Columnist
Atlanta author Karen White is a darling among local readers so it’s always good news when she releases a new novel, and it’s even better news when Augusta is part of her book tour.
White will appear at West Lake Country Club on Nov. 11 at noon for a luncheon and book talk. She’ll be discussing “The Attic on Queen Street,” the final installment in her Tradd Street series, which features psychic medium Melanie Trenholm who encounters a host of ghosts in Charleston. This time, Melanie must team up with her estranged husband to protect her beloved historic home from a malevolent spirit. Tickets for the luncheon and book talk can be purchased at Eventbrite.
What do Percy Sledge, Boz Scaggs and Lynyrd Skynyrd have in common? One man who nurtured them all: Alan Walden, a country boy from Macon, Georgia, who became a legendary musical manager. “Southern Man: Music and Mayhem in The American South” is Walden’s memoir of how he, along with his brother and best friend Otis Redding, shaped a musical renaissance of rock ’n’ roll and R&B. The book takes you into the backroom deals, recording studios and on the road with the musicians. It’s essential reading for anyone who has sparked a Bic lighter in homage to “Free Bird” or slow danced to “When a Man Loves a Woman.”
Don’t want to let go of summer? You can extend the season by reading “The Way We Weren’t” by Texas author Phoebe Fox. After a romantic setback, Marcie Malone impulsively leaves her Georgia home and travels to the southwestern shore of Florida without a plan and finds herself falling asleep on the beach. The next morning, she meets 70-year-old Herman Flint who, against his better judgment, lets the aimless woman stay with him. The unlikely pair help each other heal from life’s storms figuratively and literally when a hurricane threatens.
Fox is an enormously gifted author who turns a simple premise into a deeply involving and moving character study of two damaged souls. The poignancy of the story is more than enough to keep readers engaged, but Fox elevates the tale with vivid secondary characters, a charming beach setting and her signature wit. “The Way We Weren’t” is a coastal literary trip you’ll be reluctant to leave behind.
Move over, John Grisham, to make room for Atlanta author Wanda M. Morris who’s written the legal thriller “All Her Little Secrets.” Ellice Littlejohn is a Black corporate attorney in midtown Atlanta who’s promoted after her white boss and lover suffers a mysterious and violent death. The incident is the catalyst to uncovering dark company secrets that rival those in “The Firm” and entangle Ellice in a sinister conspiracy. The novel delivers on the fast-paced thrills but also highlights the challenges of Black women in a corporate law firm environment.
It’s not a good time for Alabama author Rick Bragg to adopt a new dog. He’s facing a cancer diagnosis, chemo, kidney failure and recurring pneumonia, all of which have left him lethargic and blue. But when a half-starved, near blind pup appears behind Bragg’s house, the writer can’t resist taking pity on the stray.
It’s the beginning of a tumultuous relationship that is hilariously chronicled in “The Speckled Beauty: A Dog and His People.” Once the dog, named Speck, gets some meat on his ribs he begins to lead a colorful life of grave robbing, manure rolling, moon howling and more mischief. Yet he also manages to help lift his owner out of his funk and for that, his many flaws are forgiven. Fans of Bragg’s column in “Southern Living” will adore this compassionate love letter to an unforgettable canine.
Local releases
“The Woods of Hitchcock” by Ann W. Jarvie is a thriller about a psychically gifted copywriter who who tries to solve a murder in Aiken’s horse country. Jarvie will sign books from 1-4 p.m. Nov. 6 at Augusta Mall and from 1-4 p.m. Nov. 8 at 3 Monkeys Fine Gifts in Aiken.
“Monumental Legacy: The Rise and Fall of Hamburg, South Carolina” by Barbara Seaborn is about the rich history of the town that stood where North Augusta is now. Hamburg was a former 19th century trading town that became a home for freed slaves and experienced racial and political violence during Reconstruction.
Do you have local literary news? Email it to karin.gillespie@gmail.com. By the Book is published monthly.
source: https://www.augustachronicle.com/story/lifestyle/2021/10/31/book-events-near-me-karen-white-latest-ghost-story-augusta/8561211002/
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