Thomas Cullen’s debut novel Charlie-Man (Brandylane 2025) is a slow-burn of a coming-of-age story—a paced, environmental read that takes us into the world of an elite preparatory boys’ school in Richmond, Virginia, in the mid-1990s. We meet protagonist Charlie Stewart, a rising high school senior, as he is about to jump off a dam into […]
“All is the Telling” by Rosa Castellano
May 4, 2026 by Leave a Comment
All is the Telling (Diode Editions, 4/5/25) is a memoir in poems. That’s what made me want to read and review it. But when I opened the book and began to read I understood why so many memoir instructors and instructions suggest that all writers should read poetry—for the language. The language throughout this book […]
“Lying In” by Barbara G. Tucker
October 13, 2025 by Leave a Comment
Barbara G. Tucker is proof that exquisite storytelling can and does happen far from the massive New York City publishing houses with their army of gatekeepers and yes-men and women whose focus is less on craft and more on fickle trends in the market. Her brilliantly-written novel, Lying In, (Colorful Crow Publishing 2024) explores the […]
“That Which Binds Us” by Cathy Rigg
September 2, 2025 by Leave a Comment
In an exploration of the influences that bind us to people and place, to conviction and dream, Cathy Rigg’s That Which Binds Us makes a tumultuous journey from 1854 to 1866. Set in the mountains of southwestern Virginia and told from the perspective of five first-person characters, the novel rings with intimacy and authenticity, deftly […]
“Charlotte’s Story,” by Laura Benedict
October 31, 2016 by Leave a Comment
Reviewed by Donna Meredith Charlotte’s Story (Pegasus Crime, 2015), by Laura Benedict, takes your classic Southern gothic novel and spices it up a notch with a whodunit. If you like gothic and mystery, this spooky tale is sure to entertain. The story takes place in 1957 in Old Gate, Virginia, on a picturesque estate complete […]
“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. […]