Raven Report: June 28

 

Variety was the theme for the June 28 meeting of the Nevermore Book Club!  Recommended titles included:

Rumor of War by Philip Caputo is a memoir, not a history of the Viet Nam War.  As he says, it is “simply a story about war, about the things men do in war and the things war does to them.”   It was 1965, still early days of America’s involvement when a young and idealistic Caputo volunteered for the Marine Corps straight out of college. Nothing had prepared him for what was to come.  Rumor of War is considered one of the modern classics in war literature.  Caputo went on to become an award winning journalist and novelist.

Appalachian Spring by Marcia Bonta is a finely written, carefully observed natural history of the spring months in Pennsylvania.  She manages to convey not only information but a sense of wonder and even awe.  The writing is beautiful and evocative.  This is one of a set of four books, each set in a different season in the Appalachians.  Bonta is a well-known naturalist with many books and articles to her credit.

Bloody Kin by Margaret Maron is a mystery set in North Carolina.  Maron calls it the first “Colleton County” book because it’s set in the same county as her Judge Deborah Knott series but the Knott family doesn’t appear in this one.  (Dwight does, however.) Until this point,  Maron had set her mysteries in New York City with Sigrid Harald as the main character.  After her husband Jake dies in a hunting accident, new widow Kate Honeycutt moves to North Carolina to live on his family farm.  Jake’s family isn’t exactly welcoming to the Yankee outsider and soon Kate begins to wonder if Jake’s death was really an accident—or murder. .  Well developed characters, a good sense of place and a clever mystery are hallmarks of Maron’s work and this book is no exception.  Note:  Maron has said that Sigrid will make a guest appearance in a future Deborah Knott novel.

Also recommended was a DVD, “Get Low.”  Loosely based on a true story, the movie stars Robert Duvall, Sissy Spacek and Bill Murray.  Duvall plays Felix, a Tennessee hermit who decides to have his funeral before his death so he can enjoy it.  He also has a secret he wants to get off his chest. The cast was excellent and the movie very enjoyable, though our reviewer wanted to be sure folks knew it was not a comedy per se.  The real Felix died in 1943, five years after his “funeral.” The Nevermore Book Club meets each Tuesday at 11 am, with coffee and doughnuts from Blackbird Bakery.  Join us and let us know what you're reading!