Reviewed by Jamie Michele for Readers' Favorite

Turntable: A Modern-Day Arthurian Tale by James L Peters is a literary fiction novel revolving around a man named Grady Barden. Grady left college before his senior year to pursue his dreams of being a professional musician. Now in his thirties and working at a pizza shop, he still holds out hope for gigs with more than an average of four people in attendance, by coincidence over design. Along with his bandmates, Grady vacillates between commitment to the dream and calling it a day. One night over a steak dinner, Grady's father announces his plan to reallocate his retirement savings into buying Pizza Del Reino, where Grady works and whose thorough understanding of the business will be critical to its success. Meanwhile, Grady searches for answers to life's dilemmas in a peculiar fashion he calls 'Grailings.' The universe knows Grady needs a sign. A paramour named Gwen, a champion of unionized labor, is involved in more than just shaming big business, and Grady has to choose a life journey lane with immediate effect. “If you want to quit the band, fine. But do it with confidence. Don’t run away from it. If you want to stick with the band, then nail yourself to it and stop second-guessing yourself.”

James L Peters strikes a comfortable balance between delivering intelligent wit and an engaging first-person narrative in Turntable. I knew nothing of how strong America's railroad legacy was, for better or for worse, among families with a stake in it generations later. Turntable is a character-driven novel and the arc is less about the plot and more about the choices we all have to face at some point or another. Even with his best friend Merle at the pizza shop when it isn't construction season, it's pretty safe to assume that a man in his thirties didn't envision himself tossing dough when he thought of his future. There are continued music and band references throughout the novel and even the book's formatting is broken down by sides and tracks. That said, the references will likely produce glass-eyed confusion for readers who are not 'of a certain age.' I'm in my forties and didn't fare as well as expected. I loved the novel though and found the writing to be tight, completely entertaining, and wholly plausible. Very highly recommended.