Chapter 16 - Part 125

A Pretty Place to Die

Chris Offutt’s The Killing Hills delivers a taut, gripping Kentucky-noir thriller

By Ed Tarkington | June 14, 2021

Few writers today can boast of a body of work as wide-ranging and virtuosic as Chris Offutt’s. His novels and short stories bend genre and upend expectations. The Killing Hills is no exception: A taut, gripping thriller, it also draws us deep into the lives of its troubled characters with wit and compassion. Chris Offutt will discuss the book at a virtual event hosted by Novel in Memphis on June 17.

Traumas of the Spirit

Beverly Tsacoyianis investigates psychological trauma in Middle Eastern history

By Aram Goudsouzian | June 11, 2021

Disturbing Spirits, by historian Beverly Tsacoyianis, trains its lens on the psychological scars of war and upheaval in 20th-century Syria and Lebanon. She will discuss the book at a virtual event hosted by Novel in Memphis on June 17.

A Good Man in a Nest of Evil

Curtis Wilkie reveals the story of a brave man who informed on the Mississippi KKK

By Aram Goudsouzian | June 10, 2021

When Evil Lived in Laurel, by legendary journalist Curtis Wilkie, tells a story of civil rights, murder, far-right lunacy, and a brave man who stood up against injustice.

Feeling No but Saying Yes

Troubled kids find a balm for pain in the love of a good dog

By Tina Chambers | June 9, 2021

Luna Howls at the Moon is Kristin O’Donnell Tubb’s third middle-grade novel to feature a service dog as protagonist and narrator, a charming device that works well in this case to illustrate the value of pairing therapy animals with troubled children. Tubb will discuss the book at a virtual event hosted by Parnassus Books in Nashville on June 15.

Mixing Registers

Caki Wilkinson discusses her latest poetry collection, The Survival Expo

By Joy Ramirez | June 8, 2021

In The Survival Expo, poet Caki Wilkinson guides us through an exploration of what it means to survive our past without leaving it altogether, observing it from within but also with newfound perspective. Caki Wilkinson will discuss The Survival Expo at a virtual event hosted by Novel in Memphis on June 29.

Poor, Forked Animals

In The Speaking Stone, Michael Griffith considers the contingent nature of existence

By Sean Kinch | June 7, 2021

In The Speaking Stone, a collection of essays, Michael Griffith ambles among the gravestones of a Cincinnati cemetery to track the subtle ways history intersects with individuals. He reminds us, in light-hearted prose, that pride and ambition lead inexorably to oblivion.

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