Nevermore: Framed, I Think We’ve Been Here Before, Teller of Small Fortunes

Nevermore 1-14-25

Reported by Rita

Framed: Astonishing True Stories of Wrongful Convictions by John Grisham

Exposes 10 harrowing tales of innocent Americans unjustly found guilty and convicted of crimes they didn't commit, shedding light on the flaws within the legal system that led to their imprisonment and the relentless battles for exoneration that ensued.

It’s a good book about a horrible subject. It was eye-opening.      – NH     5 stars

 

I Think We've Been Here Before by Suzy Krause

As a cosmic blast threatens humanity's extinction, Marlen and Hilda Jorgensen confront Marlen's terminal illness and family mysteries through prophetic art on their Saskatchewan farm, striving to cherish their remaining moments amid chaos, denial, and hope.

A compelling story that features well-developed characters.     – CW     4 stars

 

The Teller of Small Fortunes by Julie Leong

A wandering fortune teller finds an unexpected family in this warm and wonderful debut fantasy, perfect for readers of Travis Baldree and Sangu Mandanna.

I thought this was great fun. Nutty and light.      – WJ      4 stars

 

Other Books Mentioned

The Hypnotist's Love Story by Liane Moriarty

Killers of the Flower Moon: the Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI by David Grann

Darwinia by Robert Charles Wilson

Telltale Hearts: a Public Health Doctor, His Patients, and the Power of Story by Dean-David Schillinger

Vanishing Treasures: A Bestiary of Extraordinary Endangered Creatures by Katherine Rundell

Murder in Georgetown by Margaret Truman

Better Small Talk: Talk to Anyone, Avoid Awkwardness, Generate Deep Conversations, and Make Real Friends by Patrick King

Black Cake: a Novel by Charmaine Wilkerson

Going to Meet the Man by James Baldwin

Mama's Bank Account by Kathryn Forbes

The Alarm of the Black Cat by Dolores Hitchens

New Books

Obitchuary: the Big Hot Book of Death by Spencer Henry

Connie: a Memoir by Connie Chung

Nevermore: Black Cake, Masters of Bow Street, Profiles in Ignorance, Framed

 

Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson caught the attention of one of our Nevermore readers.  This debut novel tells the story of a Caribbean American family from several different viewpoints, spanning decades as a family discovers that what they thought they knew may not be true. Our reviewer said this not her usual fare, but she’s finding it a fascinating book.

Five Stars, FE

A lengthy historical novel was up next.  While he was better known for his mystery novels, John Creasey also wrote The Masters of Bow Street, a fictionalized version of the founding of Scotland Yard by a group known as the “Bow Street Runners.”  Our reader liked the book a lot, and was disappointed to find his mysteries tended to be much shorter.  (Note:  Creasey wrote under many, many, many different pseudonyms, including J.J. Marric, Gordon Ashe, Tex Riley (westerns), and Margaret Cooke (romances).  Wikipedia says he wrote more than 600 books under 28 different names.)

Five Stars WJ

Praise was also given to Profiles in Ignorance by Andy Borowitz, a political satirist who examines what he calls the “three stages of ignorance:  ridicule, acceptance, and celebrating.” He uses various politicians to illustrate the various stages.  Our reader thought it was an important and thoughtful book, even as it used humor to make its point.

Five Stars DC

Framed: Astonishing True Stories of Wrongful Convictions by John Grisham and Jim McCloskey is, as the subtitle suggests, stories of innocent people who were nonetheless convicted.  The stories recount not only the investigations and trials, but also what happens to the people afterwards. Our reader was moved by the terrible things those people had to endure, and how their lives were upended even after exoneration.

Five Stars, NH

 

Other five star books:

Fleeing France: A WWII Novel of Sacrifice and Rescue in the French Ambulance Service by Alan Hlad

Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck

We Will Be Jaguars: A Memoir of My People by Nemonte Nenquimo

The English Chemist: The Story of Rosalind Franklin: A Novel by Jessica Mills

A Cricket in Times Square by George Selden

Hard Times:  An Oral History of the Great Depression by Studs Terkel

The Quiet Little Woman by Louisa May Alcott

The Marriage of Heaven and Hell by William Blake

 

Four Star Books

A Northern Light in Provence by Elizabeth Birkelund

Heartbeat Library by Laura Imai Messina

The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis

Secrets to the Grave by Tami Hoag

Nevermore: When Crickets Cry, Southernmost, Boys from Biloxi

 

Reported by Rita

When Crickets Cry by Charles Martin

It begins on the shaded town square in a sleepy Southern town. A spirited seven-year-old has a brisk business at her lemonade stand. But the little girl's pretty yellow dress can't quite hide the ugly scar on her chest. Her latest customer, a bearded stranger, drains his cup and heads to his car, his mind on a boat he's restoring at a nearby lake. The stranger understands more about the scar than he wants to admit. And the beat-up bread truck careening around the corner with its radio blaring is about to change the trajectory of both their lives. Before it's over, they'll both know there are painful reasons why crickets cry . . . and that miracles lurk around unexpected corners.

