Memphis Reads

Memphis Reads Blog

Memphis Reads: ICE BOUND: A DOCTOR’S INCREDIBLE BATTLE FOR SURVIVAL AT THE SOUTH POLE, by Dr. Jerri Nielsen and Maryanne Vollers

April 21, 2025

Marilyn reviews ICE BOUND: A DOCTOR’S INCREDIBLE BATTLE FOR SURVIVAL AT THE SOUTH POLE, by Dr. Jerri Nielsen and Maryanne Vollers, Miramax Books, 2002, 384 pages. Ice Bound: A Doctor’s Incredible Battle for Survival at The South Pole, by Dr. Jerri Nielsen with Maryanne Vollers, is an amazing biographical account of…

Memphis Reads: LINCOLN’S LAST DAYS: THE SHOCKING ASSASSINATION THAT CHANGED AMERICA FOREVER, by Bill O’Reilly and Dwight Jon Zimmermann

December 12, 2024

Marilyn reviews LINCOLN’S LAST DAYS: THE SHOCKING ASSASSINATION THAT CHANGED AMERICA FOREVER, by Bill O’Reilly and Dwight Jon Zimmermann, Henry Holt and Co., 2012, 316 p. Lincoln’s Last Days: The Shocking Assassination that Changed America Forever, by Bill O’Reilly and Dwight Jon Zimmermann, is a must for the reader who…

Memphis Reads: The Mars House by Natasha Pulley

October 21, 2024

Laura reviews MARS HOUSE, by Natasha Pulley, Bloomsbury Publishing, 2014, 469 pages. The science fiction novel Mars House by Natasha Pulley features January Stirling as our hero, a principal dancer for the Royal Ballet in London who is forced to emigrate to Mars when the Earth falls apart. There are really no…

Memphis Reads: One of Our Kind by Nicola Yoon

July 17, 2024

Aislinn reviews ONE OF OUR KIND, by Nicola Yoon, Knopf, 2024, 272 pages. In One of Our Kind, by Nicola Yoon, Jasmyn moves her family to a fictional Black utopia outside of Los Angeles, and slowly realizes that something is not quite right. She shakes off her instincts time and…

Memphis Reads: The Year of Fear by Joe Urschel

July 17, 2024

Maryilyn reviews THE YEAR OF FEAR; MACHINE GUN KELLY AND THE MANHUNT THAT CHANGED AMERICA, by Joe Urschel, Minotaur Books, 2015, 304 p. FBI and local police arrive in silence to Raynor Street, Memphis, Tennessee. Inside a house on this street was American’s most notorious criminal, Machine Gun Kelly, who…

Memphis Reads: Toujours Provence, by Peter Mayle

June 3, 2024

Marilyn reviews TOUJOURS PROVENCE, by Peter Mayle, Random House, 1991, 241 pages. The French word “toujours” means always. Peter Mayle’s book, Toujours Provence, is a collection of his adventures with his wife in the countryside of Provence, France. He invites you into his home in Provence, where people take time…

Memphis Reads: ON REPENTANCE AND REPAIR, by Danya Ruttenberg

April 11, 2024

Aislinn reviews ON REPENTANCE AND REPAIR, by Danya Ruttenberg, Beacon Press, 2023, 256 pages. Why is it so hard to say, “I’m sorry?” Pride and ignorance can keep us from connecting meaningfully with our fellow humans, and it’s hard to know what to do when we’ve done wrong. In her brilliant…

MEMPHIS READS: THE MAYOR OF MAXWELL STREET by AVERY CUNNINGHAM

March 28, 2024

Candice reviews THE MAYOR OF MAXWELL STREET by Avery Cunningham, Hyperion Avenue, 2024, 508 pages. To put it simply, The Mayor of Maxwell Street was absolutely phenomenal. It was so good, I had to stop and research who this author was. Needless to say, I was pleasantly surprised to learn…

