Nevermore: Christmas at the Cat Cafe, The Other Mrs., That Night

 

Reported by Garry

Christmas at the Cat Café by Melissa Daley is a follow-up to Molly and the Cat Café, and picks up a few months after Debbie has settled into her café and into a cozy relationship with her boyfriend. Molly, Debbie’s cat and the narrator of the series, has a new litter of rambunctious kittens to deal with, and into this idyllic setting comes the whirlwind of Linda, Debbie’s heartbroken, shopaholic sister who is dealing with an out-of-the-blue divorce. Unfortunately for Molly, Linda comes with Beau – a yippy little dog who hates cats. Our reader was all smiles reviewing this delightful, lightweight book that is as cozy as a cat purring on your lap.  MS

                                                           

The Other Mrs. is a mystery thriller by best-selling author Mary Kubica. Sadie and Will Foust are a couple of Chicago professionals who are in need of a reset, and when they inherit Will’s sister’s home (and her creepy, violent, 16-year-old daughter), they encamp to a seemingly sleepy village on an island off the coast of Maine. Things quickly go downhill when Morgan, their next-door neighbor, is murdered, and Sadie becomes the prime suspect. Kubica brings her trademark twists and turns to this nail-biter that kept our reader’s enthusiastic attention.  AH

 

That Night by Alice McDermott. “What a magnificent piece of literature!” was the summary from our reader. This novel was a finalist for both the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award. Set on Long Island in the 1950s, the story surrounds Sheryl and Rick, a teenaged couple deeply in love, and also expecting a baby. Sheryl’s mother forbids her from seeing Rick, which sets off a chain of violent events that echoes down through the lives of not only the three main characters, but their entire community.  DC

 

Didn’t We Almost Have It All: In Defense of Whitney Houston by Gerrick Kennedy is the candid, in-depth biography of one of the biggest pop stars of the last century: Whitney Houston. Too black for some, not black enough for others, too pop for some, not pop enough for others, Houston was always trying to live a life that was not her own and be the embodiment of an image that was projected onto her by those around her both personally and professionally. Kennedy peels back the layers of the forces that ultimately drove Houston to addiction and death, and argues that if she had existed in today’s society, her life-trajectory would have been considerably different. Our reader remarked not only on the meticulous research by the author, but also on his sensitive handling of the tragic life and legacy of Whitney.  KM

 

Also mentioned: 

 

Local Woman Missing by Mary Kubica

On The Rooftop by Margaret Wilkerson Sexton

At Weddings and Wakes by Alice McDermott

How It Went by Wendell Berry

Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt

Sold on a Monday by Kristina McMorris

The Shining by Stephen King

Doctor Sleep by Stephen King

Heart-Shaped Box by Joe Hill

The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah

The American Women’s Almanac by Deborah Felder

The Churchill Sisters by Rachel Trethewey

Remainders of the Day: A Bookshop Diary by Shaun Bythell

The Lindbergh Nanny by Mariah Fredericks

All the Broken Places by John Boyne

Mulch Ado About Nothing by Jill Churchill

Killers of a Certain Age by Deanna Raybourn

Nevermore: An Elderly Lady Is Up To No Good, Ice Swimmer, Never Cry Wolf, Someone, Eternal Wonder, American Marriage

Reported by Ambrea

This week, Nevermore started their gathering with An Elderly Lady is up to No Good by Helene Tursten, translated by Marlene Delargy.  Thanks to a clause in a hastily negotiated contract, 88-year-old Maud has been living rent-free in her family’s apartment in Gothenburg and she spends her days traveling the world, surfing the net, and enjoying her solitary existence.  She likes living alone and, when problems arise, she doesn’t let a little thing like murder get in her way.  Our reader absolutely adored reading Tursten’s story collection.  She joked that she wanted to be like Maud.  “I don’t necessarily want to kill people,” she explained, “but, if I see a problem, I want to be able to solve it.”  She highly recommended An Elderly Lady is up to No Good, saying it was a treat to read.

