Books that evoke special times
Sometimes a book touches our hearts in a very special way. In the winter and spring of 1978, having saved…
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Leaving no doubt behind
About 15 years ago, one frequent guest at our bed and breakfast here in Waynesville was a Mrs. Irene Harrison,…
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Modern twist on southern gothic
Dear readers, your attention, please! Hailing from the backwater town of Alexandria, Miss., allow me to introduce 12-year-old Harriet Dufresnes!…
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A look at three self stories
After reading three autobiographies in less than 10 days, I emerged from the encounter feeling much like a lover who…
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Undressing: Sex, scandal and character
Campus Sexpot: A Memoir! by David Carkeet. The University of Georgia Press, 2005. 137 pages. Before I was 10 pages…
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Wonderful words
Like many of my fellow writers and readers, I am a sucker for word books. I love dictionaries —…
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A troubled talent
I Put a Spell on You: The Autobiography of Nina Simone by Nina Simone and Stephen Cleary. New York: Pantheon…
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Cupid’s reading list
Valentine’s Day is just around the bend, and for anyone with even a breath of romance in the heart —…
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A proper burial: The story of a wife who finds purpose transforming her Tennessee plantation into a hospital and cemetery during the Civil War
Franklin, Tennessee. It is November 1864, and many of us (Civil War buffs) have been here before. We recognize this…
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Pre-school to pirates, reading is still fun-damental
Preschool children are normally as full of questions as a quiz show host on a fast night. They want to…
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Ishiguro’s novel raises troubling questions for modern humanity
“And so we stood together like that, at the top of that field for what seemed ages, not saying anything,…
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The groveling underside of therapy
In One Nation Under Therapy: How the Helping Culture Is Eroding Self-Reliance (ISBN 0-312-30443-9, $23.95), Christina Hoff Sommers, author of…
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At least I got the books
When I heard the screen door slam, I knew she was gone. I made it to the window just in…
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Mind those manners
Talk To the Hand #?*!: The Utter Bloody Rudeness of the World Today, or Six Good Reasons to Stay Home…
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Exploring Shakespeare
Shakespeare: The Biography by Peter Ackroyd. Random House, 2005. 572 pages. Yikes! Saints and guardian angels defend us! It is yet…
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Make way for the holidays
The Compleat Gentleman by Brad Miner. Spence Publishing, 2004. 264 pages. The Truth of the Matter by Robb Forman Dew.…
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In search of Will: One book falls short while another succeeds
Shortly after completing Cold Mountain, Charles Frazier discussed the possible subject of his next novel. Frazier said that he wanted…
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Remembering the Civil War
This year marks 140 years since the end of the American Civil War. In that time a gigantic library of…
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Lessons of war: Learning from the Spanish Civil War – the only time in history when Anarchists came to power
By Michael Beadle It’s no secret the “War in Iraq” is not going well. Even the most optimistic reports show…
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Zoro's Field wins state non-fiction prize
Author Thomas Rain Crowe has been selected to receive the 2005 Ragan Old North State Award for his naturalist-based work…
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Christmas reading: Some holiday ideas ranging from Christmas to religion in America
This week letÕs peruse three unrelated books whose only commonality lies in the fact that they were either written by…
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We are amusing ourselves to death
When I am at home, the TV is usually on. I like the company, and since I am almost deaf,…
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Harvey turns a supernatural eye to modern technology
Something is out of joint in the little fishing village of Bareneed on the coast of Newfoundland. The rules that…
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Freakwater offers up steely South
Every now and then a disc arrives that I have absolutely no idea what to do with. Freakwater’s latest, Thinking…
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