A Book A Week

All good country songs are tinged with a bit of heartache, and Dahlia “Doll” Devine has lived through enough pain to write a thousand of them. But reliving those moments feels too raw to put pen to paper, which is probably why Dahlia prefers to sing the classics instead. Dolly, Loretta, Patsy—the country queens whose songs echo pieces of her own life. Her stage may be small, just a corner of a local Chicago pub, but it’s hers.

For a while, life finally looked promising. Then Dahlia’s boyfriend, Joey, vanished, taking their rent money with him. Suddenly, she’s homeless, alone, and desperate for a break. With nowhere else to turn, she leans on Alex McPhee, the pub’s owner and the man who once helped her escape a rough childhood. Dahlia hates asking for help again, but she knows Alex has always been there when she’s needed him most.

They say when it rains, it pours, and that couldn’t be truer for Dahlia. One night, her mother—the woman she hasn’t spoken to in over twenty years—shows up at the pub without warning. The next day, a panicked young woman arrives asking about her missing mother. Dahlia’s mother. Even though the suburban mom the girl describes sounds nothing like the woman who abandoned her years ago, Dahlia agrees to help track her down. But when a body turns up outside the pub, it becomes clear that this reunion is only the beginning of something much darker. 

With Wreck Your Heart, Lori Rader-Day transports readers to the hazy corner of a hole-in-the-wall honky-tonk, a place that feels worn-in, authentic, and alive. You can practically hear the jukebox humming as you wait for the band to take the stage for their next set. Rader-Day populates this world with the kind of colorful, lived-in characters you’d expect to find there, all anchored by a down-on-her-luck heroine chasing dreams that feel just out of reach.

I was so invested in this setting and its people that I didn’t mind the slower burn as the story built toward its central mystery. And once it did, I was completely hooked. While Wreck Your Heart carries the bones of a classic whodunit, it’s doing something richer than that. At its core, this is a deeply felt character study that just happens to be driven by a mystery, resulting in a novel that feels engaging, original, and full of heart.

For more information, visit the author's website, Amazon, and Goodreads. 

(2026, 3)

"The demons of the past were the hardest to slay."

At first glance, bestselling author James Patterson and country music superstar Dolly Parton make for an odd couple. Patterson has written countless bestselling novels that have thrilled readers for years. That being said, most people probably wouldn't recognize the author walking down the street. On the other hand, Parton is one of the most recognizable stars to grace the radio waves and screen for the past several decades. Her signature style, songs, and voice have made her a household name. It's safe to say that this pair is about as different as you can get. But consider for a moment that both of these creative masterminds share a lifelong passion for promoting child literacy and are both seasoned storytellers in their respective mediums. The pairing begins to make more sense. Their co-authored effort Run Rose Run combines elements of their sensibilities into a book that you'll be hard-pressed to stop reading. 

AnnieLee Keyes is hitchhiking her way across the country to live out her dreams. She's not exactly sure of the details, but her mission is clear. AnnieLee wants to become the biggest star in country music. As she arrives in Nashville, she's momentarily halted by her own lack of preparation. AnnieLee has no money and no guitar to play on. Still, she's determined to make her break here. She wanders into a rundown bar, convinces the bartender to lend her a guitar, and plays her first set in the city. Her talent is undeniable. In that first set, AnnieLee catches the eye of session musician Ethan Blake. It just so happens that Ethan plays with the recently retired country music legend, Ruthanna Ryder.  

Ruthanna's days of touring and producing albums are long behind her. By going out while she was on top, she's left her fans wanting more. It seems as if her manager is calling her every day to try to convince her to put on a reunion concert. Still, Ruthanna sticks to her guns. She's more content spending time in her basement studio toying with new material that she swears will never be released to the public. When her guitar player Ethan mentions a new talent that she just has to hear, she's hesitant to waste her time. New singers are a dime a dozen. Ethan persists, and Ruthanna concedes. When she hears AnnieLee sing for the first time, two things are clear. One, AnnieLee is beautiful and has a natural talent that is undeniable. Two, this town will spit her out so quickly that she'll wish she never opened her pretty little mouth to sing. 

Run Rose Run sees Dolly Parton and James Patterson come together to tell a story that mixes melodrama and thrills. Parton's voice clearly contributed to the details about breaking into the music industry and trying to maintain a career. She also wrote 12 new songs for a few of the characters and released an accompanying album under the same title. Listening to the songs certainly helps to bring the story to life. For Patterson's part, his signature short chapters and the inclusion of a few secrets being harbored by the main characters help to keep the pages turning. For most of the book, the story plays out like an episode of the hit TV show Nashville. The inclusion of some more typical thriller elements was a bit jarring at first, but ultimately made sense once every character's secrets came to light. I devoured this novel in a few hours, and suspect other readers will do the same. 

For more information visit the websites of James Patterson, Dolly Parton, Amazon, and Goodreads. 

(2022, 11)

“Memories remind us that every moment of our lives, even the most tragic, have contributed to our strength. We’ve gotten through. We’re still here.” 

Despite living in Texas for my entire life, I can't claim to be a country music aficionado. I've heard my fair share of the genre, but I've never really taken much interest in its history. Still, there's no denying the appeal of some of the music. When I was in high school, I was fortunate to sit front row for a Willie Nelson concert. I never expected to connect with his music the way I did! There was honesty in every note he played and every word he sang. In his book It's A Long Story: My Life, Willie provides some insights and anecdotes of his storied career. 

Willie is the first to admit that he is difficult to place in a box. In fact, his vocal quirks and varying stylistic influences made him nearly impossible to sell during the first part of his career. He writes about the ways that his early record companies tried to produce him the same way they did other top selling country stars. The sweet strings and background vocals simply did not gel with Willie's singing. It wasn't until a producer allowed him to record the way he played his live shows that Willie found true commercial success. 

Willie's writing comes off as if he were right there with you telling a story. The book takes on a kind of folksy quality that reads more like a conversation than a history lesson. The timeline is framed by Willie's unfortunate run in with the IRS during the 90's. As he narrates through his childhood in Abbot, Texas all the way through to present day, this tax incident continues to interrupt the story and remind us that all that we are reading is leading to this event. I found this to be rather out of place. It seemed more like the publisher or editor was trying to give some kind of structure to the story that didn't need to be there. 

As I read through the book, I realized that Willie Nelson is a man of contradictions. He loved his family but cheated on his wives. He has a deep devotion to the methodist church, but played in sinful beer joints and swears by the healing qualities of marijuana. The list goes on and on. Whatever your opinion of the man, there is no denying that these inconsistencies make Willie a fascinating character. He is an imperfect man in an imperfect world who is driven to make his mark on the world through his music. 

For more information, visit the author's website, Amazon, and GoodReads. 

(2016, 13)