One of the standard questions featured in The New York Times Book Review author interviews is, “What kind of reader were you as a child?”

A frequent response is that they were “voracious,” gobbling up whatever they could get their hands on. Perhaps, even, late at night under the bed covers with the proverbial flashlight to avoid detection for waking-hours curfew violations.

2. Get it while it’s hot ... and still exists - Friday, January 12, 2024

Nashville’s dining scene has never been more vibrant, with the Convention & Visitors Corp. tracking more than 200 new restaurants popping up over the past few years.

At the same time, however, as we hear more news about beloved neighborhood haunts closing their doors (rest well, McCabe Pub) or facing an uncertain future (welcome back, Arnold’s? For now, at least?), it’s good to be reminded of some of the fixtures, both decades old and relatively new on the scene, that could be classified as Nashville staples.

3. What draws us in? - Friday, December 29, 2023

Cities are rarely just one thing. They’re more than a collection of neighborhoods or a diverse population. And sometimes they’re exactly that.

Reside in Nashville for long enough and you’ll observe two things: First, rare is the native population. Second, those who do move here want to adopt “Nashvillian” status very quickly.

4. Best thing about fall? Southern Festival of Books - Friday, October 13, 2023

With all that October has going for it, there’s little wonder why it’s one of the best months of the year. Maybe, the best month.

Cooler temperatures. Colorful foliage. Playoff baseball. High school, college and pro football. Halloween. Oktoberfest. The Jackson County Fair. (A Mississippi, sentimental favorite I seldom make it to anymore.) And, since the first one in 1989, Nashville’s premier annual event: the Southern Festival of Books.

5. There are better metrics than comps to set price - Friday, September 1, 2023

There are statistics floating about that signal a decline of the real estate market in Greater Nashville area, and transactional sales volume would make that a plausible deduction. Sales in the surrounding counties are down some 13% as the historic climb in interest rates has sent many would-be, first-time homebuyers back into rental shelter.

6. Looking back at good ole days when sales were brisk - Friday, August 18, 2023

Home sales in the greater Nashville area declined in July, statistics compiled by Greater Nashville Realtors shows.

Realtors have for decades compared each month’s sales to that month of the previous year since there is normally seasonality in the market, though less so during the past three years.

7. It’ll take time for new chicks to become egg producers - Friday, January 27, 2023

The nation’s egg shortage could continue for another year, even though prices have slightly declined from record highs in recent weeks.

That’s the word from Dale Barnett, executive director of the Shelbyville-based Tennessee Poultry Association, an organization that supports, educates and promotes the sustainability of the state’s integrated broiler/breeder industry.

8. One more crack in a scrambled supply chain - Friday, January 27, 2023

Faberge eggs, they’re not. But those Grade A Large oval-shaped jewels you buy at the grocery store – if you can find them on area shelves – are pretty darn expensive.

It’s not just Tennessee consumers who are grappling with the soaring price of eggs. The entire nation is feeling the pinch of rising prices, what internet memes are calling “eggflation.” But it’s no laughing matter.

9. Nashville ‘a roof shy’ of landing other major events - Friday, May 13, 2022

If the Titans build an enclosed stadium and Nashville someday hosts a Super Bowl, rest assured the Music City hospitality industry is confident it can handle the crowds that come with such events.

That’s the word from Leesa LeClaire, president and CEO of the Greater Nashville Hospitality Association.

10. Dome alone? No, it takes more to land Super Bowl - Friday, May 13, 2022

Several years ago, city and state leaders discussing the future of the Nashville sports landscape during the 2020s had one key question: Could Nashville host a Super Bowl. The really short answer was “no” and for two very simple reasons: Not enough hotels and the lack of a stadium that could accommodate such a mammoth undertaking.

11. Ready or not, sports is back in a big way - Friday, February 19, 2021

In less than three weeks, the Southeastern Conference men’s basketball tournament will be in full swing at Bridgestone Arena. Probably. Maybe.

The tournament format is set, television times have been announced and the Metro Public Health Department has been busy reviewing plans submitted by the SEC to stage its showcase event March 10-14.

