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Wednesday, 11 January 2012 15:13

Readings, signings at City Lights

Suzanne Raether will read from and sign her novel, Judaculla, at 7 p.m. on Friday, Jan.  13, at City Lights Bookstore.   Set in Jackson County, Judaculla tells the story of Timothy Fletcher, a 19-year-old WCU student athlete and his…
Wednesday, 11 January 2012 15:13

Plott to read from‘Colorful Characters of the Smokies’

Bob Plott will discuss his newest book, Colorful Characters of the Great Smoky Mountains, at 3 p.m. on Jan. 14 at Blue Ridge Books. Plott is a North Carolina native who can trace his family roots in the Old North…
Wednesday, 11 January 2012 15:12

Blanton to tell stories at Jackson Library, Jan. 17

The Jackson County Public Library in Sylva will host Sylva resident Curtis Blanton for an evening of storytelling and tall tales at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan.17, in the Community Room. Always a careful listener to the tales told by…
Wednesday, 11 January 2012 15:10

Intrigue, violence and opium in Oslo

The Leopard marks the eighth crime novel featuring the chain-smoking alcoholic Inspector Harry Hole of the Oslo Police Department, an agency that is rife with political intrigue, corruption and ineptitude. However, since Hole is immune to politics, doesn’t take bribes…
Thursday, 05 January 2012 03:42

Submission being accepted for fiction prize

The North Carolina Writers’ Network is now accepting submissions for its 2012 Doris Betts Fiction Prize. The competition is named in honor of author and North Carolina native Doris Betts, a three-time winner of the Sir Walter Raleigh Award and…
Thursday, 05 January 2012 03:42

Pulitzer Prize nominated writer to speak at Blue Ridge Books

The Mountain Writers of North Carolina will meet at 1 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan.10, at Blue Ridge Books in Waynesville. David Madden, an expert in the art of the revision process, is the guest speaker. Madden earned an M.A. at San…
Thursday, 05 January 2012 03:40

Planning a year of purposeful reading

The New Year’s resolution typically leads a short and tragic life. Its father is misdeeds, its mother remorse. Once born, the resolution swarms about its maker as irritating as a fruit fly. Often, too, it lives no longer than the…
Wednesday, 28 December 2011 14:01

Separating the good guys from the bad

About 20 years ago, the book collector’s magazine “First” published an impressive article on George Pelecanos, a new writer that was not only imminently collectable, but was (in their opinion) destined to “change the face of crime fiction.” That was…
Wednesday, 28 December 2011 14:00

Suzanne Raether at City Lights

Suzanne Raether will read from and sign her novel, Judaculla, Friday, at 7 p.m. on Jan.13 at City Lights Bookstore in Sylva. Set in Jackson County, Judaculla tells the story of Timothy Fletcher, a 19-year-old WCU student athlete who discovers…
Wednesday, 28 December 2011 13:58

“Coffee with the Poet” series kicks off new year

Michael Revere will present his poetry for the January “Coffee with the Poet” series at 10:30 a.m. on Jan. 19 at City Lights Bookstore. He has written several books, including, War, Madness and Love, What Co$t Freedom, and an audio…
Wednesday, 21 December 2011 14:54

Nicholson returns to City Lights with a trio of new horror novels

Scott Nicholson will visit City Lights Bookstore to present and sign his three latest horror novels: Chronic Fear, Liquid Fear and his short story collection, Monster Ink, at 6p.m. on Dec. 21. Nicholson lives in Western North Carolina and is…
Wednesday, 21 December 2011 14:53

A season to reconnect with familiar stories

That time of year has arrived when ritual and custom weave their magical threads into our lives. We sip Uncle George’s eggnog and bourbon, made from a recipe which his Uncle George inherited; we feast on ham at Grandma’s table;…
Wednesday, 14 December 2011 21:47

Local author places in national book award program

Author Deanna K. Klingel of Sapphire was recently awarded the bronze medal in the children’s literature division of the National Stars and Flags Book Award Program for her book Avery’s Battlefield. The book, set during the American Civil War, tells…
Wednesday, 14 December 2011 21:46

