Maybe that's what we look for in the people we love, the spark of unhappiness we think we know how to extinguish.

It just took some people a little longer than others to realize how few words they needed to get by, how much of life they could negotiate in silence.

If anything, he seemed a little lonely, all too ready to open his heart at the slightest sign of interst.

You could say that this book is ripped from the headlines, but that wouldn't be fair. Bret Anthony Johnston's riveting novel picks up where the tabloids leave off, and takes us places even the best journalism can't go. Remember Me Like This is a wise, moving, and troubling novel about family and identity, and a clear-eyed inventory of loss and redemption.

Nothing beats novel writing because it's complete expression of you. You just control everything. Not even a movie director has that level of control.

Safe from the Neighbors is a novel of unusual richness and depth, one that's as wise about the small shocks within a marriage as it is about the troubled history of Mississippi. Steve Yarbrough is a formidably talented novelist, shuttling between the past and present with a grace that feels effortless.

I write about kids growing up, I write a lot about schools and parents, and all of my experiences with those things have been suburban experiences.