A new voice for Southern Appalachian fiction
To review a book or to write a “book review” is to pinpoint its particular presence and its peculiarities. To…
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Jim Harrison lived in servitude to words
In March, Jim Harrison, age 78, died of a heart attack. Harrison was among the most prolific of American writers,…
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Hilarious and serious; two different summer reads
Novels that make me laugh aloud are rare. Two novels, Confederacy of Dunces and Freddy and Fredericka, brought laughter, and…
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The March is filled with unique characters
Several months ago, I was invited to join the Senior Citizen Book Club at the Jackson County Senior Citizen Center.…
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Data shows that we are becoming more religious
In recent years, we have seen a stream of books and authors promoting atheism. Douglas Adams, author of The Hitchhiker’s…
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Teaching children how to succeed at life
Near the end of The Collapse of Parenting: How We Hurt Our Kids When We Treat Them Like Grown-Ups, Dr.…
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Novel mixes Cherokee folklore with real history
This astonishing “novel” was crafted by three multi-talented western Cherokees who live and create in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. It resembles a…
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An epic tale of revenge on the frontier
As you probably know, The Revenant, this astonishing survival tale was recently made into a movie with Leonardo DiCaprio in…
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Crazy little thing called love
Love. What a loaded word. Let’s skip the love of country, the love of family, the love of nature, the love…
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A book about the good news and the bad news
Twenty-five years ago, a pediatrician told my sister that eggs were unhealthy and that she must never serve them to…
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Chaos erupting into beauty
Stephanie Storey’s Oil and Marble, which was released this spring, is not only a page-turner but an eye-opener.
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When disagreeing could still be eloquent
“War is peace. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength.” — George Orwell, 1984 For the past year, Americans have endured…
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New light on Salem Witch Trials
Back in 1954, when I was a freshman at Western Carolina Teachers College (now WCU), the college’s drama department launched…
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Tragedy at Frank Lloyd Wright’s house
In this story, I am God. — Frank Lloyd Wright The title of this nonfiction work, Death in a Prairie…
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Reading great books remains important
Lent, which extends from Ash Wednesday to Easter, is for many Christians a time of fasting and prayer. Some believers…
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Marquez autobiography rich in detail, just like his prose
“It is not true that people stop pursuing dreams because they grow old, they grow old because they stop pursuing…
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A few nuggets from books only partly read
Books brought home from the library: The Art of Grace; Keep It Fake; The Churchill Factor; The Fellowship; South Toward…
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Katrina-spawned novel finally getting its due
Hurricane Katrina spawned an awesome number of literary works, and it may be that, given sufficient time to determine the full…
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Florence King: a biting wit that took no prisoners
In Withering Slights: The Bent Pin Collection (National Review Books, 2015, ISBN 978-0-9847650-3-4, 186 pages, $24.95), the recently deceased (she…
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A polite listener for those bizarre stories
I have always been an Art Bell fan, and judging from the extensive archives on YouTube, I am not the…
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Florence King took no prisoners
During a recent discussion in the AP Literature class I teach, I mentioned that the actor Alan Rickman had died…
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The Web is changing us in more ways than we know
In Reclaiming Conversation, author Sherry Turkle notes that significant changes sometimes come to our daily lives without our noticing, until…
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Start off with something old, something new
With the new year now upon us, it strikes me that “something old” and “something new” is appropriate for this…
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A look at religion and the ‘misfits for Jesus’
Nadia Bolz-Weber is the founder of the House for All Sinners and Saints in Denver, Colorado. She defines herself as…
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A man addicted to reading and writing
My name is Joe Ecclesia. On a recent December Saturday, when I interviewed Jeff Minick about his new novel, Dust…
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E.M. Forster 1907 novel relevant today
When I was in graduate school at Western Carolina University back in 1970, I encountered a remarkable teacher, Dr. Louise…
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Courage, greed and political intrigue in Peru
When we think of Peru, we think of captivating pictures of Machu Picchu. We’ve all seen them. Some of us…
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Forschen novel looks at collapse a year later
In the spring of 2011, there appeared William Forschen’s One Second After, a novel set in Black Mountain, North Carolina,…
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‘Dead White Guys’ ideas still relevant
Whatever our denominations or religious beliefs, many of us are familiar with the old adage of this season: “Peace on…
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King is spot on with new short story collection
Being a lifelong Stephen King fan, I have always been pleased to note that King is always keenly aware of…
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Irving still churning out sublime writing
Avenue of Mysteries is John Irving’s fourteenth novel and it marks another amazing tale from an author who has been…
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Rash’s poetic prose infuses new novel
“How near at hand it was If they had eyes to see it.” —G.M. Hopkins
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Four short reviews to help clear the desk
In the last month, my reading of books has outstripped my reviews. Consequently, stacks of books surround the desk at…
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Women writers who took me by the hand
Many readers — and I am one of them — are fascinated by books lists. There are scores of these…
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A post-apocalyptic world fuels sci-fi novel
Back in the ‘60s, I went on a science fiction bender that lasted a decade.
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Let’s go surfin’ now …
In a surfing genre memoir complete with a SurferMagazine, globe-trotting storyline, all set to a 1960s rock & roll soundtrack,…
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Touchstones: Seven novels that carry weight
English writer Graham Greene used to divide his literary works into entertainments, which we might call thrillers, and novels, which…
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A tragic, lively tale of 18th century London
Being a historical fiction addict, I have always loved books about London, a city that has been around for over…
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Fabulous novel is rife with words of wisdom
In The Little Paris Bookshop (Crown Publishers, 2015, 400 pages), novelist Nina George, who lives in both Germany and France,…
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Book explores persecution of early Japanese Christians
In 1549, Jesuit priest Francis Xavier, two companions, and a Japanese translator entered Japan, seeking to bring the Gospel into…
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Essays highlight breadth of Styron’s knowledge
Some 30 years ago or so, William Styron — the acclaimed author of novels like The Confessions of Nat Turner…
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WNC’s African-American history
This is a monumental work. Ann Miller Woodford has gathered an astonishing amount of information, including old letters, church records, unpublished…
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Collection manages to combine horror and comedy
There aren’t many successful horror fiction writers who are described as comical and/or whimsical. The terms seem incompatible. You don’t…
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Interesting book draws some unusual conclusions
We Americans are noted for our ignorance of world geography. Few of us, I imagine, could distinguish Iraq from Iran…
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A second look at Williams classic
In recent years, I have been surprised to learn that it possible for books to win prestigious awards, honors and…
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A traveler’s library; books read and unread
As some readers of this column may know, I have spent the past six weeks in Europe, specifically the British…
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A murder story unlike any other you’ve read
In recent years, literary works that are classified as “investigative reporting” have not only become best sellers, but have lingered…
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Harper Lee’s ‘Watchman’ hits the mark
So, Scout (Jean Louise) comes back home to Maycomb — where “everyone is either kin or almost kin”— at age…
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Discovering Rome with the help of American ex-pats
When we think of American writers living and working overseas, most of us turn to those authors who lived in…
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Manana is a shocking, dark and fantastic read
I have been waiting for this book for a long time. Back in 1978, I read Falling Angel, which was that…
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