MEMPHIS READS: LOST RESTAURANTS OF MEMPHIS by G. WAYNE DOWDY

March 28, 2024

Marilyn reviews LOST RESTAURANTS OF MEMPHIS, by G. Wayne Dowdy, The History Press, 2019, 128 pages. Every generation of Memphians has restaurants they remember. In Lost Restaurants of Memphis, G. Wayne Dowdy invites readers to sample the menus and relive memories of beloved restaurants. Readers can explore Golden Eagle, Great Republic, Luermann’s, Burkle’s Bakery, Fortune’s Jungle Garden, Grisanti’s, Paulette’s, Mahalia Jackson’s Glori-Fried Chicken,…

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2023

MEMPHIS READS: MEMPHIS by TARA STRINGFELLOW (4/17/2023)

MEMPHIS READS: NOTHING TO SEE HERE by KEVIN WILSON (4/5/2023)

MEMPHIS READS: GOOD OMENS by TERRY PRATCHETT AND NEIL GAIMAN (3/8/2023)

MEMPHIS READS: THE HOMEWRECKERS by MARY KAY ANDREWS (3/8/2023)

2022

MEMPHIS READS: THE HOUSEKEEPER by JOY FIELDING (11/7/2022)

MEMPHIS READS: MY SISTER, THE SERIAL KILLER by OYINKAN BRAITHWAITE (9/4/2022)

MEMPHIS READS: MAID by STEPHANIE LAND (8/5/2022)

MEMPHIS READS: BIRD BOX by JOSH MALERMAN (7/22/2022)

MEMPHIS READS: FUZZ: WHEN NATURE BREAKS THE LAW by MARY ROACH (6/24/2022)

MEMPHIS READS: BAR FLOWER by LEA JACOBSON (6/22/2022)

MEMPHIS READS: RISING TIDE by JOHN BARRY (5/3/2022)

MEMPHIS READS: HOW TO BE A WOMAN by Caitlin Moran (4/13/2022)

MEMPHIS READS: BEAUTIFUL COUNTRY by QIAN JULIE WANG (3/29/2022)

MEMPHIS READS: A DIRTY JOB by CHRISTOPHER MOORE (3/4/2022)

MEMPHIS READS: DRIFT by RACHEL MADDOW (1/22/2022)

MEMPHIS READS: WHITE BOY (A MEMOIR) by TOM GRAVES (1/8/2022)

MEMPHIS READS: THE PRINCESS SAVES HERSELF IN THIS ONE by AMANDA LOVELACE (1/5/2022)

2021

MEMPHIS READS: THIS IS HOW YOU LOSE THE TIME WAR by AMAL EL-MOHTAR and MAX GLADSTONE (12/30/2021)

MEMPHIS READS: FOR YOUR OWN GOOD by SAMANTHA DOWNING (12/28/2021)

MEMPHIS READS: PONY by R.J. PALACIO (12/6/2021)

MEMPHIS READS: STATION ELEVEN by EMILY ST. JOHN MANDEL (12/3/2021)

MEMPHIS READS: MAYBE HE JUST LIKES YOU by BARBARA DEE (12/2/2021)

MEMPHIS READS: DAY WORLD CAME TO TOWN by JIM DEFEDE (11/19/2021)

MEMPHIS READS: MIDNIGHT LIBRARY by MATT HAIG (11/19/2021)

MEMPHIS READS: BITTER IS THE NEW BLACK by JEN LANCASTER (10/30/2021)

MEMPHIS READS: TOMORROW WILL BE DIFFERENT by SARAH MCBRIDE (10/22/2021)

MEMPHIS READS: DEADLY EDUCATION by NAOMI NOVAK (10/18/2021)

MEMPHIS READS: ODD THOMAS BY DEAN KOONTZ (10/16/2021)

MEMPHIS READS: BEST HORROR BOOKS TO READ FOR HALLOWEEN, 2021 (10/12/2021)

MEMPHIS READS: ASTROPHYSICS FOR PEOPLE IN A HURRY by NEIL deGRASSE TYSON (9/22/2021)

MEMPHIS READS: HITCHHIKER’S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY BY DOUGLAS ADAMS (9/18/2021)