  Heartwarming and spiritual – couldn’t put it down.   – GP     5 stars

 

Southernmost: a Novel by Silas House

A natural disaster inspires an evangelical preacher to reverse his position about gay rights, a transition that ends his marriage and job, forcing him to take desperate measures to introduce his son to a more accepting world.

  One of the most beautiful books I’ve read.    - MD       5 stars

 

The Boys From Biloxi by John Grisham

For most of the last hundred years, Biloxi was known for its beaches, resorts, and seafood industry. But it had a darker side. It was also notorious for corruption and vice, everything from gambling, prostitution, bootleg liquor, and drugs to contract killings. The vice was controlled by small cabal of mobsters, many of them rumored to be members of the Dixie Mafia. Keith Rudy and Hugh Malco grew up in Biloxi in the sixties and were childhood friends and Little League all-stars. But as teenagers, their lives took them in different directions. Keith's father became a legendary prosecutor, determined to "clean up the Coast." Hugh's father became the "Boss" of Biloxi's criminal underground. Keith went to law school and followed in his father's footsteps. Hugh preferred the nightlife and worked in his father's clubs. The two families were headed for a showdown, one that would happen in a courtroom. Life itself hangs in the balance in The Boys from Biloxi, a sweeping saga rich with history and with a large cast of unforgettable characters.

Typical Grisham – enjoyable and easy to read.     – NH     4 stars

 

Other Books Mentioned

 

Amazing Men: Courage, Insight, Endurance by Joyce Tenneson

Death on the River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt's Amazon Adventure by Samantha Seiple

The Manchurian Candidate by Richard Condon

Strength in What Remains by Tracy Kidder

The Light Eaters: How the Unseen World of Plant Intelligence Offers a New Understanding of Life on Earth by Zoèe Schlanger

The Books of Jacob: Across Seven Borders, Five Languages, and Three Major Religions, Not Counting the Minor Sects  by Olga Tokarczuk

 

New Books

 

Container & Small-Space Gardening for the South: How to Grow Flowers & Food No Matter Where You Live by Barbara W. Ellis

Bittersweet in the Hollow by Kate Pearsall

Let us Descend: a Novel by Jesmyn Ward

Nevermore: Olaudah Equiano, Boys from Biloxi, Covenant of Water, Remarkably Bright Creatures

 

Reported by Rita

 

Having recently read The Slave Dancer by Paula Fox, (which our reader described as a depressing children’s book full of misery,) she wanted to learn more about the slave trade in the Middle Passage. This led her to read the autobiography titled The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano. Originally published in 1789, Equiano tells of being kidnapped at age eleven and sold into slavery. Before buying his freedom in 1766, he was sold four times and spent many years at sea. His firsthand account of the treatment of slaves in different countries and aboard ships was eye opening. GG

 

The Boys from Biloxi by John Grisham tells the story of two young immigrant boys who grew up as friends in Biloxi in the 1960s. The two take different paths as teenagers and eventually find themselves on opposite sides of the law. Our reader said it does a good job of illustrating how two people with similar backgrounds can end up so differently. Good, but not great. It got 3 stars. VC

 

Occasionally, our Nevermore participants treat us to a written review. Here is one such review of The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese along with Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt:

“Despite its intimidating 715 pages, it is a good history of India (setting around Kerala) from 1900-1977 as it follows 3 generations of a family cursed with a "condition" concerned with water & drowning. There are parallel stories with many characters that concern the disease of leprosy as well as how the health care system developed in India. I found the complexities of this multi-layered story worth the read, in part because of the author's beautiful writing.”

“The book Remarkably Bright Creatures is a work of fiction about a giant Pacific octopus, set in Puget Sound, Washington. Though I question all its accolades, it is a worthy quick read.”

