“The Memory Police” is the latest novel from Japanese author Yoko Ogawa. Readers who admire George Orwell’s “1984” or Ray Bradbury’s “Fahrenheit 451” or even “The Diary of Anne Frank” will immediately embrace it.
Shaun Hamill’s debut novel, “A Cosmology of Monsters,” is about a family that struggles with sickness, loss, finances, communication — all sorts of metaphorical monsters in the room. But this family is also haunted by real monsters.
Come to each of the Oxford Historic Church Tours (scheduled for five consecutive Sundays) to gain an overview of the role the churches and families of faith played in the town’s development. The tour series starts today with First United Methodist Church of Oxford.
“Lady in the Lake,” the new novel from Laura Lippman, is a lot of things. It is part newspaper procedural, part psychological drama, part social history — and, taken as a whole, thoroughly gripping.
“Holy People,” a photography exhibit by David Cummings, was seen during June and July at the Oxford Performing Arts Center. Starting next Sunday, local holy places can be seen on a tour of historic churches in Oxford. Coordinated by the Oxford Arts Council, five tours will be offered on five…
Cowboy Mouth and their enigmatic leader, Fred LeBlanc, will be in Bessemer at Hangarfest on Oct. 5. Their appeal has always been their raucous live show and Fred’s pile driver personality. He’s always been one of the more magnetic people in the music business. I’ve interviewed him in the pas…
Sean Dietrich is in some ways a man out of time.
You just can’t get away from history. But thank goodness it’s with us. History plays a part in most new movements, issues and presentations. History helps us understand the present and envision the future. This fall, history finds its way into three enjoyable events.
“MacTrump” is a caustically funny, frighteningly cautionary play in the fashion of William Shakespeare. Its authors call it “a fictionalized satire of the first two years of the Trump era, which means it’s very fake.”
1. Eastaboga Manor, 91 Mudd St., Eastaboga. When the Higgins family moved into an old house to start a dairy, they hired a hobo named Boxcar Joe to help them. That was a bad idea. Open: Sept. 28-Nov. 2. Open Friday and Saturday from 7 p.m.-midnight. From Oct. 17-31, also open Thursday from 7…
Hearing music has more advantages than people realize. It can motivate exercise, decrease anxiety, aid sleeping patterns and generate creative solutions. As members of the Bienville Chapter of Daughters of the American Revolution learned recently, music is also useful in bringing history to life.
Toto has had a resurgence with younger fans of late. A cover of their ’80s hit “Africa” became an out-of-left-field smash for Weezer. The band’s catalog continues to sell and influence; you might not remember how many Top 40 hits Toto had until you up a playlist. The band’s new DVD combo, “F…
Bruce Holsinger’s new novel “The Gifted School” is going to seem snatched straight from recent headlines, even though he first conceived the book a decade-and-a-half ago.
The new book “Texas Flood: The Inside Story of Stevie Ray Vaughan” by Alan Paul and Andy Aledort is essential reading for fans of Vaughan and passionate music devotees.
Since there’s a big ol’ story about Ken Burns’ new “Country Music” PBS series on this page over there to my left (your right), I thought maybe we could play a game of country music trivia. Here are 10 questions, with answers at the bottom.
“A Cosmology of Monsters” is the first novel from Shaun Hamill, a recent Texas transplant to Alabama. The book is a family saga about the anguish of coming of age. It is a horror novel about the horrors of living. It is also very much about the redemptive nature of love.
Hearing is one thing; really listening is another. Listen closely to the music at next week’s Foothills Piano Festival recital to imagine the images the composers created with their style, and pay close attention to the plot of “Matilda” when the CAST community theater production opens Oct. …
“The Secrets We Kept,” the compelling debut novel from Lara Prescott, has already been called one of the most anticipated new books of the fall. It is an often-moving mash-up of recent political and literary history, cleverly arguing that art can be as important a weapon as firearms.
Music has always had the power to deepen and enrich the act of worship. This fall brings two performances of sacred and gospel songs designed to move listeners into a more personal praise experience.
The eight stories that comprise “Everything Inside” are simply breathtaking.
Being involved in theater, or seeing theater regularly, are both are recipes for adventure. What unfolds on stage can be sentimental, surprising, wonderful, wild or weird but usually thought-provoking. Nothing compares with theater in allowing us to see the human experience from every angle,…
The guinea pig joined the family in 2013. He was a Christmas gift for my then-12-year-old son. The real gift was that we trusted him to be responsible enough to take care of a guinea pig.
The Vegabonds are the personification of Alabama-based music. Their songs are a perfect recipe of Southern rock, country and Mississippi blues. They spent their formative years in Auburn playing the college circuit before graduating to the crowded streets of Nashville and Music Row.
As August turns into September, the entertainment offerings increase as new music and theater seasons get a fresh start. As the days grow shorter, the event list grows longer, taking us into fall.
