Nevermore: Us Against You, She Come By It Natural, Ship Beneath the Ice, Wings of Gold

Reported by Garry

 

Us Against You by Fredrik Backman is the direct sequel to Beartown reviewed last week. This novel follows the story of the town and its attempt to re-build their championship hockey team after the events of the first novel. Backman is a master at building realistic, rounded characters and placing them in situations where they grow, change, and learn. Our reader noted that this book is just as character driven as Beartown,and is looking forward to finishing the trilogy with The Winners.  MP

 

She Come By It Natural: Dolly Parton and the women Who Lived Her Songs by Sarah Smarsh. Dolly Parton is a national icon not only for her music but for her business acumen, philanthropy, acting, and heart. Country music provided the soundtrack to Smarsh’s childhood growing up in rural Kansas, and no artist was more influential and prominent than Dolly Parton. Parton sings songs about growing up poor but proud and resilient, and Smarsh examines the impact that Parton has had (and continues to have) on generations of female artists and on the culture of America overall in this fascinating look at one of the most prolific musical artists of the past 50 years.  AH

 

The Ship Beneath The Ice: The Discovery of Shackleton’s Endurance by Mensun Bound tells the story of his rediscovery of the Endurance, Ernest Shackleton’s ill-fated ship that was trapped by and sunk in the ice of the Antarctic in 1914. Shackleton and his men had made the trip from Norway in the 144-foot wooden boat in order to become the first explorers to transit from sea to sea via the South Pole. The unpredictable Weddell Sea ice trapped and crushed the ship, stranding Shackleton and his crew of 27 on the sea ice until they could make their way to Elephant Island where they eventually were rescued. The Endurance itself sunk without a trace into the ice and remained a near-legendary wreck until its rediscovery in 2022, just shy of 10,000 feet below the surface. In a fitting coincidence, the day the wreck was found was also exactly one hundred years from the date of Shackleton’s death. This inspiring modern-day adventure narrative captures the intrepid spirit that joins two mariners across the centuries—Shackleton and Bound—both of whom accomplished great things.  CD

 

Wings of Gold: The Story of the First Women Naval Aviators by Beverly Weintraub. In this incredibly well written biography of the first women allowed to fly for the Navy, the ridiculous limitations on females in the Navy are laid bare. For example, women could be naval flight instructors but were not allowed to land planes on aircraft carriers, yet ironically were still allowed to train the men who could land on the carriers. Weintraub herself is a licensed pilot and uses her insights to aid her writing. Our reader was truly impressed by the tenacity and drive that these patriots showed,and was especially impressed that they foresaw the road that they were paving for those coming after them.  KM

 

Also mentioned:

Braiding Sweetgrass for Young Adults: Indiginous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer

The Order of Time by Carlo Rovelli

At Home In Mitford by Jan Karon

Too Much Happiness by Alice Munro

The President and the Freedom Fighter: Abraham Lincoln, Frederick Douglass, and Their Battle to Save America's Soul by Brian Kilmeade

Veiled in Smoke by Jocelyn Green

Run, Rose, Run by Dolly Parton and James Patterson

I Have Some Questions for You by Rebecca Makkai

The Vote by Sybil Downing

 

New Books:

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

The House of Dudley: A New History of Tudor England by Joanne Paul

The House Is On Fire by Rachel Beanland

Beyond That, the Sea by Laura Spence-Ash

Where We Meet the World: The Story of the Senses by Ashley Ward