 

Also Mentioned:

 

The Last Politician: Inside Joe Biden's White House and the Struggle for America's Future by Franklin Foer

Enough by Cassidy Hutchinson

Been Down So Long It Looks Like Up to Me by Richard Fariña

First Lady from the Plains: A Novel of the Revolutionary War by Rosalynn Carter

The Comfort of Crows: A Backyard Year by Margaret Renkl

A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles

Going Infinite: The Rise and Fall of a New Tycoon by Michael Lewis

The Angel's Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafón

The Prisoner of Heaven by Carlos Ruiz Zafón

The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

Squeeze Me by Carl Hiassen

New in October!

 

October 2023 New Books

It's October, so it must be time for the new Christmas books to come out-- or so it seems from the list.  It's certainly time to get into the spirit! (pun may have been intended....) Some big name authors also have non-seasonal titles coming out this month: you may want to put a reserve on some of the more popular ones. 

Andrews, Donna Let It Crow! Let It Crow! Let It Crow!

Cabot, Amanda  Against the Wind

Child, Lee  The Secret

Colgan, Jenny  Midnight at the Christmas Bookshop

DeMille, Nelson  Blood Lines

Evanovich, Janet Dirty Thirty (Stephanie Plum)

Grisham, John  The Exchange:  After the Firm

Hannah, Sophie  Hercule Poirot’s Silent Night

Herbert, Brian  Princess of Dune

Martin, Charles  The Last Exchange

McCall Smith, Alexander  From a Far and Lovely Country (No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency)

McCloskey, David  Moscow X

McDermott, Alice  Absolution

McEntire, Reba  Not That Fancy:  Simple Lessons on Living, Loving, Eating, and Dusting Off Your Boots

McMahon, Jennifer  My Darling Girl

Miller, Linda Lael  Christmas in Painted Pony Creek

Morris, Heather Sisters Under the Rising Sun

Nesbo, Jo  The Night House

O’Connor, Carlene  Some of Us Are Looking

Parton, Dolly  Behind the Seams:  My Life in Rhinestones

Rosenfelt, David  ‘Twas the Bite Before Christmas

Sandford, John  Judgment Prey

Steel, Danielle  Second Act

Thayne, RaeAnne  Christmas at the Shelter Inn

Unger, Lisa  Christmas Presents

Ward, Jesmyn  Let Us Descend

Woods, Stuart & Brett Battles Obsession  (Teddy Fay)

Nevermore: Summons, Crossroads, Bewilderment, The World Played Chess, A Promised Land

 

Reported by Kristin

Tried and true, John Grisham made another appearance at Nevermore with The Summons. A story of fathers and sons, inheritances and secrets, this novel contains the tight writing for which Grisham is known. Ray Atlee followed his father the judge into a career in law, while his brother Forrest took a different path through life. Our reader claimed that this book was well written to the very end and did not disappoint.

 

Another reader picked up the newly released Crossroads by Jonathan Franzen and thought the characters were really interesting, but the book was just too hard to read. Set in 1971 Chicago, Pastor Russ Hildebrandt finds himself yearning to be free from his marriage. Our reader said that the first 37 pages were all about a self-pitying pastor who had a good wife but was obsessed with a “hottie” in the congregation, and she just couldn’t continue reading. Other reviews proclaim the brilliance of the author, proving that not every book is for every reader.

 

Bewilderment by Richard Powers was another new book brought to the table, about Robin, a nine-year-old autistic boy, and Theo, his father, exploring the natural world in the Smoky Mountains. With the recent loss of Robin’s mother, astrophysicist Theo has been raising his son alone. The writing is beautiful, overarching, and complex, and our reader admitted that when she finished the book she was a little bewildered herself.

 

More new fiction followed, with The World Played Chess by Robert Dugoni. This coming-of-age story set in both 1979 and the present day describes the strikingly different types of education received by Vincent—as he prepares to go to college but works a summer construction job with two Vietnam veterans. Our book club member felt that this was a very eye-opening book about the very real effects of PTSD, adding that Dugoni is a skilled writer who knows how to tell a story.

 

Finally, turning to non-fiction, another reader just finished listening to A Promised Land by Barack Obama. Covering both terms of his United States presidency, the details of health care reform and foreign policy impressed our reader. She noted that Obama must have kept daily notes on his activities to be able to recount them in such detail. The audiobook version was also highly recommended as it was narrated by the author.

 

Also mentioned:

The Cat Saw Murder by Dolores Hitchens

Jefferson’s Sons by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

Some Luck by Jane Smiley

The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy of 2020

Ines of My Soul by Isabel Allende

While Justice Sleeps by Stacey Abrams

The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune