Nevermore: Soul of an Octopus, One of Us Is Lying, Girl Called Samson

 

Reported by Garry

 

Soul of an Octopus: A Surprising Exploration into the Wonder of Consciousness by Sy Montgomery – A favorite of our Nevermore group, this book follows Montgomery as she travels the world learning about the variety and astounding nature of these eight armed creatures. Highly intelligent, able to teach each other, and capable of changing not only the color but texture of their skin, octopuses are amazing creatures that are seem out of this worldly alien when compared with humans. Our reader loved this slim volume, and many of our group heartily recommend it.  KM

 

One of Us is Lying by Karen M. McManus. Labelled as The Breakfast Club meets Pretty Little Liars, this murder mystery revolves around five high-school students: Bronwyn, Addy, Nate, Cooper, and Simon who are all in detention for various reasons. One winds up dead, and suspicion quickly falls on the remaining four students, whose lives are far more intertwined than initially apparent, with secrets to kill (or die) for. This YA novel delivers excitement and thrills, and comes highly recommended by our reader.  MP

 

A Girl Called Samson by Amy Harmon is a historical novel based in Massachusetts in the 1760s. Deborah Samson is bound out as an indentured servant when she is still a young girl, and when the US Civil War breaks out, she escapes, disguises herself as a man, and joins the Continental army. Facing the horrors of war and revolution, Deborah (who used her last name as her first), also discovers love and truths about herself. Fictionalized from real-life events, this novel captured our reader’s imagination and made her value the lives and contributions of women of the era even more.  AH

 

Also Mentioned:

 

Too Much Happiness by Alice Munro

Monticello: A Daughter and Her Father by Sally Cabot Gunning

Apples Never Fall by Liane Moriarty

Hugh Glass by Bruce Bradley

Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel

Clay's Quilt by Silas House

The Magic Kingdom by Russell Banks

The Guns of August by Barbara W. Tuchman

Manufacturing Consent: The Political Economy of the Mass Media by Edward S. Herman and Noam Chomsky

Palo Alto: A History of California, Capitalism, and the World by Malcolm Harris

Smithsonian American Table: The Foods, People and Innovations That Feed Us by The Smithsonian Institution

The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom

The Bonesetter's Daughter by Amy Tan

Empress of the Nile: The Daredevil Archaeologist Who Saved Egypt's Ancient Temples from Destruction by Lynne Olson

Bloodlands: Europe Between Hitler and Stalin by Timothy Snyder

The House Is On Fire by Rachel Beanland

Beyond That, the Sea by Laura Spence-Ash

 

New books:

 

The Golden Doves by Martha Hall Kelly

The Dutch Orphan by Ellen Keith

The Cuban Heiress by Chanel Cleeton

Things I Wish I Told My Mother by Susan Patterson and Susan DiLallo with James Patterson

Fellowship Point by Alice Elliot Dark

Pathogenesis: A History of the World in Eight Plagues by Jonathan Kennedy