Nevermore: One Day Everyone Will Always Have Been Against This, Carved in Bone, Fox & I

 

Nevermore 9-15-26             Reported by Rita

 

One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This by Omar El Akkad

One Day Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This chronicles the deep fracture which has occurred for Black, brown, indigenous Americans, as well as the upcoming generation, many of whom had clung to a thread of faith in western ideals, in the idea that their countries, or the countries of their adoption, actually attempted to live up to the values they espouse. This book is a reckoning with what it means to live in the west, and what it means to live in a world run by a small group of countries—America, the UK, France and Germany.  It will be The Fire Next Time for a generation that understands we’re undergoing a shift in the so-called ‘rules-based order,’ a generation that understands the west can no longer be trusted to police and guide the world, or its own cities and campuses. It draws on intimate details of Omar’s own story as an emigrant who grew up believing in the western project, who was catapulted into journalism by the rupture of 9/11.

Somewhat informative - highly repetitive.       -NH      4 stars

 

 

Carved in Bone by Jefferson Bass

Renowned anthropologist Dr. Bill Brockton has spent his career surrounded by death at the Body Farm. Now he's being called upon to help solve a baffling puzzle in a remote mountain community. The mummified corpse of a young woman dead for thirty years has been discovered in a cave, the body bizarrely preserved and transformed by the environment's unique chemistry. But Brockton's investigation is threatening to open old wounds among an insular people who won't forget or forgive. And a long-buried secret prematurely exposed could inflame Brockton's own guilt—and the dangerous hostility of bitter enemies determined to see him fail . . . by any means necessary.

I love everything by Dr. Bass!     -CD        5 stars

 

Fox & I by Catherine Raven

Catherine Raven left home at fifteen, fleeing an abusive, disdainful father and an indifferent mother. More comfortable in nature than among people, she worked as a National Park ranger, eventually earning a PhD in biology. She built a house on an isolated plot of land in Montana, teaching remotely and leading field classes. One day, she realized that the mangy-looking fox who had been appearing on her property was now showing up every day at 4:15 p.m. She had never had a regular visitor before. How do you even talk to a fox? So, she brought out her camping chair, sat as close to him as she dared, and began reading to him from The Little Prince. Her scientific training had taught her not to anthropomorphize animals, but as she grew to know him, his personality revealed itself--and he became her friend. But friends cannot always save each other from the uncontained forces of nature. Fox and I is a poignant and dramatic tale of friendship, transformation, and coping with inevitable loss--and of how that loss can become meaningful. It is also the introduction of an original, imaginative, stunning literary voice.

I really enjoyed it. The author has a real knack for observational writing.      -PP       4 stars

 

 

Other Books Mentioned

How Stella Learned to Talk by Christina Hunger

The Things We Never Say by Elizabeth Strout

Real Murders by Charlaine Harris

A Bone to Pick by Charlaine Harris

The Last Ballad by Wiley Cash

 

New Books

Plant Lady by Minyoung Kang

Ode to the Half-Broken by Suzanne Palmer

The Subtle Pleasures of Indiscretion by Alexander McCall Smith

Secret Wonders of the World by Lonely Planet

Retro by Jessica M. Goldstein

Seasonal Favorites: Hill, Jackson, Bradbury, McMahon, Ludwigsen

When the days get shorter and there’s a shiver in the air, many people turn to spooky stories.  I always say I don’t really like horror, but I do like uncanny tales that make a little shiver run up my spine.  Here are a few of my favorites:

The Woman in Black by Susan Hill is a classic English ghost story. Our narrator becomes upset at hearing his family recount ghost stories because he has experienced the real thing. As a young solicitor, he was sent to an isolated house to sort out an old woman’s belongings, despite being warned away by the villagers.  If you like atmospheric, this one has it to spare.  There have been a couple of movie versions, but while the one with Daniel Radcliffe caught some of the feel of the book, I was disappointed by the changes made to the story.

Shirley Jackson is one of the classic authors of the unsettling. Her short stories like The Lottery linger in the mind long after the last sentence. She wrote the legendary The Haunting of Hill House, in which four people go to stay in an old house which is purported to be haunted, and my favorite We Have Always Lived in the Castle which opens with the iconic paragraph introducing Mary Katherine Blackwood. I was hooked from that moment on.

