“A single gift can easily tell the story of an entire life,” writes Elizabeth Benedict, editor of and contributor to the anthology "What My Mother Gave Me". In the book’s... Read More

By necessity, short story writers must craft details with precision, distilling a character into a few spot-on sentences. This is a skill well-honed in Jill McCorkle’s work,... Read More

For some people, golf is merely an occasional early-morning excuse to walk around beautifully landscaped grounds, chatting with friends. But for James Dodson, the sport assumes... Read More

Robert Olmstead is the author of the critically acclaimed Coal Black Horse. His latest novel "Far Bright Star" begins in 1916 when Napoleon Childs a war-hardened cavalryman... Read More

A sense of doom overshadows this book from the very first paragraph. Pearl Swain was neither pretty nor popular as a child, yet she showed some musical gifts and was given... Read More

A common witticism proclaims that every Southern work of fiction has to contain a dead mule. There are no dead mules in this year’s collection of Southern stories, but there... Read More

The best barometer to appreciating the long, strange road trip of Eddie & Bella may be gauged from its wake of patchouli oil that is Bella’s oft-remarked signature scent.... Read More

‘Everybody goes to Heaven, Eloise,’ he said.‘It’s just different for everybody.’ Ray’s story begins in his own heaven, which consists of a coveted spot in the Last... Read More

Marion Jones is one of those world-famous Americans that Americans have yet to discover. The world’s fastest woman, she is accorded celebrity treatment in Europe, where she... Read More

Fay Jones is not a typical heroine. She uses men and lets herself be used. She makes rash decisions and runs from the consequences. She smokes and drinks while she’s pregnant... Read More

A lot of kids pretend they are Superman and fantasize they can fly. Many of them even have a special Superman cape their mother made for them to aid in the games of fantasy. How... Read More

It’s tough to feel sorry, or feel anything, for privileged losers. Dillen (author of Hero) presents Barnaby Griswold, a wine soaked fluffmeister who eases into million-dollar... Read More