Nevermore: Woman of No Importance, My Grandfather Woud Have Shot Me, Lit Stitch, You Are the #1 Target

Reported by Jeanne

 

World War II non-fiction remains popular with Nevermore readers.  A Woman of No Importance by Sonja Purnell is the incredible true story of an American woman who became one of the Allies’ most important assets in Europe.  Virginia Hall began her storied career as a clerk with the State Department, but her gender and a disability—an accident left her with a prosthetic leg—disqualified her from advancing.  She was recruited by the British for the Special Operations branch and was deployed to France where she amassed a vast Resistance network.  Our reviewer said she had some trouble with the multitude of French names but liked the book.  While Hall had some unprecedented triumphs—she became a highly ranked official in the CIA—her gender and perceived disability were held against her.  No matter her achievements, she was still seen as “a damaged woman.”   

My Grandfather Would Have Shot Me by Jennifer Teege is the memoir of a half German, half Nigerian woman who was raised given up for adoption.  She had some contact with her biological mother and grandmother but until she picked up a book about World War II, she had no idea that her maternal grandfather was Amon Goeth, a vicious Nazi who was executed for crimes against humanity.  As Teege does her research, she realizes that her grandfather would have killed her just as he killed so many others in Krakow and Plaszow because of their race or ethnicity.  The club members were quite interested, discussing how the author struggled to come to terms with her heritage.

Since a number of Nevermore members are staying close to home, one of the library staff brought in Book Riot’s Lit Stitch:  25 Cross Stitch Patterns for Book Lovers.  The book features whimsical patterns for wall hangings, bookmarks, and other items—including one viewer thought would make a darling baby bib. 

With cyber-crime on the rise, each day seems to bring a new threat to personal security.  In You Are the #1 Target, a number of cybersecurity experts offer tips for protecting yourself online.  Although the essays are geared toward business owners, many of the tips are applicable to individuals.  Our reader said she had certainly picked up some tips.  Interestingly, one of the experts is a local business owner which some members found intriguing.

Everybody’s Baby by Lydia Netzer

Reviewed by Kristin

Jenna and Billy are the quintessential millennial couple.  Jenna owns the Rock Star Yoga studio, offering non-traditional classes such as Sock Hop Yoga, Punk Rock Yoga, and even Shake Yo’ Ass Yoga, pulling in a much different demographic than one might think.  Software developer Billy practically lives on the internet, tweeting and Tumblr-ing every thought that goes through his mind.  They are young, in love, and want to have a baby.

Turns out, having a baby is one of the things that does not come easily to Jenna and Billy.

Jenna and Billy don’t know where to turn.  Fertility treatments could cost as much as $40,000, with no guarantee of a successful pregnancy.  Having already borrowed money from Billy’s parents for a house down-payment, Jenna and Billy turn to another resource: the internet.

Yes, Jenna and Billy plan to have the world’s first Kickstarter baby.  Perks include owning the first ultrasound picture, hosting the gender reveal party, creating the birth plan, rubbing Jenna’s pregnant belly, cutting the cord, naming the baby, and so many more options.  Jenna is hesitant, questioning whether or not she could have strangers, yes, STRANGERS, so involved in her planned conception and motherhood, but Billy believes in the power of crowdsourcing, so they forge ahead.

Fortunately, the baby-namer doesn’t go with Horace and/or Mildred, options which horrify Jenna.  But Billy and Jenna soon find that sharing these milestones with others is harder than it seems.  The Kickstarter absolutely blows up, reaching the funding goal quickly, and gaining the attention of national news outlets.  After all, a Kickstarter baby lets the supporters feel ownership over this potential baby.  As Jenna and Billy gain more publicity, the internet takes sides, and as you know on the internet—everyone has an opinion.

I absolutely love Lydia Netzer’s novels, and this story is available only as an e-novella.  It was a pleasure to read using Tennessee READS.  Reviews of Netzer’s other books can be found here:  How To Tell Toledofrom the Night Sky  and Shine Shine Shine.  Yes, I’ve been a fan for a few years, and will continue to follow this quirky and timely author wherever she leads.

Moving Target by J.A. Jance

Reviewed by Kristin

J.A. Jance begins her latest Ali Reynolds adventure, Moving Target, with two main storylines.  Ali’s fiancée, B. Simpson, is looking into a case regarding an incarcerated juvenile computer hacker who is severely burned one night while putting up Christmas tree lights in the detention center’s recreation room.  At the same time, Ali is flying to England with her friend and property manager, 80-plus-year-old Leland Brooks, who has not been “home” since his family disowned him in 1954.

