Summary of Broadus Unbound Called by the famed Charles Spurgeon “the greatest of living preachers,” John A. Broadus left an indelible signature not only on the Baptist denomination but on a generation. Emerging from the US Civil War as a voice of reason and reconciliation, he traveled, wrote, and tirelessly trained clergy for the urgencies […]
Donna Meredith Interviews Rachel Hauck, author of Meet Me at the Starlight
September 17, 2024 by 1 Comment
Novel Summary: Meet Me at the Starlight (Bethany House Publishers 2024) spans three generations. In 1987, supermodel Harlow Hayes seeks solace in a quaint Florida beach town to heal from a heartbreak that shattered her entire world. To her surprise, she encounters Matt Knight—a Hollywood A-lister with a bad-boy reputation—who has returned to his hometown […]
“Ghostwriter: Shakespeare, Literary Landmines, and an Eccentric Patron’s Royal Obsession” by Lawrence Wells
September 10, 2024 by Leave a Comment
Lawrence Wells knows how to tell an entertaining story, and his latest, Ghostwriter: Shakespeare, Literary Landmines, and an Eccentric Patron’s Royal Obsession (University of Mississippi Press 2024), is a humdinger. The manuscript was awarded the 2014 Faulkner-Wisdom Prize for narrative nonfiction at the Words and Music Festival in New Orleans. Even readers who are not […]
Read of the Month: “Ditch Weed” by Rhett DeVane
September 4, 2024 by Leave a Comment
Rhett DeVane’s latest novel, Ditch Weed (Twisted Road 2024), sparkles with her trademark humor and Southernisms. Longtime fans of her Chattahoochee stories will recognize some of the background characters like town busybody Elvina Houston and gay florist Jake Witherspoon, but the novel is a stand-alone. Perched in its heart are the “Purty-much Ruined” runaway teen […]
Donna Meredith interviews Cynthia Newberry Martin, author of “The Art of Her Life”
September 2, 2024 by Leave a Comment
Summary of The Art of Her Life (Vine Leaves Press 2024) At nine years old, on her first visit to a museum, Emily fell in love with Breakfast, a painting by Henri Matisse. Now a single mother, she lives in the world of art and can barely find time for her two daughters, much less for […]
“Not What She Seems” by Yasmin Angoe
August 19, 2024 by Leave a Comment
Riveting. Character-driven. A literary thriller you will want to devour in one sitting. Not What She Seems (Thomas & Mercer 2024) is all this and more. None of the many-layered characters are what they seem at first glance. Yasmin Angoe’s latest novel is a worthy successor to her series featuring Nena Knight, which SLR reviewed […]