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Book reviews and concert previews brought to you by Betsy Burton, co-owner of The King's English Bookshop, and Austen Diamond, producer of 13% Salt. Books & Beats airs Saturdays at 7:35 a.m. and 9:35 a.m. during NPR's Weekend Edition.

Books & Beats: September 26, 2015

Courtesy of the Artist
ZZ Ward plays at The Depot on Saturday, October 3rd.

Sweet Caress(Bloomsbury) by William Boyd is a novel disguised as a memoir.  In it, photojournalist Amory Clay records decades of society, war, and fashion.  Betsy Burton says that “Boyd artfully and engagingly captures the historical currents of the ages he portrays, the wars that beset us, and the ceaseless, mysterious need that is in the heart of each of us.”

Austen Diamond takes a look at the re-awakening of soul music this week, and previews a few bands whose sounds owe a lot to that venerable genre.

Jazz ensemble Youngblood Brass Band plays at Urban Lounge on Thursday, October 1st.

Then, it’s the Atlanta-based, three-piece band Algiers playing at Kilby Court on Friday, October 2nd.

And rising star ZZ Ward will be at The Depot on Saturday, October 3rd.

Tracks heard on this Books & Beats:

1: “Brooklyn” by Youngblood Brass Band

2: “Black Eunuch” by Algiers

3: “Put the Gun Down” by ZZ Ward

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