic Columns from Ring Lardner to Sally Jenkins: A Library of America Special Publication
By John Schulian (Editor), Charles P. Pierce (Foreword by)
Schulian looks back at nearly a century’s worth of sports columns, from a time when we got our sports from the printed page and sports writing on a deadline was considered an art form.
FOR THE MUSIC LOVER
Woodstock: 50th Anniversary Edition: Three Days That Rocked the World
By Mike Evans (Editor), Paul Kingsbury (Editor), Martin Scorsese (Foreword by)
Go “back to the garden” with this day-by-day, act-by-act account of everything that went down on Yasgur’s Farm.
Songs of America: Patriotism, Protest, and the Music That Made a Nation
From “The Star-Spangled Banner” to “Born in the USA,” the hot new duo of Meacham and McGraw offer their perspectives on the role music has played in uniting and shaping our nation.
FOR THE FOODIE
Anthony Bourdain Remembered
By CNN
These remembrances give us a glimpse of Bourdain’s widespread impact through his political and social commitments; his dedication to travel and eating well; and his love of the written word, along with his deep compassion, open-mindedness, and interest in lives different from his own.
Vegetables Unleashed
This is not a vegetarian cookbook. It is, however, dedicated to teaching us how to eat more vegetables in the most diverse and satisfying ways possible.
The Brisket Chronicles: How to Barbecue, Braise, Smoke, and Cure the World’s Most Epic Cut of Meat
Whether barbecued in Texas, brined into corned beef, or braised for a Passover table, brisket ignites passion in meat lovers, grillers, and comfort-food fans.
FOR THE TRUE CRIME FAN
The Cadaver King and the Country Dentist: A True Story of Injustice in the American South
By Radley Balko, Tucker Carrington, John Grisham (Foreword by)
Incredible investigative reporting exposes a broken system that allowed two individuals to send innocent people to prison.
Furious Hours: Murder, Fraud, and the Last Trial of Harper Lee
The stunning true story of an Alabama serial killer and the trial that obsessed the author of To Kill a Mockingbird.
Looking for more True Crime titles? Don’t miss our roundup of 11 True Crime Titles That Might Make You Sleep with the Lights On.
FOR THE BIOGRAPHY LOVER
Lake of the Ozarks: My Surreal Summers in a Vanishing America
A coming of age story in the Midwest, Emmy Award winner Bill Geist will have you laughing out loud.
A Good American Family: The Red Scare and My Father
Pulitzer Prize winner David Maraniss investigates his own father’s history and the contradictions of the American story.
FOR THE CRAFTSMAN
Every Tool’s a Hammer: Life Is What You Make It
Savage, former co-host of Discovery Channel’s Mythbusters and one of the most beloved figures in science and tech, shares his golden rules of creativity, from finding inspiration to following through and successfully making your idea a reality.
The Tool Book: A Tool Lover’s Guide to Over 200 Hand Tools
By Phil Davy, Nick Offerman (Foreword by)
This user’s guide to over 200 hand tools highlights how to use tools effectively, understand them better, and how to properly care for them.
The Perfectionists: How Precision Engineers Created the Modern World
For the dad who likes things just so, The Perfectionists is an exploration of why precision matters and how it affects our daily lives.
FOR THE HISTORY BUFF
American Moonshot: John F. Kennedy and the Great Space Race
As we approach the 50th anniversary of the moon landing, Brinkley reflects on an era when anything seemed possible.
The British Are Coming: The War for America, Lexington to Princeton, 1775-1777 (The Revolution Trilogy #1)
The Pulitzer Prize-winning author begins a new trilogy about the American Revolution.
Spying on the South: An Odyssey Across the American Divide
The author of Confederates in the Attic reports on today’s South as he retraces Frederick Law Olmstead’s journey on the eve of the Civil War. (We so enjoyed seeing Tony when he visited Nashville last month, and we will miss him very much.)
The Pioneers: The Heroic Story of the Settlers Who Brought the American Ideal West
A quintessential American story of determined settlers who forged a new community on the banks of the Ohio River.
Indianapolis: The True Story of the Worst Sea Disaster in U.S. Naval History and the Fifty-Year Fight to Exonerate an Innocent Man
The true story of the worst disaster in naval history and the 50-year fight to exonerate the captain.
The Crowded Hour: Theodore Roosevelt, the Rough Riders, and the Dawn of the American Century
In this origin story of the Rough Riders, Risen depicts how a ragtag group of men — everyone from Ivy League athletes to Arizona cowboys led by Theodore Roosevelt — came together to secure victory in Cuba. The Rough Riders’ win would mark an important milestone in Roosevelt’s eventual journey to the White House.
Clay Risen joins Jon Meacham in conversation in the store on Saturday, June 8 at 2 p.m.
FOR THE INTROSPECTIVE
The Second Mountain: The Quest for a Moral Life
Brooks, a NY Times columnist and PBS NewsHour contributor, explores the four commitments that define a life of meaning and purpose.
Looking for something you and Dad can do together? Check out our calendar of events at the store or join us at one of our monthly book club meetings!
June 4, 2019
28 New Books That Fit Perfectly In a Beach Bag
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Cue the music: Summertime, summertime, sum-sum-summertime! And you know what that means… It’s beach read season. Not only do we have loads of new titles to get you from one road-trip pit stop or airport* to the next, but several favorites are now available as beach-friendly paperbacks. Pack up one or more of these titles and let the vacation begin.
(* Forget your book on your way out of town? Visit our Nashville International Airport Hudson Booksellers location and stock up before you fly.)
FICTION
Recommended by Karen
Dual CitizensBecause of the indifferent care of their mother, Lark becomes a mother to her younger sister Robin. But as the two girls grow into adulthood, their intelligence and talents highlight just how different they are from one another. They begin to move apart, sometimes not seeing each other for years. The sisters reunite when their mother develops dementia and a new, surprising connection is formed between them.
Join Alix Ohlin and Julia Phillips, author of
Disappearing Earth
, in the store on Tuesday, June 25 at 6:30 p.m.
