Parnassus Books

White Horse by Erika T. Wurth

, , , , ,
White Horse by Erika T. Wurth
buy this book

Buy from your local indie.
Get the audiobook on Libro.fm

Indigenous woman Kari James loves heavy metal, Stephan King novels, and her local bar. When her cousin unearths a bracelet that belonged to Kari’s mother, Kari is suddenly haunted by both her mother and a horrible entity. In order to rid herself of both spirits, Kari will have to face her past and unearth secrets about her family. This engrossing debut blends horror with mystery with a deft hand, and I look forward to what Wurth does next.

White Horse by Erika T. Wurth (List Price: $27.99, Flatiron Books, 9781250847652, November 2022)

Reviewed by Chelsea Stringfield, Parnassus Books in Nashville, Tennessee

Mistakes Were Made by Meryl Wilsner

, , , , , ,
Mistakes Were Made by Meryl Wilsner
buy this book

Buy from your local indie.
Get the audiobook on Libro.fm

An October 2022 Read This Next! Title

There is something that happens when you take an age old trope (age-gap or best friend’s dad) and make it queer that breathes new life into the story. So many chili peppers for this book. Sheesh.

Mistakes Were Made by Meryl Wilsner, (List Price: $16.99, St. Martin’s Griffin, 9781250841001, October 2022)

Reviewed by Katie Garaby, Parnassus Books in Nashville, Tennessee

They’re Going to Love You by Meg Howrey

,
They're Going to Love You by Meg Howrey
buy this book

Buy from your local indie.
Get the audiobook on Libro.fm

I adored They’re Going to Love You so much that a part of me is convinced that Meg Howrey wrote it for me, specifically. This is such a gorgeous novel about being an artist in the modern world, the sacrifices we make and the people we hurt. When I hit the last page, I didn’t want to let these characters go—I adored every word.

They’re Going to Love You by Meg Howrey (List Price: $28, Doubleday, 9780385548779, November 2022)

Reviewed by Lindsay Lynch, Parnassus Books in Nashville, Tennessee

Solito by Javier Zamora

, , ,
Solito by Javier Zamora
buy this book

Buy from your local indie.

This is one of the most riveting memoirs I have ever read- Zamora captures his experience as a child migrant with extraordinary detail and emotion. It feels special to read a memoir that manages to stay true to the confusion of childhood in a very adult scenario and the uncertainty of migration while also not shying away from the kindness he was shown and the gratitude he so clearly feels towards those that helped him.

Solito by Javier Zamora, (List Price: $28, Hogarth, 9780593498064, September 2022)

Reviewed by Cat Bock, Parnassus Books in Nashville, Tennessee

Melt With You by Jennifer Dugan

, , , , ,
Melt With You by Jennifer Dugan
buy this book

Buy from your local indie.

Fallon would rather forget about her hookup with her BFF Chloe right before Chloe left for college, but her mom’s ice cream truck business has other plans. Fallon is a protagonist who is easy to cheer for, and I was so invested in the rivals-to-lovers, will-they-won’t-they romance. This is a delightful, perfect novel for summer, made even better by the ice cream puns.

Melt With You by Jennifer Dugan, (List Price: $17.99, G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers, 9780593112564, May 2022)

Reviewed by Chelsea Stringfield from Parnassus Books in Nashville, TN

Woman of Light by Kali Fajardo-Anstine

, , , , , ,
Woman of Light by Kali Fajardo-Anstine
buy this book

Buy from your local indie.

A June 2022 Read This Next! Title!

I get that the term "transportive" is overused in blurbs, but I don’t know how else to describe this gorgeous novel from Kali Fajardo-Anstine. I was swept away by Woman of Light, which follows five generations of the Lopez family from the nineteenth century into the 1930s, spanning across the Western territories of America. In beautiful, decadent prose, Fajardo-Anstine shows us everything from traveling circus acts and fortune tellers, to turn of the century Denver nightlife, house parties and wedding festivities. This is a love letter to the American West that was left out of the classic cowboy films, to the Indigenous and Latinx communities who have lived there for centuries. I loved every word.

Woman of Light by Kali Fajardo-Anstine, (List Price: 28, One World, 9780525511328, June 2022)

Reviewed by Lindsay Lynch, Parnassus Books in Nashville, Tennessee

Kings of B’more by R. Eric Thomas

, , , ,
Kings of B'more by R. Eric Thomas
buy this book

Buy from your local indie.

This is truly a novel for both teens and adults. I’m Gen X and saw Ferris Bueller’s Day Off in the theater back in the day and absolutely loved this plot! R. Eric captures the essence of teen friendship – how it really is your whole world once you start getting ready to fly the nest. His characters all have really interesting relationships with both peers and parents – no one is having the same experience yet they are all listening to and supporting one another. R. Eric is the funniest man on earth, and I knew I’d love this book.

Kings of B’more by R. Eric Thomas, (List Price: $18.99, Kokilas, 9780593326183, May 2022)

Reviewed by Sissy Gardner, Parnassus Books in Nashville, Tennessee

Four Treasures of the Sky by Jenny Tinghui Zhang

, , , ,
Four Treasures of the Sky by Jenny Tinghui Zhang
buy this book

Buy from your local indie.