Next, Nevermore checked out The Ice Swimmer, the sixth book in the Oslo Detective series by Kjell Ola Dahl.  When a dead man is found in the freezing waters of Oslo Harbor, Detective Lena Stigersand isn’t happy to add another weight to her already complicated life.  But, as she investigates what happened to the man discovered beneath the ice, she finds the murder may be linked to a conspiracy—that reaches deep into the heart of the Norwegian government.  Our reader enjoyed Dahl’s novel.  She told her fellow Nevermore members that she’s a very big fan of Nordic noir and The Ice Swimmer really fits the bill.  Well written but not especially gruesome, Dahl’s novel seemed to hit all the right notes.

Switching to nonfiction, Nevermore explored Never Cry Wolf:  Amazing True Story of Life Among Arctic Wolves by Farley Mowat.  When Farley Mowat was sent by the Canadian Wildlife Service to investigate why arctic wolves were killing caribou, he spends months living alongside these creatures, developing a deep affection for the wolves and a local tribe of Inuit people known as the Ihalmiut (or “People of the Deer”).  Our reader said Mowat’s book was absolutely wonderful.  She loved that the author personalized the wolves—that is, he let their personalities shine through.  She really liked his writing and she enjoyed learning more about wolves, the Inuit, and conservation efforts.  She highly recommended it to her fellow readers, especially those who are fans of Jane Goodall.

Nevermore returned to the realm of fiction with a look at Someone, a novel by Alice McDermott, which tells the story of Marie, an ordinary woman with an ordinary life—and takes a glimpse at how the ordinary can be truly beautiful.  Our reader, who absolutely loves Alice McDermott’s work, said she enjoyed Someone immensely.  Although it was only a look at the life of one ordinary woman, it felt like an epic story with its twists and turns going from Marie’s childhood to her marriage to the disruption of World War II.  “It was fascinating,” our reader gushed, to see how McDermott could take an average story and make it so beautiful, so vibrant and lovely.

Next, Nevermore shared The Eternal Wonder, a final novel by Pearl S. Buck published nearly forty years after her death.  Randolph Colfax (also known as Rann) is an extraordinarily gifted young man, a man with an eternal sense of wonder that leads him from his small town in Ohio to New York, England, Paris, and beyond.  When he meets the beautiful and equally brilliant Stephanie Kung, he finds himself falling for her, even as they both struggle to reconcile their identities within the world and find a sense of meaning.  Our reader, who has explored Buck’s novels in the past, said this latest story was interesting.  It felt like a bit of a departure from the author’s usual style; however, our reader said she liked The Eternal Wonder and definitely found it worth reading.

Last, Nevermore wrapped their meeting up with An American Marriage by Tayari Jones.  Celestial and Roy are young, newly married, and incredibly happy.  He is a young executive, while she is an artist on the brink of an exciting career; however, when Roy is charged with a crime he didn’t commit, they find themselves growing distant as they learn to lead very different lives.  Our reader said she loved reading An American Marriage.  The novel, she noted, felt intimate and moving, combining heartbreak and hope and insight into human foibles to create a story that was singularly extraordinary.  She loved it, and she highly recommended it to her fellow readers.

Nevermore: Sisters of the Winter Wood, Someone, Lisbeth Salander, Bishop's Pawn, Kamala Harris

Reported by Jeanne

Sisters of the Winter Wood by Rena Rossner caught the eye of a Nevermore reader who was browsing our new book shelves.  The story is a lyrical, fairy tale about sisters Laya and Liba who live near a small village in Ukraine with their parents. When the parents are called away, the girls are left to fend for themselves but not before being told a secret: their parents are shape-shifters, and they have probably inherited the same ability.  It isn’t long before dark forces seem to be on the rise, stirring up trouble in the village.  Our reader liked the interaction between the sisters in this coming of age story, and liked that the narration was split between the two girls, one of whom speaks in prose and the other in poetry.

When Marie has her heart broken, she tearfully asks her brother who will ever love her.  He replies, “Someone.” That answer forms the heart of Someone by Alice McDermott, which bounces back and forth in time while recounting the lives of Marie, her brother Gabe who becomes a priest, and others in the neighborhood.  Our reader liked the book, noting that it was “very Irish, very Catholic, and very Brooklyn” and that it was also very worthwhile. She also thought it was quite well written.

