Book Reviews | Chapter 16

A Love Letter to Charlotte

By Serenity Gerbman

July 11, 2011

July 11, 2011 Since its publication in 1952, Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White has sold more than forty-five million copies and continues to be counted among the most beloved and bestselling children’s books of all time. In his beautifully written, thoughtful, and thought-provoking new book The Story of Charlotte’s Web: E.B. White’s Eccentric Life in Nature and the Birth of an American Classic, Michael Sims views the life of E.B. White through the prism of the classic he created. Sims will discuss and sign The Story of Charlotte’s Web on July 16 as part of the Salon@615 series. Arrive at 10 a.m. for a free continental breakfast followed by the reading.

Time Out of Mind

By Paul V. Griffith

July 8, 2011

July 8, 2011 UFO fetishists have long seen a connection between extraterrestrial craft and the holy scriptures. Websites, blogs, books, and documentaries have been devoted to the idea that biblical visions may refer to unidentified flying objects, but debut novelist David Halperin is the first to use such connections as a plot device. In Journal of a UFO Investigator, Halperin, a retired religious-studies professor, effectively weaves the UFO phenomenon together with issues of faith, loss, and the pain of growing up. David Halperin will appear at the 2011 Southern Festival of Books, held October 14-16 in Nashville.

Requiring No Motive

By Maria Browning

July 5, 2011

July 5, 2011 In Ladies and Gentlemen, the follow-up to his critically acclaimed novel, Mr. Peanut, Adam Ross employs beautiful, glittering prose to tell tales of boys and girls behaving badly. Ross will discuss and sign the story collection at the Nashville Public Library on July 5 at 6:15 p.m., as part of the the Salon@615 series.

The Hopeful Pessimist

By Paul V. Griffith

July 1, 2011

July 1, 2011 In Clarence Darrow: American Iconoclast, historian Andrew E. Kersten focuses on the legendary attorney’s inconsistencies and his uncanny ability to reconcile sometimes contradictory impulses. Darrow championed many unpopular causes, dumbfounding his progressive friends and empowering his conservative enemies, but he remained at heart an attorney of the people, concerned more with preserving individual liberties and tilting at institutional windmills than with maintaining a consistent philosophy. Kersten shows Darrow to be a gifted jurist who isn’t afraid to get his hands muddy in the service of his clients.

Cherokee Ghost Story

By Tina LoTufo

June 28, 2011

June 28, 2011 As Sonia Gensler’s new historical novel The Revenant opens, Willemina Hammond is running away from boarding school in Columbia, Tennessee, to escape her family’s expectations. Willie assumes the identity of a graduating schoolmate and heads to Oklahoma in her place, but she never dreams that her new job as a teacher at the Cherokee Female Seminary will lead her on a chilling journey into the supernatural. Sonia Gensler will read from and sign copies of The Revenant at Borders Books in Clarksville on July 3 at 2 p.m.

Stairway to Heaven

By Tina LoTufo

June 23, 2011

June 23, 2011 Sixteen-year-old apprentice priestess Melaia sings the myths and legends of the kingdom of Camrithia, including the “Tale of the Wisdom Tree,” never suspecting that the song contains a startling and bitter truth that will deeply affect her own destiny. In Breath of Angel, Karyn Henley deftly weaves together the elements of Melaia’s journey of self-discovery in a way that should speak to young-adult readers. Karyn Henley will launch Breath of Angel, the first novel of her “Angeleon Circle” trilogy, at the Barnes & Noble Booksellers in Brentwood on June 24 at 7 p.m.