Nevermore: Geiger, Ten Steps to Nanette, Cross Country, Monsoon Mansion

 

Nevermore August 16, 2022

Reported by Garry

Geiger by Gustaf Skördeman is a thriller all the way according to our reader. Agneta is a happily married Swedish grandmother who answers the phone and hears the word “Geiger”. Setting down the phone, she retrieves a silenced pistol from her drawer, kills her husband, and then vanishes. Sara Nowak is a detective who grew up knowing Agneta’s family and now takes on the investigation, one that will upturn everything she knew about the family and unlock secrets buried for over forty years.  ML

Ten Steps to Nanette: A Memoir Situation by Hannah Gadsby is the intensely funny memoir by the Tasmanian stand-up comic, and it packs a gut-punch. Gadsby is gay, has ADHD, and is on the autism spectrum. Our reader says that this book was absolutely fascinating in that it allowed her to get into Gadsby’s mind and see the way she puts the world together – an experience she has never before had in her many years of dealing with people on the spectrum.  NH

Cross Country by James Patterson is so engrossing it is a “burn the chicken” book according to our reader. The 14^th book in the Alex Cross series by Patterson, this thriller finds Alex investigating the gruesome deaths of an ex-girlfriend and her family in an upscale Washington suburb. Quickly becoming entangled in the brutal Nigerian underworld of D.C., Alex realizes he has to go to Africa to track down the powerful and diabolical “Tiger”, a warlord who employs an army of children to do his bidding. Fast paced and riveting, our reader definitely recommends this book for a thrilling, escapist read.  MS

Monsoon Mansion is a rags-to-riches-to-rags memoir by Cinelle Barnes, who grew up in the Philippines. When she was three, Barnes’ family moved into the Mansion Royale, a sprawling, decadent ten-room home in the Philippines. A few years later, a monsoon devastated large swaths of the country, Barnes’ father’s business collapsed, and he disappeared. Her mother’s lover took the reins of the family and tyranny descended, turning Barnes’ fairy-tale childhood into a nightmare. This tale of survival, told with grace and heart, really grabbed at our reader who praised Barnes’ honesty and extraordinary writing style.  CD

Also Mentioned: 

“Most Blessed of the Patriarchs”: Thomas Jefferson and the Empire of the Imagination by Annette Gordon-Reed and Peter S. Onuf

Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes

Invisible Child: Poverty, Survival, and Hope in an American City by Andrea Elliott

Who Was That Masked Woman? by Noretta Koertge

The Bangalore Detectives Club by Harini Nagendra

For Simon: A Journey into Truth and Reconciliation by Molly Walling

Switchboard Soldiers by Jennifer Chiaverini

Liberty is Sweet: The Hidden History of the American Revolution by Woody Holton

The Girl in Duluth by Sigrid Brown

Any Other Family by Eleanor Brown

Spiders of North America by Sarah Rose

The Woman’s House of Detention: A Queer History of a Forgotten Prison by Hugh Ryan

Trashlands by Alison Stine

So You Want to Start a Podcast: Finding Your Voice, Telling Your Story, and Building a Community That Will Listen by Kristen Meinzer

The Department of Rare Books and Special Collections by Eva Jurczyk

 

Reviewed by Jeanne

It should have been the library’s moment to shine. 

Not only had director Christopher Wolfe scored the acquisition of the rare Plantin Polyglot Bible, but he’d gotten it for only a half a million dollars—quite the steal.  The money had come from donors with deep pockets who enjoyed the privilege of a sneak preview; whether or not they really knew or cared about the book is questionable but they but do care about bragging rights.

There’s only one problem: Christopher suffered a stroke and is now in a coma.

Make that two problems: the Plantin Bible is missing.

Lisel Weiss was supposed to be taking a sabbatical, a break on the way to retirement, while she writes her own book.  Under the circumstances, she’s had to respond to the frantic call from the university president Lawrence Garber to step in during Christopher’s absence.  Lisel is sure the book must be in the safe in Christopher’s office but she’ll have to find a way to fend off those eager donors who want to see what their money bought. She will just have to find a way to stall them for a few days, until she can get the combination to the safe from Christopher’s wife.

Problem number three:  they open the safe and the Plantin Bible is not there.

Lisel wants to call in the police to report the possible theft but is overruled by President Garber who is determined to make sure the university’s reputation is intact.  Instead, he insists Lisel look for the book in house and keep quiet.

But how long can you keep such a thing a secret?

