We sat down with veteran bookseller Erin Ball, assistant manager at Third Place Books to discuss bookselling, the philosophy behind Third Place Books, and what’s on her to-be-read list.
Dolen Perkins-Valdez follows the rabbit hole of historical footnotes, adds robust, nuanced characters, rhythmic dialogue, and intricate subtexts, and produces some of the best historical fiction around. She took the time to speak to me about both books over the phone, while she was visiting her home state of Tennessee.