Introduction: Rickie Zayne Ashby’s debut novel, Walton’s Creek, Land of our Fathers, is the first of two volumes chronicling the life of several families in rural Western Kentucky. Based on his own family, this book, Volume I, covers the years 1913 – 1955 and gives a bird’s eye view of what life was like in […]
“Driving Naked” by Katherine Vaccaro
November 27, 2024 by Leave a Comment
Katherine Vaccaro has a great sense of adventure and a disarming sense of humor as evidenced in Driving Naked, her debut memoir. Whereas I knew someone who actually drove to McDonald’s naked, Katherine’s naked driving is more metaphorical; she and her husband loved nudist camps and collectible cars. Kathy met Eddie at a Mensa event […]
“A Happier Life” by Kristy Woodson Harvey
November 4, 2024 by Leave a Comment
This is Kristy Woodson Harvey’s eleventh novel. An avid follower of hers, I love this book. I love it the best of all of her books so far; of course I may have said that once or twice before when her previous new ones came out. A Happier Life (Gallery Books 2024) is the story […]
“The Saddest Girl on the Beach” by Heather Frese
August 6, 2024 by Leave a Comment
The Saddest Girl on the Beach (Blair 2024) begins on the Outer Banks of North Carolina on a “dimly bruised January day.” What a perfect description for a wintery day near the beach; you can just imagine the gray-green water, swirling gray clouds with the sun trying to peek through, the chilling damp. Grab your […]
Read of the Month: “Lunchladies Bought My Prom Dress” by Heather Ream
July 30, 2024 by Leave a Comment
Heather Ream’s debut publication, Lunchladies Bought My Prom Dress, is an unflinching account of her childhood and teenage years in Knoxville, TN. She manages to take some of her often tragic circumstances about growing up in poverty and make them flat out hilarious. Photographs, interspersed throughout the memoir, give the reader a clear visual insight […]