Jay McInerney discusses the cultural impact of The Great Gatsby
June 11, 2012 In an essay written for The Guardian, esteemed novelist, wine critic, former Nashville resident, and part-time actor Jay McInerney has set out to plumb the depths of the spirit of American consciousness.
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Russ Kick’s graphic anthology of world literature is both an education and a playful romp
June 11, 2012 Russ Kick’s The Graphic Canon: Volume One: From The Epic of Gilgamesh to Shakespeare to Dangerous Liasons is the first book in a three-volume series featuring the work of dozens of graphic artists addressing the landmarks of world literature. The results are, as the saying goes, mixed—but not in a bad way. The Graphic Canon is a glorious mash-up of not only words and images, but also high and low culture, the popular and the paradigmatic. Kick will discuss The Graphic Canon at The Booksellers at Laurelwood in Memphis on June 14 at 6 p.m.
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With XO, international bestselling author Jeffery Deaver has written another thriller—and a country album to accompany it
June 8, 2012 In his twenty-ninth thriller, bestselling novelist Jeffery Deaver gives readers triple or quadruple their money: XO includes more twists, turns, and doglegs than an East Tennessee back road, and Deaver pairs the book with an album of country songs, as well. Just when you think you’ve finally hit the mystery’s straightaway, there’s another series of hairpins in your path. On June 12 at 6:30 p.m., Deaver will discuss XO at Parnassus Books in Nashville. On June 13 at 7 p.m., he will answer questions and sign copies of the book at Barnes & Noble in Knoxville.
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With Canada, Richard Ford returns to the bleak, forbidding landscapes of the Northwest and the thwarted lives of those who inhabit them
June 7, 2012 In the years since the publication of Independence Day (1995)—the first novel ever to win both the PEN/Faulkner Award and the Pulitzer Prize—Richard Ford has achieved rare and lofty status as a cherished American institution, regarded mostly as a gifted chronicler of fin-de-siècle suburban angst in the tradition of Cheever, Updike, Richard Yates, and Ford’s fellow Mississippian Walker Percy. Richard Ford will discuss his new book, Canada, at the Nashville Public Library on June 14. The event is part of the Salon@615 series and will begin with a reception at 6:15 p.m. Both the reception and the reading are free and open to the public.
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In Joseph Kanon’s crime noir set in Istanbul during the Cold War, an American businessman must escape from a labyrinth of deadly lies
June 6, 2012 Istanbul, with its striking beauty and complicated history as the meeting point between two continents, has long served as an excellent backdrop for mysteries. During World War II, because of its location and neutral stance, the city gained notoriety as a nexus of espionage. Joseph Kanon’s newest noir thriller, Istanbul Passage, is a fast-paced, dialogue-driven whodunit that taps into this history with a story that’s rife with action, drama, and a splash of romance. Kanon will discuss Istanbul Passage at Parnassus Books in Nashville on June 11 at 6:30 p.m., and at The Booksellers at Laurelwood on June 12 at 6 p.m.
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In Jack Hurst’s new look at Civil War leadership, the standouts are Grant and Forrest, who rose to the top in spite of—and also because of—their backgrounds
June 5, 2012 In Born to Battle, historian Jack Hurst looks at the Civil War through the commanders of both Confederate and Union forces. The crucial campaigns in the western theater, at Shiloh, Vicksburg, and Chattanooga, were bloody and muddled, with leadership errors on both sides, often a result of the egos and ambitions of the generals, and the antagonisms, jealousies, and mini-wars between them. Hurst will discuss Born to Battle at Burke’s Book Store in Memphis on June 14 at 5:30 p.m. and at Parnassus Books in Nashville on August 5 at 2 p.m.
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