Chapter 16 - Part 393

Perishable, Pleasurable Relics

Barbara Herman surveys the complex delights of vintage perfume in Scent & Subversion

By Maria Browning | June 2, 2014

June 2, 2014 Barbara Herman calls vintage perfume a “liquid language” that reveals something about the tastes and dreams of a bygone era, even as it offers us a portal to our own deep desires. In Scent & Subversion: Decoding a Century of Provocative Perfume, Herman describes hundreds of classic twentieth-century perfumes and considers their rich, sensual appeal. She will appear at Parnassus Books in Nashville on June 5, 2014, at 6:30 p.m.

Brad Thor, Nashvillian

A bestselling author of thrillers makes the move to Music City

By Serenity Gerbman | June 2, 2014

June 2, 2014 Brad Thor routinely hits the top of the bestseller lists with immensely popular spy novels featuring counterterrorism agent Scott Horvath. The tech-savvy writer stays connected to his fans via social media, so it’s no surprise that he recently chose to make a big announcement via Twitter: he is moving to Nashville from Chicago, citing high crime and taxes as his primary reasons for leaving Illinois.

Taking It to the Kids

Glencliff Elementary kindergartners review Knuckleball Ned, the new picture book by MLB pitcher R.A. Dickey

By Margaret Renkl | May 30, 2014

May 30, 2014 Knuckleball Ned, the new picture book for young children by Nashville native R.A. Dickey, celebrates diversity and the power of friendship. Chapter 16 invited the kindergartners of Glencliff Elementary, where Dickey attended kindergarten himself, to review the story of how Ned, teased for being different, ultimately saves the day—with a little help from his friends.

Remastering Memory

Can the protagonist of Amber McRee Turner’s new middle-grade novel, Circa Now, alter the past with a computer program?

By Tracy Barrett | May 29, 2014

May 29, 2014 When eleven-year-old Circa Monroe begins to notice that the images she inserts into photographs seem to be becoming real, she’s convinced that she is capable of altering the world with her computer and a bank of images—and possibly bring her beloved father back to life. Memphis native Amber McRee Turner will discuss her new middle-grade novel, Circa Now, at The Booksellers at Laurelwood in Memphis on June 7, 2014, at 1 p.m.

Balladeer in Black and White

American Ballads, Marty Stuart’s book of backstage photographs, captures a musical age

By Randy Fox | May 28, 2014

May 28, 2014 Marty Stuart has spent his career both making musical history and capturing it on film. American Ballads: The Photographs of Marty Stuart is a new collection of Stuart’s photography that accompanies the exhibit currently showing at the Frist Center for the Visual Arts in Nashville. Marty Stuart and his mother, Hilda Stuart, will discuss the exhibit and their shared passion for photography at the Frist on June 4, 2014, at noon. Admission is free.

Only Time and Light Will Do the Job

Thunderstruck, Elizabeth McCracken’s first story collection in two decades, elegantly illuminates the interstices of love and loss

By Ed Tarkington | May 27, 2014

May 27, 2014 “The soul is liquid, and slow to evaporate,” writes Elizabeth McCracken. “The body’s a bucket and liable to slosh. Grieving, haunted, heartbroken, obsessed: your friends will tell you to cheer up. What they really mean is dry up. But it isn’t a matter of will. Only time and light will do the job.” The metaphor is typical of the stories that make up Thunderstruck, a collection of achingly honest, haunting, and often darkly comic tales. McCracken will discuss the book on June 3, 2014, at 6:30 p.m. at Parnassus Books in Nashville.

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