Burke again captures the essence of the Bayou
 

Burke again captures the essence of the Bayou

In Creole Belle (ISBN 978-1-4516-4813-3, $27.99), novelist James Lee Burke returns to a territory he now owns in the literary…
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Star Wars family nights in Sylva
 

Star Wars family nights in Sylva

The Jackson County Public Library and City Lights Bookstore in Sylva will both host Star Wars Family Nights this week.…
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Winter has come and Martin turns up the heat
 

Winter has come and Martin turns up the heat

Kind hearts, winter has come. That dire prediction that began over 4,000 pages ago with A Game of Thrones has…
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A thoughtful examination of love and parenting
 

A thoughtful examination of love and parenting

A distracted mother off to the store forgets to shut the door from the kitchen to the garage, puts her…
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Marianna Black Library celebrates freedom to read
 

Marianna Black Library celebrates freedom to read

In honor of National Banned Books Week and to celebrate the freedom to read, the Marianna Black Library in Bryson…
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Tweens and teens to meet at library
 

Tweens and teens to meet at library

The “tween” writing group “Write On!” for 8- to 12-year-olds will meet at 4:30 p.m. on Oct. 4 at the Jackson…
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Coffee with poet Katherine Soniat
 

Coffee with poet Katherine Soniat

Katherine Soniat will discuss her new collection, A Raft, A Boat, A Bridge, at City Lights Bookstore’s Coffee with the…
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New book motivated by Washington, D.C.
 

New book motivated by Washington, D.C.

City Lights bookstore will host Macon County resident Jim Staggers reading from his book, Messages To My Descendents: Please Fix…
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Author comes to Lake Junaluska
 

Author comes to Lake Junaluska

Author Bob Plott will be the speaker for the Lake Junaluska Live and Learn Committee at 2 p.m. Sept. 20…
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Celebrate Bilbo Baggins’ birthday
 

Celebrate Bilbo Baggins’ birthday

City Lights Bookstore will celebrate the 75th anniversary of the publication of The Hobbit and character Bilbo’s birthday on Saturday,…
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Real stories and lessons on how to tell them
 

Real stories and lessons on how to tell them

Here is a book about storytelling that strikes a responsive chord in my own heart. Not only is Mary Hamilton a gifted…
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New book addresses Washington, D.C. gridlock
 

New book addresses Washington, D.C. gridlock

Author Jim Staggers will read from and discuss his book Messages To My Descendents — Please Fix Our Government from…
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A meet, greet and eat with Johnnie Sue Myers
 

A meet, greet and eat with Johnnie Sue Myers

Johnnie Sue Myers, author of The Gathering Place, will visit City Lights Bookstore at 1 p.m. Sept. 16. The Gathering…
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As fall nears, let’s clear the clutter
 

As fall nears, let’s clear the clutter

By early September in these mountains the markers of autumn are very much with us. The cool nights diminish the…
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Author to share insight on touching environmental crusade
 

Author to share insight on touching environmental crusade

Jay Erskine Leutze will discuss his book, Stand Up That Mountain at 6:30 p.m. on Sept. 7 at City Lights Bookstore…
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An environmental saga and a mountain story
 

An environmental saga and a mountain story

By Brent Martin It is a rare event these days to come across a work of non-fiction dealing with any…
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John York returns with new poetry collections
 

John York returns with new poetry collections

Poet John York, whose latest work, Cold Spring Rising, was reviewed in The Smoky Mountain New two months ago, will…
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Maggie Valley innkeeper publishes cookbook
 

Maggie Valley innkeeper publishes cookbook

Ginger Shinn, owner of Smokey Shadows Lodge in Maggie Valley, released a new cookbook A Taste of Smokey Shadows Lodge.…
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Finding kindred souls in the Wyoming backcountry
 

Finding kindred souls in the Wyoming backcountry

Let me begin by telling you that the book title above is misleading. Gerry Spence has more then a dozen published…
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Notable authors to read from novels in progress
 

Notable authors to read from novels in progress

Two award-winning authors, Dawn Gilchrist-Young and Annette Saunooke Clapsaddle, who are also English teachers at Swain County High School, will…
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Discussion on Appalachian folk magic at Sylva bookstore
 

Discussion on Appalachian folk magic at Sylva bookstore

Byron Ballard will discuss her book, Staubs and Ditchwater, at 6:30 p.m., Aug. 31, at City Lights Bookstore in Sylva.…
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Descendent tells haunting story of Bobby Dunbar
 

Descendent tells haunting story of Bobby Dunbar

Blue Ridge Books will host Margaret Dunbar Cutright, the co-author of A Case for Soloman: Bobby Dunbar and the Kidnapping…
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A book a day keeps the bad grades away
 

A book a day keeps the bad grades away

It’s that time of year when yellow buses roll down country roads, when children disappear from the stores and streets…
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Rare book harkens back to a different time
 

Rare book harkens back to a different time

Ramblin’ in Rabun is a reprint of a delightful book that was written down in Clayton, Ga., some 40 years…
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Reading Room news briefs
 

