In Islandology, Marc Shell explores the dynamic history of lands surrounded by water
In Islandology, Marc Shell uses Shakespeare’s Hamlet as the key to unlocking lessons hidden in the way nations describe their homeland. Shell will give a free public lecture at Rhodes College in Memphis on March 15.
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Mary Ellen Pethel’s Athens of the New South credits Nashville colleges for the city’s post-war prosperity
Mary Ellen Pethel’s Athens of the New South argues that Nashville’s growth as a center for commerce and culture is rooted in the institutions of higher education that were founded in the decades after the Civil War.
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In Joan Silber’s Improvement, women cope with the aftermath of self-made catastrophes
Joan Silber’s Improvement follows a dozen characters over four decades on three continents, but all the stories revolve around a single question: how to keep living after your plans have crumbled to dust. Silber will appear at Parnassus Books in Nashville on November 30 at 6:30 p.m.
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Lee Conell’s debut story collection, Subcortical, explores the brain’s strange connections
In her debut story collection, Subcortical, Lee Conell depicts smart characters who are mysteries to themselves. The book’s title provides an accurate index for the wit and sophistication to be found in this volume. Conell will appear on November 29 at Barnes & Noble at Vanderbilt at 6 p.m.
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David Madden’s Marble Goddesses and Mortal Flesh, a collection of novellas, explores a writer’s journey
David Madden’s new collection of novellas, Marble Goddesses and Mortal Flesh, traces the arc of an artist’s journey and testifies to the power of a veteran writer who continues to find innovative ways to entertain and instruct readers.
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In Nicole Krauss’s Forest Dark, two Americans journey to Israel to resolve personal crises
In Forest Dark, Nicole Krauss tells parallel stories of American Jews who lose their ways and travel to Israel to re-discover life’s purpose. Nicole Krauss will appear at the Southern Festival of Books in Nashville October 13-15.
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