Nevermore: Lessons in Chemistry, Dreams of Joy, Children of Ash and Elm

 

Reported by Rita

Nevermore 8-18-26

 

 

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus

Chemist Elizabeth Zott is not your average woman. In fact, Elizabeth Zott would be the first to point out that there is no such thing. But it's the early 1960s and her all-male team at Hastings Research Institute take a very unscientific view of equality. Forced to resign, she reluctantly signs on as the host of a cooking show, Supper at Six. But her revolutionary approach to cooking, fueled by scientific and rational commentary, grabs the attention of a nation. And soon a legion of overlooked housewives find themselves daring to change the status quo. One molecule at a time.

I loved the dog, 6:30, and the role he played. The other characters were intriguing also and the family stories kept me interested. I know this was about the struggle of Elizabeth Zott, but I was fascinated by the depth of all of the characters.     -DC     4 stars

 

Dreams of Joy by Lisa See

In her most powerful novel yet, acclaimed author Lisa See returns to the story of sisters Pearl and May from Shanghai Girls, and Pearl’s strong-willed nineteen-year-old daughter, Joy. Reeling from newly uncovered family secrets, Joy runs away to Shanghai in early 1957 to find her birth father, the artist Z.G. Li, with whom both May and Pearl were once in love. Dazzled by him, and blinded by idealism and defiance, Joy throws herself into the New Society of Red China, heedless of the dangers in the Communist regime. Devastated by Joy’s flight and terrified for her safety, Pearl is determined to save her daughter, no matter the personal cost. From the crowded city to remote villages, Pearl confronts old demons and almost insurmountable challenges as she follows Joy, hoping for reconciliation. Yet even as Joy’s and Pearl’s separate journeys converge, one of the most tragic episodes in China’s history threatens their very lives.

It settled the problems at the end of the first book, Shanghai Girls. It told a lot about early communism in China. It's a real page turner.     -WJ     5 stars

 

Children of Ash and Elm: A History of the Vikings by Neil Price

The Viking Age - between 750 and 1050 - saw an unprecedented expansion of the Scandinavian peoples. As traders and raiders, explorers and colonists, they reshaped the world between eastern North America and the Asian steppe. For a millennium, though, their history has largely been filtered through the writings of their victims. Based on the latest archaeological and textual evidence, Children of Ash and Elm tells the story of the Vikings on their own terms: their politics, their cosmology, their art and culture. From Bjorn Ironside, who led an expedition to sack Rome, to Gudrid Thorbjarnardottir, the most travelled woman in the world, Price shows us the real Vikings, not the caricatures they have become in popular culture and history.

Good research on 1st to 4th century Scandinavian culture, religion, and customs.      -PP       5 stars

 

Other Books Mentioned

Maude by Donna Foley Mabry

Pendergast: the Beginning by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child

Nature and the Mind by Marc G. Berman, PhD

Fantastic Mr. Fox by Roald Dahl

Paper Ghosts by Sarah Addison Allen

Independent People by Halldor Laxness

It's a Long Story: My Life by Willie Nelson

Fox and I: An Uncommon Friendship by Catherine Raven

 

New Books

An Infinite Love Story by Chanel Cleeton

Survive and Thrive: How to Prepare for Any Disaster Without Ammo, Camo, or Eating Your Neighbor by Bill Fulton

Young Man in a Hurry: A Memoir of Discovery by Gavin Newsome