Problem number four:  a staff member has stopped showing up for work.

I’d heard very good things about this book, most calling it a mystery.  It is, but after the shocks in the opening chapters, it slows down to a lull.  I was frustrated by the lack of activity, the refusal to report the possible theft to the police to start an investigation. Instead, Lisel and a colleague, Francis, spend hours searching the stacks in the grasping at straws hope that the incredibly valuable volumes have somehow been mis-shelved.

This lull in the action almost did me in, to be honest.  But Jurczyk writes very well and very perceptively.  Lines such as “The air stank of wine and self-importance” or I was also unhappy at the way Lisel is treated: dismissed, overlooked, and sometimes overruled by the male staff members.  In turn, Lisel is struggling with her own marriage to John, an artist who apparently has had breakdowns in the past, but who now is almost the only one concerned for Lisel. She in turn seems to regard him with more pity than any other emotion.

The book is also a meditation on how women are perceived in academia, and in the way that institutions tend to become so entrenched in their own rules, traditions, and secrets that they can stagnate.

When the book does pick up, it moves at a wonderful pace.  Many things are revealed, both in regards to the missing books and in personal and emotional relationships.  It was all beautifully done and made up for the slowness in the middle.  Lisel is a fully realized character, complex, intelligent, and when it comes down to it, able to stand up for herself and her department.  Other characters are also intricately detailed, presenting small clues left behind before all (or almost all) is revealed like a magician’s trick. 

There is a deep love of books as physical objects here, especially near the end. The descriptions are wondrous, making the reader want to touch the books. It makes it easy to see why one would want to possess not a copy but the real thing.

 

I do recommend this book—just be aware that I found some problems with pacing. I think that if I were to re-read it, I would be more aware of all that was happening the lull and be less impatient.

Roadside Picnic by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky

 

Reviewed by Ben

The latest book I finished was Roadside Picnic, written by Soviet authors Arkady and Boris Strugatsky in 1972. The book is set in a remote town in Canada. Alien visitors have touched down and left at several locations on Earth, leaving behind them hazardous zones filled with unexplained anomalies, deadly traps, and advanced technology. Sealed off from the rest of the world by government authorities, people flocked to the towns surrounding the forbidden zones in order to traffic in technology and artifacts smuggled out of the zones by thieves--known as "stalkers." Roadside Picnic follows one of the best stalkers of them all: Red Schuhart. I enjoyed this book for its relative lack of exposition and eerie tension.

Exposition is something that really bothers me in movies and books. While Roadside Picnic had a few expository scenes, the book largely neglected to explain a lot of details and concepts. While this sounds aggravating, this lack of explanation actually lent a sense of mystery to the setting. It truly made me feel like I was observing an alien time and place. Seasoned stalker Red talks about "hell slime," "empties" and "traps" with a familiarity the reader cannot grasp. Other characters plug "spacells" into their cars and benefit from seemingly infinite fuel. Whether this was a writing strategy of the original authors or the result of gaps in translation from the original language, the effect is a trip into the unknown for the reader.

In addition, the book gave off an eerie tension throughout that kept me reading. This feeling was enhanced by Red's apprehensive moves through the forbidden zone, slowed by unseen threats that the reader does not fully understand or expect. Other anomalies add a feeling of mystery that enhances the experience, like the transparent entities that roam the zone, the dead rising from their graves and returning to their former homes, and the inherent suspicion and distrust between characters operating in an illicit trade.

Roadside Picnic is a compelling and intriguing adventure into a world both strange and familiar. The concepts in the novel work so well that various media have drawn from it. The book's influence can be seen in movies, video games and other books. First, the book inspired the classic 1979 film Stalker, which bases its plot on that of Roadside Picnic--the Strugatsky brothers were credited with writing the screenplay. Second, the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. PC game series borrows foundational concepts from the book, namely the concept of stalkers, forbidden zones, and dangerous anomalies. Finally, Jeff VanDerMeer's novel Annihilation—also a movie of the same title--draws on concepts that appear similar to some found in Roadside Picnic, such as mysterious forbidden zones filled with unexplained anomalies. These are only some examples of the classic Russian book's influence. This is not a complete list!