Recommended by Betsy
City of GirlsIf you’re like me, you’ve been anxiously awaiting Liz Gilbert’s newest novel since the second you closed her last, The Signature of All Things. This one is well worth the wait. City of Girls is breezy and bright. Just when I became convinced the story of Vivian Morris rollicking through the 1940’s NYC theater world was an ode to youth and spontaneity, the novel took a heartful pivot toward the rest of her life. Loved it.
Want your copy signed? City of Girls is also this month’s First Editions Club pick. When you sign up, you’ll receive a signed copy. (Scroll down to learn more.)
And don’t miss a special edition of Salon@615 featuring Elizabeth Gilbert on Monday, June 17 at 6:15 p.m. at Montgomery Bell Academy! Get your tickets here.
Recommended by Mary Laura
Ask Again, Yes
By Mary Beth KeaneGET HOLLYWOOD ON THE PHONE. Seriously: this multigenerational tale of two families whose futures change forever after a traumatic event would make for such an engaging mini-series. At first, I just wanted to know if a big twist was coming… until I realized a big twist wasn’t the point. The point is that these people keep living, year after year: loving each other, hurting each other, and sometimes trying to save each other.
Recommended by Steve
On Earth We’re Briefly GorgeousOcean Vuong’s debut novel is magnificent. And while it probably goes without saying that the language is beautiful, it’s hard to overstate just how beautiful. Unfolding a complicated tale of a son and his mother, of first love and a lost country, On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous is a tender, explosive, haunted book. My first instinct after finishing it was to turn back to the first page.
Ocean Vuong joins Jeff Zentner in conversation in the store on Monday, June 10 at 6:30 p.m.
Recommended by Mary Laura
Mostly Dead Things Grief, love, anger, lust, and loneliness surge through the pages of this debut novel like blood through veins. The setting is Florida, and the family business is taxidermy, so be prepared for strange beauty in the story of Jessa — a young woman grasping for life in the wake of her father’s suicide and the departure of her brother’s wife, the woman Jessa loves. (Did you spot Arnett in the New York Times not once, not twice, but three times in the past several days?)
Kristen Arnett joins Mary Laura Philpott in conversation in the store on Monday, July 8 at 6:30 p.m.
Recommended by Lauren
Disappearing EarthThe disappearance of two little girls reverberates through a remote Russian peninsula. I love a good mystery, but this book is way more than that. It’s an invitation to be swept away by the rich, intriguing landscape of a corner of the world where reindeer still roam and volcanoes loom. Prepare to be mesmerized.
Join Julia Phillips and Alix Ohlin, author of
Dual Citizens
, in the store on Tuesday, June 25 at 6:30 p.m.
Recommended by Chelsea
My Ex-Best Friend’s Wedding This book has all the makings of a perfect beach read: a multigenerational wedding dress, ex-best friends, questionable decisions, and a beach setting! Plus, this book will make you laugh, cry, and just feel good.
Recommended by Cat
Rules for VisitingWhen May, a university gardener, gets an unexpected month off from work, she decides to use it to reconnect with her four closest friends. I fell in love with May’s passion for the plants she cares for and the thoughtful meditations on what friendship means.
Recommended by Keltie
The Name of the Rose Sex, serial murders, and a 14th century Benedictine Abbey — what’s not to love? Plus a new series on Sundance TV (also available streaming) starring John Turturro and Rupert Everett? I’ll be reading and watching. And hiding under the covers.
Recommended by Kay
The Calculating Stars: A Lady Astronaut Novel With its recent Nebula Award victory, now is a great time to pick up this beautiful alternate history set against the backdrop of early spaceflight. Kowal expertly uses science, history, and a diverse cast of (primarily) female characters to tell a story of fear, grief, courage, and hope. While this first book stands well on its own, the series is shaping up to be one you won’t want to miss.
Recommended by Sarah
You Will Be Safe Here Love historical fiction but looking to change it up from your go-to WWII novel? This multigenerational South African saga is for you.
Recommended by Rae Ann
The Spies of Shilling LaneIn addition to being about war, this book is also about the relationship between a mother and daughter. It’s a story of forgiveness, starting over, and stretching to new heights. Simply delightful.
Recommended by Ann
Baby, You’re Gonna Be Mine: Stories Now out in paperback! In this collection of short stories, Kevin Wilson moves from being a very good writer to a truly great one.
Recommended by Karen
Florida Groff’s masterful collection of short stories is now out in paperback, just in time to tote to your favorite summer reading spot.
Don’t miss Lauren Groff at LIT UP, the sixth annual benefit party for The Porch Writers’ Collective on Saturday, June 8, at Corsair Distillery! It’s almost sold out — get one of the last remaining tickets here.
Recommended by Katherine
The Female PersuasionI love the rare book that is smart, modern, and a total page-turner. The Female Persuasion manages to be all three — and a fresh take on how we live now. Now out in paperback!
Recommended by Sissy
GhostedOut in paperback JUST IN TIME for you to take it to the beach! If you’re a fan of Sliding Doors, you’ll love this sophisticated, mysterious British romance.
Recommended by Rae Ann
Dear Mrs. BirdOne of my favorite books of last year is now out in paperback! This is an intense story of WWII London during the Blitz, masquerading as an easy beach read. Funny, serious, and tender.
NONFICTION
Recommended by Ann
Promise Me, Dad: A Year of Hope, Hardship, and PurposeBy Joe Biden
If your dad is a democrat, or if he is a deeply caring father, or you wish to give him a road map to becoming either of those things (or both!) this book is a must. Get a copy for yourself too. It’s incredibly moving.
Recommended by Andy
Spying on the South: An Odyssey Across the American Divide Fredrick Law Olmstead’s impact on American public places is well documented. What’s not as well documented is how he came to his philosophy of design. Tony Horwitz retraces Olmstead’s journey from New York City to Mexico and all points in between, contrasting today’s South with what Olmstead found in the 1850s. The result is incredibly perceptive of the complexities of the region (and occasionally hilariously funny). It was our joy and privilege to see Tony when he visited Nashville last month, and we will miss him greatly.
