Book Reviews

In Hazel Bly and the Deep Blue Sea, Ashley Herring Blake continues to confront the hard subjects of trauma and loss, identity and community, forgiveness and redemption — subjects she sensitively explored in her previous books for middle grade and YA readers. That she does so within the context of a magical beach-themed mermaid mystery can only be a plus for her young readers. 

In A Singing Army: Zilphia Horton and the Highlander Folk School, Kim Ruehl makes a spirited, independent woman central to the story of the legendary training center for labor and civil rights activists.

For every lottery ticket ever purchased, there is a universal wonder: What would I do if I won all that money? Blow it all on luxury items or save it? Change my life or change the lives of those around me? In East Tennessee native Jamie Pacton’s second YA novel, Lucky Girl, a winning ticket stirs up more trouble than it may be worth.

Whether it’s an inherent maternal instinct or intuition, the bond between mother and child is seemingly unbreakable. Author Rea Frey dares to put one mother to the test in her third novel, Until I Find You. Frey will discuss the book at a virtual event hosted by Parnassus Books in Nashville on May 25.

Maggie O’Farrell’s award-winning novel Hamnet follows the brief life of William Shakespeare’s son and offers a backstory for his wife, Agnes, as woman, mother, and muse. O’Farrell will discuss the book at a virtual event hosted by Parnassus Books in Nashville on May 22.

In Sheba Karim’s fourth YA novel, The Marvelous Mirza Girls, Noreen is grieving the death of her beloved aunt. She postpones her first year of college and travels to Delhi, where — with the charming Kabir as her guide — she explores the chaotic and beautiful city, a stark contrast to her suburban New Jersey home. Karim will discuss The Marvelous Mirza Girls at Parnassus Books in Nashville on May 18.