Starting
out this week, Nevermore looked at a heart-pounding thriller by Linda
Fairstein. In Killer Look, District Attorney Alex Cooper finds herself diving
deep into the glitzy, glamorous world of fashion to solve the murder of Wolf
Savage, a prominent businessman and designer.
But Alex isn’t facing just a dangerous killer, she’s struggling to
retain her endangered position at the DA’s office and control her PTSD. Along with detective Mike Chapman and Mercer
Wallace, Alex will have to delve deep into the Garment District if she hopes to
solve a murder—and stop a killer before he strikes again. Our reader said she really enjoyed reading
Fairstein’s novel. Although she hadn’t
quite finished, she said “it’s good [so far]” and she couldn’t wait to dive
into more books by Fairstein.
Next,
Nevermore read a collection of what has been dubbed “wild, wacky, and nostalgic
short stories” by Jerry Harju. In Northern Reflections, Harju offers
stories from his childhood in upper Michigan during the 1940s—everything from
wild childhood antics, like playing chicken with a train, to his troublesome
adolescence when meeting girls during the frigid Michigan winter proved
difficult. Our readers said they both
enjoyed reading Northern Reflections. Full of “colorful, colloquial stories,” it
had a universal appeal which our readers greatly appreciated. One reader said Harju’s stories translated
very well. Although the author grew up
in Michigan, his experiences could have happened anywhere in the country, such
as the Deep South of Mississippi or Arkansas—or even the Appalachian Mountains
of northeast Tennessee.
Nevermore
returned with an old favorite this week:
Dark Money by Jane Mayer. A book that confronts the “profound economic
inequality” of modern America, Dark Money
has circulated through the ranks several times as readers find their
interest piqued by Mayer’s work. As
usual, our readers found Mayer’s book fascinating and “absolutely frightening”
with its depictions of political corruptions and economic turmoil; however, one
reader picked out a local story that she thought hit close to home. In Mayer’s Dark Money, Saltville, Virginia, takes the stage in an exposé on
the Olin Chemical Company which dumped millions of pounds of mercury into local
water sources from 1951 to 1970. Interesting but simultaneously startling, Dark Money is still a big hit for our
readers.
Nevermore
also shared an interesting book this week about Florence Foster Jenkins by
Nicholas Martin and Jasper Rees. Dubbed
the “world’s worst singer,” Florence Foster Jenkins is one of America’s
best-known sopranos and she’s famous for her unique recordings—and her sold-out
concert at Carnegie Hall. Despite her
limitations as a singer, Florence made a name for herself as both a talented
young pianist and a patron of the musical arts.
She set up a prestigious music club, staged multiple operas, and
embraced the musical scene of New York City, inspiring and assisting many young
singers as they started upon the stage. Florence Foster Jenkins proved to be an
amusing and fascinating biography on the famous madame; however, the real treat
was an actual recording of Mrs. Jenkins’ singing brought in by one reader. Not only did our members have the opportunity
to hear about her unusual exploits, they had the chance to hear her singing and
“enjoy” her musical endeavors.
Next,
Nevermore took a look at The Chain: Farm, Factory, and the Fate of Our Food
by Ted Genoways. The Chain is a powerful, poignant work of investigative journalism
that explores the growth of the American meatpacking industry—and its dire
repercussions. Genoways interviewed
dozens of individuals for his book, including union leaders, industry line
workers, hog farmers, migrant workers, politicians and activists, which lends
his work an wonderful level of credibility.
Our reader said she was absolutely fascinated by The Chain, calling it a brilliant book that follows in the vein of
Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle and, like
that classic, it’s at once captivating and horrifying.
Last,
Nevermore shared The Namesake by
Jhumpa Nahiri, which follows the Ganguli family from their roots in Calcutta to
their journey to the United States.
Gogol Ganguli is named for a Russian writer by his Indian parents, a
collision of heritage and modern, American ideals, and he struggles to balance
his American life and his parents’ heritage.
A stunning novel about identity and tradition and reconciling the two, The Namesake is simultaneously
fascinating, thrilling, tragic, and beautiful.
Our reader was particularly pleased with Nahiri’s novel. She said it was a “beautifully written book,”
and she recommended it highly to her fellow readers.
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