Tuscola’s Brooke Palay wins poetry competition

Eleven students from Haywood County high schools competed in the second Poetry Out Loud district competition at Tuscola High School Dec. 1. Brooke Palay from Tuscola High School won the district championship. Ali O’Kelly from Tuscola High School was first…
Wednesday, 14 December 2011 21:45

Coffee with the Poet: ‘Women’s Spaces and Women’s Places’

Join City Lights Bookstore for the Coffee with the Poet series at 10:30 a.m., Dec. 15, for a presentation of two anthologies by Western North Carolina women writers. “Women’s Spaces Women’s Places explores idea of giving a woman room of…
Wednesday, 14 December 2011 21:37

A ‘kafka-esque’ story that offers redemption

Saddle up, kind hearts. I have a winner. Like most good things, this book came to me from a good friend who is in a position to read books that I would normally never see. Knowing something of my eccentric…
Wednesday, 07 December 2011 14:32

‘Moonshiner’s Daughter’ at Penland & Sons, Marshall

Mary J. Messer, author of the Appalachian memoir Moonshiner’s Daughter, will read from her book and answers questions from the audience from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Dec 10 at the Penland & Sons Department Store in Marshall. Messer’s…
Wednesday, 07 December 2011 14:31

Barbara Bates Smith’s ‘Deck the Halls with Southern Writers’

Friends of the Haywood Public Library will present Barbara Bates Smith will appear in the one-woman play Christmas play “Deck the Halls with Southern Writers” at 3 p.m. on Dec. 11 in the Waynesville Library auditorium. This new play was…
Wednesday, 07 December 2011 14:30

WCU students to share works

Creative writing students from Western Carolina University will read original works at 6 p.m. on Dec. 13 at City Lights Bookstore in Sylva. During the two-hour event, 17 students from an advanced fiction writing class at WCU will read selections…
Wednesday, 07 December 2011 14:28

When it comes to books, here is what women want

“What do women want?” During the month of December, Sigmund Freud’s famous question haunts the minds of many men. Unlike the perturbed analyst, however, men face a more practical and restricted version of this question, specifically: “What do women —…
Wednesday, 30 November 2011 21:26

‘First Creation’ available Dec. 3

The Highlands-Cashiers Land Trust’s acclaimed coffee table book, First Creation, will be available at Shakespeare & Co. bookstore in Cashiers from 12:30-2 p.m. on Dec. 3. The book was published to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Highlands-Cashiers Land Trust’s…
Wednesday, 30 November 2011 21:12

Disturbing crime novel covers some dark ground

Deer hunters call it “field dressing.” The dead deer is suspended head down from a sturdy tree limb and the hunter eviscerates the deer, leaving all internal organs on the ground. The carcass is much lighter after the organs are…
Wednesday, 23 November 2011 14:58

Selections for your favorite bibliophile

The rigors of holiday shopping are hard upon us, and bibliophiles, like everyone else, will turn their eyes toward bookshops, online stores and e-books to make purchases for their families and friends. It’s also that time of the season when…
Wednesday, 23 November 2011 14:57

‘Moonshiner’s Daughter’ book signing at WCU bookstore

Mary J. Messer, author of the Appalachian memoir Moonshiner’s Daughter, will read from her book and answers questions from the audience from 3:30-5 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 30, at the WCU Bookstore in Cullowhee. Messer’s powerful and often disturbing memoir,…
Wednesday, 16 November 2011 14:14

City Lights celebrates the new edition of ‘Camping and Woodcraft’

City Lights Bookstore will celebrate the release of the new edition of Horace Kephart’s classic, Camping and Woodcraft, at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 19. Included in the new edition are over 40 historic photographs taken by Kephart and George…
Wednesday, 16 November 2011 14:10

A hunt for a murderer and some peace

I am a major Dan Simmons fan, but I had some reservations about signing on for this multi-layered, post-apocalyptic novel about life in the USA following The Day It All Hit the Fan. To tell you the truth, reading Flashback…
Wednesday, 09 November 2011 20:12

Haywood author, Nathan Tracy, to introduce new book

Blue Ridge Books will host local author Nathan B. Tracy at 3 p.m. on Nov. 12 as he introduces his new book, Pack Leader Down. The novel follows a marine insurance adjuster marked for murder by a drug gang as…
Wednesday, 09 November 2011 20:11