Memphis Reads: FIND YOU FIRST by Linwood Barclay (9/16/2021)

MEMPHIS READS: ON THE ROAD BY JACK KEROUAC (8/31/2021)

MEMPHIS READS: FAHRENHEIT 451 by Ray Bradbury (8/17/2021)

MEMPHIS READS: THE MARTIAN BY ANDY WEIR (7/28/2021)

Memphis Reads: A MAN CALLED OVE by Fredrik Backman (7/10/2021)

MEMPHIS READS: MATILDA GUNDALINI by SUSAN MORESI (6/4/2021)

MEMPHIS READS: KINGDOM OF ICE (4/7/2021)

MEMPHIS READS: RIP BEVERLY CLEARY 1916-2021 (4/1/2021)

MEMPHIS READS: AND THE PEOPLE STAYED HOME (3/4/2021)

MEMPHIS READS: THE WONDER BOY OF WHISTLE STOP (1/22/2021)

2020

Memphis Reads: DOLLY PARTON: SONGTELLER, MY LIFE IN LYRICS (12/16/2020)

MEMPHIS READS: FIRE LOVER by Joseph Wambaugh (12/15/2020)

Memphis Reads: WHO ELSE CAN LOVE YOU? by DWIGHT E. KOBAR (12/8/2020)

Happy Thanksgiving from Memphis Reads! (11/20/2020)

MEMPHIS READS: THE END OF HER by Shari LaPena (10/13/2020)

RIP Sam McBratney (1943–2020) (10/5/2020)

10 SCARIEST BOOKS OF 2020 (9/29/2020)

MEMPHIS READS: NEW JIM CROW by MICHELLE ALEXANDER (8/3/2020)

MEMPHIS READS: LOCK EVERY DOOR by RILEY SAGER (7/21/2020)

MEMPHIS READS: MY DARK VANESSA by KATE ELIZABETH RUSSELL (7/10/2020)

MEMPHIS READS: THE BALLAD OF SNAKES AND SONGBIRDS by SUZANNE COLLINS (7/10/2020)

MEMPHIS READS: THE LIBRARY BOOK by SUSAN ORLEAN (6/24/2020)

MEMPHIS READS: RAYNE & DELILAH’S MIDNITE MATINEE by JEFF ZENTER (6/17/2020)

MEMPHIS READS: I LOVE YOU SO MOCHI by Sarah Kuhn (6/15/2020)

MEMPHIS READS: BENT HEAVENS by Daniel Krause (6/9/2020)

MEMPHIS READS: THE BOY FROM THE WOODS by HARLAN COBEN (5/20/2020)

MEMPHIS READS: THE DARK THIRTY: SOUTHERN TALES OF THE SUPERNATURAL by PATRICIA MCKISSACK (5/19/2020)

MEMPHIS READS: CHILDREN OF THE FIRE by HARRIETTE ROBINET (5/18/2020)

MEMPHIS READS: WORLD WAR Z by MAZ BROOKS (5/12/2020)

MEMPHIS READS: D-DAY GIRLS by SARAH ROSE (5/11/2020)

MEMPHIS READS: AN EAGLE IN THE SNOW by MICHAEL MORPURGO (5/8/2020)

MEMPHIS READS: CORALINE by NEIL GAIMAN (5/6/2020)

MEMPHIS READS: THE DARK IS RISING by SUSAN COOPER (5/5/2020)

MEMPHIS READS: DARLING ROSE GOLD by STEPHANIE WROBEL (4/28/2020)

MEMPHIS READS: THE BELEAGURED CITY: THE VICKSBURG CAMPAIGN (4/27/2020)

MEMPHIS READS: DISPATCHES FROM PLUTO by RICHARD GRANT (4/22/2020)

MEMPHIS READS: LITTLE DEMON IN THE CITY OF THE LIGHT by Steven Levingston (4/21/2020)

MEMPHIS READS: SAVE THE DATE by MARY KAY ANDREWS (4/20/2020)

