Reported by Garry
The books brought to Nevermore this week ran the gamut from historical fiction to high fantasy and romance to murder mystery. We always have a great selection of books to discuss!
Our first reader told us about the writings of Harriet Beecher Stowe, who lived from 1811 until 1896. Stowe is most widely noted for her 1852 novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin – a highly controversial piece of work that was, in its time, the second widest selling novel in the 19th century United States, and is said to have “helped lay the groundwork for the American Civil War.” Stowe was a strict abolitionist who wrote 30 books, including novels, memoirs and collections of articles and letters. Our reader commented on the extraordinary power with which Stowe writes, stating how the story “The Ghost in the Mill” was especially riveting.
The Beekeeper of Aleppo by Christy Lefteri was up next. This multiple award winning novel shines a light on the lives of a family of refugees as they try to escape to freedom and safety in the countryside of Britain from the horrors of civil was in Syria. Nuri and his wife Afra live a quiet life in the countryside of Syria near Aleppo, until war devastates both them and their lives. Fleeing across country, through Turkey and Greece, both must come to terms with what they have lost and what the future may hold for them. Our reader found this to be a gripping, deeply human novel, and helped make it clear to her that every person seeking asylum is a person with a heart and a soul – not just a body who wants to come into the country. This 2020 novel is highly recommended by our reader.
The historical drama/romance When Twilight Breaks by Sarah Sundin was the next novel to be discussed. This book takes place in Munich in 1938 and follows the story of Evelyn, an aspiring foreign correspondent and Peter, an American graduate student who is working on his PhD in German. Both protagonists are caught in the building storm of World War II, and decide to use their talents to funnel information out of an increasingly dangerous Germany. Our reader was very impressed with the amount of historical accuracy that went into this book, and liked the writing style. Romance is not her typical genre, but she enjoyed and recommends this engaging, dramatic book.
Highfire by Eoin Colfer is an offbeat fantasy novel following Vern, last of the dragons. Far from his glory days, Vern now spends his days hiding out in the Louisiana bayou, drowning himself in vodka and television. By complete accident, Vern saves a down-on-his-luck teenager from the local lowlife sheriff and finds himself wondering how he's suddenly responsible for keeping the sheriff from burning the swamp down to get to the kid. Our reader found it to be one of the best books they'd read in years, filled with characters they couldn't get enough of. While the reader wasn't bothered by it (and felt it added to the believability), they did want to advise that there is a fair bit of profanity.
No One Goes Alone is a new thriller by veteran writer Erik Larson, and his first venture into fiction. (Larson has previously written the best-selling non-fiction books Devil in the White City, Thunderstruck, Dead Wake, and others.) In this historical fantasy thriller psychologist William James leads a team in 1905 to an uninhabited island where a family has disappeared under strange circumstances. The idyllic island soon starts to show its true nature and the team quickly finds themselves isolated and unsure of what to believe. This book is only available in audio form as Larson believes that ghost stories are best read aloud, and our reader agrees. She listened to the entire seven and a half hours of recording in one sitting, and says that this is a great story – perfectly timed for the Halloween season!
Also mentioned:
The Turnout by Megan Abbott
The Greenlanders by Jane Smiley
The Good Good Pig: The Extraordinary Life of Christopher Hogwood by Sy Montgomery
The Hidden Life of Deer: Lessons from the Natural World by Elizabeth Marshall Thomas
The Cat Saw Murder: A Rachel Murdock Mystery by Dolores Hitchens
How to They/Them by Stuart Getty
Believing: Our Thirty-Year Journey to End Gender Violence by Anita Hill
The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett
Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
A Promised Land by Barak Obama
The Summons by John Grisham
Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Book Got Wrong by James Loewen
The End of Bias by Jessica Nordell
Crossroads by Jonathan Franzen
If God is Love, Don’t Be a Jerk by John Pavlovitz
GMorning, GNight: Little Pep Talks for Me and You by Lin Manuel Miranda
Meddling Kids by Edgar Cantero
Sundown Towns by James Loewen
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