David Joy to read from new book

Cullowhee resident and staff writer for the Crossroads Chronicle David Joy will read from his new book, Growing Gills: A Fly Fisherman’s Journey, at 7 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 11. Growing Gills is not just a book about a man…
Wednesday, 09 November 2011 20:09

A haunting look at Hemingway’s life with Pilar

This year marks the 50th anniversary of Ernest Hemingway’s death by suicide. He has remained, of course, an icon of American letters, a legend, a man whose life and art still seem to tower over today’s writers. Only his friend,…
Wednesday, 02 November 2011 19:54

Dingwall introduces new series

Wendy Dingwall will introduce her new Yvonne Suarez mystery series with the first installment, Hera’s Revenge, at 1 p.m. on Nov. 5 at City Lights in Sylva. Travel agent Yvonne Suarez will take you around the globe as she stumbles…
Wednesday, 02 November 2011 19:54

White to read from collection

Charles Dodd White will read from his new short story collection, Sinners of Sanction County, at 7 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 4, at City Lights Bookstore in Sylva. Originally from Atlanta, White now lives in Asheville and teaches English at…
Wednesday, 02 November 2011 19:53

WCU students collecting books for elementary school

Students living in Reynolds Residence Hall of Western Carolina University are seeking new or used books as part of a project to donate them to students at Smokey Mountain Elementary School. The students are trying to collect 1,000 books by…
Wednesday, 02 November 2011 19:45

This is delicious, fast-paced crime fiction

If you are one of those readers who has a grudging respect for outlaws, and if you find yourself sometimes fantasizing about putting on a mask, stealing a fast car — say, a Corvette 706 with 505 horses under the…
Wednesday, 26 October 2011 13:22

Vicki Lane to present latest novel

Vicki Lane returns to City Lights to read from her newest novel, Under The Skin, at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 29. In this haunting tale from the heart of Appalachia, Lane draws together past and present, good and evil,…
Wednesday, 26 October 2011 13:21

New biography reveals insight into life of early Smokies writer

Author George Ellison will be conducting a book signing at the Oconaluftee Visitor Center in Great Smoky Mountains National Park on Wednesday, Oct. 26, and Saturday, Nov. 5, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Ellison is the co-author of the…
Wednesday, 26 October 2011 13:21

Local writer wins award for family history book

Hattie Best Polk of Lake Junaluska won the prestigious Robert Bruce Cooke Family History Book of the Year Award for her manuscript, Out of My Life and Reflections, at the North Carolina Society of Historians annual awards banquet. Polk’s story,…
Wednesday, 26 October 2011 13:18

One a day helps her deal with the grief

In recent years, a few individuals have taken on large reading projects and then written books of their own about their literary odyssey. Reading the entire Encyclopedia Britannica, Adler’s Great Books, various millennium book lists: all have received such treatment.…
Wednesday, 19 October 2011 13:11

Coffee with the Poet continues Oct. 20

City Lights’ “Coffee with the Poet” series continues at 10:30 a.m. on Thursday, Oct. 20 with local artist and author Terry Michelson. Michelson will be reading from her three recent collections, Psalms, Wolven and Sonnets. Her paintings will also be…
Wednesday, 19 October 2011 13:10

‘Every Breath Sings Mountains’ authors to read at Blue Ridge Books and News

Three of the authors who contributed to the poetry book Every Breath Sings Mountains will appear at Blue Ridge Books and News at 3 p.m. on Oct. 22. This book of poetry is published by Voices From the American Land, a…
Wednesday, 19 October 2011 13:09

An intriguing, intricate tale with plenty of twists

When I was a teenager, I became addicted to a late-night horror movie host named Bestoink Dooley. Based in Atlanta, Bistoink came on at midnight, and I can still see his stark-white face and his silly grin, complete with bloody…
Wednesday, 12 October 2011 14:28

Folklorist to tell true ghost stories

Folklorist and author Randy Russell will tell true ghost stories and read from new young adult novel at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 18, at the Canton Branch Library. Asheville-resident Russell is the Edgar-nominated author of five published novels for…
Wednesday, 12 October 2011 14:27

