Nevermore: Jackson, Choo, Greene, Streever, McCrumb, Pearce, Ng, Charleson

Reported by Laura

         

 Nevermore read a wide variety of books this week from suspense to heartwarming to intriguing non-fiction. The first book of the day was the new Joshilyn Jackson book, Never Have I Ever. It came highly recommended! The story involves a woman named Amy who has a past she would like to keep secret. She marries the man of her dreams and inherits a step-daughter. Life is good, with the exception of the guilt she carries daily. Then one night at book club, a beautiful creature named Roux suggests they play a game, “Never Have I Ever” and tell a secret no one knows about them. This leads to blackmail and a multitude of uncovered secrets. Definitely worth a read.

          One book club member read The Night Tiger by Yangsze Choo. Set in 1930’s Malaysia, this book follows the coming of age of a young girl who is an apprentice dressmaker moonlighting as a dance hall girl to help pay her mother’s debts. Her life becomes intertwined with a young house boy searching for his master’s finger that was lost in an accident many years ago. It must be found so that when his master dies, they can be buried together. This book is filled with a delicious mix of fantasy and magic, including men who turn into tigers and other mysterious happenings.

          Our next book, Nothing is Forgotten by Peter Golden, is an excellent story of a young NJ man raised by his beloved Russian grandmother. He begins a radio show as The Mad Russian, poking fun at Krushchev. This radio show is heard in Russia, not only by a young girl, but also by authorities who are unappreciative of the satire.  The grandmother ends up murdered and the grandson travels to Russia to learn more of her history, and hopefully, the cause of her death. This book gives great insight into the concentration camps of WW ll and explains a lot of what went on during this dark period of history.

          Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng was the next book reviewed. This book focuses on Mia, an artist and single mother, who rents a home with her daughter in a community reminiscent of a Stepford village. Until their arrival, the community seemingly is run perfectly with every house and life following the accepted pattern. Mia and her daughter’s lives become intertwined with the family from which they are renting and many surprises and stories within stories ensue. This book came highly recommended.

          Our Man in Havana by Graham Greene is a hilarious and intriguing story of Wormold, a vacuum cleaner salesman who is recruited as a spy. Set in 1959, this story follows Wormold as he pretends to recruit sub agents and makes up false stories to report. But then, the stories start to come true…

          Sharyn McCrumb is always an appreciated author at Nevermore. This week’s book was The Ballad of Frankie Silver. It follows the story of two separate 18 year-olds who are accused of murder in 1832. They both hide the truth for their own reasons. This book is recommended, but the reviewer felt it went on a little too long.

          Two nonfiction books by Bill Streever (who was born in Kingsport, by the way!) were reviewed this week. Cold was determined to be the best of the two. It was fascinating and informative, telling the story of how everything responds to climate, from the smallest bug to every human on earth. This book covers an entire year, telling about climate and how it changes through the months. Reading this book will change how you think about the world around you and all of the minute creatures below the surface; each reacting to climate in its own way. The other book by Mr. Streever was And Soon I Heard a Roaring Wind. This book is a scientific study of the history of wind and covers many areas, including the forecasting of weather. The reviewer found it very informative and would definitely recommend it.

          Another nonfiction book reviewed was When the Rivers Run Dry by Fred Pearce. This book was a look at the details of the water shortage crisis that threatens the earth. It was very informative, though frightening!

          Our last book was a very sweet, poignant story entitled Where the Lost Dogs Go by Susannah Charleson. This is the true story of the author’s dedication to lost animal search and rescue missions. It heartwarmingly reveals the transformation at the instant when an animal is reunited with its owner. A good read to warm the heart.

Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng

Reviewed by Kristin

Secrets lie beneath the peaceful orderliness of Shaker Heights, Ohio, a planned community where there is a right way to do everything.  Of course that means there are wrong ways to do things, but those ways just aren’t tolerated.  Houses are built in certain styles, painted in certain colors; roads are curved just so, and nothing so unattractive as a trash can would ever grace the curbs of the community.  The schools are excellent and all children are expected to perform to the best of their ability.

Little Fires Everywhere begins with Elena Richardson (well-ordered wife and mother of four) calmly standing outside in her pale blue bathrobe watching her house burn to the ground.  Mrs. Richardson knew that her husband had gone into his law office for his usual Saturday morning catch-up, Lexie had spent the night with Serena, Trip was probably playing basketball at the community center, Moody was off somewhere on his bike, and Izzy, well, Izzy was surely responsible for the flames rising from their six bedroom home, so she was safe somewhere, anywhere else but here.

Mia Warren and her fifteen year old daughter Pearl were new to Shaker Heights the previous summer.  Mia is an artist, and seemed deserving of a hand up, so Mrs. Richardson rented them the upper level of a duplex that she owns, at a very reasonable rate, of course.  The Richardson children are all fascinated by Pearl and Mia—their transient lifestyle, their ability to load everything they own into a Volkswagen Beetle, their creative spirits which don’t quite seem to follow the rules set down by the founders of Shaker Heights.  First Moody, then Lexie, Trip and Izzy become friends with Pearl, then Mia.

As relationships develop, author Celeste Ng unfurls the complex strands of the story centered around these two families.  Just when the reader thinks that the connections are becoming clear, another twist appears taking the storyline in another direction.  These maneuverings are done smoothly and believably, subtly showing Ng’s skill.

While the teenagers are having their coming-of-age moments, cracks appear in their picture perfect community as secrets are unearthed and families changed forever.  As little fires begin to burn, the scorching brings destruction, but also change and rebirth.

