October 6, 2016
by jenniferpuryear
My couples book club recently enjoyed a heated discussion about Brad Watson’s new novel, Miss Jane, longlisted for the National Book Award. I think I might have said some provocative things. (Can I blame it on the jet lag? Or was I just being contrary?) Miss Jane is the heavily fictionalized story of the author’s great aunt, who lived in rural Mississippi at a …
August 31, 2016
by jenniferpuryear
“As we approach our 220th anniversary we recognise that the hustle and bustle of modern life leaves many of our customers longing for a chance to escape into the pages of a great masterpiece. As such the Novella stands out as a perfect solution to the vicissitudes of modern living; the ability to read one whilst rattling through the country on a train, hovering over …
November 30, 2015
by jenniferpuryear
Book Title: Medium Hero and Other Stories
Imagine the love child of Marilynne Robinson and Nick Hornby. Their novels I mean. Medium Hero and Other Stories is a marvelous debut collection by Nashville singer-songwriter Korby Lenker: deep thoughts, light touch, the holy mysteries of life, and just a guy trying to figure a few things out. Come hear Korby read (and sing a song or two) at Parnassus this Tuesday night, December …
November 13, 2015
by jenniferpuryear
Book Title: Housekeeping
Jon Meacham is all over the news with his latest blockbuster biography, Destiny and Power: The American Odyssey of George Herbert Walker Bush. He’s good with an interviewer and a crowd – both a scholar and an extrovert – who seems like he’s having a lot of fun. He found just the right bride 19 years ago in Keith Smythe, a Mississippi native he met …
December 16, 2014
by jenniferpuryear
Sarah Puryear – like me – married into the family. Well done, cousin Dan! You won the lottery! Sarah serves as a priest at St. George’s Episcopal Church here in Nashville, where she finds a great sense of purpose and fulfillment in her work. She also doesn’t mind sorting the mail and “takes a ridiculous amount of pleasure out of getting us off junk mailing …