Lance Tucker, one month short of eighteen and his release from the juvenile detention center, is a brilliant computer programmer who hacked into his school’s system as a protest against the proposed teacher and student GPS tracking system.  Lance has been a well-behaved offender, and is hoping to find a decent college that will accept him with a lowly GED.  Lance is famous in the hacker world for building GHOST, a computer program that would allow internet users to explore the “dark web” completely undetected.  B. is concerned about Lance when he lands in the hospital due to burns accelerated by a spray adhesive because he, B., was the cyber-security expert who testified in Lance’s trial.  Feeling more than a little guilt and responsibility for the incarceration and subsequent burns suffered by Lance, B. is intent on finding out exactly why someone might wish Lance harm.

At the same time, Ali has arranged a trip to England for her dear friend Leland, who was unceremoniously cut off from his family after his brother lashed out at him for being attracted to another man.  Their father was killed a month after Leland set sail on a tramp steamer to the United States, and Leland never knew the complete circumstances surrounding his father’s death.  Even though his brothers and their mother have all been gone for many years, Ali and Leland delve into an investigation of what exactly happened all that time ago.  Police reports and evidence filed away in a musty basement begin to fill in the missing details of this long unsolved homicide.  Ali and Leland meet his delightful great-nephew, and also encounter a couple of not-so-delightful cousins who were young girls when Leland was shamed and forced to take his leave.

B. sends Ali encrypted files soliciting her help with Lance’s situation as the potential danger escalates.  Soon, the bulk of the action moves to Texas, where Ali, B., Leland, and Lance’s family face the threat that comes at them from unexpected directions.  From rival software developers to possibly corrupt law enforcement officers, Lance and his protectors have their hands full.

With this fast paced and realistic novel, Jance has once again outdone herself.  Fans of the series will enjoy this latest installment, and new readers could easily jump in and appreciate the story.  The two separate plot lines move the story forward in a smooth manner, yet in the end both tell tales of families coming together, rather than apart.

Beautiful Thing: Inside the Secret World of Bombay’s Dance Bars by Sonia Faleiro uses the story of one young woman to examine the contradictions in modern Indian society where immense wealth and immense poverty operate side by side.  Leela is a lively, charming young woman who works as a dancer because she has very little alternative.  Then a politician tries to have the dance bars closed on moral grounds, a move which could produce disastrous for Leela.   Beautiful Thing has won numerous awards, and has been praised for both its insights into Indian culture and for the beautiful writing.  Our reviewer thought it was both heartbreaking and breathtaking.

Another somewhat mysterious world is examined in Tubes: A Journey to the Center of the Internet by Andrew Blum.  Blum became interested in finding the physical location of the internet the data centers and information hubs as well as the places where the internet was “born.”  While the writing is suitable for non-geeks, some found it a bit dry but fascinating.

Founding Mothers by Cokie Roberts takes a look at the women behind the men who helped form our nation.  Since much less has been written about these mothers, wives, sisters, and daughters, Roberts relied on primary sources such as letters.  All the women are fascinating, in our reviewer’s opinion, and the book does an excellent job of informing and entertaining. Roberts covers the usual women (Martha Washington, Abigail Adams, etc.) but also some other lesser known but influential women such as Esther Burr or Peggy Shippen.

Less successful, at least to our reviewer, was Julian Barnes’ novel Sense of an Ending.  The plot concerns a middle-aged man who receives an unexpected legacy that causes him to re-examine his life and his past.  The book was described as depressing, with a main clueless main character, and a strange plot twist for no reason.

One of our reviewers who has been disappointed with David Baldacci’s more recent novels decided to re-read an earlier book she had enjoyed.  In The Winner, a down-on-her luck waitress is wins a lottery courtesy of a mysterious and sinister benefactor known as Jackson.  There’s only one caveat:  she must leave the country forever.  After a decade abroad, Luann is so homesick that she returns.  This a breach of her agreement that will bring down Jackson’s considerable wrath and results in a breathtaking game of cat and mouse. Our reviewer said this was still an outstanding book, and if someone wanted to read a book by Baldacci, this is the one to read.