Ray Bradbury’s Something Wicked This Way Comes is a book that always comes to mind when autumn approaches.  While it’s often shelved in children’s or YA, I find I appreciate it much more as an adult. Bradbury’s descriptions of the restlessness and unease that comes with the dying of the year strikes a chord, and the darkness that comes brings a shudder.  It was also a fine movie—and yes, the library has both book and movie!

Among the more modern authors, I like Jennifer McMahon’s The Drowning Kind.  A young woman goes home only to find that her sister who has been suffering from mental illness has committed suicide.  Her notes allude to something or someone connected to the spring behind the family home. Even though I figured out where the story was going, the book has such an intriguing vibe that I was drawn in—and I love the ending. It doesn’t answer all the questions, which is just how I like it.

A Scout Is Brave by Will Ludwigsen is another recent favorite. Bud Castillo moves with his family to Innsmouth, MA in the summer of 1963.  It’s a big change, moving from Queens to a small, dreary town with not much for a ten year old boy to do. Then he meets Aubrey, a pale, sheltered boy who wants to be a Scout and things seem to be looking up.  But there seems to be something dark lurking in Innsmouth. . . .  I love the way this story is told, from the point of view of an adult Bud remembering a pivotal summer in his life, and I also like the mid-century setting.

-Jeanne

Halloween Picture Book Favorites: Johnston, Williams, Mueller, Boynton

 

Years ago, it seemed that Halloween was mostly a holiday for children, one that you outgrew in the teen years.  Nowadays, it’s more of an all ages holiday, but I still have fond memories of favorite picture books for the season.

For older listeners, I love Tony Johnston’s The Vanishing Pumpkin.  A little old man and a little old woman discover their prize pumpkin, intended for pie, has disappeared so off they go to track it down.  Vibrant illustrations by Tomie de Paola make for a fun and exciting search to a satisfying conclusion.

Shorter but just as satisfying is the somewhat spooky The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything by Linda Williams with illustrations by Megan Lloyd.  A little old lady is walking home at night when strange sounds start following her.  This is a great book for audience participation as listeners can help make the sounds.

For very young listeners, A Halloween Mask for Monster by Virginia Mueller is one of my absolute favorite books.  Little Monster is not sure what he wants to be for Halloween.  He tries on various masks—a dog, a cat, etc.—but deems them all “too scary.”  Finally, he finds just the right one.  With illustrations by Lynn Munsinger, this book is no trick but a real treat.  It’s also very reassuring for young trick-or-treaters who have their own doubts about dressing up and don’t want to be “too scary.”

Finally, a book I have given to most small children I know, Spooky Pookie is a board book written and illustrated by the one and only Sandra Boynton.  Pookie is a little pig-child who is trying to figure out what to be for Halloween.  Boynton’s art is a delight for all ages, and her style is instantly recognizable.  Also "Spooky Pookie" is just fun to say.

-Jeanne

Nevermore: Island of Dr. Moreau, How Stella Learned to Talk

 

Nevermore 9-8-26               Reported by Rita

 

The Island of Dr. Moreau by H.G. Wells

First published in 1896, this is the story of Edward Prendick, an Englishman who finds himself stranded on a remote island in the South Pacific after being shipwrecked. The island is home to Dr Moreau, an eminent physiologist from London who has fled England after his ghoulish experiments in vivisection had been publicly exposed. Prendick soon learns that Moreau has continued his experiments on the island of transforming animals into men with monstrous results. Worrying that he may be next on the list of subjects, Prendick flees into the jungle trying to escape whatever gruesome plan Moreau may have in store for him.

