Reported by Kristin
Nevermore began with a big disaster: not Hurricane Harvey, but the 1964 Alaskan
earthquake that was the strongest earthquake ever recorded in North
America. In The Great Quake: How the
Biggest Earthquake in North America Changed Our Understanding of the Planet,
author Henry Fountain describes how
the earth shook for over five minutes and how some pieces of land dropped ten
feet. Our reader had toured Alaska a few
years ago and found this a very interesting depiction of places she had seen.
Our next reader was charmed by a small novel published in
1966, Brothers of the Sea by D.R.
Sherman. In the Seychelles Islands
in the Indian Ocean off the coast of southern Africa, a foundling with a limp
is left on a doorstep. Taken in by a
kind man, fifteen year old Paul helps his adoptive father in his fishing boat,
and one day meets a dolphin. Our reader
found this simple story quite meaningful and appreciated the respectful
relationships between the characters.
Continuing in fiction, See What I Have Done by Sarah Schmidt takes another piece of history—the
Lizzie Borden case—and speculates what actually happened in the brutal ax
murders of Andrew and Abby Borden Fall River, Massachusetts in 1892. The Bordens were a wealthy family, and Lizzie
had a bit of a reputation for bossing around her family members. Although acquitted on the murder charges,
Lizzie did spend ten months in jail and many people still believe that she was
guilty. This high profile case has spurred
the imagination of many, including our reader.
Next up was Down Among the Dead Men by Peter Lovesey. Between a missing art teacher and a cold
murder case, Detective Peter Diamond seems to be running all over England. As he travels, he becomes tangled in a
variety of situations, but eventually figures out the “whodunit.” Our reader said that this is a part of a
series and was kind of a fun read, but not the best book she had ever read.
The classic Jamaica Inn by Daphne Du Maurier is sometimes overshadowed by her better known
novel Rebecca, but Nevermore readers have been passing it around and enjoying
it quite a bit. The main character is
Mary, a young woman whose mother dies and thus is sent to live with her aunt at
Jamaica Inn. On the surface all seems
well, but there is evil lurking beneath.
Our reader proclaimed this an excellent story with excellent writing,
and that it was intriguing to see what life was like in 1820’s Cornwall.
Sing for Your Life: A Story of Race, Music, and
Family by Daniel Bergner
inspired our next reader to ask “What choices do you make in your life?” Ryan Speedo Green, a young African American
man, grew up in southeastern Virginia, struggling to achieve his goals in a
poor single parent family. From there
Green went on to become a well-known opera star and continues to inspire others
with his voice. Our reader was impressed
with Green’s achievements.
Lastly, Divisadero by Michael Ondaatje was brought to the table. Set in Northern California in the 1970’s, a
father and his daughters make their living from the land, until violence forces
change upon them. Our reader commented
that there were very intense situations between lovers, and that her takeaway
was that we all have to get past saying that others are at fault, and we must
find something that we can do personally to make things better.
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