Chapter 16 - Part 450

Paper Anniversary

Nashville’s Parnassus Books celebrates a successful year

By Emily Choate | December 3, 2012

December 3, 2012 This week, running counter to common perception that books are dead in the digital era, Parnassus Books in Nashville celebrates its first anniversary as a thriving success. Co-owned by former Random House rep Karen Hayes and bestselling novelist Ann Patchett, Parnassus has garnered widespread attention since its opening was announced in 2011, leading to Patchett’s appearances everywhere from Stephen Colbert’s The Colbert Report to the front page of The New York Times.

Grounded

A new book profiles six families who have partnered with the Land Trust for Tennessee to preserve their land for future generations

By Margaret Renkl | November 30, 2012

November 30, 2012 In 1999, the Land Trust for Tennessee was chartered to “preserve the unique character of Tennessee’s natural and historic landscapes and sites for future generations.” So far, more than 200 landowners have partnered with the Land Trust to create conservation easements that now protect 75,000 acres in Tennessee—family farms, historic buildings, rural lands, even an arboretum. Home to Us, a lavish new coffee-table book by Varina Willse, with photos by Nancy Rhoda, features the stories of six very different families who have preserved their lands through conservation easements. Willse recently answered questions about the project from Chapter 16.

A Captivating Caper

Memphis-based journalist and bestselling author Molly Caldwell Crosby investigates a fascinating tale of cops and robbers in Edwardian England

By Michael Ray Taylor | November 29, 2012

November 29, 2012 Molly Caldwell Crosby, author of two science-based works of historical nonfiction, The American Plague and Asleep, turns to crime in The Great Pearl Heist: London’s Greatest Thief and Scotland Yard’s Hunt for the World’s Most Valuable Necklace. In her satisfying tale of a true 1913 caper, readers encounter two unforgettable heroes, one a master detective, the other a master thief. Molly Caldwell Crosby will discuss The Great Pearl Heist at The Booksellers at Laurelwood in Memphis on December 4 at 6 p.m.

Mischief in Memphis

Steve Stern has written another stellar collection of stories inspired by Jewish folklore

By Sarah Norris | November 28, 2012

November 28, 2012 Steve Stern is “quite famous for being unknown,” according to The Globe and Mail, a Canadian newspaper. Since 1983, the Memphis native has published twelve novels and short-story collections; many of them have fallen out of print, but his work invariably receives prestigious awards and overwhelmingly rave reviews. Stern’s latest, The Book of Mischief, is a collection of new and selected stories inspired by Yiddish folklore. The book offers an opportunity for new readers to familiarize themselves with Stern’s work and for loyal fans to revisit some A-list stories and at the same time discover new gems.

No Imaginary Fences

Chase Twichell talks with Chapter 16 about practicing Zen and writing poetry in the world as it actually is

By Charlotte Pence | November 27, 2012

November 27, 2012 Author of seven books of poems, including a new and selected collection titled Horses Where the Answers Should Have Been), Chase Twichell applies her study of Buddhism to deliver well-chiseled, unsentimental poems that explore terrain not normally associated with Buddhist thought. Whether addressing hot-house irises, Dumpsters, or Chanel No. 5, her poems ponder questions that matter: what is the self, and why do we suffer? As a consequence, Twichell has been awarded many prestigious prizes, including the 2011 Kingsley and Kate Tufts Poetry Award, which carries a $100,000 stipend, and fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Artists Foundation, and the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation. Chase Twichell will read from her work on November 29, in Vanderbilt’s Buttrick Hall, Room 101, at 7 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.

History, Lost and Found

Ruta Sepetys recounts the improbable discovery of her Lithuanian family’s “hidden history” in Siberia

By Emily Choate | November 27, 2012

November 27, 2012 In a blog post for The Huffington Post’s books section, Nashville YA novelist Ruta Sepetys describes the winding, unlikely path her family’s hidden stories took to reach her.

I Gotta Sing!

By Alice Faye Duncan
WaterBrook
40 pages
$14.99

“A whole barnyard makes noise ‘in the Spirit of joy’ throughout this raucous picture book, a sweetly heartwarming sing-along by Duncan. Kellam conveys comfort and happiness as the loved ones reflect sunny enthusiasm in this gladdening rendition of the Black American religious folk song ‘I’m Goin’a Sing When the Spirit Says Sing.’”

~Publishers Weekly