Nevermore: Cinderella's Dress, At Night All

 Reported by Garry

Cinderella’s Dress by Shonna Slayton is a re-imagining/continuation of the classic Cinderella story. Kate is a young woman working in the shops in New York in the 1940s. War tears Europe apart and Kate’s displaced Polish Aunt and Uncle arrive on her doorstep with a mysterious steamer trunk in tow – a trunk that contains the wardrobe of the real Cinderella. Protecting the trunk and its coveted contents is a task the women of Kate’s family have done for generations, and now it is Kate’s turn – whether she wants it or not. “Delightful, imaginative, and fun” were the words our reader used to describe this first in the Fairy-Tale Inheritance series of six books, all featuring twists on the classic Grimm’s fairy tales.  SH

At Night All Blood is Black by David Diop is the Booker Prize winning debut novel that follows the journey of Alfa Ndiaye, a Senegalese man who fights with the French in the trenches of World War I. Alfa’s best friend is shot and mortally wounded, and begs Alfa to kill him, sparing him a painful and prolonged death. Alfa can’t bring himself to do so, and the conflict between killing his friend and letting him die slowly begins to tear Alfa apart, even as he tries to make amends that are at once horrific and understandable. Our reader was amazed by the “hypnotic writing” in this multi-award winning, harrowing novel of a descent into madness, and very highly recommends it.  SC

Tennessee Curiosities: Quirky Characters, Roadside Oddities & Other Offbeat Stuff by Kristin Luna.  Did you know that the town of Erwin once hanged an elephant? That Camden is the location of the only fresh-water pearl farm in North America? These and myriad other weird, quirky and intriguing entries make this one very fun book that has struck a fire under our reader to go visit as many of the sites as possible.  KM

Also mentioned:

Leviathan Falls by James S.A. Corey

Nine Parts of Desire: The Hidden World of Islamic Women by Geraldine Brooks

Spirits and Smoke by Mary Miley

The Lioness by Chris Bohjalian

Walking to Wijiji: A Journey Overcoming Loneliness by Bunny Medeiros

Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr

Something in the Water by Catherine Steadman

Black Water Sister by Zen Cho

Chivalry (Graphic Novel) by Neil Gaiman and Colleen Doran

The Lost World of James Smithson: Science, Revolution, and the Birth of the Smithsonian by Heather Ewing

Artemis Fowl and Artemis Fowl: The Arctic Incident by Eoin Colfer

 

 

Reviewed by Ashley

 

I’m a big fan of rereading favorite novels- it’s easy to choose one based on my mood, to settle in for a nice visit to a place I’m already familiar with, to know I won’t scoff in disappointment and feel I’ve wasted some of the spare time that seems more and more scarce. I’m also often inclined to grab middle grade and young adult novels that I’ve enjoyed before, for even quicker trips to those comforting places. Having recently become disenchanted with my ultimate comfort series, and having an up-and-coming reader who I enjoy giving books to, I decided to revisit another series I enjoyed when I was younger. As such, I just finished up the first two novels in the Artemis Fowl series, written by Eoin Colfer in the early 2000s. 

Artemis Fowl introduces us to the cast of characters we follow throughout the series. The titular character is a twelve-year-old criminal mastermind, using all of the sources available to him to keep his family prosperous after the disappearance of his father. Aided by his bodyguard, Butler, he manages to become the first human to get his hands on The Book of the People, giving him insight to the fairy world and all the rules that govern the People. Enter Holly (the first female LEPrecon officer), her boss Commander Root, and their tech mastermind (Foaly the paranoid centaur). What follows is a vicious game of who can outwit who, all of the involved parties being convinced they have the upper hand and trying to outplay the others to get what they want.  

In Artemis Fowl: The Arctic Incident, we revisit Artemis, Butler, Holly, Root, and Foaly. They’ve all moved on with their lives in the year following the first book, taking what they’ve learned and growing from it. When a vicious goblin uprising in the fairy world reveals itself to obviously having a human on standby for assistance, the LEPrecon trio are certain they know exactly who to blame. Artemis and Butler have their own problems, though, and are trying desperately to save someone they thought lost. The two groups collide and manage to come to an agreement to work together to solve both their problems.  

I hadn’t read either of these books in probably ten years, but I was surprised to find that they held up to the fond feelings I carried for them. They were a bit more violent than I remember, and I did have to reassure myself on a couple of occasions that I knew the outcome wouldn’t be as bleak as it threatened to be for the characters. Also included was a fair bit of typical-of-the-time sexism, with a lot of heavy handed ‘look at how they underestimate the female character’ scenes. Thankfully, Holly’s a force to be reckoned with and is quick to prove that it is indeed underestimating to think she’s capable of anything less than the male leads. 

