We
kicked Nevermore off with a review of The Graveyard Book by
Neil Gaiman, which tells the story of an unusual boy who lives in an unusual
place—the local cemetery. After the murder of his entire family, Bod has
spent much of his life being raised by the otherworldly denizens of the
cemetery. But when Bod wants to see the world of the living and learn
there’s more to the life than the dead, he’ll discover that the graveyard he’s
come to know and love may very well be the safest place to be. Our reader
said The Graveyard Book was really neat and interesting.
“It’s gruesome,” she admitted, “but somehow amusing.” It’s a weird, but
fun story that offers a classic story of good versus evil—and a wild ride.
Next,
Nevermore checked out Alone by Michael Korda, which
carries the wordy subtitle Britain, Churchill, and Dunkirk:
Defeat into Victory. A stirring epic of remarkable proportions, Alone reconstructs
the events that lead to the Battle of Dunkirk and its immediate
aftermath. Interwoven with Korda’s own family history, Alone is
a thoroughly researched and well-written account of one of the most pivotal
moments of World War II. Our reader enjoyed Michael Korda’s book
immensely, noting that the author writes incredibly well and offers a piece of
beautifully crafted nonfiction. He recommended it highly to his fellow
history buffs.
October
Sky (originally
titled Rocket Boys) by Homer Hickam also proved to be popular at
our Nevermore meeting. In his wonderful memoir, Hickam tells the story of
his adolescence in the small mining town of Coalwood, West Virginia—and his
inspiration to build rockets when he first watched Sputnik travel across the
sky. Our reader said she and her husband really enjoyed reading their
shared copy of October Sky. She noted that Hickam was
incredibly candid and introspective, providing a surprisingly detailed
description of his hometown and a brutally honest portrayal of himself, his
friends, and his family as they endured a time of great change and discovery.
Next,
Nevermore looked at Glass Houses by the ever popular Louise
Penny. The thirteenth book in the Chief Inspector Gamache mystery
series, Glass Houses is an intriguing mystery that the book
jacket claims “shatters the conventions of the crime novel to explore what Gandhi
called the court of conscience. A court that supersedes all
others.” When a mysterious figure appears in Three Pines during a bitter
November day, Gamache is wary of the dark shadow it casts. He waits and
watches—and then a body is discovered. Months later, in a courtroom in
July, Gamache must reckon with his actions on that fateful day. Our
reader admitted that she’s a big fan of Louise Penny. After reading the
rest of Penny’s series, she was excited to pick up this latest mystery and she
said she wasn’t disappointed!
Last,
but certainly not least, Nevermore picked up Little Fires Everywhere by
Celeste Ng. In Shaker Heights, a picture-perfect suburb on the outskirts
of Cleveland, Elena Richardson lives with her picture-perfect family. But
when Mia Warren and her daughter Pearl arrive, Elena’s idyllic bubble is
quickly shattered. When her distrust becomes an obsession, Elena will
discover the dangers that lurk behind perfection. Our reader said he
enjoyed Little Fires Everywhere immensely. It’s a
fascinating novel that delves deep into family and neighborhood dynamics, and
it takes a long hard look at the cost of perfection. He pointed out that perfect was insidious,
noting Elena makes things perfect, “like a steamroller makes a road flat.
It’s perfect, but it crushes things along the way.” He highly recommended
it to his fellow Nevermore members, and he soon passed it on to the next
reader.
