Nevermore: Valiant Women, Nothing to Envy, Dragon Teeth

 

Reported by Rita

Valiant Women: The Extraordinary American Servicewomen Who Helped Win World War II by Lena Andrews is the story of the important and often untold roles American women played in World War II. From pilots, codebreakers, and chemists to truck drivers, metalsmiths, and pigeon trainers. Our reader was surprised by many of the stories and found it very interesting. WJ

Nothing to Envy by Barbara Demick follows the everyday lives of 6 North Koreans over the span of 15 years. They live, love, and raise families in a country where everything around them is scripted and controlled by the government. The struggles of living under a totalitarian regime was very eye-opening. VC

Dragon Teeth by Michael Crichton is a historical fiction that has made its rounds through the book club and has been enjoyed yet again. Set in 1876, the plot follows a college student who joins a fossil hunting expedition.  Wild West with dinosaurs for the win! MH

Also Mentioned:

Birds Without Wings by Louis de Bernières

Culture: The Story of Us, From Cave Art to K-Pop by Martin Puchner

In the Distance by Hernan Diaz

The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder by David Grann

Typhoon by Joseph Conrad

The Soul of an Octopus by Sy Montgomery

Hemlock Island by Kelley Armstrong

David Copperfield by Charles Dickens

Deaf Republic by Ilya Kaminsky

The Hemingses of Monticello: An American Family by Annette Gordon-Reed

Funny Farm: My Unexpected Life with 600 Rescue Animals by Laurie Zaleski

The Last Giants: The Rise and Fall of the African Elephant by Levison Wood

New Books:

Chenneville by Paulette Jiles

Nevermore: Dragon Teeth, Small Town Sins, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

 

Nevermore September 19, 2023

Reported by Rita

Dragon Teeth by Michael Crichton takes place in 1876 in the American west. Two rival paleontologists are on the hunt for dinosaur bones in this Jurassic Park meets the Wild West novel. This story is filled with deception, sabotage, and a discovery of epic proportions. This was our reader’s second attempt with this title and said it gets really exciting later in the book and she ended up really liking it. KN

Small Town Sins by Ken Jaworowski tells of people struggling to survive in a former coal and steel town on the brink of decay and lengths they go to get by. Described by our reader as a very interesting non-linear story that really captures the feeling of living in a small town. Extremely well written and thoroughly enjoyable. NH

 

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and Other Tales of Terror by Robert Louis Stevenson is a dark psychological fantasy that explores the idea of split personalities. Our reader found this classic gothic tale to be just as strange as the title suggests. PC

 

Also Mentioned:

Deaf Republic by Ilya Kaminsky

Normal People by Sally Rooney

Bryson City Tales: Stories of a Doctor's First Year of Practice in the Smoky Mountains

by Walt Larimore MD

This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar, Max Gladstone

The Road to Roswell by Connie Willis

The Year of the Flood by Margaret Atwood

Upheaval: Turning Points for Nations in Crisis by Jared Diamond

Montana 1948 by Larry Watson

Seven Brief Lessons on Physics by Carlo Rovelli

Illustrated Treasury of Children's Literature by Margaret E. Martignoni

The Lost Bookshop by Evie Woods

After Anne: A Novel of Lucy Maud Montgomery's Life by Logan Steiner

Hang the Moon by Jeannette Walls

In the Distance by Hernan Diaz

 

New:

 

What You Are Looking For Is in the Library by Michiko Aoyama

Nevermore: Our Missing Hearts, Summer I Turned Pretty, Micro, More!

 

Reported by Rita

Our Missing Hearts by Celeste Ng is a dystopian coming of age novel about a 12 year old boy named Bird trying to unravel the mystery of his missing mother, a Chinese American poet who left when he was nine during a time of great civil conflict. In his quest to find her, he revisits the folktales his mother shared with him using a network of underground libraries. Our reader wasn’t impressed, calling it cumbersome and redundant. NH

The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han was a surprisingly enjoyable read according to our reader.  This young adult novel is the first of a series that follows Belly, who lives for summer and time spent at the beach house, and with her crushes Jeremiah and Conrad. Our reader picked it up as a beach read and later found out her nieces love the series so it made for a nice connection between them. In spite of being described as “agonizing and cringe worthy” at times, it was an enjoyable book. HM

Micro by Michael Crichton was described by our reader as Jurassic Park meets Honey I Shrunk the Kids. This sci-fi thriller follows a group of graduate students working for a mysterious biotech company in Hawaii who find themselves shrunk to “micro” size. They must find a way to return to normal before it’s too late while navigating a strange new world where every bug is an enemy and even a blade of grass is a giant obstacle. Our reader really enjoyed the book and said it also includes lots of interesting bug and plant information. AC

R.E.A.D.S. audio made the discussion this week with one reader recommending a short story that is part of the NPR Classic Driveway Moments available through R.E.A.D.S. or the Libby app. “Hitching a Ride with Junior McGee” is a 21-minute audio tale of two people traveling cross-country to attend a bluegrass festival. It was described as a fun and interesting listen. PP

Also Mentioned:

Thunder Dog: The True Story of a Blind Man, His Guide Dog, and the Triumph of Trust at Ground Zero by Michael Hingson with Susy Flory

Dave Barry Turns 50 by Dave Barry

Tropic of Cancer by Henry Miller

I’m Just Saying: A Guide to Maintaining Civil Discourse in an Increasingly Divided World by Milan Kordestani

