Nevermore: Nature of the Beast, Space Shuttles, Jesus Cow, Go Set A Watchman, Harry Bosch, and American History

Summary by Ambrea

This week, our meeting began with The Nature of the Beast, another Chief Inspector Gamache book by Louise Penny.  Now living in Three Pines, Quebec, with his wife, Armand Gamache has adapted to village life and he has learned to take nine-year-old Laurent Lepage’s stories with a grain of salt.  But when Laurent suddenly disappears, Gamache is faced with the very real possibility that Laurent’s stories might not have been tall tales after all—and a very real, very sinister monster has set down roots in his new hometown.  According to our reader, Penny’s novel was very good.  It has threads of a traditional mystery, but, he pointed out, “it fools you.”   He said the resolution was nothing like he expected.

Our reader also explored NASA Space Shuttle  Manual:  An Insight into the Design, Construction, and Operation of the NASA Space Shuttle by David Baker.  The NASA Shuttle, which flew nearly 140 missions by the time of its retirement in 2011, has a long and storied history—and David Baker explains just how the Shuttle came to be, how it operated, how it was built, and how it served a multitude of purposes throughout its tenure at NASA.  Our reader said it was an excellent book, because it details the entire development of the Shuttle and, more importantly, offers excellent illustrations to really help readers view the project down to the tiniest details.

Another reader shared The Jesus Cow by Michael Perry.  Perry, who typically writes nonfiction, crafts a humorous tale about a low-key farmer, named Harley Jackson, who receives the shock of his life on Christmas Eve:  a calf is born with the image of Jesus Christ emblazoned in his fur—and Harley, confronted with a multitude of other challenges, isn’t sure what to do.  According to our reader, The Jesus Cow is a hilarious story with a heart of gold.  “It’s such a good story,” she said, which she found appropriate for this time of year.

Our readers also looked back at Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee.  In a previous meeting in August, Lee’s new novel—which finds Jean Louise Finch (who is best remembered as young, rebellious Scout) returning to Maycomb County, confronting a number of drastic changes in her tiny hometown and her father, Atticus Finch—received some mixed reviews.  However, in our most recent Nevermore meeting, our reader said she really liked Go Set a Watchman.  She loved reading about Scout’s childhood stories, loved the glimpses of small-town life Lee offered, and she highly recommended reading it:  “You don’t have to like the topic, but it’s worth reading.”

Next, our readers examined Brave Companions:  Portraits in History by David McCullough, bestselling author of Truman and John Adams and The Wright Brothers.  McCullough, who is best known for his forays into history, explores some of the most oft forgotten names in American history.  From Alexander von Humboldt—who, as a contemporary of Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, explored North and South America extensively—to Harriet Beecher Stowe to Harry Caudill, McCullough sheds new light on these forgotten (sometimes, neglected) figures by writing short “sketches.”  Our Nevermore reader was absolutely thrilled with Brave Companions, saying he didn’t think McCullough was capable of writing a poor paragraph.

Last, our readers looked at an audiobook by Michael Connelly called The Crossing.  Recently published in November as part of his ongoing Detective Harry Bosch series, The Crossing chronicles Bosch’s investigation as he helps his half-brother, Mickey Haller, uncover a killer—and, whether it’s Mickey’s client or not, Bosch has dedicated himself to uncover the truth.  But as Bosch pursues his line of inquiry, he discovers the prosecution doesn’t have a faultless defense and, worse, the killer he’s pursuing might be chasing him.  Our reader said Connelly’s novel was so, so good.  Although it was full of the usual tropes found in suspenseful novels—such as a lawyer who never loses, a detective unexpectedly pulled out of retirement—she said it was an excellent novel.

Nevermore: Pres. Garfield, Atticus Finch, photography, introverts, and presidental elections

Reported by Ambrea

In a recent Nevermore meeting, our readers broached a variety of subjects—James A. Garfield, introverts, photography, and presidential campaigns—and even investigated some new fiction with Harper Lee’s Go Set a Watchman and Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn.

First, our readers jumped back into Gone Girl.  After Amy Dunne disappears from her home in North Carthage, Missouri, her husband, Nick, is put under close scrutiny as the media and the police start to dig into his life to find out whether he really is a killer.  Filled with suspense and mystery—and, more importantly, sociopaths (a favorite subject for our Nevermore readers)—Gone Girl was definitely a treat for our latest reader.  According to her it was “wonderful, a great book.”

Next, our readers looked at Into the Kill Zone:  A Cop’s Eye View of Deadly Force by David Klinger.  As a former police officer and a university professor, Klinger has interviewed dozens of officers who have used deadly force in criminal encounters.  He presents an in-depth look at the way officers are trained, the conditions they face and the violence they experience on the job, and the effects of deadly force in the lives of American police officers.  For our Nevermore reader, who has friends working on the police force, Into the Kill Zone was an excellent depiction of on-the-job hazards that police officers face every single day.

Our reader also discussed Destiny of the Republic:  A Tale of Madness, Medicine, and the Murder of a President by Candice Miller.  James Garfield was born into poverty, but he became a scholar, a Civil War hero, a renowned congressman, and a presidential candidate; however, after four months in office, an assassination attempt and botched medical treatment resulted in his death.  Our Nevermore reader said Destiny of a Republic was “a fabulous book”—and what made the novel even more fascinating were the interviews with the author on CSPAN.  Miller explores all the different facets of Garfield’s presidency and demise:  his administration, his assassin, and his doctors.

Continuing the exploration of the American presidency, one of our readers discussed Believer:  My Forty Years in Politics by David Axelrod.  Axelrod, a journalist and political strategist, has spent years in politics and cultivated a twenty-year friendship with President Barack Obama, even contributing to his elections in 2008 and 2012.  His memoir provides an in-depth look at politics and presidential campaigns.  Although our Nevermore reader had only read two-thirds of the memoir so far, she thought it was an intriguing book.  “It’s fascinating to realize what goes into a presidential campaign, [specifically] Obama’s first presidential campaign,” she said.

Quiet:  The Power of Introverts in a World that Can’t Stop Talking by Susan Cain followed.  Cain, a corporate lawyer, explores the qualities of introverts and extroverts throughout the world, exploring the repression of introversion in the United States—how extroverts are rewarded more readily in society and the workplace—and nature versus nurture in the development of introverts.  Cain makes a very careful, very accurate depiction of information and possesses a textbook-like depth, presenting facts with clarity and accumulating knowledge which our Nevermore reader found absolutely fascinating.

Additionally, our readers looked at a brand new book to the library:  Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee.  Continuing from Lee’s original classic, Go Set a Watchman follows the return of Jean Louise Finch (Scout) to Maycomb County from New York and chronicles her emotional turmoil as she’s confronted by changes in her hometown that changes how she sees everything and everyone—including her father, Atticus.  For our Nevermore readers, Lee’s new novel seemed typical of any book done in the south during this time; however, it was definitely a shock to see Atticus in a brand new light, because, like Scout, our readers were given a new perspective on Atticus Finch, “[he] was letting you reduce him to the status of a human being.”