Nevermore: Wild Snail, Ladies' Night, Christianity, Lost Family, DNA USA, Trees

Reported by Ambrea

This week, Nevermore started out with The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating by Elizabeth Tova Bailey.  When Bailey was bedridden by a mysterious illness, a friend brought her a snail.  Though puzzled by the gift, Bailey discovered unexpected solace in watching the snail live its own tiny life.  She learned much about the snail, how it lived and how it ate and how it moved, and, with the help of that one tiny, underappreciated creature, she discovered new ways of enduring her illness.  Our reader found The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating to be enlightening.  She noted the book becomes a little technical in some places; however, she said she found it interesting and easy to read.  Moreover, she was impressed by the survival techniques Bailey employed to cope with her extended illness.  She thought it was fascinating how the human brain works to keep a person alive and sane.

Next, Nevermore checked out Ladies’ Night by Mary Kay Andrews.  Grace Stanton’s life was perfect:  she had a palatial home, a popular lifestyle blog, a decent (so she thought) husband—that is, until she discovers her husband cheating on her with her assistant and drives his pricey sports car straight into a swimming pool.  Now, Grace finds herself locked out of her home, her bank account, her blog, and sentenced to court-mandated “divorce therapy.”  Although she’s reluctant to deal with the divorce coach, she finds herself forging unexpected friendships with the other ladies of her group and discovering closure isn’t so difficult to attain.  Our reader picked up Andrews’ novel, because she wanted a light-hearted story after reading some tougher books.  She said she enjoyed reading Ladies’ Night.  “It was [sickeningly] sappy,” she noted, “but good.”

Switching gears back to nonfiction, Nevermore took a look at The Triumph of Christianity:  How a Forbidden Religion Swept the World by Bart D. Ehrman.  In his book, Ehrman makes an in-depth analysis of the earliest years of Christianity.  He dives into history, focusing on Christianity as it grew from the crucifixion of Jesus to its recognition of a world religion within the Roman Empire.  Although it only spans a few centuries, Ehrman offers a vivid image of Christianity as it grew and took shape as the official religion of Rome.  Our reader raved about The Triumph of Christianity.  He said, “I recommend it as the best book on early Christianity…that I’ve ever read.”  Beautifully written and infinitely thoughtful, Ehrman’s book offered a unique glimpse into the fuzzy history of early Christianity and provided a very tolerant analysis of conflicting viewpoints.  “[It’s a book that] doesn’t attempt to slam or discount others, rather it tries to explain and enlighten,” he commented.  He highly recommended it to his fellow readers, and it was quickly snatched up.

Next, Nevermore took a look at a brand new novel:  The Lost Family by Jenna Blum.  In her latest novel, Blum tells the story of Peter Rashkin, a survivor of Auschwitz who has managed to make it to Manhattan as the owner and head chef of a popular restaurant called Masha’s.  Handsome, tragic, and talented, Peter is one the most eligible man in town.  But Peter isn’t interested in the ladies who drop in to his restaurant, hoping to catch his attention; rather, he spends his days running Masha’s—and combating the guilt he feels over the death of his wife, Masha, and their two young daughters.  Then he meets June Bouquet and tries to let go of the horrors of his past, before they overshadow his future.  Our reader, who is a fan of Jenna Blum, said she enjoyed reading The Lost Family.  She found the story to be interesting and compelling in equal measures, drawing her in from the first page.  She passed it on to the next reader, who was eager to take it up.

Nevermore returned to a familiar subject with DNA USA:  A Genetic Portrait of America by Bryan Sykes and Genetics for Dummies.  In Sykes’ book, he takes a tour of the United States and charts the wide variety of genetic markers that make up America.  Interviewing genealogists, geneticists, anthropologists, and others, Sykes attempts to create a map of DNA in the USA and, inadvertently, helps redefine what it means to be American.  Our reader said he enjoyed DNA USA, calling it one of the more interesting reads he’s picked up this year; however, he noted, “It’s very dense, very technical.”  He picked up Genetics for Dummies in the hopes of understanding genetics and DNA USA better.  Of Genetics for Dummies, he said, “You’ll sweat this thing.”

Nevermore rounded out with another book on observing and learning from nature, titled The Hidden Life of Trees:  What They Feel, How They Communicate—Discoveries from a Secret World by Peter Wohlleben.  In his book, Wohlleben makes detailed observations about trees and forests as a whole, creating an insightful and compelling argument that trees, like humans, are social organisms.  Our reader said she heard about The Hidden Life of Trees from NPR and, throughout her reading of Wohlleben’s book, she found herself simultaneously enjoying and learning.  She thought the book was interesting overall, and she highly recommended it to her fellow nature lovers, especially those who finished The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating.

Nevermore: Girl in the Tower, DNA, Adventure Cats, Where All Light Tends to Go, Higher Loyalty, Melissa Etheridge

Reported by Kristin

Nevermore began with a lovely story of fairy tale fiction:  The Girl in the Tower by Katherine Arden, second in the Winternight Trilogy.  Introduced in The Bear and the Nightingale, Vasilisa is a young woman with a supernatural gift, and she feels the pressure to be married or to join a convent.  Instead, she dresses as a boy and leaves her village on horseback for a grand adventure.  Our reader found this a rather interesting tale.