The Dollmaker by Harriette Simson Arnow

Ripper by Isabel Allende

Long Shadows by David Baldacci

Why Am I Like This: The Science Behind Your Weirdest Thoughts and Habits by Jen Martin

Time Remembered by Miss Read

The Hidden Message in Water by Masaru Emoto

The Cheerleaders by Kara Thomas

Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman

The Thorns Remain by JJA Harwood

The Light We Carry by Michelle Obama

Three Pines/Chief Inspector Gamache series by Louise Penny

New Books:

Hillsville Remembered: Public Memory, Historical Silence, and Appalachia’s Most Notorious Shoot-Out by Travis A. Rountree

The Questions That Matter Most: Reading, Writing, and the Exercise of Freedom by Jane Smiley

The Summer of 1876: Outlaws, Lawmen, and Legends in the Season that Defined the American West by Chris Wimmer

The Paris Deception by Bryn Turnbull

The Old Lion: A Novel of Theodore Roosevelt by Jeff Shaara

Nevermore: Douglass, Crichton, Theroux, Hooper, Harrow, Gibbons

Reported by Kristin

One Nevermore member was slowly enjoying a lovely edition of the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass and Other Works. Douglass was found to be a very brilliant and clear thinker about the social aspects of slavery. Our reader described his admiration for a man born into slavery who taught himself so much and who influenced so many people.

Another reader had picked up the posthumously published Dragon Teeth by Michael Crichton. With a cover looking much like the Jurassic Park saga that Crichton is so well known for, this story is set in 1876 in the Wild West, when it was still easy (and relatively unregulated) to excavate fossil sites. Our reader said that the novel was full of Native Americans, soldiers, forts, and even Wyatt Earp made an appearance, making it quite a fun read.

On the Plain of Snakes: A Mexican Journey by Paul Theroux has been making the Nevermore rounds, and the current reader absolutely loved it. Theroux travels the globe to find the cultural richness rarely seen with the struggles of people searching for a better life. Our reader said that the author takes you down the desert roads and presents an excellent portrayal of the rough challenges faced by many south of our national border.

Etta and Otto and Russell and James by Emma Hooper was very highly recommended as it tells the story of eighty-three year old Etta who decides to walk across Canada to see the Atlantic Ocean for the first time. In doing so, she reminisces about the life she has led with her husband Otto, their childhood friends, and lost loves. Our reader emphasized that she absolutely loved, loved, loved it, and encouraged others to give it a try.

Entering a world of mystical possibilities, our next reader picked up The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow. In the early 1900s, January Scaller is the adopted daughter of a rich man who collects curiosities from around the world. When she finds a book filled with secret doors, January is intrigued. This book was praised as excellent, but weird. It is highly recommended for those who like, well, weird books.

Finally, Divining Women by Kaye Gibbons, a novel set within the Spanish influenza epidemic, was enjoyed by our last reader. Mary Oliver is a young woman who comes to help her aunt Maureen during a difficult pregnancy. Maureen’s husband Troop is cold and strict, and Mary finds herself desperate to protect her aunt. Our Nevermore reader said that the underlying theme of the novel was how women can change their lives when they decide to take control.

Nevermore: Midnight Sun, Behind Closed Doors, The Smear, Mortuary Technician, Brothers of the Sea, Eaters of the Dead

Reported by Jeanne 

Nevermore started the week with a review of Midnight Sun by Jo Nesbo, an award-winning Norwegian author best known for his Harry Hole mystery series.  This standalone novel features Jon, a hitman who is fleeing a vindictive employer known as the Fisherman. He finds a sanctuary of sorts in a small village where he also finds himself becoming emotionally attached to a widow and her son.  But Jon—known to the villagers as Ulf—knows that it’s just a matter of time before someone will come looking for him. Our reviewer enjoyed it, and gave it four out of five stars.  He especially praised Nesbo for his ability to create complex characters.

Behind Closed Doors, a debut novel by B.A. Paris, also won praise from its reader.  Grace and Jack appear to the be the perfect couple, but appearances are deceiving in this domestic thriller.  Our reader said it featured a psychopath with amazing nasal abilities—this person could smell fear—and that it’s a good page-turner.

The Smear by Sharyl Attkisson takes a behind the scenes look at how political campaigns, spin doctors, and special interest groups all try to shape the news to influence the public, especially voters.  Our reviewer said that while it was not fast reading, it was interesting.

More engaging was the next nonfiction selection, Down Among the Dead Men:  A Year in the Life of a Mortuary Technician by Michelle Williams. While the book could be a bit graphic at times, it’s a fascinating look at what goes on behind the scenes at a hospital mortuary.  Learning the causes of death, dealing with funeral homes, and some of the more unusual –um—clients make for engrossing reading.  Our reviewer did say that since the author was English a number of British expressions appear in the book but that didn’t detract from her enjoyment.

The 1966 novel Brothers of the Sea by D.R. Sherman is set in Seychelles when a boy and his father struggle to survive. Fifteen year old Paul is saved by a dolphin and the two form a deep friendship. The reader said this was a great book, and it was one of the saddest stories he’d ever read.

Finally, Michael Crichton’s early novel The Eaters of the Dead made quite an impression on one member.  Based on the writings of an Arab traveler around 921 A.D. and drawing from Beowulf, the story revolves around a band of Vikings who have to fight a mysterious monster. Our reader was most taken with the descriptions of Viking life and found the book to be “fascinating.”