Dodson to read at Blue Ridge Books

Stan Dodson will read from his novel, Poor Memory, at 3 p.m. on Oct. 15 at Blue Ridge Books and News in Waynesville. In Dotson’s novel, a young preacher finds that uncovering the mystery of Memory Bloodsworth, an eccentric old…
Wednesday, 12 October 2011 14:26

Lane to read from newest book of poems

John Lane will be at City Lights at 7 p.m. on Oct. 13 to read from his news book, Abandoned Quarry. The books is a selection of poems from his past and most recent works. Abandoned Quarry takes the reader…
Wednesday, 12 October 2011 14:24

Norma Watkins to read from memoir

Norma Watkins will read from her memoir, The Last Resort, at 7 p.m. on Oct. 14 at City Lights Bookstore in Sylva. The Last Resort begins in childhood at Allison’s Wells, a popular Mississippi spa for proper white people, run…
Wednesday, 12 October 2011 14:20

WCU’s Rash to receive state’s highest civilian honor

Western Carolina University faculty member and writer Ron Rash is one of six North Carolinians chosen to receive the state’s highest civilian honor, the North Carolina Award. Rash, Parris Distinguished Professor of Appalachian Culture at WCU, will receive the award…
Wednesday, 12 October 2011 14:14

The past is not really past

It is no secret that writers are influenced by authors whose work they admire. Though he would later turn his back on them, Ernest Hemingway felt the literary touch of contemporaries such as Sherwood Anderson and Gertrude Stein (his style…
Wednesday, 05 October 2011 13:37

Escape to the backroads with guidebook author

Carolyn Sakowski will read from the third edition of her book, Touring the Western North Carolina Backroads, at noon on Friday, Oct. 7, at City Lights Bookstore in Sylva. Scenery, history and folklore intertwine in 21 unique tours that span…
Wednesday, 05 October 2011 13:33

Skippy Dies: The anguish of being young

Kind Hearts, this is an astonishing book. Frankly, I never would have read this one, if I had not blundered on a comment by Donna Tartt (my pick for our greatest living Southern writer). Recently, when a book store owner…
Wednesday, 28 September 2011 13:29

Teen library meeting in Bryson City

The next teen friends of the library meeting will be held at the Marianna Black Library at 3:30 on Thursday, Sept. 29. Teens are invited to come share their ideas about materials of interest to them, including what sort of…
Wednesday, 28 September 2011 13:28

Wreath-making and heritage at City Lights

Author and culture historian Julia Taylor Ebel will give a reading and wreath-making demonstration at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 1, at City Lights Bookstore in Sylva. Ebel will be reading from her newest book, Mama’s Wreaths. A series of…
Wednesday, 28 September 2011 13:14

A little American history could be enlightening

Often the people, places, and things that we love most in this world become so familiar to us, so much a part of the tissue of our own lives, that only their end or impending loss reminds us of how…
Wednesday, 21 September 2011 14:31

Frazier’s new novel a fast, good read

In a tale set to the tune of Johnny Ace’s “Never Let Me Go” that’s told as if shown through a vintage Bell & Howell movie projector and with an odor of McCallum’s scotch from a previous century on a…
Wednesday, 21 September 2011 14:31

Memoirist and poet visits City Lights

Janisse Ray will read from two of her most recent books at 1 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 28, at City Lights Bookstore in Sylva. Drifting into Darien: A Personal and Natural History of the Altamaha River is a memoir and…
Wednesday, 14 September 2011 12:51

A tribute to fishing and fish

In last week’s The Smoky Mountain News, Gary Carden began his review of Ron Rash’s collection of poems, Waking, by praising the writer’s description of a trout brought home and kept alive in a trough, where “its gills were like…
Wednesday, 14 September 2011 12:50

Author Chris McMillan to read from debut memoir

Local author Chris McMillan will read from her new memoir at 3 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 17, at Blue Ridge Books in Waynesville. Backwards Off the Curb is the story of McMillan who, at 54, decided to leave the comforts…
Wednesday, 14 September 2011 12:50

Revisit the library with special events

In celebration of National Library Card Sign-Up Month, the Haywood County Public Library is joining with other North Carolina libraries to urge citizens to use the smartest card in your wallet. Haywood County Public Library will be celebrating Library Card…
Wednesday, 14 September 2011 12:49

