Reported by Garry
We had a fascinating selection of books discussed at this week’s Nevermore, ranging from our usual mysteries and historical novels to an engrossing treatise on 1750s economics and more!
The Weaver’s Revenge by Kathleen Ernst was the first book reviewed this week, and the eleventh book in the Chloe Ellefson mystery series. This modern day thriller takes place in the backwoods of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and digs into the history of the Finnish immigrants who settled there during the years 1870 to 1930. When offered a rare opportunity to help develop a fledgling historic site dedicated to Finnish American history and heritage, museum curator Chloe Ellefson journeys to the remote Northwoods of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula to interview the descendants of the original Finnish immigrants. In addition to the consultant job, she is on a personal quest to learn about the enduring tradition of rag rug weaving, an art form at which the Finns excelled. Encountering the dead body of preeminent weaver Tulula immediately puts Chloe’s goals in jeopardy. Placing her own life at risk, Chloe sets out to find the murderer and long-kept secrets of the tight-knit community. Our reader highly recommends this book and particularly likes the way that the author incorporates real-life facts about the Finnish settlement of the Upper Peninsula. MC
Our next book also uses real-life people and history as the inspiration to spin a fascinating tale about the clash of cultures that lead to the modernization of Japan in the 1860s and a love story that inspired both Madame Butterfly and Miss Saigon. In The Pure Land by Alan Spence, Thomas Glover is a scrappy 18 year old in Aberdeen who is given a chance to work at a trading house in Japan. Soon, Glover is making connections and running a business that will lead to the overthrow of the feudal Shogun system and bring Japan into the modern world. He also falls in love with a beautiful courtesan who, unbeknownst to him, has the son that he has always wanted. Our reader was effusive in her praise for this novel, pointing out its writing style, engaging characters and gripping storyline. KN
Yellow Woman and a Beauty of the Spirit is a collection of essays by prominent Pueblo Native American writer Leslie Marmon Silko. Each of the 22 essays in this 1997 volume speak of Silko’s experiences, frustrations, and hope with the eloquence and power of a master writer. Our reader was particularly taken with the portrayal of Pueblo women in Silko’s essays – beautiful strong women who are the linchpins not only of their families but of the ancient Pueblo culture of New Mexico. AH
Our resident Alexander Hamilton expert highly recommends Financial Programs of Alexander Hamilton, by a Farmer’s Daughter by Dianne Durante, despite its dust-dry title. She states that this extremely well researched book reads more like a novel than a historical text, and examines how Alexander Hamilton set the financial foundation of American society. Utilizing primary texts from Hamilton’s contemporaries, and including annotated copies of his policies, this book allows readers a peek into the mind of the man many consider the most influential of the Founding Fathers. DC
The Foretelling by Alice Hoffman tells the story of Rain, the teenage Amazon destined to become queen of the mythical tribe. Born of violence and shunned by her mother, Rain trains for battle and speaks of animals like sisters, and grows to question the way of life of the Amazons. When her mother dies in childbirth, it is up to Rain to decide the future not only of her Bronze Age clan, but also of herself. Written almost entirely from Rain’s point of view with little dialogue, this slender volume (176 pages) may not be for all readers, but our reviewer loved the quality of the writing and the archetypal story. MH
Also mentioned:
The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray
The Unheard by Nicci French
Bait and Switch by Barbara Ehrenreich
Heart in the Right Place by Caroline Jourdan
Taste: My Life Through Food by Stanley Tucci
Best Wishes, Warmest Regards: The Story of Schitt’s Creek by Daniel Levy and Eugene Levy
High Crimes: The Fate of Everest in an Age of Greed by Michael Kodas
A Lesson in Secrets by Jacqueline Winspear
The House Girl by Tara Conklin
Three Sisters by Heather Morris
Atlas of the Invisible: Maps and Graphics That Will Change How You See the World by James Cheshire and Oliver Uberti
A Carnival of Snackery: Diaries 2003-2020 by David Sedaris
Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan
The Black History Book: Big Ideas Simply Explained by DK
What Unites Us: The Graphic Novel by Dan Rather with art by Tim Foley
Creatures of the Deep: In Search of the Sea’s Monsters and the World They Live In by Erich Hoyt
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