The Girl Who Takes an Eye for an Eye is the fifth title in the Lisbeth Salander series created by Stieg Larsson and continued by David Lagercrantz. As the story opens, Salander is serving time in a maximum security prison for reckless endangerment and destruction of property, but she is not one to allow injustice—even in prison.  Our reader enjoyed the book, which is action-packed.  She also said that she actually liked the ones by Lagercrantz better than the originals, which she found rather horrifying.

Another recommendation for a thriller followed with Bishop’s Pawn by Steve Berry.  Cotton Malone, an ex-U.S. government agent seems drawn to adventures rooted in history but which have repercussions that extend to the present day.  This entry involves a rare and extremely valuable coin and the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., and provides Berry’s usual swift action, plot twists, and plenty of intrigue.  Our reviewer praised Berry for noting what parts of the novel are based on fact and which are the author’s invention.

Finally, a reader had just started The Truths We Hold: An American Journey by Kamala Harris. She noted that Harris had an interesting background:  her Jamaican father was an economist and her Indian mother was a cancer researcher, while Harris herself went to law school and became a prosecutor.  Updates are promised after more of the book is read.

Nevermore: Eskens, Alda, Vonnegut, Bradley, McDermott, Kasich

 Reported by Ambrea

Nevermore kicked off their meeting with The Heavens May Fall by Allen Eskens, a suspenseful mystery novel of murder.  Detective Max Rupert and attorney Boady Sanden are good friends, but when a case involving the murder of Jennavieve Pruitt is brought to their attention, Max and Boady are suddenly put on opposite sides of the case.  Max believes Jennavieve’s husband, Ben, committed the murder; Boady, who is representing Ben in court, believes he is innocent.   Together, they’ll clash over the facts of the case—and uncover the unsettling truth of Jennavieve’s murder.  As a fan of thrillers and mysteries, our reader picked up Eskens' novel with high hopes for a read full of intrigue and suspense.  The Heavens May Fall had an interesting conclusion and likable characters, but she thought it was “just okay.”  She noted that it wasn’t badly written and it had a rather interesting story; however, she decided it was rather formulaic—nothing too thrilling or too ground-breaking about it.

Next, Nevermore looked at Alan Alda’s memoir, Never Have Your Dog Stuffed.  Known for his starring roles on Broadway, The Aviator, and M*A*S*H, Alan Alda’s life was as turbulent and intriguing as any role he played on the stage and screen.  He begins his book with a single, memorable line:  “My mother didn’t try to stab my father until I was six”—and the rollercoaster adventures of his youth and young career merely continue from there.  Our reader said she immensely enjoyed reading Never Have Your Dog Stuffed.  Alda’s memoir was thoughtful and poignant yet humorous, offering both laughter and deeply emotional reflection on mental illness and familial relationships stretched to the limit.  Our reader highly recommended it to her fellow Nevermore members, saying it was worth reading for the title alone.

Remaining in the vein of humor, Nevermore checked out God Bless You, Dr. Kevorkian, a series of short stories—originally ninety-second radio interludes for WNYC, New York City’s public radio station—by Kurt Vonnegut.  In his collection, Vonnegut visits Dr. Kevorkian as a reporter for public radio and, with the good doctor’s assistance, visits the Afterlife to interview notable personages, such as William Shakespeare, John Brown, and Eugene Victor Debs.  Our reader enjoyed Vonnegut’s short story collection, calling it a humorous visit with one of his favorite authors.  He said it was a quick, easy read, all done within an afternoon, with Vonnegut displaying his usual wit and charm.

The next book was Jefferson’s Sons:  A Founding Father’s Secret Children by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley.  After a visit from the author to the library, our reader picked up one of Bradley’s more recent novels and dived into the world of Sally Heming’s children.  According to the book jacket, “[Jefferson’s Sons] tells a darker piece of America’s history from an often unseen perspective—that of three of Jefferson’s slaves—including two of his own children.  As each child grows up and tells his story, the contradiction between slavery and freedom becomes starker…”  Our reader thought Bradley created a wonderfully descriptive and interesting book.  Although Jefferson’s Sons is geared toward a younger audience,  she noted that it was still enjoyable to read as an adult and it weaves a story through history—an unknown, undocumented portion of history—that makes sense.

