Nevermore: Henry and Clara, Book of Longing, Losing Battles

Reported by Rita

 

Henry and Clara by Thomas Mallon

In this riveting novel, Thomas Mallon re-creates the unusual love story of this young engaged couple whose fateful encounter with history profoundly affects the remainder of their lives. Lincoln’s assassination is only one part of the remarkable life they share, a dramatic tale of passion, scandal, heroism, murder, and madness, all based on Mallon’s deep research into the fascinating history of the Rathbone and Harris families.

This was a real page-turner. Well researched and full of surprising historical facts. The use of period dialect made the story feel authentic. I loved it!      - KN      5 stars

 

Book of Longing by Leonard Cohen

Leonard Cohen wrote the poems in Book of Longing—his first book of poetry in more than twenty years after 1984's Book of Mercy—during his five-year stay at a Zen monastery on Southern California's Mount Baldy, and in Los Angeles, Montreal, and Mumbai. This dazzling collection is enhanced by the author's playful and provocative drawings, which interact in exciting, unexpected ways on the page with poetry that is timeless, meditative, and often darkly humorous.

I listened to the audiobook, which is read by Cohen, and it’s absolutely beautiful.     – CW     5 stars

 

Losing Battles by Eudora Welty

On the hot, dry first Sunday of August, three generations of Granny Vaughn’s descendants gather at her home in the little town of Banner, Mississippi, to celebrate her ninetieth birthday. The celebrations take only two days, but many members of the family are great storytellers, and when they get together, the temptation is irresistible—a device that enables Eudora Welty to take the reader back into the lost battles of the past, capturing different tones of voice and ways of thinking.

The writing is beautifully poetic. One of the best books I’ve ever read.     AH     5 stars

 

Other Books Mentioned

The Women by Kristin Hannah

Outside by Ragnar Jonasson

Tell Me Everything by Elizabeth Strout

Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger

Staggerford by Jon Hassler

Dear James by Jon Hassler

A Green Journey by Jon Hassler

A Pair of Wings by Carle Hopson

Mountain Mysteries by Larry D. Thacker, Jr.

A Confederacy of Dumptys by John Lithgow

Trumpty Dumpty  Wanted a Crown by John Lithgow

Tower Dog by Douglas Scott Delaney

His Majesty's Dragon by Naomi Novik

A Murder in Music City by Michael Bishop

What the Chicken Knows by Sy Montgomery

 

New Books

The Barn by Wright Thompson

America First by H. W. Brands

The Mesmerist by Caroline Woods