| New Books |
| Recommended by Steve
Listen, Kiese Laymon is one of our best writers, full stop. This revised edition features new essays, an updated introduction and, in addition to his powerful words, a message about reclaiming your own worth along the way. |
| Recommended by Becca
Even before The Crown Season 4 became the talk of Twitter, we all knew at least one person obsessed with the royals. New and old royal watchers alike will delight in Elizabeth Holmes’ “so many thoughts” — an examination of the messages and hidden histories behind the sartorial choices of the four most influential women of British royalty. |
| Recommended by Ben
In this jaunty fusion of travel writing and spiritual odyssey, River and an old friend take a pilgrimage to the Isle of Iona, encountering plenty of adventures, setbacks, and epiphanies along the way. Writing in her down-to-earth, quirky, self-deprecating style, she seeks the sublime alongside new friends and kind strangers, discovering the thin places where the mundane and divine brush, merge, become one and the same.
Read two short excerpts here on Musing! |
| Recommended by Becca
You may know her from the Great British Baking Show, but if you haven’t watched Season 6 champion Nadiya Hussain’s new Netflix series (of the same name as this book), you are missing out. Go watch, then try to resist buying this cookbook. It will be impossible, because Nadiya Hussain is the most charming person on Earth. Almost charming enough to make me want to make the “fish bake” with the SpaghettiOs. |
| Best of 2020 |
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A moving biography of the late John Lewis, whose tireless work to better this country endures. Tracing Lewis’ life from the farm to the halls of Congress, Meacham delivers what might be his most stirring work yet. Includes an afterword by Lewis himself.
Signed copies —read an excerpt here on Musing! |
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This was an incredibly timely book to arrive this year — a look at how racism in the United States resembles the caste system in India — and one that will reverberate for long after. |
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Sometimes the truth is not just stranger but also more fraught, piercing and raw than fiction. Karla Cornejo Villavicencio’s account of immigrants living in America — and working, often in backbreaking thankless jobs — makes space for the real stories of people who often go unseen and unappreciated. |
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A book full of cursed things, for a cursed year! Seriously, though, this one is fascinating, creepy, funny collection of tales. |
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This overview of the Green Book, published from 1936 to 1966, which Black travelers used to negotiate safe restaurants, lodging and other businesses, is thoroughly researched and thoughtfully presented. |
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“Sonya” was the code name of Ursula Burton, a Soviet spy who in the course of a fascinating career was hunted by the Nazis, MI5, MI6 and the FBI — and eluded all of them. A riveting, page-turning work of narrative history. |
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Combining personal narrative, beautiful writing about the natural world and its countless marvels, and equally beautiful illustrations, this makes a great gift. And if you loved Late Migrations, this is the perfect book for you. |
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A collection of essays by some of the best writers working — including Marlon James, George Saunders, Geraldine Brooks, William Finnegan and Ann Patchett — each addressing a different landmark case brought by the American Civil Liberties Union.
Read an excerpt here on Musing! |
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A staff favorite, this anthology features a diverse cast of writers, including Kiese Laymon, Osayi Endolyn and Nashville poet Tiana Clark, to name just three. AMOB grapples with the question of who belongs in the South by asserting — in many ways, through many lenses — we do.
Read an interview with editor Cinelle Barnes! |
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A story of brothers, an ancient city and the promise of America, The Road From Raqqa is a book about finding connection — to place, to people, and to purpose. We especially love it because Riyad Alkasem’s restaurant, Cafe Rakka, is just outside Nashville, but we’d recommend this read no matter what.
Read an excerpt here on Musing! |
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