Next, Nevermore revisited The Ninth Hour by Alice McDermott.  A perennial favorite in previous meetings, Nevermore returned to the interweaving stories of Sally, her widowed mother, the nuns who attempt to guide them, and the vibrant neighborhood in which they live.  Our reader said McDermott’s novel was exquisite.  Beautifully written and lovingly crafted, The Ninth Hour was an expressive and thoughtful look at the impact of a suicide—and the depths of love and forgiveness.  Although she noted it was a bit depressing, our reader thought it was a wonderful novel and she highly recommended it to her fellow Nevermore members.  “I have found my new favorite author,” she told them.

Last, Nevermore shared Two Paths:  America Divided or United by former presidential candidate John Kasich.  Part memoir and part analysis of the 2016 presidential election, Kasich’s book is a reflection on his personal life and the country as a whole.  Our reader said Kasich’s examination of his personal life was an “interesting, but rather dull” part of the book; however, he noted Kasich’s analysis of the previous presidential election was much more promising and enlightening.  “I would recommended it if you’re interested in Kasich, it’ll give you much more information on [the man],” he commented, wrapping up our meeting for the week.

Nevermore: Charming Billy, Manhattan Beach, Midnight Sun, Astrophysics, Coal Miners' Wives, Vonnegut

Reported by Kristin

Nevermore kicked off the week with Charming Billy by Alice McDermott. The 1998 fiction National Book Award Winner, this novel takes readers on a journey through Billy’s life, albeit beginning with the stories people are telling about him at his funeral.  Billy was a thoughtful and giving man, but tortured by his own alcoholism.  Our reader said that there was no better title for this book, as Billy certainly was charming.

A new bestselling novel, Manhattan Beach by Jennifer Egan was enjoyed next.  Set in the 1930s and World War II, Anna Kerrigan becomes the first female diver to repair American war ships.  Anna is also devoted to her beautiful younger sister, who is an invalid due to injuries at birth.  The story is told from alternating points of view: Anna, her father Eddie, and night club owner Dexter Styles.  Their lives intertwine through the years, forever changing the lives of the Kerrigan family.

Another reader enjoyed Midnight Sun by Jo Nesbo.  The author is well known for his Harry Hole novels, but this story features Jon Hansen, a drug dealer and hit man who has fled Oslo for a tiny village, and calls himself Ulf.  Wanting to avoid his bosses, Jon befriends a local who allows him to stay in her family hunting cabin.  Our reader said that this was a very fun book, and she particularly liked that there wasn’t as much violence as in a typical Nesbo book.

Astrophysics for People in a Hurry by Neil deGrasse Tyson keeps showing up periodically at Nevermore.  This reader enthused that Tyson included it “all” in here: black holes, dark matter, quarks, cosmic background noise, the Kelvin temperature scale, and so much more. Tyson has a reputation for being the best known figure we have today who makes science understandable.

Carol A. B. Giesen interviewed eighteen West Virginian women for the collection of stories that makes up Coal Miners’ Wives: Portraits of Endurance.  These women varied in age, from under twenty to over eighty, but all had moving stories of what it was like to be living under constant awareness of the dangers faced by their coal miner husbands.  The women shouldered much stress, but had no ability to change their lives.  Our reader found it a very grim story, but very important to read.

Wrapping up with what was termed a “really fun book,” God Bless You, Dr. Kevorkian by Kurt Vonnegut is a series of “interviews” of the dearly departed, as posed by a public radio reporter.  Originally broadcast as ninety second spots on a New York radio station, Vonnegut asks questions of such varied people as Adolf Hitler, Isaac Asimov, William Shakespeare and Eugene Debs.  The kicker is that in order to do these do these interviews, Vonnegut needed a round trip ticket (via Dr. Kevorkian) to and from the pearly gates in order to speak to those beyond the grave.