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
Goldenrod by Maggie Smith Read More »
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
Graceland, At Last by Margaret Renkl Read More »
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
I Must Betray You by Ruta Sepetys Read More »
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
The Eye Test by Chris Jones Read More »
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
Mouth to Mouth by Antoine Wilson Read More »
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
Olga Dies Dreaming by Xochitl Gonzalez Read More »
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
When You Get the Chance by Emma Lord Read More »
I loved this collection. Collins lets his reader know that he is writing for himself, fully knowing he is not an established poet. I normally do not read poetry, and I felt relaxed and ready to see what he had to say. It was a treat to see a very public person open up like this.
Some Things I Still Can’t Tell You by Misha Collins, (List Price: $14.99, Andrews McMeel Publishing, 9781524870546, October 2021)
Reviewed by Sissy Gardner, Parnassus Books in Nashville, Tennessee
Some Things I Still Can’t Tell You by Misha Collins Read More »
A Fall Read This Next! Selection
I don’t know that I’ve ever come across a book more satisfying to my inner-misanthrope than The Memoirs of Stockholm Sven. Anyone who constantly longs for quiet, feels prickly in an overcrowded space, loves the idea of unfettered alone time: this book is for you. Set in the early twentieth century, The Memoirs of Stockholm Sven follows a man who literally goes to the edge of the earth and settles in the Arctic with a loyal dog as his only companion. Nathaniel Ian Miller has written a novel that, in showing us extreme isolation, reminds us how vital our bonds to this world are. I adored it.
The Memoirs of Stockholm Sven by Nathaniel Ian Miller, (List Price: 28, Little, Brown and Company, 9780316592550, October 2021)
Reviewed by Lindsay Lynch, Parnassus Books in Nashville, North Carolina
The Memoirs of Stockholm Sven by Nathaniel Ian Miller Read More »
After reading the very first page, I knew I’d love this book. Funk’s language is poetic, and the humor is soft and subtle. I braced myself for trauma, but was so delighted to find the interior life of a young girl who wants more out of life than what she sees around her. Universal, old as time, yet fresh and gripping. I saw myself in every page.
Mennonite Valley Girl by Carla Funk, (List Price: 27.95, Greystone Books, 9781771645157, September 2021)
Reviewed by Sissy Gardner, Parnassus Books in Nashville, Tennessee
Mennonite Valley Girl by Carla Funk Read More »
Fun facts and beautiful illustrations combine to make this a must-read book about animals and how they built their amazing homes.
Animal Architects by Amy Cherrix, (List Price: 17.99, Beach Lane Books, 9781534456259, September 2021)
Reviewed by Rae Ann Parker, Parnassus Books in Nashville, Tennessee
Animal Architects by Amy Cherrix Read More »
In the Wild Light is a beautiful tribute to family, friendship, and the natural world. Zentner handles all three subjects with a gentle hand, weaving magical sentences that left me thoughtful and tearful. This is Zentner at his absolute best.
In the Wild Light by Jeff Zentner, (List Price: 17.99, Crown Books for Young Readers, 9781524720247, August 2021)
Reviewed by Chelsea Stringfield, Parnassus Books in Nashville, Tennessee
In the Wild Light by Jeff Zentner Read More »
Names for Light is a beautiful book, astonishing and profound. Despite some of its heaviness — war, colonialism, racism, death — there is such openness and grace. Even in displacement — or perhaps through it — Myint creates a rich sense of all the places that help form the story of her family, however imperfectly. Almost like an elegant procession of prose poems, Names for Light is often at its most powerful when exploring these imperfections — the memories that cannot be reconstructed, the words that cannot be translated, the ghosts that cannot be conjured or dispelled. This book is an achievement and a gift.
Names for Light by Thirii Myo Kyaw Myint, (List Price: 16, Graywolf Press, 9781644450611, August 2021)
Reviewed by Steve Haruch, Parnassus Books in Nashville, Tennessee
Names for Light by Thirii Myo Kyaw Myint Read More »
Millions of women crisscrossed the Atlantic via ocean liners during the first half of the 20th century— glamorous actresses, émigrés seeking new beginnings, and female crewmembers navigating everything from outrageous passenger demands to sinking ships. This witty and engaging social history sails the reader into the golden age of transatlantic travel with portraits of the women whose journeys helped reshape society on both sides of the ocean.
Maiden Voyages by Siân Evans, (List Price: 28.99, St. Martin’s Press, 9781250246462, August 2021)
Reviewed by Erin Cox, Parnassus Books in Nashville, Tennessee
Maiden Voyages by Siân Evans Read More »
Jessie Sima has once again found the direct line to my heart – this time through a personified “haunted” house! This sweet story about a house that is worried about being haunted will resonate with readers who are finding ways to be comfortable in their own skin.
Hardly Haunted by Jessie Sima, (List Price: 17.99, Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 9781534441705, July, 2021)
Reviewed by Chelsea Stringfield, Parnassus Books in Nashville, Tennessee
Hardly Haunted by Jessie Sima Read More »