Library to host author Pam Duncan

 Novelist Pamela Duncan will read from and discuss her novels at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 20, at the Jackson County Public Library. Duncan was born in Asheville and raised in Black Mountain, Swannanoa and Shelby, and currently lives in…
Wednesday, 14 September 2011 12:48

Author casts new light on an old ballad

Sharyn McCrumb, author of the Ballad Series of novels, will read from her new book, The Ballad of Tom Dooley, at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 21, at Blue Ridge Books in Waynesville. In this new novel, New York Times…
Wednesday, 14 September 2011 12:48

Author to illuminate the joys of fly fishing

David Joy, the author of the new book Growing Gills: A Fly Fisherman’s Journey, will hold a reading and signing at 3 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 18, at Blue Ridge Books in Waynesville. The event is hosted by Blue Ridge…
Wednesday, 07 September 2011 14:09

Book series to close with Silas House’s ‘The Coal Tattoo’

The Friends of the Haywood Public Library offers the fifth and final book discussion in the Discovering the Literary South series at 4 p.m. on Sept. 15, in the auditorium of the Waynesville library.   The book to be discussed…
Wednesday, 07 September 2011 14:09

City Lights hosts special story time guest, Gail Nolen

Join a special story time with author Gail Nolen at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 10, at City Lights Bookstore in Sylva. Nolen will read from her book, Johnny, My Favorite Mouse. Based on a true story, this book tells…
Wednesday, 07 September 2011 14:08

Political writer to read in Sylva

Martin A. Dyckman, a retired associate editor of the St. Petersburg Time who lives part of the year in Waynesville, will discuss Florida political history and present his latest book, Reubin O’D. Askew and the Golden Age of Florida Politics…
Wednesday, 07 September 2011 14:07

Writing that transcends the mystery genre

The fierce Santa Ana winds that blow through southern California are as much a recurring character in The Triggerman’s Dance as any of the troubled (and often doomed) people who scheme, deceive and betray each other in this tension-ridden novel.…
Wednesday, 31 August 2011 13:02

Local author published “breathtaking” tabletop designs

Kathryn Greeley of Waynesville has published The Collected Tabletop, a book showcasing ways to create “easy, fun, and breathtaking tabletop designs that will make any occasion memorable,” says its publisher. For each of the 13 events described in The Collected…
Wednesday, 31 August 2011 13:02

Girl in Hyacinth Blue to be discussed at the book group

Book Ends, the book discussion group at the Jackson County Public Library, will gather for the first time in the new library at 7 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 12, to discuss the book Girl in Hyacinth Blue by Susan Vreeland.…
Wednesday, 31 August 2011 12:59

Seek truth, good and beauty

According to recent polls, Americans are angry. They are angry about the economy, about the role of government in their lives, about the direction their country has taken. They are angry with the president and with the Congress. Some are…
Wednesday, 24 August 2011 12:29

Ron Rash to read from new poetry collection

Ron Rash will visit City Lights Bookstore to read from his first poetry book in 10 years, Waking, at 1 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 28. Rooted in places such as Watauga County, Goshen Creek and Dismal Mountain, the poems in…
Wednesday, 24 August 2011 12:28

McDarris reads from new book at Blue Ridge Books

Local author Vivian McDarris will read from her recent book, Black Fog, at 3 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 27, at Blue Ridge Books in downtown Waynesville. Of her writing, McDarris says, “stories have echoed through generations of my family; from…
Wednesday, 24 August 2011 12:19

Rash’s new book of poetry evocative, resonant

When I was nine years old, I once caught a 12-inch brown trout at the point where two small Jackson County streams, Cope Creek and Scotts Creek, converge. I ran all the way home with the fish in a large,…
Wednesday, 17 August 2011 13:59

Story time with Sara Doolittle

Franklin resident Sara Doolittle will be at City Lights Bookstore in Sylva at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 20, for a special story time featuring her first picture book, Lillie’s Smile. Her book was inspired by memories of her maternal…
Wednesday, 17 August 2011 13:58

Coffee with the Poet Series to feature Mary Adams

WCU professor Mary Adams will read from her work at 10:30 a.m. on Thursday, Aug. 18, at City Lights Bookstore in Sylva. The reading is part of the Coffee with the Poet series. Adams has two collections of poetry, Epistles…
Wednesday, 17 August 2011 13:58

