From haunting, short-form meditations on loss to a thrilling, suspenseful novella that revives an indelible antihero, In the Valley offers a distillation of Ron Rash’s storytelling mastery at its best. Rash will discuss In the Valley at the online 2021 Southern Festival of Books on October 9.
In Erin A. Craig’s second YA thriller, a growing sense of unease slowly envelops the community of Amity Falls. Crops turn bad. Supplies disappear. Bizarre creatures are seen in the dark. And irrational suspicions among the village’s citizens threaten to disrupt the status quo. Young Ellerie Downing may be the only one to save them all, if she can only get past her own doubts and fears.
Author of two bestselling novels, as well as the widely acclaimed memoir Paris, I Love You but You’re Bringing Me Down, Rosecrans Baldwin turns to nonfiction with an essay collection. In Everything Now: Lessons from the City-State of Los Angeles, Baldwin grapples with defining the second largest urban entity in the U.S.
In Mary Adkins’ third novel, Palm Beach, a journalist and an actor from New York learn about the eccentricities of the ultra-wealthy when they start working for billionaires in South Florida.
In So We Meet Again, Suzanne Park’s second novel for adults, investment banker Jessie Kim is fired suddenly from her Wall Street job and returns home to Nashville to live with her parents and reconnect with childhood friends. Park’s lively rom-com addresses the sexism and racism of the workplace while also delivering sweet and savory dishes with a Korean-American family twist.
In On Barbecue, John Shelton Reed considers the history of barbecue, regional differences in recipes, and the importance of traditional cooking methods, with a sharp sense of humor and a strong belief in the sanctity of this delicious American institution. Most of all, it’s a love song to his favorite food. Reed will appear at the SouthWord Literary Festival, hosted by the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga on November 5-6.
