Reported by Ambrea
This week, Nevermore
returned with another look at Sonia Sotomayor’s My Beloved World. Published
in 2014, My Beloved World is an
intimate and insightful look into the life of Sonia Sotomayor, the first
Hispanic woman to become a Supreme Court Justice. Our reader was very impressed with
Sotomayor’s memoir, calling it a “lovely, lovely [book].” Although she enjoyed My Beloved World immensely, our reader noted that she would have
preferred reading a print copy of the book instead of the Kindle edition. She noticed the Kindle lacked pictures and
translations, which she found detracted from the overall book; however, she
said she still loved reading it and it only improved her appreciation for
Sotomayor’s work. “I liked [Sotomayor]
before, and I like her even more now,” she told her fellow readers.
Next, Nevermore looked
at The Woman on the Stairs by
Bernhard Schlink, a fascinatingly complex story of love and lust and obsession
that begins with a simple portrait. The
story features an artist, the woman whose portrait he painted, her husband, and
the young lawyer who becomes entangled in their lives. Together, they tell the story of a moment—and
a portrait—that changed all of their lives.
Our reader admitted that Schlink’s novel wasn’t his usual fare, saying
it was “very different, but very good.”
He noted it had great character development and a rich, poignant story
that appealed to him. He highly
recommended it to his fellow readers.
Nevermore also explored
No One Cares about Crazy People: The Chaos and Heartbreak of Mental Health in
America. Written by Ron Powers, No One Cares about Crazy People is
simultaneously an examination of the history of mental healthcare and a candid
memoir on his sons’ respective struggles with mental illness. Powers offers an intimate portrayal of his
sons, Dean and Kevin, as they confronted their twin diagnoses of
schizophrenia. Our reader said she was
fascinated by No One Cares about Crazy
People, noting it incorporated both solid statistics on mental healthcare
and personal anecdotes on the toll mental illness takes. As the cover notes, Powers’ book is “a blend
of history, biography, memoir, and current affairs...a thought-provoking look
at a dreaded illness that has long been misunderstood.” Our reader said it was very good, and she
hoped to hear more from Powers in the future.
Next, Nevermore decided
to share an enthralling psychological thriller:
The Girl Before by J.P.
Delaney. In The Girl Before, Emma stumbles across One Folgate Street in pursuit
for a new apartment and falls in love.
Minimalist and seemingly safe, One Folgate Street feels like a perfect
fit for Emma who is still reeling from a traumatic break-in; however, she
quickly discovers the enigmatic architect has a strange set of rules—and change
her forever. Jane, like Emma, finds One
Folgate Street in her search for a fresh start and she’s immediately drawn to
the house and its creator. But as Jane
settles into her new abode, she will discover terrible secrets about One
Folgate Street and the girl who lived there before. Our reader picked up The Girl Before on a whim and found an incredibly fascinating
page-turner in the process. She said,
“The book made you think…and [it] also fools you.” With its unexpected conclusion and thrilling,
suspenseful story, The Girl Before is
an excellent book for fans of The Girl on
the Train and Gone Girl.
Like The Girl Before, A Banquet of Consequences by Elizabeth George draws readers in with
a suspenseful story and buried secrets.
In George’s novel, Inspector Thomas Lynley and Detective Sergeant
Barbara Havers are investigating the suicide of William Goldacre—and a
poisoning in Cambridge. In their pursuit
to find links between this unexpected suicide and equally grisly murder, Lynley
and Havers find that behind the peaceful façade of country life is a
terrifyingly dark world of desire, deceit, and desperation. Our reader said she absolutely adores
Elizabeth George and, likewise, she enjoyed this latest psychological thriller
by such an accomplished mystery writer.
Although she wasn’t fond of the conclusion, she noted that the story
kept her on her toes. Complex and
thoughtful, A Banquet of Consequences
proved to be a thrilling adventure for our reader.
Rounding out our
reading at Nevermore, one of our members shared My Italian Bulldozer by Alexander McCall Smith. In his most recent standalone novel, McCall
Smith tells the story of Paul Stewart, a writer who exchanges his stressful
city life for the idyllic countryside of Montalcino, Italy. When Paul arrives in Italy, he thinks this
will be his chance to finish his long overdue book; however, after he arrives,
he discovers no rental cars are available and he has no way of reaching his
destination! Until a stranger offers him
an unexpected alternative: a
bulldozer. Amusing and sweet, My Italian Bulldozer was a witty, light-hearted
novel with wonderful characters and hilariously unpredictable adventures. Our reader said she enjoyed reading My Italian Bulldozer. It was lovely, light reading that hit just
the right note and brightened her day, and she highly recommended it to anyone
looking for an easy, uplifting book.
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