12. Tornadoes devastate Tennessee, killing at least 22 people - Friday, February 28, 2020

NASHVILLE (AP) — Rescuers searched through shattered Tennessee neighborhoods for bodies Tuesday, less than a day after tornadoes ripped across Nashville and other parts of the state as families slept. At least 22 people were killed, some in their beds, authorities said.

13. Prolific restaurateur Rayburn looks at restaurants past, future - Friday, February 21, 2020

Randy Rayburn has been a fixture in the Nashville restaurant scene for nearly 40 years. He was interviewed for a Nashville restaurant oral history project. A longer version of this interview has been submitted for deposit at Special Collections at the Nashville Public Library.

14. Women in Litigation taps Hollabaugh for Top 250 - Friday, August 23, 2019

Lela M. Hollabaugh of Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP in Nashville has been selected for the Top 250 Women In Litigation 2019.

She is among the more than 225 litigators – comprising nearly half of the firm – who make up Bradley’s Litigation Practice Group.

15. Old favorites still deliver - Friday, February 8, 2019

These Nashville restaurants aren’t new for this Valentine’s Day but offer a taste of what the foodie scene here is all about: Variety, fresh takes and unforgettable decor:

Bastion

434 Houston St., 615 490-8434

16. Shelton ready for what’s next after Pangaea’s closing - Friday, January 25, 2019

Sandra Shelton is about to put the old axiom “when one door closes, another opens” to the test.

This past Sunday, Shelton closed the doors on Pangaea, her beloved Hillsboro Village store of 31 years.

17. Change and charm in Hillsboro Village - Friday, January 25, 2019

Charm and change. Those two words come up often when talking about Hillsboro Village, the ever-trendy, four-block Nashville shopping district which is quickly approaching its 100th anniversary.

The charm has been there since Day One (so I’ve read; I’m not that old).

18. Events - Friday, June 8, 2018

Young Professionals CONNECT. Young Professionals CONNECT at the beautiful Westhaven Golf Club, 4000 Golf Club Drive. Mix and mingle in the Westhaven Golf Academy, just below the clubhouse while enjoying live music. There will be a chipping demonstration at 6 p.m. and a longest drive demonstration at 6:45 p.m. with a longest drive competition happening in the training bay. Fee: Free, but registration is needed. Thursday, 5:30-7:30 p.m. Information

19. Events - Friday, June 1, 2018

Street Eats. Enjoy a gathering of up to 20 local food trucks parked along Deaderick Street between 4th Avenue North and 5th Avenue North.

THURSDAY, JUNE 7

Dierks Bentley Presents The Mountain

This late-night album release show to benefit the Opry Trust Fund is hosted by Dierks Bentley. A copy of The Mountain is included with ticket purchase. Plus, special guest LANCO will perform as well. Ryman Auditorium, 116 5th Ave. N. 10 p.m. Fee: $45-$80. Information: https://ryman.com/events/dierks-bentley/

20. Events - Friday, May 25, 2018

Yum! East for Fannie Battle. Yum! East is a unique tasting event that features East Nashville restaurants, chefs, food artisans and specialty purveyors all showcasing the best of this notable neighborhood’s culinary landscape. Guests can sample bites from 30 of East Nashville’s tastiest residents while enjoying craft beer and wine and great live music. Pavilion East. Thursday, 6-9 p.m. 21+ event. No children, no pets. Rain or shine, no refunds. Fee: $55 + $5.12 fee. Information

21. Nashville's most romantic restaurants for 2018 - Friday, February 9, 2018

Nashville has a restaurant for every mood. If you're looking for romance on Valentine’s Day or any night of the week, you can’t miss with these.

Restaurants new to the list are designated with an *.

22. City’s building boom remains on rise - Friday, January 5, 2018

As Nashville welcomes 2018, it’s entering its fifth year in the national spotlight as one of the fastest-growing – and most popular – cities in the nation. It’s a popularity seen in tourism, as well as the number of people choosing to live and work here.

