Reported by Garry
We
had a fascinating selection of books discussed at this week’s Nevermore,
ranging from our usual mysteries and historical novels to an engrossing
treatise on 1750s economics and more!
The
Weaver’s Revenge by Kathleen Ernst was the first book reviewed this week,
and the eleventh book in the Chloe Ellefson mystery series. This modern day
thriller takes place in the backwoods of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and digs
into the history of the Finnish immigrants who settled there during the years
1870 to 1930. When offered a rare opportunity to help develop a fledgling
historic site dedicated to Finnish American history and heritage, museum
curator Chloe Ellefson journeys to the remote Northwoods of Michigan’s Upper
Peninsula to interview the descendants of the original Finnish immigrants. In
addition to the consultant job, she is on a personal quest to learn about the
enduring tradition of rag rug weaving, an art form at which the Finns excelled.
Encountering the dead body of preeminent weaver Tulula immediately puts Chloe’s
goals in jeopardy. Placing her own life at risk, Chloe sets out to find the
murderer and long-kept secrets of the tight-knit community. Our reader highly
recommends this book and particularly likes the way that the author
incorporates real-life facts about the Finnish settlement of the Upper
Peninsula. MC
Our
next book also uses real-life people and history as the inspiration to spin a
fascinating tale about the clash of cultures that lead to the modernization of
Japan in the 1860s and a love story that inspired both Madame Butterfly and
Miss Saigon. In The Pure Land by Alan Spence, Thomas Glover is a scrappy
18 year old in Aberdeen who is given a chance to work at a trading house in
Japan. Soon, Glover is making connections and running a business that will lead
to the overthrow of the feudal Shogun system and bring Japan into the modern
world. He also falls in love with a beautiful courtesan who, unbeknownst to
him, has the son that he has always wanted. Our reader was effusive in her
praise for this novel, pointing out its writing style, engaging characters and
gripping storyline. KN
Yellow
Woman and a Beauty of the Spirit is a collection of essays by prominent
Pueblo Native American writer Leslie Marmon Silko. Each of the 22 essays in
this 1997 volume speak of Silko’s experiences, frustrations, and hope with the
eloquence and power of a master writer. Our reader was particularly taken with
the portrayal of Pueblo women in Silko’s essays – beautiful strong women who
are the linchpins not only of their families but of the ancient Pueblo culture
of New Mexico. AH
Our
resident Alexander Hamilton expert highly recommends Financial Programs of
Alexander Hamilton, by a Farmer’s Daughter by Dianne Durante, despite its
dust-dry title. She states that this extremely well researched book reads more
like a novel than a historical text, and examines how Alexander Hamilton set
the financial foundation of American society. Utilizing primary texts from
Hamilton’s contemporaries, and including annotated copies of his policies, this
book allows readers a peek into the mind of the man many consider the most
influential of the Founding Fathers. DC
The
Foretelling by Alice Hoffman tells the story of Rain, the teenage
Amazon destined to become queen of the mythical tribe. Born of violence and
shunned by her mother, Rain trains for battle and speaks of animals like
sisters, and grows to question the way of life of the Amazons. When her mother
dies in childbirth, it is up to Rain to decide the future not only of her Bronze
Age clan, but also of herself. Written almost entirely from Rain’s point of
view with little dialogue, this slender volume (176 pages) may not be for all
readers, but our reviewer loved the quality of the writing and the archetypal
story. MH
Also
mentioned:
The
Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict and Victoria
Christopher Murray
The
Unheard by Nicci French
Bait
and Switch by Barbara Ehrenreich
Heart
in the Right Place by Caroline Jourdan
Taste:
My Life Through Food by Stanley Tucci
Best
Wishes, Warmest Regards: The Story of Schitt’s Creek by
Daniel Levy and Eugene Levy
High
Crimes: The Fate of Everest in an Age of
Greed by Michael Kodas
A
Lesson in Secrets by Jacqueline Winspear
The House
Girl by Tara Conklin
Three
Sisters by Heather Morris
Atlas
of the Invisible: Maps and Graphics That
Will Change How You See the World by James Cheshire and Oliver Uberti
A Carnival
of Snackery: Diaries 2003-2020 by David Sedaris
Sarah,
Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan
The
Black History Book: Big Ideas Simply Explained by
DK
What
Unites Us: The Graphic Novel by Dan Rather with art by Tim Foley
Creatures
of the Deep: In Search of the Sea’s
Monsters and the World They Live In by Erich Hoyt
