Here and Now
"We have an appointment with life that takes place in the present moment." — Thich Nhat Nanh
Living Out Loud
I love color. I don't always wear a lot of it—I learned in New York City that black (and chocolate brown) makes you look skinnier, more chic and shows less …
Swagger and Swing
I began reading Preston Lauterbach's book with a background in rock music, somewhat aware of the history and legends of the blues and the birth of rock 'n' roll. I …
Death by a Thousand Cuts
Adam Ross' "Ladies and Gentlemen" (Knopf, 2011, $26) is a collection of short stories that tell of an indifferent universe and untrustworthy companions who carelessly toss around the nervous men …
Don't Be a Victim
Everyone needs a reminder to review safety rules. But every now and again those rules need to be updated.
Hell in Jackson
Madison Spencer is 13 years old and is in hell. She claims that her death had something to do with marijuana and has a lot to say while sitting in …
Reinventing Charles Frazier
Any discussion of Charles Frazier or his books is inevitably prefaced with a comment such as "You know—the guy who wrote ‘Cold Mountain.'" And while the novel has certainly garnered …
Many Kinds of Magic
It's not every day that I pick up a novel that surprises me on every level and sets all my senses on fire. But this happened with "The Night Circus", …
The No-Name Problem
When feminist leader Betty Friedan passed away in February 2006, traditional and online media were flooded with stories from women who were affected in some way by her 1963 book, …
Mississippi's Storm
Ask any Mississippian, and they'll tell you where they were the week of Aug. 29, 2005, the week Hurricane Katrina hit. They'll tell stories of the eerie silence waiting for …
Cracking a Marriage
Any marriage, good or bad, looks easier from the outside than it ever does when you're inside it. They're like fragile statues, marriages. The slightest crack can cause shattering, even …
Chase Meets Otis
Author and illustrator Loren Long created a book with a farm setting and a tractor as a super hero in "Otis and the Tornado" (Philomel, 2011, $17.99), the follow-up to …
The Football Fanatics Book Shelf
From Friday nights at small-town high schools to Monday evenings in NFL stadiums, fans around the country are ready for some football.
Untangling Knots
On Sept. 22, Lemuria Books (4465 Interstate 55 N., Suite 202) will hold a book signing for Diana Abu-Jaber, author of the new novel, "Birds of Paradise." Abu-Jaber is an …