Living the easy life can be hard

Author Lynne Hinkey will read from her book Marina Melee at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 20, at Blue Ridge Books in downtown Waynesville. Marina Melee follows George Marshall, freshly divorced for the third time and fired from his “allowance”…
Wednesday, 17 August 2011 13:56

John Still’s posthumous novel ‘heart-rending’

When I was a child riding the backroads of Western North Carolina with my grandfather in his big red Esso truck, he used to point out abandoned farms to me. Many of the barns and houses were branded with the…
Wednesday, 10 August 2011 13:44

Influential Shook family history chronicled in historical fiction

Franklin resident Robert Shook will read from his novel, A Journey in Courage, at 2 p.m. on Saturday, August 13, at City Lights Bookstore in Sylva. This historical fiction piece captures the legacy of the Shook family and spins a…
Wednesday, 10 August 2011 13:43

Test your wizarding skills with a Harry Potter party

Get your wands ready for a Harry Potter back-to-school party at 3 p.m. on Saturday, August 20, at Blue Ridge Books in downtown Waynesville. Come for an afternoon filled with activities for wizards and muggles alike. There will be a…
Wednesday, 10 August 2011 13:42

McCullough makes 19th century Paris come alive

“At last I have come into a dreamland.” So wrote Harriet Beecher Stowe shortly after her arrival in Paris in June of 1853. Stowe had gone to Paris for the same reasons Americans still visit the City of Light: a…
Wednesday, 03 August 2011 13:34

Authors of young adult lit to appear at City Lights

A panel discussion of young adult literature will be held at City Lights Bookstore in Sylva at 1 p.m. on Saturday, August 6, featuring three young authors: Beth Revis, Myra McEntire and Victoria Schwab. Revis is the author of Across…
Wednesday, 03 August 2011 13:34

Libraries engage dogs to get children to practice reading

Maya, a golden retriever reading assistance dog, will be at the Bryson City Library at 1 p.m. this Saturday, August 6, for children who would like to read to her. Maya and her handler, Bobbie Mosher, are part of a…
Wednesday, 03 August 2011 13:32

A collection of dark plots and twisted characters

Back in 1987, a young West Virginia writer, Pinckney Benedict, published a highly lauded collection of short stories entitled Town Smokes. In some instances, the critical response was a bit excessive. Benedict was hailed as a “new voice in Southern…
Wednesday, 31 December 2008 16:14

Today’s boys

The Trouble With Boys: A Surprising Report Card on Our Sons, Their Problems at School, and What Parents and Educators Must Do by Peg Tyre. Crown, 2008. 320 pages. For the last 30 years, many teachers and parents have understood…
Wednesday, 24 December 2008 15:39

Music for the land

Dirt Music by Tim Winton. Scribner and Sons, 2003. 411 pages. Well, dear reader, we are about to discuss a remarkable book. It has been a while since I read anything that qualified as innovative in both style and content,…
Wednesday, 17 December 2008 15:16

Russell’s ‘dog of a book’

Dreamers of the Day by Mary Doria Russell. Random House, 2008. 272 pages. One of the great delights in browsing library shelves or bookstores is to encounter a totally unfamiliar book which seems to promise, from the first touch of…
Wednesday, 03 December 2008 14:21

Vintage King

Just After Sunset by Stephen King. Scribner and Sons, 2008. 367 pages. Unlike the majority of his peers, Stephen King keeps expanding his territory. Certainly, he could have put down roots in any of a dozen horror genres ranging from…
Wednesday, 03 December 2008 13:20

Bragg explores fatherhood by looking at his dad’s past

The Prince of Frogtown by Rick Bragg. Alfred A. Knopf, 2008. 272 pages. Biography affords the reader a rare chance to walk in another’s shoes, to explore unknown places ranging from the Amazon rainforest to the great uncharted territories of…
Wednesday, 27 July 2011 14:31

Local author speaks on Haywood history

Local author Louise K. Nelson will be at Blue Ridge Books in Waynesville from 1 to 4 p.m. on Saturday, July 30. Nelson has written several books, mainly on Haywood County’s early history. Nelson was born in Haywood County 85…
Wednesday, 27 July 2011 14:29