I did hit a storyline in the second book that I didn’t remember at all, and as I read through and found myself skimming quickly by those scenes which didn’t hold my attention, I realized I’d likely done the same thing on the first read-through all those years ago. Even with that bit, though, I still greatly enjoyed the novels and I have every intention of picking up the third one to finish the series, something I never got around to when I was younger. I’ll also finally be giving the movie that Disney+ put out in 2020 a chance- something I’ve been putting off until I could reread the source material.

Something in the Water by Catherine Steadman

 

Reviewed by Laura

Something in the Water was one of Reese's Book Club picks and was written by Catherine Steadman, an actress known for her work on Downton Abbey. It started VERY slowly, but I persisted because it was one of my Book Bingo picks (ocean on cover). About halfway through, it became exciting and I did enjoy the remainder of the book.

The story is told through the eyes of Erin, a documentary filmmaker who is in the process of completing an interesting collection of interviews with inmates soon to be released from prison. She is madly in love with the man she has lived with four years and plans to marry. Mark, her fiancée, is the handsome type of man who is so kind that everyone loves him immediately. Unfortunately, just before their wedding, Mark loses his job in investment banking. Despite this, they still decide to go on an abbreviated (two weeks, rather than four!) honeymoon to Bora, Bora.

And this is the point where the story begins to get interesting.

Erin had a bad experience scuba diving in the past and is anxious about repeating it, but promises Mark she will dive with him on their trip. Of course, the unimaginable happens and they discover a wrecked plane under the water and a satchel that floats to their boat. The satchel is full of money and diamonds and that is when the question that changes the course of their story and their life arrives. Do we report it or keep it? What would you do?

I would recommend this book if you can get through the beginning to the meat of the story. Would I have persevered if it wasn't for my Bingo card? Hard to say. I did end up enjoying it, though, and was glad I kept at it.

Nevermore: Death in a Texas Desert; A Wizard of Earthsea; Patron Saint of Lost Dogs; The Lioness

 

Reported by Garry

Death in a Texas Desert: And Other True Crimes from the Dallas Observer by Carlton Stowers. This collection of 20 murder stories from the pages of the Dallas Observer fascinated our reader with the weird and gruesome ways that people have died in the Lone Star State. This book covers several decades and includes the stories of the “Phantom Killer” of the Texarkana Moonlight Murders in 1946, and the case of Luby’s Cafeteria – a mass shooting that took place in Killeen in 1991.  CD

A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula Le Guin is the classic fantasy novel about Ged, a young wizard whose hard-scrabble life on the island of Gont changes when he is taken under the wing of Ogion the Silent – a powerful mage. Ged is extraordinarily talented and a quick learner and is soon sent to the Wizard School on the island of Roke. Unfortunately for Ged, his quick temper and impetuousness nearly cost him his life and he has to learn the hard lesson that power is a double-edged sword. First published in 1968, this young adult novel is our Community Reads book, and can be read at multiple levels. A fascinating, groundbreaking tale of a young man coming of age with incredible powers, this book is the first in Le Guin’s Earthsea Cycle of novels, all of which our reader highly recommends.  GW

Patron Saint of Lost Dogs by Nick Trout is total fluff – extremely delightful, just-plain-fun fluff, and our reader utterly enjoyed every page of it! Dr. Cyrus Mills returns to town to dispose of his deceased father’s veterinary practice, but as soon as the first patient (a golden retriever named Frieda Fuzzypaws), comes through the door, his plans go out the window. Cyrus soon realizes that his past experiences in the town don’t have to dictate his future there, and that it is not just his furry patients who need healing.  WJ

The Lioness by Chris Bohjalian is set in 1964 in Tanzania where A-list Hollywood star Katie Barsto and her new husband have travelled on their honeymoon, along with a group of their friends. Expecting a glamourous, sun-drenched luxury vacation, the group is soon beset by terror as a team of Russian mercenaries kidnap them and their vacation turns to a struggle for life. Our reader enjoyed this novel, especially the numerous quotes from classic movies, and recommends this book if you are looking for a sharply written page-turner.  ML

Also mentioned:

Leviathan Falls by James S.A. Corey

Deal Breaker by Harlan Coben

Catwings by Ursula Le Guin

Horse by Geraldine Brooks

Dog Gone, Back Soon by Nick Trout

Humans: A Brief History of How We F*cked It All Up by Tom Phillips

Truth: A Brief History of Total Bullsh*t by Tom Phillips

A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness

Rivers of London (aka Midnight Riot) by Ben Aaronovitch

The Regulators by Richard Bachman aka Stephen King

 

 

Reviewed by Ben

 

I recently finished Stephen King's The Regulators. It was a wild one, even compared to the other King books I have read! This novel is set on a Midwestern, suburban neighborhood street where the residents suddenly face broadside attacks from space soldiers and civil war ghosts firing guns from inside futuristic hover vans. I liked The Regulators because it was violent, set in a unique and multifaceted location, and had a good ending.

