Nevermore: Wounds, We'll Prescribe You Another Cat, My Friends

 

Nevermore 9-23-25 

Reported by Rita

 

Wounds: A Novel by Sara Blaedel

When a body is discovered in an abandoned building, Denmark police investigators Liam Stark and Dea Torp are called to the scene to investigate. They learn that the victim has several shallow wounds all over his body that were inflicted over the span of several weeks.

With a pile of open cases, including two missing teenage girls, Liam and Dea are staggering under the weight of their already heavy case load. Tension in town heats up when two more bodies are discovered with the same shallow wounds as the first victim, and their suspect list has dried up. Liam and Dea come to the alarming conclusion that they have another serial killer on their hands. And it’s only a matter of time before they strike again.

As the investigation continues, Liam and Dea worry that the missing teens might be connected to the murders. As the clock ticks down, they have to uncover who is killing these victims and if they can bring the girls home before they’re next under the killer’s knife.

I found it convoluted with lots of repetition. I prefer Jo Nesbo.      - NH       3 stars

 

We'll Prescribe You Another Cat (We'll Prescribe You a Cat, #2) by Syou Ishida

It’s time to revisit the Kokoro Clinic for the Soul.

Though it’s a mysteriously located clinic with an uncertain address, it can always be found by those who need it. And the clinic has proven time after time that a prescribed cat has the power to heal the emotional wounds of its patients. This charming sequel introduces a new lovable cast of healing cats, from Kotetsu, a four-month-old Bengal who unleashes his boundless energy by demolishing bed linens and curtains, to tenacious and curious Shasha, who doesn’t let her small size stop her from anything, and the most lovable yet lazy cat Ms. Michiko, who is as soft and comforting as mochi.

This is so well-written. It was sweet and fun. I really enjoyed it.    -MS      4 stars

 

My Friends by Fredrik Backman

Most people don’t even notice them—three tiny figures sitting at the end of a long pier in the corner of one of the most famous paintings in the world. Most people think it’s just a depiction of the sea. But Louisa, an aspiring artist herself, knows otherwise, and she is determined to find out the story of these three enigmatic figures.

Twenty-five years earlier, in a distant seaside town, a group of teenagers find refuge from their bruising home lives by spending long summer days on an abandoned pier, telling silly jokes, sharing secrets, and committing small acts of rebellion. These lost souls find in each other a reason to get up each morning, a reason to dream, a reason to love.

This is the best book I've read all year! It's a fantastic story, absolutely incredible.       -MH     5 stars

 

 

Other Books Mentioned:

 

Bud Finds Her Gift by Robin Wall Kimmerer

Gutter Medicine: Twenty-six Years as a Firefighter Paramedic by Roger Huder

Yes, My Darling Daughter by Margaret Leroy

The Harvey Girls by Juliette Fay

10% Happier by Dan Harris

Here Comes the Sun: A Last Chance for the Climate and a Fresh Chance for Civilization by Bill McKibben

The Girl with Ice in Her Veins by Karin Smirnoff

 

New Books:

 

The Incredible Kindness of Paper by Evelyn Skye

The Girl in the Green Dress by Mariah Fredericks

The Peculiar Gift of July by Ashley Ream

No Ordinary Bird: Drug Smuggling, a Plane Crash, and a Daughter's Quest for the Truth by Artis Henderson

All the Way to the River: Love, Loss, and Liberation by Elizabeth Gilbert

Nevermore: Keller, Blaedel, Mrs. Sherlock Holmes, Matthews, Quinn, Heinlein, Her Mother's Laugh

Reported by Kristin

Nevermore began with laughter, as one reader exclaimed that she really did not enjoy A Killing in the Hills by Julia Keller. This series debut is based in Acker’s Gap, West Virginia as three old men are shot at a local diner. Bell Elkins is an attorney and her teenage daughter Carla was an unfortunate witness to the violence. Our reader claimed that she found the plot very predictable, and that the author wasted much paper on the young girl’s angst. Alas, our reader suffered through to the end.

Despite the title, the same book club member found The Undertaker’s Daughter by Sara Blaedel to be a much lighter read, and a very fun book. Photographer Ilka Nichols Jenson is living in Copenhagen and hasn’t heard from her father for decades when she learns of his death, and her inheritance: a funeral home in Wisconsin. Ilka’s father had issues with gambling debts, as she finds when she returns to the states. Murder and intrigue follow, which kept our reader happily reading to the end of this one.

Dog On It by Spencer Quinn proved to be another light read as canine Chet narrates the story of his human Bernie, a private investigator looking into the case of a missing teenager. Chet sniffs out the clues alongside Bernie, guiding him in ways that the human might be too oblivious to notice. Our reader said that it was so enjoyable that she felt as if she were ten-years-old again reading a Nancy Drew mystery.

From fictional mysteries to a real-life female sleuth, our next reader picked up Mrs. Sherlock Holmes: The True Story of New York City’s Greatest Female Detective and the 1917 Missing Girl Case That Captivated a Nation by Brad Ricca. Grace Humiston was the first female United States District Attorney, and acted as a private detective in addition to her law career. She solved the mystery of missing Ruth Cruger when the New York Police Department could not. The press soon began calling her “Mrs. Sherlock Holmes” as she had her day in the limelight. Despite her accomplishments, Humiston was quickly forgotten until Ricca brought her story back to modern readers a century later.

The Kremlin’s Candidate by Jason Matthews is the final installment in the Red Sparrow Trilogy. Our reader said that he was really enjoying it, and found parallels in today’s real life politics to the international espionage in the thriller. In fact, he called it “a little spicy” with a ballerina being caught up in the dark Russian world of seduction of spycraft.

