Wednesday, June 25, 2025

Nevermore: Where'd You Go Bernadette, Face of Battle, How They Croaked

 

Nevermore 6-3-25

Reported by Rita

Where'd You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple

When her daughter Bee claims a family trip to Antarctica as a reward for perfect grades, Bernadette, a fiercely intelligent shut-in, throws herself into preparations for the trip. But worn down by years of trying to live the Seattle life she never wanted, Ms. Fox is on the brink of a meltdown. And after a school fundraiser goes disastrously awry at her hands, she disappears, leaving her family to pick up the pieces--which is exactly what Bee does, weaving together an elaborate web of emails, invoices, and school memos that reveals a secret past Bernadette has been hiding for decades.

Fun and very clever.    - MH    5 stars

 


The Face of Battle: A Study of Agincourt, Waterloo and the Somme by John Keegan

The Face of Battle is military history from the battlefield: a look at the direct experience of individuals at 'the point of maximum danger'. It examines the physical conditions of fighting, the particular emotions and behavior generated by battle, as well as the motives that impel soldiers to stand and fight rather than run away.

The writer was very knowledgeable, and the book was highly illuminating. Very good.     -RR     5 stars

 


How They Croaked: The Awful Ends of the Awfully Famous by Georgia Bragg

Over the course of history, men and women have lived and died. In fact, getting sick and dying can be a big, ugly mess-especially before the modern medical care that we all enjoy today. How They Croaked relays all the gory details of how nineteen world figures gave up the ghost.

Full of fascinating facts and interesting illustrations. I loved it!     - CD     5 stars

 

Other Books Mentioned 

Sipsworth by Simon Van Booy

Medicine Walk by Richard Wagamese

The Overcoat by Nikolai Gogol

Listen to the Wind: The Story of Dr. Greg & Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson

Revenge of the Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell

The Seamstress by Allison Pittman

Vera Wong's Guide to Snooping (On a Dead Man) by Jesse Q. Sutanto

The Geographer's Map to Romance by India Holton

 

New Books

On Muscle: The Stuff That Moves Us by Bonnie Tsui

Bright Circle: Five Remarkable Women in the Age of Transcendentalism by Randall Fuller

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