 

First...okay let's get this out of the way. One thing I liked about the book was the violence. Yes. The violence. However it wasn't the fact of the violence itself that made the book fun for me. It was the sense of danger conveyed by the brutal punishments inflicted on the book's characters. This made every page feel consequential. I hung on every word as the characters faced possible dismemberment with each step they took!

 

Second, the events of this novel unfolded in a setting unlike anything I had previously encountered in a book. The place is a single neighborhood street and an old western town at the same time, with the transition/transformation of the environment taking place gradually, in front of the protagonists' eyes. Without going into further detail, which would spoil the plot, the mechanics of how and why this transformation happens is integral to the plot and increases the tension for the reader, showing how the story is reaching its climax as the setting changes. King did a nice job sewing this together.

 

Finally, I liked how the book ended. It worked in different ways. First, the ending is not necessarily what you expect will happen. Second, the ending addresses the different threads and issues of the plot. Finally, even though ending ties the story up well, it does not leave all matters clearly resolved, which allowed King to make the reader wonder if the trouble is really done or if the characters still have something to fear. This is fitting for a Stephen King story.

 

In summary, I recommend The Regulators for anyone looking for a thriller and a new experience. Its brutality brings with it great suspense and atmosphere. The setting is like nothing you have seen or read before. The ending is satisfying without being uncharacteristically happy or miraculous.

 

(Note:  Stephen King has written several books under the Bachman name, starting with Rage in 1977.  At the time publishers felt authors should have out no more than one book a year, so King adopted a pseudonym in order to publish more often.)

Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys Revisited: The Big Lie and The Death of Nancy Drew

 

  

Reviewed by Jeanne

When a new author takes up established characters and puts a new spin on them, the results are usually either admired or vilified.  In this case, author Anthony Del Col decided to update the beloved children’s sleuths Frank and Joe Hardy and Nancy Drew in graphic novel form.  They’re young adults now and not looking for gold coins or missing wills: they’re trying to find murderers.

In Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys:  The Big Lie, Frank and Joe are suspected of murdering their father, a disgraced police detective.  The boys proclaim their innocence but the new police chief is sure it’s just a matter of time before one of the Hardys caves and implicates the other.  Old friend Nancy Drew turns up, ready to help the brothers find the real killer.  That’s easier said than done:  despite its picture postcard appearance, Bayside has a dark thread of corruption running through it: gambling, drugs, smuggling, and murder.

The Death of Nancy Drew: A Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys Noir opens with Joe obsessing over the recent death of his friend, Nancy, in what was ruled an accident.  Joe believes it was no accident, but murder.  Frank is skeptical and the brothers clash, leaving Joe to investigate on his own.

This second volume is the one that intrigued me.  Actually, I didn’t know there was a first volume, but as I read The Death of Nancy Drew there were so many references to things that occurred previously that I realized this had to be a sequel.  I was too involved in the story to stop, so I finished it and went back to read the first volume.

I thoroughly enjoyed both.  While the stories are grittier, Nancy, Joe, and Frank are still the resourceful, smart, brave characters I knew and loved growing up.  I liked these people.  I was especially taken with Nancy. She comes across as a remarkable young woman.

Not all the characters from the past fare as well, however, and some do not make wise life choices.  Other familiar names crop up, and some are definitely NOT nice but I still enjoyed the tip of the hat to these other Stratemeyer Syndicate series.  (Okay, did not know the Rover Boys, until this tale!) I don’t want to spoil anyone else’s enjoyment of these books, so I’m going to leave off any further descriptions or comments.

The art in both is very well done.   Werther Dell’Edera did the honors in The Big Lie, while Joe Eisma did the art in The Death of Nancy Drew.  Both volumes include bonus material in the form of interviews with the creators.  The Big Lie included the art for covers of individual issues collected here, and I was quite taken with the ones by Fay Dalton.

While these may not be to everyone’s liking, I was delighted and charmed.

