All We Ever Wanted

All We Ever Wanted  by Emily Giffin (2018) 331 pages

Finch Browning, a senior from a private high school, has just found out that he's been accepted into Princeton. However, a scandal arises when he sends our a photo from a party. The photo shows sophomore Lyla Volpe lying on a bed, apparently drunk, in a short dress with a breast mostly exposed. A caption on the photo refers to a green card, which some see as racist, since Lyla is half Brazilian. This touches off an investigation at the school, and if Finch is suspended, it's possible that his admission to Princeton could be rescinded.

Alternating points of view are those of Lyla, her father, Tom, and Nina Browning, Finch's mother. Lyla just wants the adults to ignore the whole issue. Tom, her father, is furious and wants justice, hoping, but not at all sure whether a rich kid like Finch will be held accountable. Tom is not wealthy, and he is regretting getting Lyla into this private school that seems to be filled with students who have way too much money. Nina doesn't know what to believe, but she's fearful that the story about Finch is true, which seems to mean that he is turning out more like his father, someone who thinks his wealth means he can do whatever he wants. She wants justice for Lyla, who reminds her of her own younger self, who was assaulted in college.

The storyline evolves and it's not clear what really happened, whether Finch is taking the rap for someone else, or whether he's responsible for the photo. I sometimes wondered why I was reading this book, but as the possibilities emerged, and the main characters tried to view the multiple ways to see the situation, I needed to see the story through to the end.

Chet: King Picker and Pioneer of the Nashville Sound

 Chet: King Picker and Pioneer of the Nashville Sound by Mark Ribowsky, 352 pgs. © 2026

    

Oh by jingo, this is the second! book about Chet Atkins that was published in the last year. It makes youwonder what's pushing the renewed interest--is there a viral Tik-Tok out there using Mr. Sandman in the background? Nonetheless, if you're a guitar geek or a country music afficionado, there's much to learn from this offering by Ribowsky, who published a spirited, researched bio on the legendary Hank Williams about a decade ago. 

    This book is the origin story of the original guitar hero--born in a holler in rural Tennessee, life was "Steinbeck-ian," living in a one-room country shack with a few siblings. He developed asthma early on (which kept him from entering the army during the draft), but fell in love with the guitar his older brother brought home--a beat-up Silvertone (interestingly, his older brother also had a fine career as a guitar player, performing with the Les Paul Trio for many years). He wanted the guitar so bad that all of his brother's chores in exchange for playing it, which he did until his fingers bled. He would sit at the radio and listen to broadcasts, trying to figure out what guitarists were doing in their playing. 

    His love for the music of Merle Travis influenced his unique thumb-picking style, which incorporated his other fingers to play the higher notes of a melody, something no one else was really doing at the time. He became known for lighting fast guitar licks and attention to detail. Fast-forward to his 20s and he's finally broken through in Nashville with RCA records and has become a highly-sought out producer, working with Elvis, Perry Como, Patsy Cline and countless more. His dedication to developing a "Nashville Sound" helped make Nashville the music capital is widely known as today. He was still working out licks on his guitar well into his 70s, right up until he passed away in 2001.