Recommended by Steve
Once More We Saw Stars: A Memoir “Grief at its peak has a terrible beauty to it,” Greene writes in this courageous book. He’s writing from inside a pain that is hard to imagine, except that he paints it so vividly on the page: the aftermath of his two-year-old daughter’s death in a freak accident as she sat next to her grandmother. But there is so much more than loss in this book, which brims with a stubborn sort of awe and, ultimately, hope.
Recommended by Mary Laura
Out East: Memoir of a Montauk Summer The beach setting, the observations about Hamptons nightlife, and John Glynn’s witty way with words might lull you into thinking you’re in for an easy-breezy read, but don’t be fooled. This memoir of an eventful summer dives deep. (Did I just say “dives deep” about a beach memoir? YES, I DID.) Glynn captures how it feels to discover something important about yourself as an adult, and to be a late bloomer finally blossoming.
Recommended by Ben
Leaving the Witness: Exiting a Religion and Finding a Life This fascinating memoir traces one young woman’s loss of faith while serving as a Jehovah’s Witness missionary in Shanghai and how she seeks to find meaning after leaving the only identity she’s ever known. Scorah explores the desires and dangers of religion, community, friendship, loneliness, and love, all with an honest, conversational tone. Clear-eyed and even-handed, it’s weighty with emotion and buoyant with hope.
Recommended by Joy
Notes from a Young Black Chef: A Memoir By Kwame Onwuachi, Joshua David Stein
This book is honest and real. A chef in some of the finest restaurants in America and a reality TV veteran from Top Chef, Onwuachi is also a brilliant storyteller. Raised in the Bronx, by way of Louisiana and New York, he combines stories of his father’s Nigerian heritage with flavors of his mother’s Creole and Jamaican roots to make a wonderful book about the intersection of race, fame, and food.
Recommended by Keltie
Formation: A Woman’s Memoir of Stepping Out of Line We follow Dostie through a dark personal narrative stemming from her rape by a fellow soldier in the U.S. Army. From the indifference of her command to her inability to escape the rumors about her reputation even after deploying to Iraq, she learns a combat patch is not just earned with gunfire. It is also earned by becoming a witness to inhumanity.
Recommended by Lauren
How to Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy If you’ve ever considered reclaiming your attention from the powers that seek to manipulate and monetize it, this book is for you. Read it, then repeat after me: I am more than an algorithm. I am more than a personal brand. Jenny Odell has fantastic ideas about reframing our lives to exist more fully outside of the box that productivity culture likes to put them in. Take a moment to stop and smell the roses this summer. I’ll join you.
Recommended by Joy
Wordslut: A Feminist Guide to Taking Back the English Language “In one thousand years, will women rule the English language?” Yes! But you should read this book anyway. You won’t regret it, and you will learn about the inextricable link between language and culture, along with an arsenal of words and word trivia to impress your friends at parties. This book captivates.
Recommended by Karen
Calypso Sedaris’ latest collection of essays — newly out in paperback — makes the perfect vacation companion. Better yet, if you’re hitting the road, download the audio from LibroFM. Sedaris will keep you company reading his funniest and most heartfelt book yet.
Recommended by Keltie
The British Are Coming: The War for America, Lexington to Princeton, 1775-1777 (The Revolution Trilogy #1)Following the completion of his Liberation Trilogy, Atkinson decided to return to the story that first captivated his budding young historian’s imagination: the American Revolution. You can see that thrill on every page of volume one. Buy it for your dad or for your favorite young history lover!
First Editions Club: June SelectionCity of Girls
Are you in the mood for something expansive and wildly entertaining? Then please allow me to direct you to Elizabeth Gilbert’s new novel, City of Girls.
Gilbert exercising her considerable talent on a group of bedazzled show girls living a fleabag existence in New York in the 1940s is a bit like Jane Austen writing about young women in manor houses who wish to marry. You might wonder why such a lavishly gifted writer would take on such small potatoes, but before your thought has even fully formed, the book has swept you up and away.
Reading City of Girls is like seeing someone toss a bolt of bright blue silk down a marble staircase. It’s just so gorgeous, watching it spread out. It’s a gift.
Yours in reading,
Ann Patchett
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]June – A Place for Us by Fatima Farheen Mirza
Monday, June 17 at 6:30 p.m.
Wednesday, June 19 at 6:30 p.m.
Thursday, June 20 at 10 a.m.
July – Only to Sleep by Lawrence Osborne*
Monday, July 22 at 6:30 p.m.
Wednesday, July 24 at 6:30 p.m.
Thursday, July 25 at 10 a.m.
*Note that clubs meet one week later than usual.
Classics Club – The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler
Monday, July 29 at 10 a.m. and 6:30 p.m.
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:
Have you ever wondered how your book club compares with other book clubs? Are they more “studious” than yours, reading heavier, more literary titles? Do they exist primarily to socialize, with the book as just an excuse to get together? Do they tackle controversial issues, yet still respect each other’s opinions? Or do individuals find it difficult to listen to each other and control what they say during animated discussion?
These and many more topics are covered in a fascinating new study recently published on BookBrowse. Based on more than 5,500 responses, “The Inner Lives of Book Clubs” study revealed some surprising (and not-so-surprising) things:
The longer a club spends discussing the book during a meeting, the happier and more satisfied the members are.
Nearly all clubs feel that socializing is an important element of meetings.
Most groups do not have topics that are off-limits; sex, religion and politics are OK.
The vast majority said the most important quality of the book club experience is respect for each other’s opinions.
Nearly all cited exposure to books they wouldn’t otherwise read as a strength of membership.
The most commonly mentioned “issue” or problem experienced is that of overly dominant personalities who talk too much or try to control the discussion.
These are but a small sampling of the fascinating details that give us a snapshot of book club life today. The report also contains dozens of suggestions for dealing with problems of book groups, and also ideas to improve meetings. It is a wonderful resource for anyone who wants to improve their book club life.
Is your club part of our book club registry? Local book groups can order and purchase their club’s reading selections at a discount! Your club’s chosen titles are also displayed in the store on the book club shelf with the club’s name, so members can come in and find their selections easily. Registered clubs also receive notices of special book-club-related author events and seminars. To register a club, simply stop by the store and fill out a short form at the counter.
