Biz Book Shelf
For all you future business leaders of Jackson (and even some established ones), running a business is never easy. Hard work and determination are the keys to victory. But every …
Teresa Nicholas
I've never met writer Teresa Nicholas, but I'm getting to know her quite well. My buddy JoAnne Prichard Morris (who is also an editor of the Jackson Free Press) strongly …
Mystical Alligator Wrestling
When I first picked up "Swamplandia!" (Knopf, 2011, $24.95), I was skeptical at best. As a Florida native, I was excited to read a book set in my home state, …
A Mind/Body Bookshelf
Wellness is more than just the absence of illness. It incorporates the whole being, body, mind and spirit. Physicians and psychiatrists have studied and written about wellness for decades (at …
Drifting in the Groove
You've probably never heard of Daniel Lanois, but you've certainly heard his work. He has quite an impressive resumé: producer of CDs recorded by Bob Dylan, the Neville Brothers, Emmylou …
Nails Through the Hands of God
The problem with believing in a loving God is that the world doesn't function as if such a God exists. That problem is only made worse when we inherit a …
Shine a Light
What if you could actually see your own pain and that of everyone around you? That is the question at the heart of "The Illumination" , best-selling author Kevin Brockmeier's …
Maintaining Focus
When I first saw the cover of "Ghost Light: A Novel" by Joseph O'Connor (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2011, $25), I didn't know quite what to expect from the woman …
‘Bodies, Bodies'
"The Swimming Pool" by Holly LeCraw (Doubleday, 2010, $25.95) starts with this uninviting, ethereal opening line: "Bodies, bodies."
For the Love of Reading
Sometimes, it is relaxing to be caught up in the thrill of someone else's love story rather than the drama of your own. Love stories are not only written for …
Melding Realty with Fiction
As you know, it's cold outside. So why not stay inside (where it's warm) with a few good books?
Art Disguised as Memoir
Tom Sancton has had an interesting career as a journalist. He is a former Time magazine reporter and editor, contributor to Vanity Fair, Fortune, and Newsweek, and author of a …
Affected by War
As he watches Confederate soldiers march into his war-torn town, quarry owner Michael Morkan turns to his son, Leighton, and says wearily "One doesn't have to fight in a war …
Coming Home
Before I read "Uptown" by Virginia DeBerry and Donna Grant (Touchstone, 2010, $14.99), I assumed the book would be about the dramas that normally unfold in big cities and corporate …
Memphis Boys Make Music History
Lincoln "Chips" Moman is one of the most successful record producers in history. A music visionary with a knack for matching songs with artists, he was the genius behind Elvis …
