Chapter 16
A Community of Tennessee Writers, Readers & Passersby

Book Excerpt: The Railroad As Art

Real Work

May 17, 2010 Hang some of those tools on the wall, he told me, some of those chainsaws or chisels or big yard forks that would hold seventy pounds of rock in a single scoop. Hang ’em up high so you can see ’em real good, he told me, after you finally get yourself an easy job, and every time you feel like griping, take a long, hard look.

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Human Wrongs and Animal Rights

Carol Bradley tells the heartbreaking story of that doggie in the window

May 12, 2010 “All dogs matter.” This is the starting point for former Nashville Banner reporter Carol Bradley in her powerful new book about unscrupulous dog breeders, Saving Gracie. She calls puppy mills a “national disgrace” and exposes it as “one of America’s most shameful secrets.” Basing her story on a successful but highly abusive Pennsylvania breeder, Bradley describes in harrowing detail how dogs are abused for profit and how difficult it has been for law enforcement authorities to stop the practice. Bradley will read from her book on May 13 at 5 p.m. in the offices of McNeely Piggott & Fox in Nashville, and on May 15 at Carpe Librum Booksellers in Knoxville at 4 p.m. Both events are free and open to the public.

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Nashville Sports History: Stories From the Stands

Nashville Sports History: Stories From the Stands

Nashville Sports History: Stories From the Stands

By Bill Traughber
The History Press
128 pages
$19.99

“Enjoy this all-access pass to over a century of sports in the Music City packed into one exciting volume. Watch from the bleachers as Ty Cobb practices with the Vanderbilt football team and Babe Ruth blasts home runs out of the old Sulphur Dell Park, or go all the way back to 1843 and witness what was then the richest horse race in the world at the Nashville Race Course. These are but a few of the stories compiled by local award-winning sportswriter Bill Traughber in this one-of-a-kind collection no sports fan should be without. Included are excerpts from local sportswriters like the legendary Grantland Rice and over forty historic photographs from the playing field.”
—from the publisher

“Bill Traughber has completed a must-have book on Nashville’s sports history. His research is extensive and covers the gamut from horse racing, football, baseball, the early days of Nashville golf, basketball, auto racing and steeplechase.”
—Joe Biddle, The Tennessean

27 Things To Feng Shui Your Home

27 Things To Feng Shui Your Home

27 Things To Feng Shui Your Home

By Tisha Morris
Turner Publishing
160 pages
$9.99

“‘If you want to change your life, move 27 things in your home.’ This ancient Chinese proverb speaks of the powerful connection our homes have with our lives. In 27 Things To Feng Shui Your Home, Tisha Morris shows in creative, basic steps how to use the art of feng shui to create an inviting, personal atmosphere in your home that will renovate your life. Tisha Morris is a certified life coach, energy healer, feng shui consultant, and yoga instructor. After practicing law for five years, Tisha obtained a fine arts degree in interior design.”

—from the publisher

The Confederate Soldier's Pocket Manual of Devotions: Including Balm for the Weary and the Wounded

The Confederate Soldier's Pocket Manual of Devotions: Including Balm for the Weary and the Wounded

The Confederate Soldier's Pocket Manual of Devotions: Including Balm for the Weary and the Wounded

By Charles Todd Quintard
Mercer University Press
173 pages
$18

“In 1861, Chaplain Quintard of the 1st Tennessee Regiment marched off to care for his soldiers as they joined the Army of Virginia. His ‘Soldier’s Pocket Manual of Devotions’ was a very popular and widely distributed devotional manual used by many Confederate soldiers. In his booklet ‘Balm for the Weary and Wounded’ (1864), Quintard reached back often to the writers of the ‘Oxford Movement’, which was his theological underpinning. In addition to familiar prayers, collects, and hymns from the ‘Book of Common Prayer,’, he adds poems, sermons, and religious texts of this movement. … Students of the Civil War, reenactors, collectors, historians, and theologians will find these volumes of immeasurable value.”

—from the publisher

The Doctor Is In

The Doctor Is In

The Doctor Is In

By Travis Stork
Gallery
272 pages
$24.99

“As an emergency room physician, Dr. Travis Stork regularly sees the effects that poor lifestyle choices—the same decisions we face every day about what to eat and how active to be—have on our bodies over time. But just a few small tweaks to your daily habits can help you live longer and feel stronger. You can also conquer many chronic conditions—such as some of the biggest killers in America: heart disease, type II diabetes, and some cancers—before they happen. … Dr. Stork demystifies nutrition, exposes food fads, explains why you should be ruthlessly skeptical of health advice, and tells you which numbers you should track to keep yourself on the road to optimal wellness.”

—from the publisher

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