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[image error]Meanwhile, keep an eye on the Parnassus events calendar. We’re bringing your favorite authors to Nashville all summer long. (Case in point: Are you a fan of Patti Callahan Henry? She’ll be here with her new novel, The Favorite Daughter, on June 14, in conversation with fellow novelist Lisa Patton!)
Coming up next on Musing: Andy’s making a list of faves for Dad! Don’t forget, Father’s Day is Sunday, June 16.
May 29, 2019
Graphite Club: Parnassus Pencils Are Here at Last
I still prefer writing with a pencil over any other medium. I like the feel of it and the responsiveness of the graphite to varying degrees of pressure. I like the small ritual of sharpening, and how it becomes a marker of time — the faster you write, the more frequent you sharpen, the more often you sharpen, the shorter the lifespan of the pencil. I like the physicality of pencils, much the way I like turning paper pages.
Before I worked at Parnassus, I would often order a book online then drop by the store to pick up. (It was usually a semi-obscure title I needed for research purposes and couldn’t reasonably expect to be in stock. Having been on the other side for a while, I recognize myself as one of those customers, always special-ordering weird books.) Because I can’t walk into a bookstore and not look around, I usually kicked around for a bit before grabbing my book.
On one occasion, I wandered by the display of Moleskine notebooks. Having recently fallen down a rabbit hole of thinking entirely too much about graphite encased in wood and all the fascinating history contained therein — thanks, CW Pencil Enterprise — I wondered if there were some pencils around. There weren’t.
I got to the counter to pay for my book, and for some reason felt compelled to tell bookseller Bill Long-Innes in a way that came out more emphatically than I intended: “You all should carry some pencils to go with those notebooks.”
I didn’t know Bill at the time, but being a cheerful fellow, he smiled a big polite smile — the way you might if someone pulled up next to you at a stoplight and said your car could really use a blue racing stripe down the side — and said, “The person you should really talk to is Karen Hayes, the store’s co-owner.” Well, I didn’t know Karen at the time, either. But I did know Mary Laura Philpott.
So I texted Mary Laura and, after apologizing for yelling at the nice British man at the register, asked what it would take to get some pencils for sale at the bookstore. And also, by the way, did she know that, in fact, there is a pencil manufacturer right here in Middle Tennessee! And they’ve been in business for 100 years! (Again with more emphasis than intended.)
[image error]Fast forward about a year. This pencil fanatic now works here. And thanks to the artistic vision of Heidi Ross (yes, that Heidi Ross— she’s multi-talented), we have beautiful pencils, emblazoned with the store name: classic yellow No. 2, hex barrel with a brass ferrule. (Ed. note: Wow with the pencil-nerd words, Steve.) They’re manufactured in nearby Shelbyville, Tennessee, by the Musgrave Pencil Company, a family business that’s been around since 1916, supplying everything from school districts to the White House gift shop.
At one time, Shelbyville was known as “Pencil City,” a moniker conferred by then-governor Buford Ellington, and home to a half-dozen pencil manufacturers. Musgrave is the only still going today, and if you’re interested in learning more about the history, check out this story from Nashville Public Radio. (Recognize the reporter’s voice? Like I said, pencil fanatic.)
Anyway: Grab a box of 12 for just $7.50, pair it with the notebook of your choice, and you’ve got a perfect gift for a graduate, teacher, writer, kid headed to camp (with a pack of postcards!), or just a lovely present-topper for a stack of books. And yes, we ship! Stop by the store or order here.
To underscore what a perfect partnership this has been, here’s the response we got when we first contacted Musgrave to inquire: “We would love to make pencils for Parnassus Books,” the email read. “Our family loves all of Ann Patchett’s books.”
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Happy summer! Next up on Musing: our staff-picked favorite new reads for early June, including lots of Fathers’ Day gift ideas.
May 23, 2019
Lauren Groff Brings Florida to Nashville for a Special LIT UP Event
No one writes like Lauren Groff. I first encountered Groff in her second novel, Arcadia, a lush and gripping story of a failing hippie commune. (That book followed her novel debut, The Monsters of Templeton, and a collection of stories, Delicate Edible Birds.) In a piece for Chapter 16, I raved about Arcadia as “a book to be savored at the sentence level, the sounds and smells and foods of its world all brought to life in lush language that evokes both the magical realm of the Grimm tales… as well as the natural world.” How thrilled I would have been then to know I’d one day have the chance to hear Groff read her words live, in her own voice.
Indeed, what first struck me about Lauren Groff’s work was her distinctive voice, one that stands just at remove from the action on the page, like a friendly ghost in the room, more scent than sound. It’s the kind of thing I think writers are always hoping to achieve. When I picked up her third novel, the Obama-fave Fates and Furies, I was held sway once more by voice and equally captivated by the book’s main concerns: marriage and the struggle couples face when art is on the line.
Lately, sinking into the stories of her latest book, Florida, I’ve taken great joy in the way Lauren Groff makes the known world strange again. A neighborhood is “frenzied with renovation,” and the windows of its homes, seen by a woman walking at night, are “domestic aquariums”:
Window after window nears, freezes with its blue fog of television light or its couple hunched over a supper of pizza, holds as I pass, then slides into the forgotten. I think of the way water gathers as it slips down an icicle’s length, pauses to build its glossy drop, becomes too fat to hang on, plummets down.
We also hear of air conditioners “crouched like trolls under the windows, their collective tuneless hum drowning out the night birds and frogs.” That’s the mundane, transformed by a Groffian wand. Creepy, beautiful, all in one. Nature is a place of both refuge and danger in the worlds of Florida. So many snakes in these worlds; so much slithering in the hot damp. I love how Groff shows us the Florida we know is there, but that might not burn as brightly in our imaginations.
Groff’s work, particularly in this latest collection, makes her concern for our world in a time of climate change strikingly clear—her narrators register real fears about the future they and their children stand to inherit. She balances this unflinching gaze with a subtle if biting sense of humor—here and there a gentle nip.
