Nevermore 7-28-26
Reported by Rita
The Yankee
Sphinx by Mark Frost
In 1934, Will Hassett is working as a journalist when he gets a call from an old friend who now works at the White House. He arrives expecting to catch up on old times but is instead brought right into the Oval Office to meet with Franklin D. Roosevelt. FDR needs help on his speeches; Will takes the job on the spot. For the next twelve years, Will is at FDR’s side through the worst of the Depression, three reelection campaigns, and World War II. The Yankee Sphinx, inspired by Will Hassett’s real diaries, focuses on the last few years of FDR’s life. The war is raging in Europe and FDR’s good friend, Winston Churchill, begs for America’s help. But Roosevelt knows he can’t bring the country in until it’s ready, an opportunity that won’t arise until the Japanese attack Pearl Harbor in 1941. From Will’s empathetic perspective, we witness FDR managing the Allied military campaign abroad and parrying shots from isolationist politicians at home―all while reckoning with his rapidly deteriorating health.
Suspenseful
and haunting. -AH 5 stars
I Am Not a
Robot: My Year Using AI to Do (Almost) Everything by Joanna
Stern
What occurs when intelligent machines are integrated into daily life—driving cars, making decisions, and managing household tasks? The hype suggests AI will enhance health, personalize education, and boost efficiency. To explore this, journalist Joanna Stern devoted a year to living with AI, using it for chores, health management, and travel. She conducted interviews with tech leaders and shared her humorous yet insightful experiences in "I Am Not a Robot." This book aims to clarify AI's impact on everyday life, moving beyond hype to present a realistic view of the AI revolution’s implications for ordinary people.
This is
very fun and readable. It's so good. I highly recommend it. -PP 5 stars
Truth in
Advertising by John Kenney
Finbar Dolan is lost and lonely. Except he doesn’t know it. Despite escaping his blue-collar Boston upbringing to carve out a mildly successful career at a Madison Avenue ad agency, he’s a bit of a mess and closing in on forty. He’s recently called off a wedding. Now, a few days before Christmas, he’s forced to cancel a long-postponed vacation in order to write, produce, and edit a Super Bowl commercial for his diaper account in record time. Fortunately, it gets worse. Fin learns that his long-estranged and once-abusive father has fallen ill. And that neither of his brothers or his sister intend to visit. It’s a wake-up call for Fin to reevaluate the choices he’s made, admit that he’s falling for his coworker Phoebe, question the importance of diapers in his life, and finally tell the truth about his past.
I enjoy
this author and the satire. It's really funny. –WJ
5 stars
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