Reviewed by Claire Hamner Matturro Jan Karon’s Somewhere Safe with Somebody Good is as charming and bright as any book in her Mitford/Father Tim series, and a welcome return to Mitford after Karon’s nine-year hiatus. As with the previous Mitford books, I delighted in every page and found Somewhere Safe a hard to put down. […]
“The Wishing Tide,” by Barbara Davis
November 11, 2014 by Leave a Comment
Reviewed by Donna Meredith In Barbara Davis’s haunting novel, The Wishing Tide, three people allow their troubled pasts to define the present, stripping them of any chance of happiness. Expertly plotted yet character-driven, this lovely book is highly recommended to those who enjoy fine Southern fiction like the novels of Anne Rivers Siddons and Cassandra […]
November Read of the Month: “The White Bird,” by William Bernhardt
November 4, 2014 by Leave a Comment
Reviewed by Amy Susan Wilson Entering William Bernhardt’s debut poetry collection, The White Bird, is entering into the heart of human community. Always rich, often humorous, and at times poignant, these poems, which are diverse in style, guide us through the maze of parenting, longing, loss, working, traveling, and, among other things, falling in and […]
“Here and Again,” by Nicole R. Dickson
October 31, 2014 by Leave a Comment
Reviewed by Jessi Lewis Here and Again is the story of the widow Virginia (Ginger) Martin, the repercussions of her husband’s death in the Iraq War, and how her loss is a repetition of grief from other generations. Through Ginger’s familial struggles with her three children, the reader is introduced to the parallels of loss. […]
“Naked: Stripped by a Man and Hurricane Katrina,” by Julie Freed
October 27, 2014 by Leave a Comment
Reviewed by Chris Timmons Normally, it is appropriate to take the squeamish position when reading about someone’s private life—the invasion of personal space being a violation of personal dignity. But when someone offers a memoir, what is the squeamish to do? Rather hope that it is not too raw, too confessional. Julie Freed begins her […]
“Bitten: My Unexpected Love Affair with Florida,” by Andrew Furman
October 24, 2014 by Leave a Comment
Reviewed by Phil Jason This review originally appeared in Florida Weekly. Reprinted with permission. Florida is blessed with writers devoted to its natural splendors and to exploring the relationship between human endeavor, the environment all creatures share, and the severely threatened nonhuman creatures. I’ve had the privilege over the years to read and write about […]