[image error]Oh, lucky Nashville: On June 8, Parnassus Books and The Porch will welcome Lauren Groff to our city. She’ll read from her work at LIT UP, a party that promises to bring a sultry, Florida-esque vibe to Corsair Distillery in Wedgewood Houston. Whether you’re a writer or just someone who appreciates reading great writing, this will be a can’t-miss literary evening with awesome drinks and a smashing guest speaker. Join us!
General admission tickets get you into the party to hang out and hear Groff speak — plus a copy of the brand-new-in-paperback Florida, drinks and light bites, and a fun photo booth and DIY bookmark-printing from Hip Hues.
Spring for a patron ticket and you’ll also have the opportunity to sip a signature cocktail in Groff’s company at the VIP meet-and-greet reception, plus enjoy the special additional hors d’oeuvres selection. (Patrons will also be recognized in the event program.)
Everyone who attends can bid on the fabulous goods and services offered up in our silent auction!
Not least, as an attendee of LIT UP you’ll have the warm-fuzzy feeling of supporting Nashville’s literary center, now in its sixth year of programming. The Porch is where working writers, aspiring writers of all levels, and local literary luminaries meet each other and form writing groups, take classes that lift their work to the next level, and foster the creative community necessary to continuing Tennessee’s great cultural tradition. We need you! So come party with us, Florida-style, and let’s give Lauren Groff a warm welcome to Nashville.
Join us for an evening with Lauren Groff
benefitting The Porch
Saturday, June 8, 2019
Corsair Distillery
Reserve your ticket here!
May 21, 2019
Inside Someone Else’s Life: Five Memoirs You Won’t Be Able to Put Down
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Maybe it’s the fact that we’re reading about an actual person — not a character — that makes memoir so engrossing. Perhaps it’s that memoir lets us inhabit someone else’s mind during their most important, insightful, and often painful moments of realization or discovery. We get to see how they came out on the other side.
Whether they’re allowing us to find community in stories that mirror our own or inviting us to walk into a world very different from what we know, the best autobiographical narratives help us see the world a little more clearly through someone else’s eyes. If you’re looking to read more memoir, this is a great season for it. Here are five new ones, compiled by Keltie and Mary Laura:
Survival Math: Notes on an All-American Family Twelve unidentifiable men stare out from the cover. We don’t know at the outset who they are or how they fit into Mitchell Jackson’s story — a poetic memoir about his struggle to make it to adulthood in Portland, Oregon in the ’80s and ’90s, in a world of gangs, drugs, and hustle. We learn that these cover portraits are his family. By blood or choice, from generations back to present day, these faces belong to his antecedents, his father-figures, his cousin-brothers, and his lost comrades. Each one helped him learn the tricky calculus of survival math: how to get by, play the system, use his smarts, use women, and, always “take the fast ten over the slow twenty.” Then he took all of that history and quit the game for a shot at redemption. Sometimes you read a memoir because you think you’ll find it relatable. Sometimes you can’t imagine finding it relatable but you read it because you judged a book by its cover and that bet paid off. Either way, give this one a chance.Once More We Saw Stars
It’s hard not to pick up Greene’s memoir about the accidental death of his toddler daughter without wincing and thinking, “This is going to hurt.” Within just a few pages, however, it’s clear that this isn’t only a sad story capable of eliciting a good, hard cry (although it is that, too). It’s a meditation on how to forgive yourself, your family, and total strangers, as well as a guide to making plans for the future when the future you’d always envisioned has disappeared in one abruptly tragic instant. Greene writes about deeply personal moments — from excruciating breakdowns to exhilarating new hopes — with remarkable clarity, resulting in a memoir that has expansive emotional range.Out East: Memoir of a Montauk Summer
John Glynn was a lonely 27-year-old junior editor at a big New York publishing house when he met a group of fellow young professionals who invited him to share their Montauk beach rental. What unfolded over that string of summer weekends was not only Glynn’s growth as a friend and an adult, but a surprising romance that opened Glynn’s eyes to something important about his own identity. In magnificent detail and polished, deliciously easy-to-read prose, Glynn captures what it feels like to be a late bloomer finally blossoming, high on sun and love (and booze in plastic cups). He also challenges the idea that coming-of-age happens only in our teens — and that’s how he turns his own memories into a universally relatable story of reinvention.
All That You Leave Behind
Erin Lee Carr knew the moment that her life became Before and After. It was the day that her father, acclaimed New York Times critic and journalist David Carr collapsed and died on the NYT newsroom floor on an ordinary Thursday. Erin spent the next three years combing through the minutiae of their everyday (and wildly prolific) father-daughter communications: emails, letters, texts, voicemails. She knew she’d inherited her father’s drive and good journalistic eye. She also knew she’d inherited a legacy of addiction and depression. This memoir is her attempt to figure out how the parts fit. While she is trying and succeeding in her career, she is trying and failing in her own recovery from addiction. Some may find this a challenging memoir. Will you like Erin or not? Does it matter?
The Farmer’s Son: Calving Season on a Family Farm
The tradition of the pastoral memoir is long, lilting, and lovely. It takes a brave author to think he has something to add to the wisdom of James Herriot and Wendell Berry. This throughly modern take is something new. John Connell, 29, depressed and broke, returns to his family’s farm in Ireland after a long absence, mostly seeking shelter in a storm and because he lacks a more appealing plan. The book takes place over the course of a few months — January to April: calving season. The narrative is about learning the business and hardness of farming life (getting a distressed calf birthed alive is not a pretty process), and the hardness of mending a long father-son estrangement. Connell also writes beautifully about his depression and the restorative powers of nature, and thoughtfully about the future of family farming in the world. Some traditions, in writing and in life, are meant to be continued.
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MEANWHILE…
Now’s a good time to consult the calendar and make plans. The next several weeks are packed with can’t-miss author visits. All events are here at the bookstore unless otherwise noted:
TONIGHT! May 21, 6:30 p.m. — Tony Horwitz, author of Spying on the South, in conversation with Geraldine Brooks
TOMORROW! May 22, 6:30 p.m. — David Maraniss, author of A Good American Family
May 28, 6:30 p.m. — Henry Carrigan, author of Fifteen Spirituals that Will Change Your Life
May 29, 6:30 p.m. — Michael Knight, author of At Briarwood School for Girls
May 30, 6:30 p.m. — Layng Martine, Jr., author of Permission to Fly
June 2, 2 p.m. — Shannon Bream, author of Finding the Bright Side (*This is a ticketed event. Click here to purchase a ticket.)
