Book Reviews

Jenny Offill’s latest novel, Weather, is a meditation on the challenges of our times and a lesson in maintaining optimism despite our worst fears.

In To the Bones by Southern author Valerie Nieman, the dystopian horror is a chilling reminder of what can arise from the vast distances between human beings, as well as the vast mysteries within an individual.  

In his new novella collection, Broken, Don Winslow takes a breather from the intensely dark depictions of violence in his Cartel crime trilogy, but he still provides plenty of action to satisfy readers. 

In On the Horizon, her new novel in verse for young readers, Newbery Medalist Lois Lowry reflects on World War II by drawing on her childhood memories of life in Honolulu and Japan.

For over 40 years, Nashville resident Larry E. Matthews has produced a slew of specialized books chronicling some of Tennessee’s 10,000 known caves. His latest, the lavishly illustrated Caves of the Highland Rim, may be the most accessible to general readers, revealing hidden worlds through Matthews’ clear prose and detailed photographs by Bob Biddix.

Readers who love history for its grand, sweeping scale will find the premise of Katy Simpson Smith’s novel, The Everlasting, irresistible: a quartet of characters whose stories span almost 2,000 years and whose experiences delve into the chaotic, multilayered, enduring heart of Rome.