Audio books a real pleasure when traveling
For 16 years, I have made several annual trips between Western North Carolina and Front Royal, Virginia, a town located…
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A nod to the genius of Thomas Wolfe
Where do I start? What can I say of that young man whose wife had left him and who spent…
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Discovering a writer who sings to my heart
Time to have some fun. And Adultolescence (Keywords Press, 2017, 248 pages) is just the place to go for that…
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A few books aimed at new graduates
Dr. Seuss’s Oh, The Places You’ll Go! has become as much a fixture of graduations as a bride’s white dress…
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Mystery novel delves into the opioid crisis
In Elizabethan England, the vast majority of the population drank alcohol rather than unclean water, consuming up to a gallon…
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Sage advice from a clutter of books
Spring cleaning. When we hear those words, we think of washing windows and dusting neglected baseboards, de-cluttering closets, going through…
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Where local and global meet
Do I have one for you! Elaine Neil Orr’s Swimming Between Worlds was recommended to me by Wayne Caldwell and…
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Maybe we’ll never know just what women want
“What do women want?” Sigmund Freud’s famous question crosses the lips of most men at one time or another. Goaded…
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If you’re going through hell: a book and some thoughts
“If you’re going through hell, keep going.” — Winston Churchill By hell, I mean neither a trivial bad-hair day nor that…
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Short book provides intelligent insight
“History is a field of human intentions, deeds, acts. We need to look a little more closely at this field…
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Horrific twister is catalyst for insightful novel
It was April 5, 1936, Palm Sunday, about nine o’clock in the evening. People were tidying up their kitchens, strolling…
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Books that help bridge the political divide
Time for spring-cleaning. The basement apartment in which I live could use a deep cleaning: dusting, washing, vacuuming. It’s tidy…
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Sucking the marrow out of a great word
What’s in a name? In You Are A Badass: How To Stop Doubting Your Greatness And Start Living An Awesome…
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A strange mix of books crosses my desk
The first weeks of 2018 have seen some offbeat books shamble across my desk and into my fingers. First up…
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A tribute to the Lord of Scaly Mountain
While it is difficult to write objectively yet critically about someone whom you know personally or about a book whose…
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Grief and redemption in the wilds of Wyoming
I fled him down the nights and down the days; I fled him down the arches of the years; I…
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Grandfather Mountain’s story makes for fascinating book
Dreamers and schemers. Andre Michaux and Daniel Boone. Yankees and Confederates. Hugh Morton. The mile-high swinging bridge. Tweetsie Railroad. Singing…
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Local histories serve important purpose
For the past two centuries, local historians and writers in England have produced a large number of municipal and county…
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Insightful books to kick off the new year
In early January, I sat with two friends in a café discussing the New Year. We were all coming off…
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The devil is all over this dark tale
Since Luke Bauserman is a folklorist, it is safe to say that many of his characters already exist; some have…
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Mountain in the clouds: a new year’s resolution
There it stood on a sale table, all 11 volumes lined up tight and orderly as cadets on parade, Will…
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Fitzgerald biography looks at his vision of America
“That is the land of lost content, I see it shining plain, The happy highways where I went And cannot…
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Novel whisks one back to the prairie
Sometimes joy and beauty strike like thunderbolts. One minute we are going about our daily routine, minding our own business,…
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Forget the frenzy, settle in with a book
For many of us, Christmas preparations require the endurance of a marathoner and the speed of a lab rat on…
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Looking beyond headlines to where news originates
Every once in a great while, I come away from a book like some near-sighted fourth-grader who has just put…
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Plott hounds hold unique place in WNC history
I had my first encounter with a prize-winning Plott hound several years ago when I was hosting a Liars Bench…
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Thanks to the librarian who ordered this book
How did this happen? I treasure my local public library for its friendly staff, its vibrant programs for my grandchildren,…
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Character has one foot in earth, the other in paradise
Michael D. O’Brien, Canadian novelist and painter, essayist and lecturer, is the author of what I call “door-stop” books. His…
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Masterful work by one of our great writers
A number of Mark Helprin’s works — Winter’s Tale, Memoir From Antproof Case, and more — have appeared on the…
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Book of poetry has a disturbing beauty
If the saying “timing is everything” is true, then John Lane’s new collection of poems by Mercer University Press is…
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New book delves into ‘Death of Europe’
Recently I came across an online article on Powerline regarding French president Emmanuel Macron. I knew little of President Macron,…
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A keen eye for France, and great recipes
Elizabeth Bard’s Lunch In Paris: A Love Story, With Recipes (Little, Brown and Company, 2010, 324 pages) offers readers both…
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My list of notable books set in WNC
This past summer, I reviewed The Leader’s Bookshelf for The Smoky Mountain News. After seven years of interviewing many of…
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Books that transcend the divisiveness
From Thanksgiving dinners to football games, from the floors of Congress to Joe’s Bar & Grill, from universities to kindergartens,…
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Miss Julia’s saga is well worth the read
Miss Julia Springer lives in a small town near Asheville, where she is mourning the death of her husband of…
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A fine novel and worthwhile history lesson
Because Dr. Hood was only one of five professors in Guilford College’s history department, and because history was my major,…
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Making memories, one trip at a time
After reading Doug Woodward’s book You Took the Kids WHERE? and as I write these words, it is still officially…
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Book celebrates ‘all things Appalachian’
Some four years ago, I reviewed Matthew Baker’s first book, My Appalachian Granny, a delightful collection of anecdotes, photographs and…
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A predictable story of love, but one well told
It is late in the day, and 60-year-old Marianne Messmann of Germany stands on the Pont Neuf in Paris. She…
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None too likeable characters, but a good story
Alcohol, alcoholism, and alcoholics appear frequently in literature. Shakespeare’s Falstaff is a son of Bacchus. Lawrence Block’s Matthew Scudder and…
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Book delves into our lingering racial problems
“I refuse to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war…
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Finding meaning in a disordered world
Rod Dreher’s The Benedict Option: A Strategy For Christians In A Post-Christian Nation (Penguin Random House, 2017, 255 pages) has…
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Searching for the 60s
If you are one of those people who thinks that the 1960s hippie culture was only about sex, drugs and…
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Clearing the desk: Part II
In my last review, I mentioned the need to reduce a pile of books I’d read, all of them, new…
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Time to clear the desk, part one
Time to clear the decks — or in my case, the desk. For whatever reason — to escape our poisonous…
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A friendship forged in faith helped change the world
On Nov. 5, 2001, not quite two months after the 9/11 attacks, Lech Walesa spoke at Western Carolina University. Walesa…
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Beaches and great mysteries go hand in hand
For many people, summer means vacation, and vacation means beach. For readers, the beach in turn means packing books to…
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In praise of the local library
Some people are devotees of whiskey, cigars, wine, and craft beer. Some are aficionados of the fine arts, experts on…
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Music from inside the Great Pyramid
Looking for something unique and different? Then I’ve got something for you.
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Hewson’s mysteries should come with a warning
So a friend thrusts a book into your hands and tells you, “You gotta read this one. I know you’ll…
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