June 4, 6:15 p.m. — Salon@615 presents Jill Biden in conversation with Ann Patchett (*This is a ticketed event and will be held at the Blair School of Music. Click here to purchase a ticket.)
June 5, 6:30 p.m. — Megan Griswold, author of The Book of Help
June 6, 6:30 p.m. — Liz Moody, author of Healthier Together: Recipes for Two — Nourish Your Body, Nourish Your Relationships, in conversation with McKel Hill and Laura Lea Goldberg
June 8, 2 p.m. — Clay Risen, author of The Crowded Hour: Theodore Roosevelt, the Rough Riders, and the Dawn of the American Century, in conversation with Jon Meacham (*This event will be held in the Dead Poets Room at Montgomery Bell Academy)
June 8, 6 p.m. — LIT UP: An Evening with Lauren Groff — The fifth annual benefit party for The Porch Writers Collective will feature two-time National Book Award finalist Lauren Groff (Fates and Furies, Florida), plus food, drinks, and entertainment at Corsair Distillery. (For tickets, click here.)
June 9, 2 p.m. — George Wilkerson, author of Driving Nashville
June 10, 6:30 p.m. — Ocean Vuong, author of On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous, in conversation with Jeff Zentner
June 12, 6:30 p.m. — Peter Houlahan, author of Norco’80
June 14, 6:30 p.m. — Patti Callahan Henry, author of The Favorite Daughter
June 17, 6:15 p.m. — Salon@615 presents Elizabeth Gilbert, author of City of Girls (*This is a ticketed event and will be held at Montgomery Bell Academy. Click here to purchase a ticket.)
May 17, 2019
Chris Pavone, Author of The Paris Diversion, Recommends Five Far-Flung Thrillers
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Here at Parnassus, our manager Andy Brennan loved The Travelers and The Expats by bestselling novelist Chris Pavone, so it was no surprise that he snapped up Pavone’s new novel, The Paris Diversion, as soon as he could get his hands on it. Andy’s verdict: Not only will this suspenseful espionage story keep you riveted; it also evokes Paris so vividly it might make you want to book a ticket to France. On that note, we asked Pavone to recommend some of his favorite thrillers set around the world. Enjoy!
[image error]A decade ago, when I started writing The Expats, I was living in Luxembourg, taking weekend trips with my wife and kids and dog to Paris and Amsterdam, driving our German car with an EU license to lunch in France with friends from Sweden and the UK, skiing in the Alps — trying to be a citizen of the world, or at least of Western Europe. Now that we live back in New York, it’s no longer as easy to pop up to Delft or Bruges for the weekend, but I still travel frequently, though now mostly while in an armchair, with globetrotting suspense novels to places like these. –Chris Pavone
DJIBOUTI
After the MonsoonBy Robert Karjel
Scandinavian crime fiction tends toward psychopathic murderers and sunless winter landscapes — grim stuff — but this particular Swedish author takes a different approach, with less bleak stories about more relatable crimes, in very non-Scandi settings: The Swede takes place largely on the remote Indian Ocean island of Diego Garcia, and the gripping follow-up, After the Monsoon, in Djibouti. Karjel has a deft efficiency with language and storytelling, eliding unnecessary sentences and lines of dialogue and action, and getting quickly to the heart of everything — scene setting, character development, plot progression. None of it is spare, but it’s all expertly constructed, richly detailed, and immensely enjoyable. (Find my full New York Times review of the book here.)
SWITZERLAND
The Banker’s WifeBy Cristina Alger
Geneva. Does that name conjure excitement and romance? If so, you’ve probably never been there, or you have a fetish for precise schedules and somber business attire. Cristina Alger does a terrific job of transforming the bureaucrat-and-banker housewifery tedium into a fast-paced financial thriller, with a high-stakes plot that hinges on the hidden bank accounts of some of the world’s most dangerous people.
MEXICO
Dancing with the Tiger By Lili Wright
When I was growing up, my family spent all summer every summer driving around Latin America; in the aggregate, I’ve spent nearly two years of my life in Mexico, without ever having lived there. Perhaps it’s this familiarity that makes me disappointed in most American writing involving Mexico, which tends to approach from two opposite extremes — simplistic tales of violent drug cartels on the one hand, or naïve romanticism on the other. But Ms. Wright hits a sweet spot that offers both an intimate portrait of credible, relatable characters in tough situations as well as realistic depictions of violent crime, plus an excavation of the sorts of American exploitation that engender much of the crime to begin with. (And I love this essay by Wright about writing the book.)
SIBERIA
Kolymsky Heights By Lionel Davidson
What could be more far flung than the winter-frozen crossing between Alaska and Russia over the Bering Strait? Perhaps only the location that dominates this terrific adventure yarn: a secret scientific station — the source of the central mystery — tucked deep into the frosty Siberian tundra. Kolymsky Heights is in the traveler’s-tale tradition — from Gulliver’s Travels and Heart of Darkness to The Da Vinci Code — where the protagonist-on-a-quest encounters increasingly serious challenges in increasingly unfamiliar situations until a culminating confrontation. The arc is familiar, as is the hyper-competent loner protagonist, but Davidson puts his own indelible stamp on these compelling conventions.
EVERYWHERE
I Am PilgrimBy Terry Hayes
A big, complex, and thoroughly entertaining espionage story that pits an American operative code-named Pilgrim against a jihadist with spectacularly destructive plans; the stakes are extremely high. At times I suspected that this book might be better off if a hundred pages here or there were pared away into another novel, but that was illusory: it is in fact the epic sweep and peripatetic action of I Am Pilgrim — Switzerland and France, Afghanistan and Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Lebanon and Moscow and Beijing, it’s downright dizzying — that are central to what makes this story so rewarding. I purchased my paperback at the Edinburgh airport en route to Stockholm, after hearing Hayes speak at a crime-fiction festival in Harrogate, England, where I was struck by his explicit desire to write a sprawling character-driven novel on his own terms, after a successful film career in which everything is a convoluted collaboration. (For more, listen to this podcast.) If you want just a few hours’ entertainment, do something else. I Am Pilgrim is like binge-watching not just a whole season, but three of them.
