Reported by Garry
Gilded Mountain by Kate Manning. Set in Moonstone, Colorado at the turn of the 20th century, the story is told through the eyes of Sylvie Pelletier, a worker in the manor house owned by the Padgetts, the wealthy owners of the local marble mine. The Padgetts use harsh labor practices to enrich themselves while treating their employees as replaceable slaves. Sylvie becomes involved with the local newspaper and when tragedy strikes in the middle of a difficult winter, she must face the choice of keeping silent or extracting revenge. NH
The Magnificent Lives of Marjorie Post by Allison Pataki. This historical novel highlights the life and times of Marjorie Merriweather Post, heiress to the Post Cereal fortune. Post was an incredibly astute and successful businesswoman, in a time when they were a rarity. In fact, she was a multi-millionaire before she was 30 years old, and was once the richest woman in America. Post’s father was C. W. Post, who essentially invented the food we know today as breakfast cereals. Marjorie inherited the company from C.W. and turned it into General Foods, the international powerhouse that we know today. Married four times, once to the Ambassador to Russia, Marjorie’s world was one of glamor, philanthropy, and politics. She amassed so many jewels and diamonds from all over the world that she once quipped that she had better jewels than the British royal family. Our reader grew up in Washington, DC just a few blocks from the Post’s house which figures prominently in this book, and was amazed to learn the deeper history of its famous owner. MH
The Lady Sherlock historical mysteries by Sherry Thomas is a series of (soon to be seven) books in which Charlotte Holmes, a brilliant, driven, rule-breaking young lady poses as Sherlock Holmes. Quite happy to use the fact that women are considered inferior in Victorian society to her full advantage, Charlotte uses her “invisibility” and “frailty” to work her way into situations that would be much more dangerous and difficult if she were a man, and in doing so accesses critical information about the cases that she is investigating. Our reader tackled books five and six in the series: Murder on Cold Street, and Miss Moriarty, I Presume?, and thoroughly enjoyed this gender-flipped take on the classic Sherlock Holmes stories. SC
Simplicity Parenting: Using the Extraordinary Power of Less to Raise
Calmer, Happier, and More Secure Kids by Kim John Payne. Here’s a genre we don’t usually
have at Nevermore: Parenting! This book,
aimed at the parents of toddlers up to teenagers, encourages parents to reduce
the number of sensory distractions in their children’s lives – remove TVs, pare
down the number of toys, have reliable daily rhythms (meals at the same time
every day is one example), encourage open-ended and child-driven play over the
use of mass manufactured toys, etc. Our reader (who has small children) found
that there was a lot of very useful information in this book, and that it was
presented in an accessible, logical and supportive fashion. HM
Also mentioned:
Emily’s House by Amy Belding Brown
The Weight of Ink by Rachel Kadish
The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón
Act of Oblivion by Robert Harris
Walking to Wijiji by Bunny Medeiros
At Weddings and Wakes by Alice McDermott
Charming Billy by Alice McDermott
Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney
Horse by Geraldine Brooks
Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey
James Acaster’s Classic Scrapes by James Acaster
Number One Is Walking: My Life in the Movies and other Diversions by Steve Martin
A Dangerous Business by Jane Smiley
Polar Exposure: An All-Women’s Expedition to the North Pole by Felicity
Aston
Portable Magic: A History of Books and Their Readers by Emma Smith
The Grimkes: The Legacy of Slavery in an American Family by Kerri K. Greenidge
The Forever Witness: How DNA and Genealogy Solved a Cold Case Double
Murder by Edward Humes
Christmas at the Cat Café by Melissa Daley
Shattered by James Patterson and James O. Born
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