Celeste Ng is also the author of Everything I Never Told You.

Nevermore: Graveyard Book, Alone, October Sky, Glass Houses, Little Fires Everywhere

Reported by Ambrea

We kicked Nevermore off with a review of The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman, which tells the story of an unusual boy who lives in an unusual place—the local cemetery.  After the murder of his entire family, Bod has spent much of his life being raised by the otherworldly denizens of the cemetery.  But when Bod wants to see the world of the living and learn there’s more to the life than the dead, he’ll discover that the graveyard he’s come to know and love may very well be the safest place to be.  Our reader said The Graveyard Book was really neat and interesting.  “It’s gruesome,” she admitted, “but somehow amusing.”  It’s a weird, but fun story that offers a classic story of good versus evil—and a wild ride.

Next, Nevermore checked out Alone  by Michael Korda, which carries the wordy subtitle Britain, Churchill, and Dunkirk:  Defeat into Victory.  A stirring epic of remarkable proportions, Alone reconstructs the events that lead to the Battle of Dunkirk and its immediate aftermath.  Interwoven with Korda’s own family history, Alone is a thoroughly researched and well-written account of one of the most pivotal moments of World War II.  Our reader enjoyed Michael Korda’s book immensely, noting that the author writes incredibly well and offers a piece of beautifully crafted nonfiction.  He recommended it highly to his fellow history buffs.

October Sky (originally titled Rocket Boys) by Homer Hickam also proved to be popular at our Nevermore meeting.  In his wonderful memoir, Hickam tells the story of his adolescence in the small mining town of Coalwood, West Virginia—and his inspiration to build rockets when he first watched Sputnik travel across the sky.  Our reader said she and her husband really enjoyed reading their shared copy of October Sky.  She noted that Hickam was incredibly candid and introspective, providing a surprisingly detailed description of his hometown and a brutally honest portrayal of himself, his friends, and his family as they endured a time of great change and discovery.

Next, Nevermore looked at Glass Houses by the ever popular Louise Penny.  The thirteenth book in the Chief Inspector Gamache mystery series, Glass Houses is an intriguing mystery that the book jacket claims “shatters the conventions of the crime novel to explore what Gandhi called the court of conscience.  A court that supersedes all others.”  When a mysterious figure appears in Three Pines during a bitter November day, Gamache is wary of the dark shadow it casts.  He waits and watches—and then a body is discovered.  Months later, in a courtroom in July, Gamache must reckon with his actions on that fateful day.  Our reader admitted that she’s a big fan of Louise Penny.  After reading the rest of Penny’s series, she was excited to pick up this latest mystery and she said she wasn’t disappointed!

Last, but certainly not least, Nevermore picked up Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng.  In Shaker Heights, a picture-perfect suburb on the outskirts of Cleveland, Elena Richardson lives with her picture-perfect family.  But when Mia Warren and her daughter Pearl arrive, Elena’s idyllic bubble is quickly shattered.  When her distrust becomes an obsession, Elena will discover the dangers that lurk behind perfection.  Our reader said he enjoyed Little Fires Everywhere immensely.  It’s a fascinating novel that delves deep into family and neighborhood dynamics, and it takes a long hard look at the cost of perfection.  He pointed out that perfect was insidious, noting Elena makes things perfect, “like a steamroller makes a road flat.  It’s perfect, but it crushes things along the way.”  He highly recommended it to his fellow Nevermore members, and he soon passed it on to the next reader.

Nevermore: Velveteen Daughter, Mute Stones, Bushmen, Our Picnics in the Sun, Little Fires Everywhere

Reported by Kristin

Nevermore read a wide variety of books this week, beginning with The Velveteen Daughter by Laurel Davis Huber.  The similarity of title to The Velveteen Rabbit is no coincidence: this is historical fiction based on the life of Margery Williams Bianco (who wrote The Velveteen Rabbit) and her daughter Pamela, a well-known child prodigy artist.  Pamela had great talent, but also suffered greatly from severe depressions and other mental illness all her life.  Our reader enjoyed the story of a family touched with talent but also with sadness.

Another reader had a great breakthrough—she finished a book that she had been reading off and on for about a year!  The Mute Stones Speak: The Story of Archaeology in Italy by Paul MacKendrick may have been a long read, but well worth the time.  The author writes with enthusiasm to draw in scholars and non-scholars alike.  Our reader learned much about the search for antiquities in Italy, but was perhaps most impressed by the last ten pages, when it is revealed that the crypt of the first Saint Peter’s church was found.

Moving to yet another continent, Affluence Without Abundance: The Disappearing World of the Bushmen by James Suzman.  While the book talks about how the bushmen of southern Africa have traditionally lived simple and happy lives, our reader was very impressed by the anthropological changes in people over time.  Because of being able to cook meat—skulls, faces and teeth changed, so then they were able to physically develop and articulate speech.  Our reader found “so many beautiful things” in this book.

Our Picnics in the Sun by Morag Joss took Nevermore to a novel set on the English moors where Howard and Deborah Morgan are eking out a living by keeping sheep and chickens, making pottery and weaving cloth.  Then Howard has a stroke, and the world changes for both of them.  Deborah opens a bed and breakfast but is surprised by two men who come to stay, opening up old secrets and tragedies.  Our reader said that she enjoyed the book, but that it was quite sad.

Finally, another reader read Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng.  A story about secrets and hidden undercurrents in Shaker Heights, a suburb of Cleveland, Ohio, most reviews have been positive.  However, our reader found that she didn’t have the patience for the story and thought that all the characters were immature.