MEMPHIS READS: A THOUSAND BEGINNINGS AND ENDINGS edited by Ellen Oh and Elsie Chapman (4/18/2020)

MEMPHIS READS: ARTEMIS by ANDY WEIR (4/17/2020)

MEMPHIS READS: DOG HEAVEN by Cynthia Rylant (4/15/2020)

MEMPHIS READS: AIRMAN by Eoin Colfer (4/14/2020)

MEMPHIS READS: COURT OF THORNS AND ROSES by Sarah J. Maas (4/13/2020)

MEMPHIS READS: FINAL SOLUTION by Michael Chabon (4/11/2020)

MEMPHIS READS: UNDERWATER PUPPIES and UNDERWATER DOGS by Seth Casteel (4/10/2020)

MEMPHIS READS: KNOW MY NAME: A Memoir by Chanel Miller (4/9/2020)

MEMPHIS READS: BRINGING ELIZABETH HOME: A JOURNEY OF FAITH by Ed and Lois Smart (4/7/2020)

MEMPHIS READS: CRESCENT CITY by Sarah J. Maas (4/4/2020)

MEMPHIS READS: I AM LEGEND by Richard Matheson (4/3/2020)

MEMPHIS READS: DEVILS UNTO DUST by Emma Berquist (4/2/2020)

Memphis Reads: LIFE AS WE KNEW IT by S.B. Pfeffer (3/31/2020)

MEMPHIS READS: THE LIBRARIAN OF AUSCHWITZ by Antonio Iturbe (3/31/2020)

Memphis Reads: ROLL WITH IT by Jamie Sumner (3/29/2020)

MEMPHIS READS: REGRETTING YOU: A Novel by Colleen Hoover (3/11/2020)

Memphis Reads: THE ESCAPE ROOM by Megan Goldin (2/10/2020)

Memphis Reads: MEDAL OF HONOR by Allen Mikaelian (2/6/2020)

Memphis Reads: Mary Higgins Clark (1927-2020) (2/4/2020)

2019

MEMPHIS READS: MADE IN THE USA by Billie Letts (12/30/2019)

Season’s Greetings and Happy Holidays! (12/19/2019)

Happy Thanksgiving from Memphis Reads! (11/26/2019)

MEMPHIS READS: A Jewish Community in Memphis in A Biblical People in the Bible Belt: the Jewish Community of Memphis, Tennessee by Selma S. Lewis (11/6/2019)

MEMPHIS READS: WHITE BIRD by R.J. Palacio (10/28/2019)

MEMPHIS READS: Titles for Halloween (10/12/2019)

MEMPHIS READS: WAITER RANT: Thanks for the Tip- Confessions of a Cynical Waiter by the Waiter (9/16/2019)

MEMPHIS READS: SAVING MEGHAN by D.J. Palmer (9/13/2019)

MEMPHIS READS: MY LOVELY WIFE by Samantha Downing (9/12/2019)

MEMPHIS READS: THE PERFECT NANNY by LEILA SLIMANI (8/13/2019)

MEMPHIS READS: All We Ever Wanted by Emily Giffin (7/30/2019)

MEMPHIS READS: THE STARTER WIFE by Nina Laurin (7/6/2019)

MEMPHIS READS: MAKING THE MOOSE OUT OF LIFE by Nicholas Oldland (5/30/2019)

MEMPHIS READS: MEMPHIS, 1800-1900 by Carole M. Orelas-Struve and Frederick Lee Coulter (4/28/2019)

MEMPHIS READS: ROBERT CHURCH by Cookie Lommel (4/23/2019)

MEMPHIS READS: THE GREAT PEARL HEIST (4/17/2019)

Memphis Reads: YOU DON’T KNOW EVERYTHING, JILLY P! (4/9/2019)

Memphis Reads: FINDING DOROTHY by Elizabeth Letts (4/1/2019)

Memphis Reads- THE FOUNDING OF MEMPHIS, 1818-1820 by James E. Roper (3/27/2019)

