Chapter 16 - Part 35

Ancient Music

In Alex Bledsoe’s latest novel, a Smoky Mountain clan protects its way of life one song at a time

By Tina LoTufo | September 27, 2011

September 27, 2011 Like a crumb trail through a deep, dark forest, skillfully sprinkled clues keep the reader enthralled as Alex Bledsoe spins an eerie tale in The Hum and the Shiver. Both romantic and harsh, the novel is about the strength of family ties and the power of music, as well as the coarseness and brutality of evil men. Balanced on the thin edge between dreams and reality, The Hum and the Shiver captures the subtle magic of childhood’s landscape, the pull of desire against destiny, and the way life can turn in an instant, suddenly revealing that pivotal moment no one ever sees coming.

In the Valley of the Shadow

Barry Kitterman’s From the San Joaquin finds meaning in small, lived moments

By Tina LoTufo | August 24, 2011

August 25, 2011 In Barry Kitterman’s new story collection, From the San Joaquin, ordinary men and women seeking a brighter future—a home, a job, a love affair, a wedding, a child—face defeat as a result of difficult circumstances and their own inadequacies. Often the painful events of the past intrude upon the characters’ lives to change the course of their future, and rarely for the better. Ultimately, though, the author suggests that a meaningful life lies less in the accomplishments of years and more in the significance of each small moment truly lived. Kitterman will appear at the 2011 Southern Festival of Books, held October 14-16 in Nashville.

Timeless

In Myra McEntire’s YA thriller, Hourglass, two young sweethearts travel into the past to prevent a murder

By Tina LoTufo | August 8, 2011

August 8, 2011 When Emerson Cole discovers that she may have the ability to travel through time, she’s not particularly thrilled. As a high-school senior with exactly one friend, she’s actually far less interested in time travel than in avoiding the label of total freak. In Hourglass, Myra McEntire takes a twisting, turning journey through the physics of time, but the most important journey is Emerson’s discovery of her own surprising reserves of courage, love, and loyalty. Timeless qualities indeed. On August 8 at 6:30 p.m, McEntire will read at Barnes & Noble Booksellers in Brentwood as a part of the Ash2Nash Tour of YA authors.

Werewolves in the Heartland

With Forever, Maggie Stiefvater concludes her haunting Wolves of Mercy Falls trilogy

By Tina LoTufo | July 27, 2011

July 27, 2011 This month the story of the Wolves of Mercy Falls comes to its much-anticipated conclusion. Maggie Stiefvater launched this riveting young-adult saga of humans and werewolves in the Minnesota woods in 2009 with a New York Times bestseller called Shiver. Linger followed in 2010, and the concluding volume, Forever, rounds out the trilogy. Stiefvater spins a compelling tale of humans and wolves both in love and at odds. Her characters make choices out of fear and hatred, self-sacrifice and loyalty, pain and grief. And after a while, it’s not so easy to tell the men (or women) from the beasts. On July 31 at 3 p.m., Stiefvater will read from and discuss her new book at the Nashville Public Library as part of the Salon@615 series.

Cherokee Ghost Story

Sonia Gensler’s first YA novel is set against a suspenseful background of mystery, murder, and miscegenation

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

Karyn Henley’s new fantasy novel, her first for young adults, adds angels to the mortal realm

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.

Isabel and the Invisible World

By Alan Lightman, illustrated by Ramona Kaulitzki
MIT Kids Press
40 pages
$18.99

“In simple, engaging language, complemented by luminous artwork from best-selling illustrator Ramona Kaulitzki, author and physicist Alan Lightman unveils the hidden world of light waves—the ones you can see and the ones you can’t.”

~ the publisher