23. Events - Friday, April 7, 2017

Chamber Midtown Quarterly Meeting. Join us for Chamber Midtown’s third stop on the “Tour of Midtown:” Hillsboro Village. We’ll hear about this business community’s history and economic impact on the region. Belcourt Theatre, 2102 Belcourt Avenue. Nashville. Stephanie Silverman, executive director of the Belcourt Theatre, will moderate the panel. Panelist include: Eugene TeSelle, Randy Rayburn, Dominic Zabriskie. Tuesday, 7:30 a.m.-9 a.m. Coffee and a light breakfast will be served. Information: http://web.nashvillechamber.com/events

24. Hotel developers soothe Hillsboro Village concerns - Friday, March 17, 2017

A new hotel going up in Hillsboro Village won’t be adding to the area’s skyline – which is exactly why it’s not being met with howls of dismay.

In addition to a boom in office buildings, apartments, condos and single-family homes, large hotels are appearing in and around downtown, to the delight of tourism officials.

25. Nashville's most romantic restaurants for 2017 - Friday, February 3, 2017

No matter what romance means to you, Nashville has you covered – and then some. Here’s the list of where to go to celebrate love and some seriously good food.

360 Wine Bar Bistro

6000 Highway 100, 615 353-5604, www.360bistro.com

26. Top Middle Tennessee residential transactions for Nov. 2016 - Friday, December 16, 2016

Top residential real estate sales, November 2016, for Davidson, Williamson, Rutherford, Wilson and Sumner counties, as compiled by Chandler Reports.

27. Some restaurants have good reasons for no delivery - Friday, December 2, 2016

Not every restaurateur is a fan of the delivery trend. “Major players are really trying to penetrate markets, but the question is, “Is this a service to the consumer?” asks Randy Rayburn, Nashville restaurateur for 30 years.

28. The war to deliver more to your door - Friday, December 2, 2016

First, there was pizza. Maybe Chinese food. But for most the only home food delivery option was round, covered in tomato sauce and cheese, and sometimes cold on arrival. Now, technology has changed the game to enable delivery of everything from sushi to burgers.

29. Nashville State, other schools struggle to meet demand for restaurant workers - Friday, September 16, 2016

Want a new career with hot prospects? The hospitality industry is cooking.

Last year Tennessee had a record $18.4 billion economic impact from visitor spending – much of that going to restaurants and hotels.

30. Finding success in the shifting restaurant business - Friday, September 16, 2016

Look at the restaurant to your left. Now look at the restaurant to your right. Chances are, one of them won’t be there by 2020.

The restaurant industry has low profit margins and a notoriously high failure rate. And with new eateries opening by the week in Nashville, it’s reasonable to assume some won’t make it past the critical five-year mark.

31. Nashville's most romantic restaurants for 2016 - Friday, February 5, 2016

Romance can be found all around, in quiet, 50-seat rooms and bustling of-the-moment hot spots. It’s all about the food, the ambiance, the service and, most importantly, your companion for the evening.

32. Top commercial real estate transactions for April 2015 - Friday, May 22, 2015

Top commercial real estate transactions, April 2015, for Davidson, Williamson, Rutherford, Wilson and Sumner counties, as compiled by Chandler Reports.

33. What better place for an NRA convention? - Friday, April 3, 2015

When the National Rifle Association announced that it would hold its 2015 convention in Nashville, the timing was propitious.

In 2010, gun sales and handgun permits were booming, and Tennessee had just enacted a controversial and contested new “guns in bars” law that allowed people with handgun permits to carry concealed firearms into bars and restaurants that serve alcohol.

34. Nashville’s most romantic restaurants - Friday, February 6, 2015

Romance means something different for everyone, but most people can agree that if there is low lighting, soft music, a charming companion and something delicious to eat, you’ve already got the makings of one outstanding evening.

35. Can old favorites survive Nashville's ‘foodie’ revolution? - Friday, February 6, 2015

A few years ago, Tandy Wilson, chef and owner of City House, offered this tip about earning his respect as a diner: Don’t tell me you’re a foodie, he said, tell me you’re a “regular.”

36. Spring thaw brings surge in home sales - Friday, April 11, 2014

Although peppered with relapses, the freeze had ended – finally. Those who saw the thaw coming and placed their homes on the market have reaped rewards, as sales are aflutter and the information is being tweeted by Realtors.

37. Grand new grub: Top chefs, hot restaurants are drawing a new breed of tourist to Music City - Friday, February 14, 2014

Sure, most tourists come to Nashville for the music. But the city’s burgeoning culinary scene is starting to attract visitors more attuned to their palates than their ears.