Bold and breathtaking, Four Treasures of the Sky redefines the American Western novel. Jenny Tinghui Zhang’s debut spans from China to Idaho, following the journey of Daiyu, a young Chinese girl kidnapped from her home and sent overseas to America. In Daiyu, Zhang has given us one of the most memorable narrators I’ve ever come across–even as Daiyu endures the racism and brutality of the American West, she speaks with resilience and grace. Daiyu’s story might be set in the nineteenth century, but it resonates so strongly with today’s world. This is the kind of historical fiction that prompts us to reevaluate what we know of this country’s history and leaves us better for having done so. I can’t wait to see what Jenny Tinghui Zhang does next.

Four Treasures of the Sky by Jenny Tinghui Zhang, (List Price: $27.99, Flatiron Books, 9781250811783,  April 2022)

Reviewed by Lindsay Lynch from Parnassus Books in Nashville, Tennessee

Goldenrod by Maggie Smith

, ,
Goldenrod by Maggie Smith
buy this book

Buy from your local indie.

Poignant, raw, and fresh, Smith’s new collection of poems explores motherhood, grief, divorce, and the many complexities of weathering a pandemic. Her clear voice and effortless creation of images makes this collection a delight to read.

Goldenrod by Maggie Smith, (List Price: $20, Atria/One Signal Publishers, 9781982185060,  July 2021)

Reviewed by Hannah Kerbs, Parnassus Books in Nashville, Tennessee

Graceland, At Last by Margaret Renkl

, , , , ,
Graceland, At Last by Margaret Renkl
buy this book

Buy from your local indie.

Margaret’s weekly New York Times columns about culture in The South call out our many failures while describing in beautiful detail what makes our part of America so beautiful. Just when I think there’s no possible way to capture the tension between the terrible and the special, Margaret’s words are there to express what I am feeling.

Graceland, At Last by Margaret Renkl, (List Price: $26.00, Milkweed Editions, 9781571311849, September 2021)

Reviewed by Sissy Gardner, Parnassus Books in Nashville, Tennessee


I Must Betray You by Ruta Sepetys

, , ,
I Must Betray You by Ruta Sepetys
buy this book

Buy from your local indie.

Ruta Sepetys tackles the little-known subject of communist Romania with the gut-wrenching, suspenseful story of Cristian. He dreams of writing but instead is blackmailed to turn on everyone he loves. His story explores the endurance of the human spirit even in the toughest circumstances.

I Must Betray You by Ruta Sepetys, (List Price: $18.99, Philomel Books, 9781984836038, February 2022)

Reviewed by Chelsea Stringfield from Parnassus Books in Nashville, Tennessee


The Eye Test by Chris Jones

, ,
The Eye Test
buy this book

Buy from your local indie.

Jones looks back on a career of studying fascinating individuals for his journalism, and in doing so reveals a truth he’s learned: analytics are helpful, but human passion, experience, and imagination are the things that count in the end. A great storyteller, Jones’s subjects include doctors, sports figures, entertainers, writers, cops, scientists, businesspeople, and more. He found that effective specialists learn, watch, and then act in a way that pushes society towards being better. They use both expertise and their minds. Models and formulas help with this, but they are limited because they rely on what has happened before. Sometimes new and crazy things happen; then they’re kind of useless. My favorite quote: “We do our best work when we remember our humanity, especially when it’s hard to remember it.”

The Eye Test by Chris Jones, (List Price: $29.00, Twelve, 9781538730676, January 2022)

Reviewed by Sissy Gardner, Parnassus Books in Nashville, Tennessee

Mouth to Mouth by Antoine Wilson

,
Mouth to Mouth
buy this book

Buy from your local indie.

As a Patricia Highsmith superfan, I’m always drawn to a sleek novel about the harrowing secrets and misdeeds of the upper class. I’m pleased to say that Antoine Wilson delivers. His latest, Mouth to Mouth, is a compact tour-de-force featuring an intoxicating antagonist with a level of self-delusion that would make Highsmith proud.

Mouth to Mouth by Antoine Wilson, (List Price: 26, Avid Reader Press, Simon & Schuster, 9781982181802, January 2022)

Reviewed by Lindsay Lynch, Parnassus Books in Nashville, Tennessee

Olga Dies Dreaming by Xochitl Gonzalez

,
Olga Dies Dreaming
buy this book

Buy from your local indie.

Written with sharp humor and a keen eye, Olga Dies Dreaming is one the most exciting debuts I’ve read in a long time. Xochitl Gonzalez has given us an unforgettable cast of characters—I loved unraveling the Acevedo family history in all of its messiness and tenderness. Don’t miss this one!

Olga Dies Dreaming by Xochitl Gonzalez, (List Price: $27.99, Flatiron Books, 9781250786173, January 2022)

Reviewed by Lindsay Lynch, Parnassus Books in Nashville, Tennessee

When You Get the Chance by Emma Lord

, , ,
When You Get the Chance
buy this book

Buy from your local indie.

Millie’s summer is turned upside down when she finds her father’s old Livejournal that hints at her absent mother’s identity. Already obsessed with Mamma Mia! and all things Broadway, Millie tracks down three women and wedges herself into their lives. With a great cast of secondary characters and a slow-burn romance, Millie’s journey of self-discovery and growth is a delightful read.

When You Get the Chance by Emma Lord, (List Price: $18.99, Wednesday Books, 9781250783349, January 2022)

Reviewed by Chelsea Stringfield, Parnassus Books in Nashville, Tennessee

Scroll to Top