Andrea reviews THE ADULTS: A Novel by Caroline Hulse (2/19/2019)

Memphis Reads: EDUCATED by Tara Westover (2/5/2019)

Memphis Reads: The Thousandth Floor by Katharine McGee (1/22/2019)

Memphis Reads: If you could be Mine by Sara Farizan (1/5/2019)

2018

Season’s Readings from Memphis Reads! (12/18/2018)

Memphis Reads: The Return by William Shatner (11/28/2018)

MEMPHIS READS: I am so Thankful (11/15/2018)

MEMPHIS READS: SHIP OF THE LINE BY DIANA CAREY (10/24/2018)

MEMPHIS READS: Are You Sleeping by Kathleen Barber (9/15/2018)

MEMPHIS READS: I’m a Memphian by Dan Conaway (9/10/2018)

MEMPHIS READS: WHO FEARS DEATH by Nnedi Okorafor (9/7/2018)

MEMPHIS READS: How Hard can it Be? (8/25/2018)

MEMPHIS READS: Better Late than Never by Kimberla Lawson Roby (8/16/2018)

MEMPHIS READS: FALLEN by David Baldacci (8/13/2018)

MEMPHIS READS: MEMORY MAN by David Baldacci (8/6/2018)

MEMPHIS READS: THOR VOL 1 by Michael J. Straczynski, Marvel Books, 2018 (7/23/2018)

MEMPHIS READS- I’LL STAND BY YOU by Sharon Sala (7/19/2018)

MEMPHIS READS- RAMONA BLUE by Julie Murphy (7/16/2018)

Memphis Reads: Curl Up & Dye by Sharon Sala (6/9/2018)

MEMPHIS READS- The Last Mile by David Baldacci (5/31/2018)

Memphis Reads-THE COLOR OF LOVE by Sharon Sala (5/25/2018)

MEMPHIS READS- TEAM OF RIVALS: THE POLITICAL GENIUS OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN by Doris Kearns Goodwin (5/23/2018)

Memphis Reads- Dangerous Pleasures by Bertrice Small (3/27/2018)

Memphis Reads: World Famous Astrophysicist dies (3/14/2018)

MEMPHIS READS- MY SISTER ROSA by Justine Larbalestier (3/8/2018)

Memphis Reads- DARK IN DEATH by J.D. Robb (2/21/2018)

Memphis Reads- MASH: An Army Surgeon in Korea by Otto F. Apel and Pat Apel (2/20/2018)

Memphis Reads- After the Jump: Columns on the Best 20 Years in Memphis Sports by Geoff Calkins (1/23/2018)

Memphis Reads- Happy Birthday, Dolly Parton! (1/19/2018)

Memphis Reads- Batman Noir: The Killing Joke by Alan Moore (1/18/2018)

Happy New Year, Readers! (1/17/2018)

2017

SECRET SERVICE DOGS: The Heroes who Protect the President of the United States by Maria Goodavage (12/8/2017)

11 Most Festive Book Club Choices (11/21/2017)

SWCC Review- TAR BABY by Toni Morrison (10/24/2017)

COMING SOON-Southwest Community College Student Reviews! (10/24/2017)

MEMPHIS READS- My Five Husbands (and the Ones Who Got Away) by Rue McClanahan (10/23/2017)

Top Ten Scariest Books of 2017 (10/13/2017)

Memphis Reads – Banned Book Week – September 24 – 30, 2017 (9/28/2017)

Memphis Reads – Monument Men by Robert M Edsel and Bret Witter (8/28/2017)

Memphis Reads- HIGH ON ARRIVAL by Mackenzie Phillips (8/1/2017)

Memphis Reads Book Review – Presidential Diversions by Paul F. Boller (7/17/2017)

Memphis Reads – HILLBILLY ELEGY by J.D. Vance (6/2/2017)

Memphis Reads – The Girl Before by JP Delaney (5/18/2017)

Memphis Reads – Indigo by Beverly Jenkins (5/8/2017)

Memphis Reads – The Johnstown Flood by David McCullough (4/17/2017)