The emergence of culinary tourism combined with a booming landscape of chef-driven restaurants is drawing foodies – a well-heeled set with sophisticated palates who are more inclined to put “Eat at The Catbird Seat” ahead of “Visit Tootsie’s” and “See the Grand Ole Opry” on their travel checklists.

38. Fair Housing Act not to be taken lightly - Friday, January 3, 2014

Most of those who were unaware of Phil Robertson are aware of him now that the “Duck Dynasty” star has worked his way into every news outlet on the planet.

A&E, the network that airs “Duck Dynasty,” suspended Robertson for his comments in a GQ interview that veered into his beliefs concerning a myriad of sexual activities. His fans became irate, citing a violation of Robertson’s First Amendment rights, in particular free speech. The First Amendment establishes five rights of course, those concerning five freedoms, that of religion, speech, press, assembly, and the oft- forgotten right to petition.

39. Randy Rayburn adapts to competition from the booming Middle Tennessee restaurant scene he helped create - Friday, December 20, 2013

Restaurateur Randy Rayburn made headlines recently when he announced that his 23-year-old Sunset Grill would close for lunch and that he was naming executive chef Chris Cunningham as a managing partner.

40. Bars, stores cater to e-cigarette army - Friday, November 1, 2013

With online sales booming and brick-and-mortar e-cigarette retail stores popping up in Middle Tennessee, Russell Cunningham wanted a slice of the business - despite never vaping or smoking.

The Michigan native opened Smoke Powered Electronic Cigarettes two years ago as a side business. The retail store on Nolensville Road is opened seven days a week, and Cunningham is in the market for a larger, traffic-heavy storefront. He is now a regular vaper, but still chooses to vape without nicotine.

41. Experts agree: Faison changed the Nashville restaurant scene - Friday, August 16, 2013

When Jody Faison launched Faison’s in the early 1980s, he essentially founded the Nashville independent restaurant landscape, several longtime Nashville food industry veterans say.

“Jody was the iconic innovator who began contemporary American cuisine in Nashville,” says competing restaurateur and longtime friend Randy Rayburn, whose own Hillsboro Village/Midtown restaurant empire includes Sunset Grill, Midtown Café and Cabana.

42. Nashville's most romantic restaurants - Friday, August 9, 2013

A look at some of Nashville's favorite spots for great food and romantic surroundings.

360 Wine Bar Bistro (6000 Highway 100, 353-5604, 360bistro.com)

43. 'A part of their life forever' - Friday, August 9, 2013

When music executive Tony Brown wanted to propose to his wife, he turned to one of his regular haunts for the big event, Giovanni Ristorante.

He’s not the only one. The West End restaurant has been host to a number of proposals since it first opened in 2008.

44. Nashville State quietly grows to 10K+ students, 3 campuses - Friday, April 5, 2013

Everything old is new again at Nashville State Community College, which has repurposed part of the Hickory Hollow Mall into a thriving new campus even as it reconfigures space at its White Bridge Road main location and strengthens its new Clarksville satellite.

45. Tournament favorite? It has to be Nashville - Friday, March 1, 2013

March Madness arrives today in all its glory with a flip of the calendar. The Road to the Final Four begins in Music City with Wednesday’s tip-off of the Ohio Valley Conference men’s and women’s tournaments at Municipal Auditorium, followed a week later by the sold-out Southeastern Conference men’s tournament at Bridgestone Arena.

46. Get the party started - Friday, December 7, 2012

Bill Reynolds won’t soon forget 2008, the year the economy stole Christmas.

“I had been hearing people complaining about the economy for nine months, but we were doing fine,” says Reynolds, owner of A Dream Come True, whose catering business was right on pace through Halloween of that year.

47. Todd allowed to keep gun permit despite indictment - Friday, June 8, 2012

NASHVILLE (AP) - State Rep. Curry Todd can keep his handgun carry permit despite being indicted on drunken driving and weapons charges, the state Safety Department said Tuesday.

Safety spokeswoman Jennifer Donnals said the Collierville Republican can continue to be armed in public while the case is pending. A drunken driving conviction would cause the permit to be suspended for one year, she said.