Reading Room news briefs

Real-life mystery talks focus Margaret Dunbar Cutright, author of A Case for Soloman, will be at Blue Ridge Books in…
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Book event includes Asian food tasting
 

Book event includes Asian food tasting

An author reading, book signing, and Vietnamese food tasting with Deanna Klingel, will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday, Aug.…
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Novelist to discuss local struggles
 

Novelist to discuss local struggles

Author Wayne Caldwell will discuss his novel Cataloochee at 6 p.m. on Aug. 9 in the Haywood County Public Library…
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Crisp prose and humor keep novel moving
 

Crisp prose and humor keep novel moving

In her latest novel, Starting From Happy (ISBN 978-1-4391-02185, $24), Patricia Marx, author of Him Her Him Again The End…
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New religions and powerful women aplenty
 

New religions and powerful women aplenty

Well, kind hearts, here we are in the fourth of a five-book series.  At the risk of being accused of…
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Author to present her debut short story collection
 

Author to present her debut short story collection

Stephanie Powell Watts will read from her new collection of short stories, We Are Taking Only What We Need, at 6:30…
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Appalachian authors to read from compilation book
 

Appalachian authors to read from compilation book

Contributors of the Pine Mountain Sand & Gravel Literary Journal will visit City Lights Bookstore at 6:30 p.m. on Friday,…
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Bestselling author Kay Hooper to visit City Lights Bookstore
 

Bestselling author Kay Hooper to visit City Lights Bookstore

Rutherford County resident and New York Times bestselling author Kay Hooper will visit regional bookstores this week to read from…
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Book sale goes into second week
 

Book sale goes into second week

The Haywood Friends of the Library‘s Annual Book Sale will go into the second week on Aug. 3-4. On Friday,…
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Special children’s story time
 

Special children’s story time

Curtis Sikes and Sheena Kohlmeyer will present their new children’s book, The Heart of a King, at 11 a.m. on…
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Medical thriller writer comes to library in Sylva
 

Medical thriller writer comes to library in Sylva

The Jackson County Public Library in Sylva will host author Dennis Murphy at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, July 31, for…
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An erudite look into the cultural wars
 

An erudite look into the cultural wars

Some years ago, a local artist mounted a painting in a local art show in which he painted Christ with…
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What? Me read?
 

What? Me read?

Letters to My Son on the Love of Books by Roberto Coltroneo. Ecco Press, 1998. 151 pages. In the Dec.…
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Big Haywood Friends book sale begins July 28
 

Big Haywood Friends book sale begins July 28

The Friends of the Haywood Library annual book sale begins at 9 a.m. on July 26 and runs through Saturday,…
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Mystery writer to appear at Shakespeare & Co.
 

Mystery writer to appear at Shakespeare & Co.

Frank Foster will sign copies of his recently published thriller, Catch a Falling Knife, at Shakespeare & Co. Books from…
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Martin earns mention alongside Tolkien
 

Martin earns mention alongside Tolkien

I apologize. About a month ago, when I concluded my review of Clash of Kings, I noted that I would…
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Poet to read from new collection
 

Poet to read from new collection

Local poet and artist Terry Michelsen will visit City Lights Bookstore in Sylva to read from her collection of poetry…
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The Highlands Biological Station releases naturalist’s guide
 

The Highlands Biological Station releases naturalist’s guide

The Highlands Biological Station has released Highlands Botanical Garden: A Naturalist’s Guide, a guide to the garden, with maps, historical…
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Book launch for Carden’s play
 

Book launch for Carden’s play

City Lights Bookstore and the Jackson County Public Library in Sylva will celebrate of the release of the book edition…
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Book discussion series ends with Austen’s ‘Persuasion’
 

Book discussion series ends with Austen’s ‘Persuasion’

The Friends of the Haywood County Library is hosting a discussion the last book in the Jane Austen “Let’s Talk…
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Frank’s characters confront moral uncertainties
 

Frank’s characters confront moral uncertainties

What would you do if your teenaged daughter was assaulted, beaten and shot almost to the point of death, and…
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Dig deep and ‘The Father’s Tale’ will reward
 

Dig deep and ‘The Father’s Tale’ will reward

Michael O’Brien’s The Father’s Tale (Ignatius Press, ISBN 978-0-89870-815-8) has more strikes against it than Babe Ruth on a bad…
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Ron Rash to be featured on ‘North Carolina Bookwatch’
 

Ron Rash to be featured on ‘North Carolina Bookwatch’

Ron Rash and his latest novel The Cove will be featured in the season premiere of “North Carolina Bookwatch” on…
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Civil War literature series continues in Waynesville
 

Civil War literature series continues in Waynesville

Friends of the Haywood County Library’s “Let’s Talk About It” series will continue with The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara…
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Retired Miami police detective to speak in Sylva
 

Retired Miami police detective to speak in Sylva

Author Marshall Frank will give a talk at the public library in Sylva at 7 p.m. on July 12 based…
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Snake handlers riveting but cliché
 

Snake handlers riveting but cliché

“... and these signs shall follow those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons, they will speak…
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