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Stop by and let us fill up your basket with thrilling summer reading — or gifts for Father’s Day. (If you’re shopping this list online, simply click any title or cover to add it to your cart.) While you’re at it, don’t forget to grab a copy of Pavone’s latest, The Paris Diversion. What it’s about:
American expat Kate Moore drops her kids at the international school, makes her rounds of chores, and meets her husband Dexter at their regular café: a leisurely start to a normal day, St-Germain-des-Prés.
Across the Seine, tech CEO Hunter Forsyth stands on his balcony, wondering why his police escort just departed, and frustrated that his cell service has cut out; Hunter has important calls to make, not all of them technically legal.
And on the nearby rue de Rivoli, Mahmoud Khalid climbs out of an electrician’s van and elbows his way into the crowded courtyard of the world’s largest museum. He sets down his metal briefcase, and removes his windbreaker.
That’s when people start to scream.
“Sleek, cunning and breakneck, Chris Pavone’s The Paris Diversion sweeps you into its frenetic rhythms from its first pages. With a sprawling cast of characters, with its scissoring plot twists, and especially with Kate—as rich and complicated a hero as you could hope for—it keeps you returning for more and more. A knockout.”—Megan Abbott (Give Me Your Hand, You Will Know Me)
May 14, 2019
11 Books Perfect for Celebrating the End of Another School Year
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Summer break is so close we can almost taste it! And you know what summer means? Loads of fabulous new book releases for young readers. Little ones, big kids, and young adult fans will all delight in this new batch of school’s-almost-out titles. Read on to the end, too, to find a sampling of upcoming in-store events.
(Oh — and you know what makes the easiest and most joyfully received teacher gift ever? A gift certificate to Parnassus Books. Come grab a stack and hand ’em out like apples.)
Here we go:
PICTURE BOOKS
Recommended by Everyone
Lambslide By Ann Patchett, Robin Preiss Glasser (Illustrator)
It’s here! It’s here! And we have signed copies. This is the first picture book in the series of collaborations between illustrator Robin Preiss Glasser and our very own Ann Patchett. It’s every bit as adorable as you’d expect.
Recommended by Katherine
Ernestine’s Milky Way By Kerry Madden-Lunsford, Emily Sutton (Illustrator)
Ernestine is five years old and a big girl, a fact she hollers out her window into the Great Smoky Mountains every day. Will she be careful and brave enough to deliver two jars of milk to the neighbors? You’ll smile at the clever ending, and the art alone is worth the price. Each page is a masterpiece.
Recommended by Rae Ann
If I Was the Sunshine By Julie Fogliano, Loren Long (Illustrator)
Lyrical text paired with beautiful illustrations make this picture book perfect for reading and rereading.
Recommended by Katherine
Mango Moon By Diane de Anda, Sue Cornelison (Illustrator)
A tough and honest look at what deportation does to regular families. Maricela’s all-too-common experience is a child’s realistic perspective of what many families face. The illustrations aren’t just gorgeous; they hum with life and hope.
Recommended by Chelsea
Nobody Hugs a Cactus By Carter Goodrich, Carter Goodrich (Illustrator)
Set against a beautiful desert backdrop, this is the story of Hank the grumpy cactus who reaches out with an act of kindness. This sweet and thoughtful book will make anyone want to hug Hank!
FOR INDEPENDENT READERS
Recommended by Chelsea
Shouting at the Rain Growing up is hard, but it’s especially hard this summer for Delsie as she struggles with growing apart from her best friend and trying to determine the real meaning of family. Readers will relate to Delsie, hoping right along with her that everything will work out for the best.
Recommended by Rae Ann
Extraordinary Birds December believes she’s a bird, anticipating the day wings will shoot out from the scar on her back. Life with her new foster mother is nice, but will she be happy if her destiny doesn’t carry her to the skies? The characters are realistic and leap off the page.
Recommended by Katherine
The Next Great Paulie Fink Paulie Fink is Mitchell School’s epic prankster and legendary class clown. When he doesn’t return to school after summer break, everyone wonders why. A reality-show-like contest begins for the search of The Next Great Paulie Fink, and Caitlyn, the new girl, is made judge! Can she navigate a new town, new classmates, and running a contest about a kid she’s only ever heard tall tales about?
Recommended by Kay
Pilu of the Woods By Mai K. Nguyen, Mai K. Nguyen (Illustrator)
This story uses a little bit of fantasy to explore some very real emotions, while also taking time to highlight how magical nature itself can be. There’s real empathy here for any kid who’s ever tried to bottle up their feelings.
Recommended by Devin
Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy: A Graphic Novel: A Modern Retelling of Little Women By Rey Terciero, Bre Indigo (Illustrator)
The sisters that Louisa May Alcott introduced in the classic Little Women are making their graphic novel debut! Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy are having a tough year; their dad is serving in the military, their mom works long hours, and the girls are fighting to stay strong. They lean on each other and teach each other important lessons in this beautiful story about family.
YOUNG ADULT
Recommended by Sarah
How It Feels to Float This tremendous debut is about a young girl bearing the weight of grief and uncertain identity. Biz grapples with dissociation and depression as she faces her father’s death head-on for the first time. This is one of the most accurate and sensitive portrayals of mental illness I’ve ever encountered in a novel.
ParnassusNext — Our May Selection
Our May ParnassusNext selection is Sarah Henstra’s We Contain Multitudes, an exhilarating and emotional novel about the relationship between two very different boys, Jo and Kurl, told entirely through the letters they write to one another. It’s an exquisite read, perfect for readers who loved I’ll Give You the Sun and Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe.