It was oh, so scary, but it was a well-written story. It has taken some time to get back to breathing normally.     -CD         5 stars

 

How Stella Learned to Talk: The Groundbreaking Story of the World's First Talking Dog by Christina Hunger

When speech-language pathologist Christina Hunger first came home with her puppy, Stella, it didn’t take long for her to start drawing connections between her job and her new pet. During the day, she worked with toddlers with significant delays in language development and used Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) devices to help them communicate. At night, she wondered: If dogs can understand words we say to them, shouldn't they be able to say words to us? Can dogs use AAC to communicate with humans? Christina decided to put her theory to the test with Stella and started using a paw-sized button programmed with her voice to say the word "outside" when clicked, whenever she took Stella out of the house. A few years later, Stella now has a bank of more than thirty word buttons, and uses them daily either individually or together to create near-complete sentences. How Stella Learned to Talk is part memoir and part how-to guide. It chronicles the journey Christina and Stella have taken together, from the day they met, to the day Stella "spoke" her first word, and the other breakthroughs they've had since. It also reveals the techniques Christina used to teach Stella, broken down into simple stages and actionable steps any dog owner can use to start communicating with their pets.  

The author is excited to use her expertise in Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) as a speech pathologist to help her puppy learn to communicate. One of the best books I've read in a long time.     -AH      5 stars

 

Other Books Mentioned

 

American War by Omar El Akkad

One Day Everyone Will Have Been Against This by Omar El Akkad

Inside Alcatraz by Jim Quillen

Court of Thorn and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

When Never Comes by Barbara Davis

The Amateur by Chris Bohjalian

The Good Good Pig by Sy Montgomery

 

New Books

 

Trash! A Garbageman's Story by Simon Paré-Poupart

Theo of Golden by Allen Levi

The Forgotten Book Club by Kate Storey

The House of Boleyn by Tracy Borman

Lost Souls Meet Under a Full Moon by Mizuki Tsujimura

 

Reviewed by Jeanne

It may just be an urban legend—it certainly sounds like one—but it’s said that under certain conditions, a go-between can arrange a meeting between a living person and dead person. Each is only allowed one meeting; if either party refuses, the meeting will not take place. The meetings ideally take place on the night of the full moon, which allows for the longest time to meet.

Four stories follow.  Each person finds the go-between and each arranges a meeting: a young woman wants to meet a celebrity who recently passed away; a son wants to meet with his late mother; a school girl wants to meet with her best friend who died in an accident; and a man approaches with mixed emotions, asking to meet with his missing fiancé.

The fifth story is about the go-between himself, and not only gives the reader his background but also gives glimpses from his perspective about the other characters.

I’ve read a number of these books and enjoyed most.  I’ve recommended a number of them, too.  This one is a real standout for me.  The translation is very smooth; and it reads well in English. The stories themselves are memorable and emotionally complex.  The resolutions vary: some bring relief, some comfort, or understanding, but not always. Also, each story holds up well as a self-contained short story, with strong characterization; I could see them individually being included in a short story collection.

One story I found especially compelling.  I’m still thinking about it. 

The final story gave me some new perspectives on the previous tales, and slight updates on some of characters.

In fact, I found the book so intriguing and thought-provoking that I did something I almost never do:  I reread the entire book right after I finished it.

If that isn’t a good recommendation, I don’t know what is.

The Halloween Movie Cookbook: 65 Hauntingly Delicious Recipes Inspired by Your Favorite Spooky Movies by Ryan Alverez and Adam Merrin

 

Reviewed by Jeanne

I came to this cookbook with two strikes against me:

I don’t really like horror movies and I don’t cook.

But I was intrigued by the concept, especially because the recipes are tagged as belonging to specific movies, including some not so scary ones like Coco, The Addams Family, The Haunted Mansion, Hocus Pocus, Practical Magic and, yes, The Rocky Horror Picture Show.  They even have It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown.  Of course, they also have classic horror pictures like The Shining, A Nightmare on Elm Street, and Halloween.

The book is arranged by Bewitching Breakfasts; Spooky Snacks and Sides; Monstrous Mains; Potions, Drinks, and Boo-zy Cocktails; and Devilish Desserts. Each recipe gives the movie that inspired it, with a brief description of the scene.  Pumpkin Pancakes come from a scene in Casper and genuinely sound delicious, with pumpkin puree, allspice, nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger, and allspice.  Even though it doesn’t start out with “Buy a box of pancake mix,” I almost think I could make these.  There is not a calorie count, but then I fear it might be truly terrifying.

Another good-looking dish is Crispy Baked Scrod with Lemon and Parmesan from Hocus Pocus, inspired by the scene in which Mary’s child-sniffing nose gets confused by scrod.  With two kinds of cheese, lemon zest, and panko breadcrumbs, this is another dish that looks and sounds so good that I would like to try them, providing someone else did the cooking.

