Nevermore: My Thomas, Treatment Trap, Seinfeldia, Girl in the Spider's Web, and Archie Andrews

Reported by Ambrea

Nevermore kicked things off with a historical novel by Roberta Grimes, My Thomas.  An intriguing novel of “what-if,” My Thomas tells the story of Mary Skelton and Thomas Jefferson as they navigate the treacherous political scene of the American colonies—and, eventually, make a life for themselves together.  Our reader said Grimes’ novel was an interesting take on Mary Skelton and Thomas Jefferson; however, she noted that she didn’t learn very much about Martha.  Several passages are borrowed from Martha’s scant correspondences and diaries, as well as Jefferson’s own personal records, to lend a feeling of authenticity to the novel, but it revealed precious little about Martha.  Our reader said it was a pretty good book, but she would have liked to have learned more about Thomas Jefferson’s wife.

Next, Nevermore dived right back into the medical field with The Treatment Trap:  How the Overuse of Medical Care is Wrecking Your Health and What You Can Do to Prevent It by Rosemary Gibson and Janardan Prasad Singh.  Gibson, a medical care provider, and Singh, a medical care professional in the financial department, offer an in-depth look at health care and the overuse of medical care in American daily life.  They take a critical look at wasteful practices, including unnecessarily invasive procedures, needless surgeries, and overuse of potentially deadly tests, and even offer an outline to reform the extravagant costs and senseless waste of resources.  Our reader, who said she had personal experience with the overuse of medical care, found Gibson and Singh’s book to be incredibly fascinating.  Overall, she enjoyed The Treatment Trap and she highly recommended it to her fellow readers.

Our reader also shared Seinfeldia:  How a Show About Nothing Changed Everything by Jennifer Keishin Armstrong, a brand new book at the library.  Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld created Seinfeld, a silly sitcom about a comedian living in New York, sitting around, talking to his friends, and, in general, struggling to make a living in one of the country’s most populous cities.  But, much to David and Seinfeld’s surprise, Seinfeld took off and quickly became one of the most beloved programs in recent history.  Our Nevermore reader described it as an interesting and thoroughly researched book for its insight into the television show and the actors involved.  She said, “If you’re a Seinfeld fan, it’s great.  But if you’re not a fan, you’ll wonder what’s going on?”

Additionally, Nevermore decided to revisit The Girl in the Spider’s Web by David Lagercrantz.  A sequel to the Millennium trilogy by Stieg Larsson—The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Girl Who Played With Fire, and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest—The Girl in the Spider’s Web follows the continuing adventures of Lisbeth Salander, a genius hacker, and Mikael Blomkvist, a crusader journalist.  Together, they explore an underground world of cybercriminals, spies, and shadowy government agencies that would sooner kill someone than let their secrets escape.  Our reader was thrilled with Lagercrantz’s sequel.  She said it had all of the characteristics she loved about the original novels and “it makes you think you’re reading another book by Stieg Larsson.”  She highly recommended it to her fellow Nevermore members, especially fans of Larsson’s previous novels.

Last, our readers looked at a brand new graphic novel featuring a beloved comic book character, Archie Andrews.  In Archie:  The New Riverdale (Volume 1) by Mark Waid, Fiona Stables, Veronica Fish, and Annie Wu, readers have the opportunity to dive back into Archie’s world and explore a new Riverdale with all the modern amenities.   A curious blend of new and old, Archie proved to be a fun and intriguing twist on the famous high school teen.  Our reader, who admitted she wasn’t a big fan of Archie, said she really enjoyed reading Mark Waid’s updated version of this classic.  It brought together great story-telling, intriguing characters, and all the fun one would expect out of the classic Archie.  She highly recommended it to her fellow readers, even if they weren’t fans of the original Archie.