Here’s just some of the praise it’s received:
“We Contain Multitudes is an emotional journey, both heartbreaking and healing. A true love letter to the way family, friendships, and first loves slowly peel away our carefully constructed walls to the layers beneath. Henstra’s words are a universe I never want to escape.”
–Julian Winters, author of Running with Lions
“This is an absolutely extraordinary work of fiction that illustrates how artful epistolary novels can be. Kurl and Jo are characters to die for, emotionally compelling and empathetic. Their quotidian lives are riveting and their story unforgettable. At one point, Jo describes a novel he’s reading by saying, ‘I can’t even summarize the plot; it’s that strange and sad and marvelous a story.’ There’s no better way to describe Henstra’s own novel. It is not to be missed.”–Booklist, starred review
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.
School or no school, we’ve got a standing date with story time. Come see us each Saturday at 10:30 a.m. and Thursday at 4 p.m.!
And don’t miss this incredible lineup of YA authors headed our way. All events are here at the bookstore unless otherwise noted:
Laure Eve, author of The Curses — May 14, 6:30 p.m.
Breeana Shields, author of The Bone Charmer — May 23, 6:30 p.m.
Meredith Russo, author of Birthday — May 31, 6:30 p.m.
May 9, 2019
Newbery Authors on How Books Change Lives — A Conversation Between Kimberly Brubaker Bradley and Katherine Applegate
The Newbery Medal is an award given annually to the author of “the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children.” Today, we’re thrilled to present an exclusive conversation between two recent Newbery authors, Medalist Katherine Applegate and Honor author Kimberly Brubaker Bradley.
Applegate will visit Nashville on May 13, 2019, for a free Salon@615 event at the downtown public library. She’ll share her newest book, Endling: The First, the sequel to last year’s critically acclaimed and bestselling Endling: The Last, a magical adventure brilliantly grounded in themes of family, friendship, and the power of hope. You can reserve free tickets to that event right here!
On May 13, Parnassus is also thrilled to be hosting an online fundraiser for the Appalachian Literacy Initiative, the nonprofit organization co-founded by Bradley. ALI puts books into the hands of fourth-graders in 28 classrooms across four different states. Parnassus supports their work by making it easy to donate books to their cause, and by serving as their preferred book provider — ordering, packing, and shipping thousands of donated books over the course of the school year.
Want to be part of the giving? No matter where you live, shop online at parnassusbooks.net on Monday, May 13, enter the code BOOKJOY in the comments section of your order, and we’ll donate 10% of your purchase to the Appalachian Literacy Initiative. If you’d like to purchase a book that’s been autographed by Katherine Applegate herself, click right here to see all the available titles.
Meanwhile, read on for Katherine and Kim’s conversation.
[image error]Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
Kimberly Brubaker Bradley: What’s your favorite thing about indie bookstores?
Katherine Applegate: When I step into an indie bookstore, it’s like walking through my own front door. No matter where I am, I know I’m home.
Indies say, Come inside. You’re welcome here. So are new ideas, and complicated ideas, and contrarian ideas. How amazing is that?
KBB: Also, do you have a favorite shop dog? (Mine’s Bear. Such gravitas, and also he seems to recognize me. But don’t tell the others.)
[image error]Katherine Applegate
KA: How is it that after so many bookstore visits I have only encountered shop cats? They’re usually sunning themselves in a front display window, aloof and jaded. Give me a dog any day. I prefer their goofy, eternal optimism.
I’ve yet to meet the Parnassus canine family, but I can tell you already it’s going to be the highlight of my next book tour. My initial impression is that, like you, I’ll be drawn to Bear’s moving backstory and his soulful gaze. But I’m an equal-opportunity dog-hugger.
KBB: How hard was it for you to write a sequel? (My only sequel, The War I Finally Won, nearly killed me.)
KA: Oh, I hear you. I have written way too many series in my life, some of them eminently forgettable. There’s something so beautiful about a single title with a beginning, a middle, and an end, isn’t there?
KBB: Over or under nine drafts?
KA: I tend to rewrite obsessively as I go (it’s wildly inefficient.) It’s more like nine hundred mini-drafts.
KBB: Your book The One and Only Ivan was one of the most-requested student selections for my non-profit, Appalachian Literacy Initiative, this year. Why do you think students respond to it so well?
KA: I think young readers react so passionately to the story of an animal in need because children are themselves so vulnerable to the whims of adults. The compassion, gentleness, and idealism of kids never ceases to surprise and touch me.
KBB: How did you get inside the mind of a shopping mall gorilla? Or, for that matter, a doglike creature with opposable thumbs? Or a tree? I mean this as a real question—you’re very well known for your non-human protagonists. Where do you start your thinking to build these sorts of characters? What sort of research do you do?
KA: I absolutely love research. What better way to procrastinate?
As for those non-human characters, I suppose I’m just trying to figure out our breathtakingly kind, heartbreakingly cruel species. Sometimes it’s easier to step back and take a look from the outside.
That said, I’m still stumped on Homo sapiens. Let me know if you figure us out.
KBB: What issues of social justice are most important to you? What role do you think children’s literature can play in creating a better world?
KA: Deep breath. Where to begin, especially these days? I suppose the fear-driven “othering” of entire groups of people haunts me the most.
Perhaps that’s where children’s literature really can make a difference. Compassion requires imagination. Empathy requires understanding. And fiction makes those things possible.
Every time I do a school visit, my hope in the future is rekindled. The next time you’re disheartened after the latest angst-provoking news cycle, spend some time talking about the future with a fourth-grader. I guarantee you’ll feel renewed.
Better yet, spend some time with a fourth-grader and a dog.
***
Join author Katherine Applegate for a discussion and signing of her newest book, Endling: The First
Monday, May 13, 2019
6:15 p.m. at the downtown Nashville Public Library
This Salon@615 event is a free, ticketed event. Reserve your tickets here.
And don’t forget to join us at parnassusbooks.net on May 13 for an online fundraiser for the Appalachian Literacy Initiative, co-founded by author Kimberly Brubaker Bradley. Enter the code BOOKJOY in the comments section of your order, and we’ll donate 10% of your purchase to the ALI.
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