Book Reviews | Chapter 16

Going into the Shadows

Poet Jesse Graves gracefully explores difficult territory in Basin Ghosts

By Maria Browning | July 15, 2014

July 15, 2014 There is abundant love and tender memory in poet Jesse Graves’s new collection, Basin Ghosts, but Graves also goes gracefully into some of the most difficult territory of life. Graves will discuss Basin Ghosts at Union Ave. Books in Knoxville on July 26, 2014, at 2 p.m., and at the Southern Festival of Books, which will be held at Legislative Plaza in Nashville October 10-12, 2014.

Defending the Homeland—Harvath Style

Brad Thor’s latest thriller pits his super-agent against a Chinese plot to destroy the U.S.

By Chris Scott | July 14, 2014

July 14, 2014 Among bestselling authors of thrillers, one of the biggest names is Brad Thor. With Act of War, Thor has proven once again why he is a favorite of the genre—and of American political conservatives. The fictional exploits of super-agent Scot Harvath provide a thought-provoking look at how far the U.S. should go to protect itself. Thor will sign copies of Act of War at the Brentwood Costco on July 19, 2014, from 12:30 to 2:30 pm.

Tunneling Along Memory

In his debut collection, Ghost Gear, poet Andrew McFadyen-Ketchum revisits his Nashville boyhood

By Maria Browning | July 11, 2014

July 11, 2014 In his debut collection, Ghost Gear, poet Andrew McFadyen-Ketchum excavates and explores memories of his Nashville boyhood, revisiting the past with a rough mix of tender feeling and strong, sometimes violent imagery. He will appear at Parnassus Books in Nashville on July 19, 2014, at 6:30 p.m.

Greater Than the Sum of Its Parts

One Plus One by Jojo Moyes is a comedy, family drama, and unexpected romance of happy accidents

By Sarah Norris | July 10, 2014

July 10, 2014 In One Plus One, the new novel by British author Jojo Moyes, a surprising romance is set into motion by a series of mistakes. On the surface, Jess and Ed share nothing but the fact that Jess regularly visits Ed’s vacation home in order to clean it, but over the course of a hilarious, foul-smelling car trip, romantic mayhem ensues. Moyes will discuss One Plus One at Parnassus Books in Nashville on July 18, 2014, at 6:30 p.m.

Purely Dogs

Celebrated photographer Maude Schuyler Clay documents the un-pampered canines of the Mississippi Delta

By Maria Browning | July 9, 2014

July 9, 2014 In Delta Dogs, Maude Schuyler Clay captures the beauty, nobility, and sadness of rural Mississippi’s canine denizens. The book also features an introduction by fiction writer Brad Watson and an essay by poet Beth Ann Fennelly. Clay will discuss the collection at Burke’s Book Store in Memphis on July 17, 2014, at 5:30 p.m.

Man is Clay

Smith Henderson’s haunting debut novel introduces a troubled Montana social worker and his mission to rescue children from peril—including his own

By Ed Tarkington | July 8, 2014

July 8, 2014 With Fourth of July Creek, Smith Henderson has delivered a novel of enormous range and emotional intensity. One of the most buzzed-about debuts of the season, the book introduces Pete Snow, a troubled social worker in rural Montana, and Benjamin Pearl, a boy raised in the wilderness by his paranoid-survivalist father, Jeremiah. Henderson will appear at Parnassus Books in Nashville on July 17, 2014, at 6:30 p.m.

Tias and Primas: On Knowing and Loving the Women Who Raise Us

By Prisca Dorcas Mojica Rodríguez, illustrated by Josie Del Castillo
Seal Press
304 pages
$30

“Within these pages, I found my abuela, my tías and my primas — laughing, crying, and nodding alongside me. This book is a gift of understanding, and loving one’s family, even when our families are complicated and painful. It’s a beautiful reminder of the power of storytelling and the profound connection of kinship.”

~ Paola Mendoza, author, organizer and filmmaker