Nevermore: Marco Effect, Scotland Street, Stoner, and Jim Henson

Nevermore started off with a recommendation for The Marco Effect by Jussi Adler-Olsen, the latest in the Danish author’s popular Department Q series.  In this entry, a young gypsy runs afoul of his uncle, a powerful and ruthless criminal boss and is forced to flee. Detective Inspector Carl Morck becomes interested when a body turns up and the investigation quickly turns international, covering not only Europe but Africa as well.  Our reviewer said all the unusual names made the book a bit of a challenge but the story made it worth it.  She praised it for the use of humor to ease the tension and for the novels many layers.  The multiple plot lines are handled very well.  She recommends all the Department Q novels, especially for anyone who likes Scandinavian mysteries (aka Nordic Noir.)

Sunshine on Scotland Street is the new (at least new to the U.S.!) entry in Alexander McCall Smith’s charming series about the residents of 44 Scotland Street.  The books began as a serial publication in The Scotsman, and then the chapters were compiled into a book.  The chapters go back and forth between characters in the book, and our reviewer said he’d like it if the books were reissued by character so that you’d follow one person’s exploits and then pick up the next book to read about someone else.  

Stoner by John Williams was originally published in 1965 and has since risen to classic status.  The story is set in the early part of the 20^th century and follows the life of William Stoner, a farm boy who falls in love with literature.  He follows his heart and leaves agriculture to become an English professor. His marriage is an unhappy one; his career is damaged by departmental politics; and he engages in an affair, a shocking breach at the time.  The book has been praised by the NY Times Book Review, The Times Literary Supplement, and numerous other sources as an outstanding achievement.

Another member was reading Jim Henson:  The Biography by Brian Jay Jones and enjoying it.  It turns out that Henson was not always a fan of puppets.  He was, however, an avid fan of television. When he learned there was a job opening for a puppeteer at a local television station, he went to his local public library and checked out several books on the subject, made a puppet, and the rest is Muppet history.  According to the book, part of the reason for Jim’s success was that he had not formally trained as a puppeteer, so his approach to some of the staging was unique.  The book, written in cooperation with Henson’s family, is thorough, fascinating, and honest. Fans of Kermit and Miss Piggy will enjoy it, but so will anyone interested in how one man altered an art form and created a pop culture empire.

Nevermore: Happy City, Sunshine on Scotland Street, Anthill, Just Babies, & Execution of Noa P. Singleton

Summary by Kristin

Jud kicked off the Nevermore discussion with Happy City: Transforming Our Lives through Urban Design by Charles Montgomery.  This book examines the elements in city design that bring people closer together, or keep them further apart.  The proliferation of automobiles has changed the way people live, in spread-out suburbia as opposed to denser urban areas, although this may be changing as crime patterns change and the cost of commuting continues upwards.  The group consensus was that for a “Happy City” people just want to live where they can trust other people and feel safe.

Next, Jud introduced Sunshine on Scotland Street by Alexander McCall Smith, an installation in the 44 Scotland Street series.  He commented that even though the story is serialized, the author provides a lot of back story in each volume, so they can be read alone, but it is best to get the full story by starting at the beginning.  As usual on the fictional Scotland Street, people are taking care of each other.  Young Bertie is caring for a neighbor’s dog and becomes convinced that the dog is sad.  Thus, it’s time for a visit to a psychiatrist (for the dog).

Another reader brought one of her Christmas gifts—Anthill by E.O. Wilson.  This is the only fiction book written by a prominent biologist.  Wilson has often been the center of controversy as he introduces new ideas about biodiversity and what he calls the "myth" of evolution.  Wilson is also considered the world authority on myrmecology, the study of ants.  Our reader said that this was a nice fiction story, but that the author definitely placed a dissertation on ants right in the middle.

Next, a couple of readers discussed Just Babies: The Origins of Good and Evil by Paul Bloom.  A discussion of nature versus nurture, this book proposed that much of human morality is inborn, with very young children tending to be empathetic and helpful.  On the negative side of good and evil, one suggestion is that what we call evil today may be the remnants of the violent urges that were required for survival in earlier hunter-gatherer cultures.

Back to fiction, another reader talked about The Execution of Noa P. Singleton: A Novel by Elizabeth L. Silver.  Noa is a woman on death row, convicted of first degree murder, but never spoke in her own defense.  A well-known attorney with a personal connection to the case visits Noa just a few months before her scheduled execution, and attempts to persuade Noa to tell her full story in exchange for a possible lessening of the sentence to life in prison.  Our reader commented that this book shows how coincidences in your past may lead you to something that you can’t escape.