Essay by Kerstin W. Shands How much do we choose in life? Is it possible to choose our own reactions to what happens to us? If we had the answer to these questions, we could accept or dismiss most of the life philosophies written from ancient times to today. For Edith Eger, the answer is […]
“The Cicada Tree,” by Robert Gwaltney
February 23, 2022 by Leave a Comment
Reviewed by Dawn Major In The Cicada Tree, Georgia author Robert Gwaltney’s debut novel, dark secrets lurk beneath the town of Providence, Georgia, secrets of obsessions and betrayal, secrets that must be unearthed. Donalbain, from Shakespeare’s MacBeth, said, “There’s daggers in men’s smiles. The near in the blood, The nearer bloody.” The Cicada Tree (Moonshine […]
“The Places That Hold,” by John Davis Jr.
February 16, 2022 by 1 Comment
Reviewed by Claire Hamner Matturro A trim, eloquent book of fifty-one well-wrought poems, The Places That Hold (Eastover Press 2021), by John Davis Jr., is rich with evocative images which will captivate and charm readers. His accessible phrases are subtly complex, weaving more than a bit of mystique into his nuanced layers. With his poet’s […]
February Read of the Month: “Take a Left at Tomorrow,” by Renee Anduze
February 3, 2022 by 1 Comment
Reviewed by Donna Meredith The wild rebellion against authority that characterized the Sixties burns through the pages of Renee Anduze’s coming-of-age novel, Take a Left at Tomorrow (Twisted Road 2021). Those who lived through the decade’s changes will appreciate how expertly Anduze paints the mood of the time. Those born later will experience the upheavals […]
“The Heathens: A Quinn Colson novel,” by Ace Atkins
December 22, 2021 by Leave a Comment
Reviewed by Claire Hamner Matturro Quinn Colson, the bold, ethical, and driven sheriff of Tibbehah County, Mississippi, is the worthy protagonist in a well-received eleven-book series by Ace Atkins. In the newest in the series, The Heathens (Putman 2021), a petite seventeen-year-old female, TJ Byrd, and her charming, thieving boyfriend, Ladarius, steal the show. As […]
December Read of the Month: “Wild Spectacle,” by Janisse Ray
December 14, 2021 by 1 Comment
Reviewed by Claire Hamner Matturro Janisse Ray’s writing has always been robust and rich with that magical, evocative touch that pulls her readers into a scene, a thought, an emotion, or an insight. Just as in her acclaimed Ecology of a Cracker Childhood, Ray’s insightful, eloquent writing shines in Wild Spectacle: Seeking Wonders in a […]