Category Archives: Authors

Natalie Taylor Brings ‘Signs of Life’ to Birmingham Biggby Coffee

What do you do if you’re 24 years old, five months pregnant, and your husband suddenly – tragically – dies? If you’re Natalie Taylor, you write one honestly good book. Yes, we all know that shelves sag with overdone memoirs of … Continue reading

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Filed under Authors, Natalie Taylor, Signs of Life

Essays and Credits and Recs, Oh My! Korelitz Spins Tale Around Secrets of ‘Admission’

The complex process of college admissions is a high-pressured business that few of us will ever see from the inside. With big money on the line and parents pushing their kids to the brink of insanity, applying to college has … Continue reading

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Filed under Admission, Authors, Book Reviews, Jean Hanff Korelitz

Bruce Allen Kopytek Brings “Jake’s” Back to Birmingham – ‘Jacobson’s: I Miss It So!’

I clearly remember sunny strolls through the streets of Birmingham as a young girl. Hoping to hit my dad up for a new pair of Levi’s at Here and Now, popping into Machus for their famous savory salad, or ogling … Continue reading

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Filed under Authors, Bruce Allen Koytek

Ayad Akhtar’s ‘American Dervish’ – Muslim from the Midwest

Ayad Akhtar’s anticipated debut novel, American Dervish, hit shelves this past Monday. Though I reviewed it for the upcoming issue at Bookbrowse.com, I will share that it is a solid, accessible work that both delights and disturbs. Akhtar is an American-born, first-generation … Continue reading

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Filed under American Dervish, Authors, Ayad Akhtar, Book Reviews

2012 Michigan Notable Books Announced

The much anticipated 2012 Michigan Notable Books were announced today. The Library of Michigan annually decides on 20 of the most notable books that “are reflective of Michigan’s diverse ethnic, historical, literary, and cultural experience” and feature “high-quality titles with … Continue reading

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Filed under Bonnie Jo Campbell, Ellen Airgood, Scott Sparling, South of Superior, Steve Hamilton, Wire To Wire

Author Alan Bradley Gives the Gift of Flavia this Christmas

 She’s baaacccckkkk! If you have yet to meet cheeky wunderkind Flavia de Luce, author Alan Bradley is giving you another fabulous chance. I’m Half-Sick of Shadows is the fourth installment in Bradley’s shrewd series involving the saucy eleven-year-old super sleuth, … Continue reading

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Tis’ the Season for Great Gift Titles

Tis’ the season to pick titles for the lit lovers in your life. Below is this week’s shopping list for those of you looking for great reads to put under the tree. For a little gift-giving on the side, each … Continue reading

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Filed under Annabel, Authors, Blood Bones & Butter, Bonnie Jo Campbell, Book Reviews, Gabrielle Hamilton, Jaimy Gordon, Kathleen Winter, Sister, The Paris Wife, The Sense of an Ending

Julian Barnes’ “The Sense of an Ending” Exacts Emotional Price Worth Paying

Author Julian Barnes is no stranger to award-winning works. His past literary distinctions include the Somerset Maugham Award, The E.M. Forster Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, and the Geoffrey Faber Memorial Prize among others. Now Barnes … Continue reading

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Filed under Authors, Book Reviews, Julian Barnes, The Sense of an Ending

Wrap Yourself in Winter with ‘The Windward Shore’

Slowing things down in our furiously paced society is a discipline or luxury few of us can afford. Technology, economy, and mere 21st century self-preservation have together constructed a high-speed connection to a life that leaves many of us sapped … Continue reading

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Filed under Authors, Book Reviews, Jerry Dennis, The Windward Shore

Childress Turns Up Southern Heat and Humor in “Georgia Bottoms”

Looking for scandal and a splash of sass? Then you must meet Ms. Georgia Bottoms of Six Points, Alabama. Mark Childress, author of One Mississippi and Crazy in Alabama, turns up that sultry southern heat in his latest novel featuring … Continue reading

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Filed under Authors, Book Reviews, Georgia Bottoms, Mark Childress