Chapter 16
A Community of Tennessee Writers, Readers & Passersby

Chris Scott

Beneath the Surface

Sara J. Henry’s second novel delves into the mysteries of a frozen landscape

January 29, 2013 Oak Ridge native Sara J. Henry won the Agatha, Anthony, and Mary Higgins Clark Awards with her first novel, Learning to Swim. In her second Troy Chance mystery, A Cold and Lonely Place, she returns to the Lake Placid, New York, area with a story of family secrets, emotional and physical isolation, and sudden death. Henry will appear at Barnes & Noble Booksellers in Brentwood on February 5 at 7 p.m.

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Death in Murfreesboro

The Battle of Stones River finally gets its due from historian Larry J. Daniel

January 9, 2013 Historian Larry J. Daniel believes it is time to set the record straight about one of the turning points of the Civil War. In Battle of Stones River: The Forgotten Conflict between the Confederate Army of Tennessee and the Union Army of the Cumberland, Daniel details a fight that is counted as one of the ten costliest battles of the war and that firmly established Union control in Tennessee.

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Trouble in Tammyland

Emily Arsenault sets her latest mystery in Nashville (sort of)

November 26, 2012 Emily Arsenault’s third mystery features extensive excerpts from a fictional memoir, a pregnant detective, and a strong undercurrent of Nashville’s music heritage. In a world in which most mysteries are plot- or character-driven, Miss Me When I’m Gone can fairly claim to be driven by relationships—the kinds of relationships that have inspired many a country song.

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A New Birth of Freedom

Lincoln scholar Harold Holzer reexamines the Emancipation Proclamation

August 16, 2012 The Emancipation Proclamation is regarded by some as America’s second Declaration of Independence and is denigrated by others as hollow and cynical, a political ploy from a master manipulator. So which is it? Lincoln scholar Harold Holzer asks that question in his latest work, Emancipating Lincoln: The Proclamation in Text, Context, and Memory. Harold Holzer will speak about emancipation at the twenty-fourth annual Southern Festival of Books, held October 12-14 at Legislative Plaza in Nashville. All events are free and open to the public.

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The Soldiers of Shiloh

Novelist Jeff Shaara returns to his Civil War roots

May 29, 2012 In his new novel, A Blaze of Glory, Jeff Shaara tells a story centered on the Battle of Shiloh, the most famous battle ever fought in Tennessee. Following the format established by his Pulitzer Prize-winning father, Michael Shaara, and honed over a series of novels chronicling America’s major wars, Shaara once again treads the ground where he started his own writing career—the Civil War. Jeff Shaara will discuss A Blaze of Glory at the Nashville Public Library on June 5 at 6:15 p.m. as part of the Salon@615 series.

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General Advice

Colin Powell’s new book highlights a lifetime in leadership—and a few mistakes

May 23, 2012 Colin Powell has spent over a half century as a leader. Now he wants to share the lessons he learned in all those years of working to inspire and manage people. In his latest book, It Worked for Me: In Life and Leadership, Powell passes along words of wisdom that would normally be handed down in private conversations between mentor and protégé. In providing examples both small and large, including those involving the controversies surrounding the war with Iraq, Powell has created a hybrid that is part memoir and part how-to book. Powell will appear in an onstage conversation with former Newsweek editor Jon Meacham on May 30 at 7 p.m. at Belmont University’s Massey Concert Hall. The event is part of the Salon@615 series.

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