Memphis Reads – Orleans by Sherri L. Smith (3/31/2017)

Memphis Reads – Death Comes as the End by Agatha Christie (3/23/2017)

Memphis Reads – Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake (3/3/2017)

Memphis Reads – Rainbow Cottage by Grace Livingston Hill (2/27/2017)

Memphis Reads – The Color Purple by Alice Walker (2/3/2017)

Memphis Reads – As I Descended by Robin Talley (1/17/2017)

Memphis Reads – El Deafo by Cece Bell (1/5/2017)

2016

Memphis Reads – Richard Adams 1920 – 2016 (12/27/2016)

Memphis Reads – The Ugly Duckling by Iris Johansen (12/20/2016)

Memphis Reads – Pretending to be Erica by Michelle Painchaud (11/17/2016)

Memphis Reads – If I Was Your Girl by Meredith Russo (10/6/2016)

Memphis Reads – Banned Books Week 2016 (9/26/2016)

Memphis Reads – Sweetbitter by Stephanie Danler (9/21/2016)

Memphis Reads – Tall Tail by Rita Mae Brown & Sneaky Pie Brown (9/19/2016)

Memphis Reads – EVEN WHEN YOU LIE TO ME by Jessica Alcott (8/29/2016)

Memphis Reads – The White Dragon by Anne McCaffrey (8/10/2016)

Memphis Reads – Falling by Jane Green (8/4/2016)

Memphis Reads – The Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater (7/14/2016)

Memphis Reads – Don’t You Cry by Mary Kubica (7/12/2016)

Memphis Reads – Elie Wiesel (1928-2016) (7/5/2016)

Memphis Reads – 2001 A Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke (6/30/2016)

Memphis Reads – Spotlight on Me Before You by Jojo Moyes (6/13/2016)

Memphis Reads – The Luckiest Girl Alive by Jessica Knoll (6/9/2016)

Memphis Reads – Spotlight on Roots: The Saga of an American Family (5/25/2016)

Memphis Reads – Jesus Before the Gospels by Bart D. Ehrman (5/24/2016)

Memphis Reads – Paper Towns by John Green (5/18/2016)

Memphis Reads – Holidays and Festivals (5/6/2016)

Memphis Reads – Book Awards Update 2016 (5/5/2016)

Memphis Reads – May 7, 2016 is Free Comic Book Day (5/2/2016)

Memphis Reads – Roby Reviews: The Ultimate Betrayal (4/22/2016)

Memphis Reads – Roby Reviews: Best Friends Forever (4/22/2016)

Memphis Reads – Roby Reviews: One in a Million (4/21/2016)

Memphis Reads – Roby Reviews: Changing Faces (4/20/2016)

Memphis Reads – Roby Reviews: Casting the First Stone (4/19/2016)

Memphis Reads – Roby Reviews: The Perfect Marriage by Kimberla Lawson Roby (4/18/2016)

Memphis Reads – Beverly Cleary: Author, Librarian, and Centenarian (4/12/2016)

Memphis Reads – It’s National Library Week! (4/11/2016)

Memphis Reads – Find Her by Lisa Gardner (3/30/2016)

Memphis Reads – Hooked by G. Bruce Knect (3/11/2016)

Memphis Reads – Umberto Eco and Pat Conroy (3/7/2016)

Memphis Reads – Author Obit – Harper Lee (1926-2016) (2/22/2016)

Memphis Reads – Bookish Images (2/12/2016)

Memphis Reads – News and Notes (2/11/2016)

Memphis Reads – Disclaimer by Renee Knight (1/22/2016)

Memphis Reads – LUSH by Natasha Friend (1/12/2016)

Memphis Reads – The Wright Brothers by David McCullough (1/4/2016)

About

Memphis Reads is a blog series where Memphis Public Library staff members can discuss their favorite adult fiction and non-fiction books. Library staff members contribute reviews, essays, and news items about titles in the Library’s collection and raise ideas, questions, and concerns for Memphians to consider.