The section on drinks is robust, and often alcoholic.  The IT Bloodbath Punch really does look bloody, what with the cherry juice, grenadine, and red food coloring.  It also has pineapple and lime juice—not to mention two kinds of rum and peach schnapps. However, the photo of Lestat’s Bloody Mary creeped me out.  I’m not going to describe it. You have to see it.

Which brings me to the photos, which are gloriously staged, appearing both delicious and ghoulish.  They are fabulous. 

To me, the recipes skewer more toward adult tastes, which is fine—they are a number of recipes out there for kids’ spooky treats. I also like the way the recipes are introduced and written; these guys have a sense of humor.  They are also careful to point out ingredients that could be confused, like evaporated milk vs. condensed milk.

The thing I think I love most is that there are several lists.  You can do the recipes by the movie or by the theme—witches, ghosts, vampires, killers, undead, monsters and misfits, or family friendly.  They have suggested menus, like Spooky Musical Party or Tim Burton Tribute. There’s even a list of movies in chronological order.

This is a fun, entertaining cookbook sure to inspire cooks during spooky season, which now appears to be all year round.  I thing they missed a bet, though, by not including a roast chicken for The Birds.

Nevermore: Fox & I, Homeland and Other Stories, Things We Never Say

 Nevermore 9-1-26      Reported by Rita 

 Fox & I by Catherine Raven 

Catherine Raven left home at fifteen, fleeing an abusive, disdainful father and an indifferent mother. More comfortable in nature than among people, she worked as a National Park ranger, eventually earning a PhD in biology. She built a house on an isolated plot of land in Montana, teaching remotely and leading field classes. One day, she realized that the mangy-looking fox who had been appearing on her property was now showing up every day at 4:15 p.m. She had never had a regular visitor before. How do you even talk to a fox? So, she brought out her camping chair, sat as close to him as she dared, and began reading to him from The Little Prince. Her scientific training had taught her not to anthropomorphize animals, but as she grew to know him, his personality revealed itself--and he became her friend. But friends cannot always save each other from the uncontained forces of nature. Fox and I is a poignant and dramatic tale of friendship, transformation, and coping with inevitable loss--and of how that loss can become meaningful. It is also the introduction of an original, imaginative, stunning literary voice. It showed that "wild" animals can become attached to humans. 

Great descriptions of the wildlife and plants. -WJ 5 stars 

 Homeland and Other Stories by Barbara Kingsolver 

Homeland and Other Stories offers comic, often heart-warming but always true to life tales told as only the author can, creating a world of love and possibility that listeners will want to take as their own. A rich and emotionally resonant collection of twelve stories of hope, momentary joy, and powerful endurance. Beautifully written portraits of unforgettable characters. -CW 5 stars 

 The Things We Never Say by Elizabeth Strout 

Artie Dam is a man with a secret. He goes about his days teaching American history to high schoolers, correcting their casual ignorance, and lending a kind word to those who need it most. He spends his free time sailing the beautiful Massachusetts Bay, or with his adult son and his wife of more than three decades - and as Artie does these things, he plans the event that will forever change the world he inhabits. But when a startling accident awakens a new perspective in Artie, and he realizes that life has its own secret it's been keeping from him - along with a lot more to say on the weighty matters of fate and freedom in his home and his country - he charts another course full of grief, hilarity, and heart, to a place where the end marks the beginning. 

 I love the way she writes and develops characters. Easy to read. -CD 5 stars 

 Other Books Mentioned 

 84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff 

I Am Not a Robot by Joanna Stern 

Curves: Flowers, Foliates & Flourishes in The Formal Decorative Arts by Lisa DeLong 

Blueberries for Sal by Robert McClosky 

West with Giraffes by Lynn Rutledge 

The Scarlet Throne by Amy Leow 

Ordinary Magic by Gregory Walton, M. PhD 

 New Books 

 Tricks of Fortune by Lina Chern 

When Lemons Give You Life by Anna Johnston 

The Mountains We Call Home by Kim Michelle Richardson 

The Halloween Movie Cookbook by Ryan Alvarez 

Stories From a Stranger by Hunter Prosper