Kicking
off our Nevermore meeting this week, one of our readers checked out The Mammoth Book of Extreme Science Fiction,
edited by Mike Ashley. A compilation of
fantastical, far-flung science fiction short stories by authors, Extreme Science Fiction was an
intriguing read populated by fascinating stories, like “Anomalies” by Gregory
Benford, “Merlin’s Gun” by Alastair Reynolds, and “The Days of Solomon Gursky”
by Ian McDonald. Our Nevermore reader admitted
that he devoured this book. Although he
found it riddled with stories that bordered more on extreme fiction than extreme
science, he thought it was a very good collection. It begins with “simpler” stories, but, as he
continued reading, he found the stories became progressively more complex and,
as the title attests, more extreme. He
said it was a pretty good book and he recommended it to other fans of science
fiction.
Following
in the same vein, he likewise looked at Seven
Brief Lessons on Physics by Carlo Rovelli.
In his book, Rovelli, an Italian theoretical physicist and author, takes
some of the most complex mathematical equations and scientific phenomena,
breaks it down, and makes it accessible to the average reader. He explains everything from the formation of
black holes to the influence of gravity to the creation—and possible
purposes—for life on Earth. Our
Nevermore reader was incredibly pleased with Seven Brief Lessons on Physics.
Rovelli has an almost poetic quality to his work, driving home the most
complex theories in physics and giving them a simplicity that makes them
understandable for all readers. He
continued, saying, “[Rovelli] doesn’t make you believe or unbelieve, rather
[he] gives you approximations of theories” and shares his knowledge in an
easy-to-read and condensed format.
Overall, he said it was a very good book—and he even intends to purchase
his own copy.
Next,
Nevermore looked at Kathryn Harkup’s A is
for Arsenic: The Poisons of Agatha
Christie. “Agatha Christie used
poison to kill her characters more often than any other crime fiction writer,”
according Harkup. “The poison was
central to the novel, and her choice of deadly substances was far from
random…” Agatha Christie served in a pharmacy
during both world wars, which gave her incredible insight into the effects of
poisons on the body—and how such poisons could be administered in a variety of
ways to commit murder. Harkup, a former
research chemist, delves deep into Christie’s novels and pinpoints various
poisons used by the author and examines how they were used, how they interact
with the human body, and how they are detected today and when Christie was
writing. Although our reader didn’t
fully read A is for Arsenic, she gave
a glowing review of it from her husband.
She said, “He had such a fun time with it.” It’s complex and insightful, if a little
technical, but he highly recommended it to others interested in chemistry. Additionally, it kindled his interest in
reading The Pale Horse, among other
novels—and rekindled our reader’s love of Agatha Christie.
Last,
Nevermore looked at a brand new memoir by Diane Rehm, On My Own. In her deeply
personal and incredibly poignant memoir, Diane Rehm opens up about her
husband’s death. John Rehm, who suffered
from Parkinson’s disease, suffered a long drawn-out death that left Diane
reeling and truly “on her own” for the first time in fifty-four years. Diane Rehm offers a candid account of her
struggle to create a new identity and reconstruct her life without her husband,
providing insightful and tragic insight into the life and death of her
husband—and his desperation to bring his own life to a close that culminated in
his refusing to take food, water, and medication. Our reader found On My Own to be a magnificent memoir, a piece that confronted the
bereavement process and, more importantly, delved deep into the assisted
suicide movement for Rehm works as an advocate.
Well-written and insightful, it’s a short piece that has a lot of impact
for anyone who has ever suffered a close, personal loss and endured the
prolonged death of a loved one. She said
it’s worth reading, recommending it highly to other book club members.
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