Nevermore: Horse, Tracy Flick Can't Win, Trashlands, Saints of Swallow Hill, Promise Girls

 

Reported by Garry

Horse by Geraldine Brooks is the latest from the best-selling author of Caleb’s Crossing, Year of Wonders, and many others. Spanning the years between 1850 and 2019, Horse follows three interconnected timelines; this is the story of Lexington, the fastest horse ever born, and his devoted jockey, Jarrett. A discarded painting, a skeleton in an attic, the duo of Lexington and Jarrett, and the enduring echoes of the Civil War all come together in this book that our reader had a hard time putting down.  WJ

Tracy Flick Can’t Win by Tom Perrotta is the follow-up to his 1998 blockbuster novel Election. Set a couple decades later, Tracy is now the assistant principal at the high school she once attended in suburban New Jersey. Her principal announces unexpectedly that he is resigning, and Tracy guns for the position. But…Vito Falcone – the former star quarterback of the school – comes back to town and he also is aiming for the principal job. Will Tracy prevail? You will have to read this wonderful, heartwarming, and darkly funny book to find out.  NH

Trashlands by Alison Stine is a dystopian look at what may be our future, if the world does not manage to conserve our natural resources. Coral is a young woman in what used to be southeastern Ohio, part of the region called “Scrappalachia”. In this near future novel, plastic can no longer be made after climate change has had drastic consequences. As such a rarity, plastic is prized and recycled, and “pluckers” work long hours to find every scrap to trade for their essential needs. A colorful cast of characters surrounds Coral, as they do their best to survive. Our reader is looking forward to more from this young author.  KP

The Saints of Swallow Hill is a historical novel by Donna Everhart with the unusual setting of turpentine camps during the Great Depression. This harrowing and beautiful story starts in the hills of North Carolina where Rae Lynn Cobb and her husband Warren run a turpentine farm. Calamity befalls Warren, and in order to keep herself out of jail, Rae disguises herself as a man and flees to a squalid, brutal turpentine farm in Georgia, where she must make peace with her past in order to move forward. Our reader recommends this book and was particularly impressed by the amount of historical research Everhart put into bringing an obscure part of American history to life.  ML

The Promise Girls by Marie Bostwick is the story of three unconventional sisters and their narcissistic mother who raised them to be geniuses in various fields – whether they liked it or not. Decades after their mother published a tell-all that made the children household names, she wants to reunite the family for a documentary film. Meg, the artist who hasn’t picked up a paintbrush in years absolutely refuses to participate until she is in a car crash that leaves her with crippling bills. The filmmaker, Hal Seeger, himself a former child prodigy, uncovers long buried secrets and helps the sisters learn how to forge their own lives.  BM

Also mentioned:

Fears of a Setting Sun: The Disillusionment of America’s Founders by Dennis C. Rasmussen
Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr
Death at Greenway by Lori Rader-Day
Swimming with Jonah by Audrey Schulman
Monsignor Quixote by Graham Greene
Memoir of an Independent Woman: An Unconventional Life Well Lived by Tania Grossinger
Emergency!: True Stories from the Nation’s ERs by Mark Brown, M.D.
The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis
The Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin
The Lost World of James Smithson: Science, Revolution, and the Birth of the Smithsonian by Heather Ewing

Trashlands by Alison Stine

 

Reviewed by Kristin

Coral is a “plucker” in the rivers and woods of what used to be southeastern Ohio, searching for plastic to recycle in a world severely damaged by climate change. After catastrophic weather events and major shoreline changes, the United Nations agreed to halt production of materials which would continue harming the environment and threatening the lives of millions more. What once was created with wild abandon is no more. Old plastic is currency, able to provide an income for the crews of pluckers living in desperate times.

Food is scarce. Medicine is scarcer. Outside the coastal cities (“The Els”—short for “The Elites”), people have learned to grind acorns for flour and to appreciate every source of protein, even from insects. A running vehicle is extremely rare and of great value. Even inside the cities life is rough, although the ultra-rich certainly have more insulation from reality than the poor.

Trashlands is a junkyard in the region now known as Scrappalachia. For centuries Appalachia was exploited for natural resources, and now trash is just another thing to be culled from the landscape. The junkyard takes its name from the dingy strip club contained within, pink neon sign flashing day and night. A man named Rattlesnake Master rules it all and provides his dancers lodging (paid for by their plastic tips, of course) and rents out space to others as well, those fortunate enough to find an abandoned vehicle for shelter.

