Reported by Meygan
Nevermore opened with the discussion of Citizens: a Chronicle of the French
Revolution by Simon Schama. This book discusses the French Revolution
starting with the very beginning and ending with the Reign of Terror in 1794.
Our Nevermore reader said this book was very readable and a good book about the
French Revolution!
World
Order by Henry Kissinger was the next book discussed and
I must say that this book was highly recommended! The reader stated this book
should be book of the year and is certainly in his top ten books of all time. Former
Secretary of State and National Security Advisor Kissinger is an expert on foreign policy and he explains
there can’t be peace around the globe unless we (as a world) have sense of
order. Kissinger doesn’t discuss every country, but he does focus on the big
ones (Japan, United States, European countries, the middle east, etc.) and
examines each country’s history and builds upon on how each country got to
where they are. The author doesn’t offer an easy solution to creating world
order, and one Nevermore reader questioned if we could truly ever achieve that
sort of a settlement where there is complete world order. The Nevermore reader
also stated that he enjoyed the author’s writing style, which was very simple
and clear. When he finished speaking about the book, a member told him that
every time he talks about a book, he makes her want to read it! What higher
praise could a Nevermore reader receive than that?
Next, we discussed The Foundation Trilogy by Isaac Asimov, a science fiction novel
that is easy to read! (Have you ever heard of such a thing?) The Nevermore
reader enjoys the unique font which adds to the science fiction feel of the
book. Within this trilogy are the books Foundation,
Foundation and Empire, and Second Foundation. Foundation introduces readers to Hari Seldon, a man who must create
a new empire. The Nevermore reader said even though this book is science
fiction, it is very believable! He felt that the author used the opportunity to
select certain philosophies to tell within his stories that will assist the
main character with building the new empire.
All
the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr, a New York Times
bestseller, seemed to pique the interest of our Nevermore readers. The book
takes place during WWII and tells two parallel stories about a blind girl who
lives in Paris and a young German orphan boy who lives in an industrial part of
Germany. The boy is extremely bright and he is offered the opportunity to
attend a Nazi sponsored school. When the girl is twelve years old, the Nazis
invade Paris causing her and her father to flee to Saint-Malo. When the
Nevermore reader was asked how the boy and girl meet one another, she replied
that she didn’t want to give anything away. However, she did warn us that once
we started reading then we wouldn’t be able to stop! “I was caught up in it. I
finished a 500 page novel in two days!”
For all you music lovers out there, you may be aware
of the music debate of who is better: The Beatles or The Rolling Stones? Well
lucky for you, John McMillian wrote Beatles
vs.The Rolling Stones! Our Nevermore reader highly enjoyed the book, and he stated
that he learned a lot about the mechanics of the music industry. However, the
more he learned about John Lennon, the less he wanted to know! He stated that
after reading about The Beatles, Ringo, who was his least favorite Beatles,
ended up being the only one with any humanity. Still, maybe this is a good book
for readers to solve the argument! Or maybe it will only fuel the fire. Either
way, check out Beatles vs. Stones!
The last book discussed was The Ten Best Days of My Life by Adena Halpern. Alexandra is only 29
when she is struck by a car, and she finds herself in Heaven. And not just in
Heaven, but the highest level of Heaven! However, there seems to be a mistake.
She is asked to write an essay discussing the ten best days of her life to try
and persuade the higher power why she should not be sent to a lower level in
Heaven. In Alexandra’s Heaven, she can eat whatever she wants and she doesn’t
have to worry about gaining weight! Also, she gets to choose from high-end name
brand clothing and choose any car she wants. But she is told that the level she
may be placed at is where all of the Rock n’ Roll stars are and even though she
won’t have as much fancy clothing or be able to eat whatever her ravenous
stomach desires, she will at least be surrounded by good music! The Nevermore
reader described this book as being “cute”, but it doesn’t make the cut when
comparing it to her favorite books. She also said the main character is spoiled
and her ten days only prove how she doesn’t belong in the highest level of Heaven.
She is certainly a character that if you were to be friends with her, you would
have to love her for who she is or not love her at all!
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