Book Reviews

In A Swim in a Pond in the Rain, George Saunders relates the insights he has gathered from 20 years of teaching 19th-century Russian short stories to aspiring writers. Saunders will discuss the book at a ticketed virtual event hosted by Parnassus Books in Nashville on January 19.

In Nick, a new novel depicting the life of Nick Carraway before the turbulent summer of The Great Gatsby, Michael Farris Smith drags his hero through war, heartbreak, and the violent underworld of New Orleans.

Tina Turner, an American entertainment icon whose influence extends across generations, now adds life coach to her list of accomplishments. In her latest book, she turns the spotlight on her spiritual life — specifically her 50 years as a practicing Buddhist — which she credits for much of her success: “This is how I saved myself,” she says. “This is how I made my wildest dreams come true.”

With Unlikely Angel: The Songs of Dolly Parton, musicologist Lydia Hamessley gives long-overdue consideration to Parton’s formidable body of work as a songwriter.

In Don’t Look Now: Things We Wish We Hadn’t Seen, a collection of essays edited by Kristen Iversen and David Lazar, 18 writers explore images they wished they’d looked away from — but didn’t.

In The Ballad of Ami Miles, debut novelist Kristy Dallas Alley pens a coming-of-age story against a backdrop of a post-apocalyptic America where few women can still bear children.