Alison Stine has created a post-apocalyptic world which feels all too possible. Her characters feel real, while they scrape out a living however they can. Coral’s partner Trillium is the camp tattoo artist, inking many a drunken man passing through—or for a price, inking their names onto Foxglove, one of the club’s most exotic dancers. Mr. Fall is the camp teacher and also Coral’s adoptive father, having found her as a baby alone but unharmed, in the remains of a burned Dairy Queen. Coral’s son Shanghai is an invisible presence for much of the story, kidnapped and forced to work in a factory sorting plastic and forming bricks for new construction in the cities. Miami is a reporter from one of the Els, exploring Trashlands for a story, or possibly something more.

The resolution of the story leaves many questions, making me wonder what happens to several of the main characters. Rather than being frustrating, the way Stine writes the ending leaves it in a way that the readers can ponder the possibilities and the paths that the characters may take in their future. I don’t think that she is setting up the story for a sequel, although that is always possible. It feels more like we have been invited to observe the characters in a specific time and space, and now that the time is over we simply hold memories of people we once knew.

Let’s Bake! A Pusheen Cookbook by Claire Belton & Susanne Ng

 

Reviewed by Jeanne

I’m not sure when I first became aware of Pusheen, the round grey cartoon cat with a sunny attitude and penchant for snacking, but I was pretty much charmed immediately.  I think the first thing I got was the calendar, followed by the book.  Of course, more merchandise appeared in short order for people who just couldn’t get enough the adorable feline.

Since Pusheen is very food oriented, it seems only natural that edible Pusheen items would start popping up on social media and then voila! A Pusheen cookbook. 

In keeping with Pusheen’s penchant for pastries and dessert, most of the recipes are for sweets of some sort:  cookies, doughnuts (a Pusheen favorite!), cakes, and even ice cream. The full color photos show absolutely adorable and mouth-watering treats. There are a few non-sweets, such as Pusheen pizza.

The recipes are rated in terms of difficulty and there is a yield listing.  The list of ingredients is nicely specific (for example, butter “slightly softened but still cold” is very helpful to me, otherwise the butter might be a puddle) and the steps of mixing and decorating are well illustrated with photos. Templates for Pusheen shapes are included in the back, including different sizes for different projects.

I was delighted by the book for all the creativity, part of which is in the presentation. Candy stars surround Pusheen marshmallows, for example, as well as attention to detail.  Pusheen doughnuts have white chocolate chips added before being coated to give that Pusheen “feet.”

Where I think I would have trouble is in the decorating. Steady hands and some degree of talent seems to be involved.

There’s one more impediment for me:  I don’t bake.  Or cook, for that matter.

For anyone who is looking for clever and cute ideas for cup cakes, cookies, cakes, etc., this is a fine choice.  The only problem is they might be too pretty to eat!

Nevermore: A Family Business, Night Watchman, Death at Greenway, Spy in Plain Sight

Reported by Garry

A Family Business: A Chilling Tale of Greed as One Family Commits Unspeakable Crimes Against the Dead by Ken Englade is the shocking true accounting of the crimes of the Sconce family who ran a funeral home/crematorium in the most shady, illegal way possible. A tale of death, greed, deception, and complete disregard for tradition, decency, and even the law, this book outlines how the Sconce family ran Lamb Funeral Homes as a way of funding their extravagant lifestyles and egos. An illegal side-business of harvesting organs and tissue from the yet-to-be-cremated soon sprouted up, and yet more money poured into their pockets. Eventually the law caught up with the Sconce family, shutting down their illegal operations. Our reader was dismayed at how little prison time the family members, particularly David, faced upon sentencing, stating how very lenient the judge was with David despite the horrific acts that he perpetrated upon the bodies of the dead. An amazing book with a “stranger than fiction” storyline, our reader highly recommends this macabre tale out of mid-1980s California. CD 

The Night Watchman by Louise Erdrich won the 2021 Pulitizer Prize for Fiction amongst many other awards. This fictionalized telling of true events focuses on Thomas Wazhashk, a night watchman at a factory near the Turtle Mountain Reservation in Minnesota. Thomas is also a Chippewa Council member who is fighting upcoming federal legislation to strip the tribe of its rights and land. Arthur Watkins was a true-life Republican senator from Utah who in 1953 proposed stripping all American Indian tribes of their treaty statues and assimilating Native tribes into American society. The character of Thomas is based on Erdrich’s grandfather, Patrick Gourneau, who was the real-life chairman of the Turtle Mountain Band Chippewa Advisory Committee and who successfully fought against Watkins’ legislation. Our reader, who has Native American roots, was deeply moved by this accounting of the thoughtless way in which the Native American tribes were treated by politicians who viewed them as “less than”. She noted the complex, realistic characters that Erdrich creates without being sentimental or presenting an idealized version of the community. PP 

