You’re never too old to learn to be brave
Bikes and I had not formed a strong and lasting partnership in the past, so why, at the brittle-boned age of fifty-four, was I keen on yet another two-wheeled dream date? I have no idea. But, reader, I bought it. A blue cruiser and a snazzy helmet to match.
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Sometimes a plant—and a person—can thrive in even inhospitable conditions
I tried to dig a hole with a shovel, but half an hour later I’d made no more than a two-inch dent in that hard-as-granite claypan. So I borrowed a pickaxe from a neighbor and hacked at the dirt for hours, mixing in bag after bag of soil amendment. At the end of the day, though I still wasn’t confident something could take root there, I planted the camellia. This was a new beginning for both of us.
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A newspaperman recalls an unexpected afternoon with legendary author Shelby Foote
I was walking past Shelby Foote’s house, hidden by large pin oak trees, when I heard a lawnmower in the process of being cranked. Next came a series of curse words in an elegant Southern drawl that made swearing sound almost patrician.
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Lol Tolhurst’s memoir tells a story of friendship and music
Set against the history of one of the quintessential ‘80s alternative rock bands, Lol Tolhurst’s memoir, Cured: The Tale of Two Imaginary Boys, tells an engaging tale of transformation and redemption. Tolhurst will sign copies of Cured at Howlin’ Books in Nashville on December 8 at 6 p.m., and at The Booksellers at Laurelwood in Memphis on December 11 at 2 p.m.
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“Forward My Brave Boys!” is the surprisingly readable diary of a Confederate regiment
The 11th Tennessee Volunteer Infantry, C.S.A., lives again in M. Todd Cathey and Gary W. Waddey’s massive “Forward My Brave Boys!” Born from Southern outrage, the volunteer regiment encountered both tedium and hardship during the Civil War.
In Seeds on Ice, Memphis native Cary Fowler explains the need for a global seed vault
Cary Fowler is the driving force behind the Svalbard Global Seed Vault, a storehouse of genetic diversity located beneath the icy landscape of northernmost Norway. In Seeds on Ice, Fowler explains how the vault came to be and offers a virtual visit to its Arctic home via photographs by Mari Tefre. Fowler will appear at The Booksellers at Laurelwood in Memphis on December 10.
