Between the Pages

PLOT SUMMARY Bronwyn is Yale bound. Hardworking and dedicated, she never breaks the rules. Maybe not never, but almost never…I guess. She did what she had to do. She got it done. Chemistry was hard, what can she say? What was she supposed to do: fail? And put her Yale acceptance in jeopardy? No way. Addy is beautiful. Tethered since freshman year to Jake, the football star and Addy make the picture perfect, popular high school couple. She would never do anything to tear that picture because that is who she is, her identity. No, she would never. Maybe not intentionally. Nate is a criminal. He’s on parole, he’s sells drugs: he’s literally done it all. His mother left and came back, then left and came back again. His father is an alcoholic. Nate is mysterious, but he’s into Bronwyn…what? Cooper is an athlete. A southern boy at heart, he’s popular too, but all he does is baseball. Driven by his helicopter father, Cooper is pushed to be the best. Keely, his girlfriend...

PLOT SUMMARY Ammy’s (like the “ammy” in Sammy) family (whatever this word means: she’s not even sure) situation is complicated. Her father left a year ago to marry a much younger yoga instructor, leaving Ammy with her mother’s heightened anxiety. Ammy, a year later, takes the chance to reconnect with her dad by going to his “commitment ceremony” (yeah, with the yoga instructor), tuning-out her mother’s objections. She decides to travel by train from Virginia to New York. All is peaceful, not glamorous, but peaceful, until she hears an, “’Excuse me. Can I get in there?’” (Konen 8). Noah’s got one thing on his mind: getting back with his ex-girlfriend, Rina. He’s going to New York on his winter break from college to win her back. The train is packed. He can tell frequent riders of AmTrak from amateurs. He spots a girl with a bag in the seat beside her. “’Excuse me. Can I get in there?’” She reluctantly moves the backpack, and the space is free. He slides in. Ammy an...

You've Got Mail ? On November 22, 2019, an Amazon Books Store opened in Nashville’s very own Mall at Green Hills. It’s convenient: pick up a vacation novel, a skillet, and your niece’s birthday present in the same trip, and you can return any unwanted online purchases without paying shipping. It’s economy boosting: Amazon promised to hire 5,000 local workers once they open their Operations Center of Excellence after the store gets settled. It’s cheap: pick up books and other goods for Amazon prices.  Although, it’s not as simple as one, two, three. Local businesses as well as their patrons worry about the influence this installment could have on profits, but more importantly, the landscape and need for independent business owners and bookstores. Local businesses such as Parnassus Books, which is right across from the landing zone of Amazon’s bombshell, and The Bookshop, in East Nashville, are not so worried about their profits, but rather, about their community. Karen Hayes and ...