Editor’s Notes

2026 will be here before you know it, and things are looking pretty promising on the book front. Last week, we mentioned Ann Patchett’s Whistler, due in June. Novels by Ruta Sepetys and Susannah Felts will also be released that month (see the News Roundup below for links). You won’t have to wait quite that long for Tayari Jones’ Kin, which will arrive…

The bad news is that daylight saving time has ended and the sun now sets before many of us can get home from work. The good news is that chilly weather and long evenings create excellent conditions for reading. Now’s the time to start tackling that TBR pile — before holiday shopping finds you adding…

There are still tickets available for the October 29 evening at Nashville’s Schermerhorn Symphony Center with Reese Witherspoon and Harlan Coben. Ann Patchett will moderate the conversation about Witherspoon and Coben’s co-authored thriller, Gone Before Goodbye — and no doubt a few other subjects, as well. Proceeds from the event benefit Humanities Tennessee. Don’t miss it! Today at Chapter 16, Zane McNeill discusses Be Gay, Do Crime: Everyday Acts of Queer Resistance and…

Another festival is in the books, and we hope everyone who attended came away with good memories and a taller TBR pile. Many thanks to all the individuals and organizations who helped make it happen. (And remember, it’s never too early to start planning for next year. Just ask Roy Burkhead, who has made it to 28…

The 2025 Southern Festival of Books is just a few days away, and we trust that everyone planning to attend has taken a minute to look over the schedule and the terrific author roster. While you’re perusing the schedule, be sure the click on the menu for the performance stage, which lists the good things on offer there, including a performance…

Tickets are going fast for the October 29 appearance of Reese Witherspoon and Harlan Coben at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center in Nashville. Ann Patchett will serve as moderator for this stellar literary evening, and all proceeds for the event will benefit Humanities Tennessee. Tickets are available here, and we’ll be sharing a review of Witherspoon and Coben’s novel, Gone Before Goodbye, next week at Chapter 16.  This…