Death at Greenway by Lori Rader-Day is a murder mystery set in Britain during World War II. Bridey Kelly is a disgraced nurse-in-training who has been sent to Greenway, the beloved vacation home of Agatha Christie, to care for children who have been evacuated from London during the Blitz. The gorgeous old home is itself a mystery, full of rooms that are not to be entered, curio cabinets that are not to be touched, and bookshelves full of tomes on murder. The most complex mystery is the other nurse, Gigi, who is unlike anyone that Bridey has ever met in her life. Then a body washes up on the shore of Greenway – a victim of a brutal murder that threatens to engulf both Bridey and Gigi. Our reader, who specializes in books set in Britain, loved this book, highlighting the great, believable characters, and its complicated, entertaining mystery. ML 

A Spy in Plain Sight: The Inside Story of the FBI and Robert Hanssen – America’s Most Damaging Russian Spy by Liz Wiehl is the meticulously researched and written accounting of the exploits of Robert Hanssen, who worked as a spy for Russia for over twenty years. Hanssen was a special agent for the FBI, starting in 1976. By 1979, he was offering his services to the Soviet Main Intelligence Directorate, and provided sensitive information to them on and off until his arrest in 2001. His activities resulted in the deaths of multiple KGB agents who Hanssen exposed. Disliked and distrusted by his peers (but most damagingly, trusted by his superiors), Hanssen nevertheless rose through the ranks of the FBI who were apparently blind to the possibility that one of their own could be a spy for the Soviets. Ironically, Hanssen was tasked by the FBI to try to find the mole who was responsible for the deaths of two KGB agents who had been exposed and executed – that mole was Hanssen. NH 

Also mentioned: 

The 1619 Project by Nikole Hannah-Jones 

Flash Fiction International: Very Short Stories from Around the World

The Quiet American by Graham Greene 

Happy-Go-Lucky by David Sedaris 

Blackberry Wine by Joanne Harris 

A Daughter of the Land by Gene Stratton-Porter 

Necessary Motions by Sam Rasnake 

Horse by Geraldine Brooks 

Tracy Flick Can’t Win by Tom Perrotta 

How to Raise an Anti-Racist by Ibram X. Kendi 

Wild Witchcraft: Folk Herbalism, Garden Magic, and Foraging for Spells, Rituals, and Remedies by Rebecca Beyer

Sundial by Catriona Ward

 

 

Reviewed by Christy

            Rob, a mother and a wife living in the suburbs, will do anything to protect the normal life she has created for herself. She had an unusual upbringing with a dark beginning, and Rob fears some of that darkness is starting to show in her twelve-year-old daughter Callie. Rob takes Callie back home to Sundial in the Mojave Desert. If she can't save Callie, maybe she can at least save the rest of her family.

            Ward's previous work The Last House on Needless Street was so weird and interesting that I was definitely interested in her new novel Sundial. (The beautiful cover didn't hurt either.) In my experience with just the two books I've read, Ward is really good at making a reader feel off-kilter. You know something is wrong but you don’t know what. Then slowly, almost casually, she will drop a reveal that makes everything make (some) sense. And then another reveal. And another. She's usually really good at this tactic which makes for a fun reading experience. The reveals don't always work in Sundial, and that's fine. They don’t all have to. Ward's writing is engaging enough to keep me reading.

            I did like this novel but overall not as much as The Last House on Needless Street. I finished it feeling underwhelmed without being able to pinpoint why. Maybe the open ending? Maybe the relentlessly dark subject matter? Needless Street was dark too just not in the same way. I found myself feeling grumpy after a reading session with Sundial but still wanting to read it. I guess it's not a terrible thing for a book to be so immersive that it affects the reader's mood but there was a lot going on plot-wise, and it was a lot to digest. (Speaking of which, content warning for domestic abuse, child abuse, and animal abuse.)

            It's hard to know who to recommend Ward to because I think she can be a polarizing author. If you're a horror or dark fiction fan and want to try something new, she might be worth checking out. Personally, I will probably read her next book as well as some more horror set in the desert!