Another book club member went back to the classics with the 1956 science fiction novel Time for the Stars by Robert Heinlein. While one telepathic young boy explores space, he is able to maintain communication with his twin back on Earth. When the spaceship returns after only a few years traversing the stars, the traveler finds his brother celebrating his ninetieth birthday.

Finally, Nevermore discussed She Has Her Mother’s Laugh: the Powers, Perversions, and Potential of Heredity by Carl Zimmer. Every gene and experience we have shapes our future and our children’s futures. Our reader has a medical background and was fascinated by the way that Zimmer writes about medical subjects. She was particularly intrigued by the up and coming genetic procedures which may be able to cure so many ills, but commented that the economics of medicine will likely keep those cures for the 1% of society with the most wealth.

Nevermore: Islam, The Risen, Iris Grace, Wanderers, Lost Woman, Hillbilly Elegy

Reported by Ambrea

Nevermore discussed The Islamic Enlightenment:  The Struggle Between Faith and Reason, 1798 to Modern Times by Christopher de Bellaigue.  Described on the jacket as “a revelatory and game-changing narrative that rewrites everything we thought we knew about the modern history of the Islamic world,” The Islamic Enlightenment is a thoughtful and absorbing work on the political, social, and cultural history of the Middle East.  De Bellaigue examines the great enlightenment of the Islamic world through the adoption of modern medicine, female empowerment, and the development of democracy and the subsequent backlash to modernization.  Our reader said he found The Islamic Enlightenment to be interesting.  He thought de Bellaigue’s arguments were found and his work contained a great deal of information.  Although it’s not hard to read, it’s a rather long book; however, he noted it’s a great book for showing the divisions and complexities of Islam.

Next, Nevermore shared Iris Grace:  How Thula the Cat Saved a Little Girl and Her Family by Arabella Carter-Johnson.  Iris Grace has autism:  she struggles with communication, avoiding social interaction and rarely smiling, never connecting with those around her—until she meets Thula, a Maine Coon kitten named for the Zulu word “peace.”  Arabella Carter-Johnson, Iris Grace’s mother, captures photographs of her daughter and Thula, telling their amazing story of connection and friendship.  Our reader absolutely loved Iris Grace, saying it was ideal for a Mother’s Day gift with its beautiful photographs and Iris Grace’s amazing illustrations.  It’s heart-warming and incredibly moving, offering an absorbing, intimate and insightful glimpse into a family dealing with one remarkable child’s autism.

Nevermore also checked out the latest novel from Ron Rash, The Risen.  Eugene and Bill were close as boys, but, during the summer of 1969, they were driven apart by a girl—Ligeia, a free-spirited redhead from Daytona Beach—and a terrible secret.  Now, decades later, Bill is a famous surgeon in their community, while Eugene is an inveterate alcoholic.  When a reminder of the past resurfaces, Eugene is plunged back into that fateful summer and the secrets that could forever destroy his family.  Our reader said she didn’t like The Risen at the beginning of the book, but, as she continued into further chapters, she found herself more entranced by the story.  “It’s a very good book,” she told her fellow readers.  “It’s definitely worth reading.”

The Lost Woman by Sara Blaedel followed next, continuing the story of Louise Rick, head of the Special Search Agency.  In this most recent installment of her series, Louise Rick is called onto a strange case.  A Danish woman is found murdered in England, except she went missing more than eighteen years ago—and she was reported missing by none other than Eik, Louise’s colleague and lover.  Caught in the middle of her most controversial case yet, Louise must solve the mystery before a killer gets away with murder.  Our reader found she didn’t enjoy Blaedel’s latest book.  It was interesting and had an unexpected twist for an ending; however, she didn’t think it was that great.  Mostly, she found it confusing.

Nevermore decided to take a detour into space travel—or, more accurately, simulated space travel—with The Wanderers, a new novel by Meg Howrey.  Helen Kane, Yoshihiro Tanaka, and Sergei Kuznetsov are going to be the first humans placed on Mars—if they can survive seventeen months in the most realistic simulation Prime Space, one of the top aerospace companies in the business, has ever created.  But being trapped in a small space of their simulation is just as dangerous as being caught in the endless void of outer space as they struggle to navigate their quarters and each other.  Our reader said she found The Wanderers to be odd.  Fascinating, but odd.  It’s an intriguing psychological examination of the human mind when put into an increasingly stressful situation, and she thought it took an interesting direction with the story.  “[And] it kept me reading to the end,” she noted.

Last, Nevermore revisited a recent favorite:  Hillbilly Elegy by J.D. Vance.  Hillbilly Elegy is an insightful, searing memoir that dives into the struggles and triumphs of an Appalachian transplant family in Ohio.  Vance, who recounts his personal and family history, also delves deep into the culture and heritage of Appalachian families.  He examines drug abuse, poverty, education, and other social issues, taking a long hard look at the Appalachia he loves—and the Appalachia he sees slowly deteriorating.  Our reader absolutely loved reading Vance’s memoir.  Our reader admitted she was initially hesitant to begin reading Hillbilly Elegy—anything with “hillbilly” in the title automatically put her on guard, she said—and she worried how the author would portray Appalachia.  Vance, however, doesn’t berate or condemn.  He offers an honest, intimate portrayal of his family and his culture; he treats his history with compassion and views his heritage with affection, even the worst parts.  His memoir is carefully crafted, thoughtful, and incredibly honest, and our reader enjoyed every minute.