A sharp portrait of love, friendship and sisterhood

Danielle Ganek’s The Summer We Read Gatsby (ISBN 978-0-670-02178-9, $28.95) tells the story of two half-sisters, Cassie, a translator for a Swiss lifestyle magazine, and Peck, an often-unemployed actress who loves vintage clothing, gossip, and parties. When their cherished Aunt…
Wednesday, 20 July 2011 14:07

Mysterious tribe’s tale

This remarkable book has two protagonists. One is a learned, sophisticated (and somewhat jaded) scholar who has decided to spend the summer in Florence, Italy, “reading Dante and Machiavelli and looking at Renaissance paintings.” However, his plans go awry when…
Wednesday, 13 July 2011 12:42

Dive into “A Virtuous Woman” with book group

The novel A Virtuous Woman by Kaye Gibbons is the next book up for discussion in the series Discovering the Literary South from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. on July 14 at the Waynesville Library. The book is available free of charge at…
Wednesday, 13 July 2011 12:41

Former Senator to read from thriller

Bob Graham, former U.S. senator and former Florida governor will be in Sylva next week to promote his first novel, Keys to the Kingdom. Graham will present the new book, a political thriller, at 4 p.m. on Thursday, July 21,…
Wednesday, 13 July 2011 12:40

Cherokee author shares rare Native American recipes

Cherokee cookbook author and Native American food expert Johnnie Sue Myers will be at Blue Ridge Books in Waynesville at 3 p.m. on Saturday, July 16, signing her new book, The Gathering Place: Traditional Cherokee Dishes, Wild Game Recipes &…
Wednesday, 13 July 2011 12:40

Author shares Hillbilly Tales

Whittier resident and author Patricia Graham will read from her book, Hillbilly Tales from the Smoky Mountains, at 7 p.m. on Friday, July 15 at City Lights Bookstore in Sylva. The book includes several short stories based on the folklore…
Wednesday, 13 July 2011 12:39

Haywood County Friends of the Library annual book sale

The sale features DVDs, CDs, vinyl, puzzles, books on tape/CDs, and of course books in every category. More than 50,000 books will be on sale. In addition to some specially priced higher quality, rare or unique books, most hardcover, soft…
Wednesday, 13 July 2011 12:25

Liberals: Demonic or Liberating

“Look left and right, and be careful.” Your mother probably said those words to you when you were learning to cross the street. Her same admonition might apply to today’s political arena. In one of the summer’s best-sellers, Demonic: How…
Wednesday, 06 July 2011 11:42

Poets read from latest works

City Lights in Sylva presents a reading featuring the poetry of Kathryn Byer and Susan Lefler at 7 p.m. on Friday, July 9. Kathryn Byer, a featured reader at the recent Flannery O’ Conner Festival, will read from her new…
Wednesday, 06 July 2011 11:21

Murder, sex and celebrities — 1920 style

Well, kind hearts, as they used to say back in the Jazz Age, this one is “the bee’s knees.” Set in the roaring 1920’s, Ron Hansen’s new novel is based on the sensational 1927 murder trial and execution of Ruth…
Wednesday, 22 June 2011 14:00

Rash finishing new book

Western Carolina University faculty member and writer Ron Rash is putting the final touches on his new novel even as he is honored for the contributions he has made to Southern literature through his previous novels, short stories and poems.…
Wednesday, 22 June 2011 13:59

Book signing at the Smoky Mountain Firecracker Fest

Local author Barbara Dumas Ballew will be available to sign copies of her novel, George’s Creek to Georgia, July 1 and 2, at the Smoky Mountain Firecracker Fest in Franklin. George’s Creek to Georgia is a journey through four generations…
Wednesday, 22 June 2011 13:57

A new take on the Paris of the ‘20s

Paris in the 1920s attracted multitudes of American writers and artists. Drawn to France by a sense of adventure, by a strong dollar, by French culture, and not least, by the fact that in France the wine and spirits flowed…
Wednesday, 15 June 2011 13:11

Poet Series continues featuring the poetry of Catherine Carter

Catherine Carter, a WCU professor and poet, will read from and discuss her collection of poetry, Memory of Gills, at City Lights Bookstore at 10:30 p.m. on Thursday, June 16. The Coffee with the Poet gathering is an ongoing series…
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