I loved reading Remembering Paule: A Photo Memoir of Her Richmond Years, by Daryl Cumber Dance. This moving memoir with photos is about the enduring friendship between African American novelist Paule Marshall and African American Folklorist and literary critic Daryl Cumber Dance. The narrative moves mostly in chronicle sequence. The book is written in eight […]
“Remembering Paule: A Photo Memoir of Her Richmond Years” by Daryl Cumber Dance
December 30, 2024 by Leave a Comment
“We Are Animals: Essays on the Nature and Politics of Motherhood” by Jennifer Case
December 30, 2024 by Leave a Comment
We Are Animals: Essays on the Nature and Politics of Motherhood (Trinity University Press 2024) by Jennifer Case is a collection of essays containing sharp observations and poignant revelations about what it means to be a mother, or child-bearing mammal, in today’s society. Case explores the many ways in which women, when faced with pregnancy, must […]
“Beware the Tall Grass” by Ellen Birkett Morris
December 18, 2024 by Leave a Comment
It’s easy to see why Ellen Birkett Morris’s enchanting debut novel, Beware the Tall Grass (Columbus State University 2024), won The Donald L. Jordan Prize for Literary Excellence. The novel expertly entwines two moving tales, that of Eve Sloan, a mother trying desperately to understand and protect her son Charlie circa 2010; and that of […]
“House of Glass” by Sarah Pekkanen
December 16, 2024 by 1 Comment
House of Glass (St. Martin’s Press 2024) by Sarah Pekkanen is a wonderfully crafted, well-paced mystery with a good bit of psychological thriller blended in. It is a character driven “who done it?” but not in a police procedural way as no law enforcement detectives are center stage in solving the death of a young […]
2024 Book of the Year
December 15, 2024 by Leave a Comment
2024 Book of the Year WOFFORD’S BLOOD By Donna Coffey Little Wofford’s Blood (Mercer University Press 2024) is a stunning work of historical fiction based on the life of James Daugherty (J. D.) Wofford, a half White, half Cherokee, who became a conductor and interpreter on the Trail of Tears. Outstanding research underlies […]
2024 Book of the Year Finalists & Book Lovers Gift Guide
December 11, 2024 by 2 Comments
Book of the Year to be announced Sunday, December 15. Which one will win? Any of these titles make fine holiday gifts. (Finalists listed alphabetically by title.) Birdhouse Jesus by Terri Chastain Using a combination of charm and horror and finally transcendence, Chastain creates a protagonist who comes to terms with childhood abuse by […]