Turning to non-fiction, another reader delved into DNA USA: A Genetic Portrait of America by Bryan Sykes.  Explaining the basic differences between mitochondrial DNA transmitted through the female egg and the genome within the nucleus of a human cell transmitted through the male sperm, our reader said that this was a very good book but so full of new ideas (to him) that it took a while to get a grasp of the material.

Another reader continued in non-fiction, albeit in much lighter subject matter.  Adventure Cats: Living Nine Lives to the Fullest by Laura J. Moss was an interesting diversion, as the author discussed how to safely take your cats out into the wild, hiking, camping, sailing, and more.  Our reader confessed that she did not have time to finish the book, because she was too busy playing with her cats.

The same reader began Where All Light Tends to Go by David Joy, an up and coming Appalachian author.  Aiden and Thad are stuck in the mountains of North Carolina with very few prospects and even less hope.  After the accidental death of a local drug dealer, the young men spiral into a series of self-destructive events.  Our reader said that there were too many drugs and she just could not make herself care about the characters.

Next up was A Higher Loyalty: Truth, Lies and Leadership by James Comey.  The former FBI director recently published this book amid political scandals and federal governmental infighting.  The book begins with a history of Comey’s life as he grew up thinking he would be a doctor, but later decided to go into law in order to work for the betterment of humanity.  Our reader appreciated the level of detail encompassed in the volume.

Finally, our last reader enjoyed a musician’s autobiography:  The Truth Is…My Life in Love and Music by Melissa Etheridge and Laura Morton.  Full of details of her family, various lovers, and her songwriting process, Etheridge gave the world a view of the most intimate parts of her life within these pages.  Our reader was impressed by Etheridge’s strength as a well-known member of the gay and lesbian community.

Nevermore: Becoming Odyssa, Forgotten, Phantom and more!

Becoming Odyssa by Jennifer Pharr Davis was the first book up for discussion, prompted by Ms. Davis’ appearance at the library Monday night. Over a hundred people showed up to hear her stories of the Appalachian Trail. She is the current record-holder for the fastest time walking the Trail, but her book is about her first trip, whe was just out of college and looking for direction for her life. She decided that walking the Trail would give her time to consider. She didn’t expect how much the journey would change her life.

In Phantom by Jo Nesbo, policeman Harry Hole has fled Oslo for Hong Kong, but returns to prove a young man’s innocence. Our reviewer was really looking forward to this new book in the series but said a friend had warned her that this one was slow going at first. She gave it over a hundred pages before she gave up in disappointment. She had really enjoyed his other novels, but felt this one just dragged.

Army Special Agent John Puller suspects that his aunt’s death was not an accident, so he goes into action to find out what exactly is going on in the Florida town of Paradise. This is the plot of the new David Baldacci thriller, Forgotten, and it drew mixed reviews from our members. One said it lived up to its title and would best be forgotten: she found it formulaic and repetitive. There were gangs, shooting, more gangs, more shooting, and a few beatings thrown in for good measure. Another reader enjoyed it, saying that Puller was a hero for standing up for the “Forgotten” people of the title and that it was a good, fast paced novel.

Even with winter upon us, it’s hard to keep a good gardening book down. Why Grow That When You Can Grow This? by Andrew Keys lists a number of popular plants which may not do well in a particual space (or do TOO well) and suggests alternatives to the current plant fads. Color photos and clear explanations will have gardeners making notes for spring.

In Revenge of Geography: What the Map Tells Us About Coming Conflicts and the Battle Against Fate, author Robert Kaplan presents a survey of how geographers view terrain, climate, and physical features of a place influence people and their culture.

The book everyone was still talking about was DNA USA: A Genetic Portrait of America by Bryan Sykes, the book which uses genetic testing to see the difference between who Americans think they are and what their genetic heritage actually is. Several members were considering checking into the National Geographic Genographic program. At least two members decided they also wanted to read the book.

Nevermore: DNA, Top Ten Books, Joy of Drinking & Botany

The Seven Daughters of Eve by Bryan Sykes caused quite a stir when it was published back in 2002.  Using genetic analysis, he postulated that all humans descended from one of seven “clan mothers.” Now Sykes has a new book, DNA USA.  Since the United States is one of the most genetically diverse countries, Sykes was curious to see how the various lines appeared in a modern population and how that matches us with the way the individuals identify themselves.  For example, some Spanish Catholics were found to have some Jewish ancestors while European DNA was apparently introduced to some Native American tribes as far back as 10,000 years.  Our reviewer is finding it a fascinating book.

Have you ever wondered what books your favorite author would choose? You may find the answer in The Top Ten: Writers Pick Their Favorite Books, edited by J. Peder Zane.  Zane asked 125 well-known authors to name their favorite ten books. Those responding included Lee Smith, Stephen King, Annie Proulx, Michael Chabon and Alexander McCall Smith.  Zane provides plot descriptions of the books in a separate section, listing the authors who selected each title.  Some author even provided insights on a particular choice, such as Louis Rubin’s appreciation of Eudora Welty’s short stories.

The Joy of Drinking by Barbara Holland is a history of distillation as only Holland can provide.  The facts are all there but it’s the author’s voice that makes them memorable.  Two reviewers praised the book for its humor and wit, and intend to read more of Holland’s work.

Michael Pollan is well known for his books about food such as The Omnivore’s Dilemma.  In The Botany of Desire, he examines how four plants (tulips, marijuana, apples, and potatoes) have fueled four human desires (beauty, intoxication, sweetness and control).  He demonstrates how humans and plants have evolved a relationship of mutual benefit through the centuries.