Friday, September 21, 2012

Nevermore: Lighthouses, sharks and cats


There seemed to be a bit of a nautical theme going on for part of Nevermore, starting with some rave reviews for The Light Between Oceans, a beautifully written, haunting novel by M.L. Stedman.  After the Great War, Tom Sherbourne has been content with his job as lighthouse keeper on Janus Rock, a remote Australian island.  He’s joined by his free spirited wife, Isabel, and together they make an isolated life in a place where even supply boats rarely come.  Tom and Isabel long for a child, but their son is stillborn.  Then a boat washes ashore with a dead man and a living baby, and it seems all their dreams are about to come true. More than one member of the book club recommended this book.
Jud brought in Surviving the Shark by Jonathan Kathrein who was just a teenager when he was bitten by a Great White.  While the book covers his traumatic experience and its aftermath, he also explains why he is a advocate for sharks today, trying to convince people that these amazing fishes need protection. By coincidence, Jeanne had brought in Close to Shore by Michael Capuzzo and Twelve Days of Terror by Richard Fernicola, both of which dealt with the infamous 1916 incident in which a shark swam up a river in New Jersey and attacked several people, some fatally. 
On a lighter note, The Lighthouse, the Cat and the Sea by Leigh W. Rutledge features an elderly feline narrator who tells the story of her life starting from when she was a ship’s kitten, before she was swept overboard.   However, the story is really more about the humans in her life, from an animal-loving ship’s cook to the lighthouse keeper and her family to a widow who may find love again.  The setting is early Key West, which just adds to the charm.  Our reviewer thought it was delightful.

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