Nevermore: Soil, Belgravia, Steam Locomotives, When Breath Becomes Air

Reported by Ambrea

This week, Nevermore kicked things off with a book by a local author, The Ultimate Guide to Soil:  The Real Dirt on Cultivating Crops, Compost, and a Healthier Home by Anna Hess.  In this fascinating overview of soil and agricultural cultivation, Hess delves deep into the soil and looks at the different ways to boost organic material in gardens, to balance nutrients in the soil, and simple techniques that will add richness and variety to both yard and garden.  Our reader said Hess’ book was lovely.  Filled with fabulous information and beautiful, full-color photographs with step-by-step instructions how to improve soil and grow healthy, organic plants, The Ultimate Guide to Soil received high praise as a “very wonderful [book].”

Next, Nevermore looked at a brand new novel by Julian Fellowes:  Belgravia.  Written by the creator of Downton Abbey, Belgravia is an intricate historical novel about a family with a dangerous secret—and it all begins on the eve of the Battle of Waterloo in 1815.  Our reader, who admitted she’s a bit of a fanatic for Downton Abbey, said she really enjoyed reading Fellowes’ latest novel.  Calling it a “wonderful period piece,” she explained that Belgravia was a bit of a Gothic novel , yet that didn’t alter its appeal for her.  Both scintillating and brilliantly complex, Belgravia received high marks from our reader who said she would highly recommend it to both fans of Downton Abbey and historical fiction.

Nevermore also went on to look at Aboard a Steam Locomotive by Huck Scarry.  Part sketchbook and part historical investigation, Aboard a Steam Locomotive was at once insightful and intriguing.  Although it is full of illustrations, our reader argued he wouldn’t classify it as merely a children’s book.   In fact, he said, “If you want to know how [steam locomotives] work or how complicated they are, this is the book for you.”  Scarry provides in depth diagrams of locomotives from their creation in 1830 to their modern equivalent, giving names to even the tiniest pieces and parts that make a steam engine run smoothly.  Our reader said it was a “fantastic book,” before handing it off to another Nevermore member who was likewise intrigued.

Last, Nevermore looked at a recent blockbuster hit, When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi.  Kalanithi was a neurosurgeon who passed away in March 2015 after battling stage IV lung cancer for several months.  He was only thirty-six.  After his diagnosis, he began writing about his experiences as a neurosurgeon, his thoughts and reaction as he went from healer and surgeon to patient.  Our readers actually had two very different experiences with Kalanithi’s memoir.  One reader said she really couldn’t stand reading When Breath Becomes Air.  Although she managed to finish Kalanithi’s book in a little under a day, she said she found the author to be an unsympathetic narrator who seemed to care for very little for his patients or his family, which bothered her.  However, another reader sympathized with the author, saying she enjoyed reading his work and his writing.  “[It’s obvious he] realized something was very, very wrong, but he was in denial,” she pointed out.  His questions regarding his mortality, his struggles to face death and new life with the birth of his daughter, was profoundly moving.

Nevermore: Florida, Paris, Einstein's Lawn, and When Breath Becomes Air

Reported by Jeanne

The Thang That Ate My Granddaddy’s Dog by John Calvin Rainey was praised by our reviewer as a fun and funny read, though there are some more thought-provoking themes as well.  It’s actually a series of stories set in Florida, told through the eyes of Johnny Woodside, an African American boy who has moved with his mother and sisters from New York City to his grandparents’ rural home. Many of the stories have elements familiar to anyone who has grown up in the country, especially in the South, with extended close-knit families.

Kristin Hannah’s Nightingale has been a favorite for book clubs and has won the author numerous new fans. Set in France during World War II, it tells the story of two very different sisters who find themselves tested by circumstances. Vianne, the older sister, became pregnant as a teenager, married, and moved to the country.  Rebellious Isabelle was kicked out of a series of boarding schools and ended up in Paris. Each offers resistance and bravery in her own way toward the German invaders, and has been described as a tribute to all the women who worked behind the lines during the War.  While several Nevermore members had read and liked the book, it didn’t seem to work its magic on our latest reader.  She praised the setting and the ambiance, but said the characters didn’t ring true for her—a very important point in a book that is largely character driven.  She thought the book overrated.

Another reader felt his book was somewhat misleadingly titled.  Trespassing on Einstein’s Lawn by Amanda Gefter is a memoir about the author and her father who bonded over science conventions, beginning when they posed as journalists in order to gain admission to a conference. In the intervening years, the two attended numerous conferences, speaking with some of the most influential thinkers in the field of physics such as Stephen Hawking.  Our reader enjoyed the book, but was a bit disappointed that the focus was less on the science and more on the personalities.  He did recommend it, however.

Finally, a reader had high praise for When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi, a young neurosurgeon who is suddenly faced with a diagnosis of terminal cancer. In a moment, he is transformed from doctor to patient, and is faced with the need to determine how to best live out his life in the face of death.  This is a beautifully written book which asks a reader to consider life and what it means to live. This book should join other classics of the genre such as The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch.