Nevermore: Codebreaker's Daughter, Cat's Life, How Y'all Doing?

 

Nevermore 8-26-25

Reported by Rita

 

The Codebreaker's Daughter  by Amy Lynn Green

Dinah Kendall's role in the U.S. Capitol for the Office of Strategic Services is far from the thrilling espionage career she dreamed of. Instead of covert missions, she crafts rumors aimed at undermining Axis morale while trying to live up to the expectations of her demanding mother, Lillian. As Dinah navigates her duties, she uncovers something startling: Her mother was once a codebreaker, breaking military ciphers during the Great War alongside some of the nation's most brilliant minds. The deeper Dinah dives into Lillian's journal, the more the secrets of the past come to light—including the steep cost of high-stakes codebreaking.

It was informative, but I didn't see the need for a dual timeline. I would have enjoyed it more as a linear story.     -WJ      4 stars

 

A Cat's Life by Gemma Correll

Cat lovers everywhere will wryly recognize their own lives in these whimsical vignettes. Worshipped since ancient times, cats are fickle, capricious and fiendishly clever. Oh, did we mention "vain," "elegant," and "charming"? Life has got to be on their terms or not at all. These willful creatures are masters of our homes, our wallets--and our hearts. By treating us with casual indifference, our feline taskmasters keep us in our rightful place. We're just here because someone has to buy the catnip and pay the astronomical heating bills. Call a dog, and he'll come running. Call a cat, he'll probably take a message and get back to you later. There's so much we can learn from our feline friends.

Really cute and funny with adorable illustrations. If you love cats, you'll love this book.     -MS      5 stars

 

How Y'all Doing?: Misadventures and Mischief from a Life Well Lived by Leslie Jordan

When actor Leslie Jordan learned he had “gone viral,” he had no idea what that meant or how much his life was about to change. On Instagram, his uproarious videos have entertained millions, making him a global celebrity. Now, he brings his bon vivance to the page with this collection of intimate and sassy essays.

Well-written, honest, funny, and sweet. It's a truly delightful autobiography.      -NH      5 stars

 

 

Other Books Mentioned:

 

Miller's Valley by Anna Quindlen

Abandoned Southern Virginia: The South Begins by Liz Roll

Civil War Ironclads: The Dawn Of Naval Armor by Robert MacBride

Another City, Not My Own by Dominick Dunne

The Place of Tides: A Journey to the Land of the Eider Duck and a Life-Changing Encounter with the Women Who Gather the Birds’ Precious Down on Remote by James Rebanks

My Day: The Best of Eleanor Roosevelt's Acclaimed Newspaper Columns 1936-62 by Eleanor Roosevelt, David Emblidge (Editor)

The Sirens by Emilia Hart

Before She Was Helen (Clemmie, #1) by Caroline B. Cooney

Too Old for This by Samantha Downing

 

New Books:

 

The Society of Unknowable Objects by Gareth Brown

Under the Stars by Beatriz Williams

Romantasy Crochet Club: 20 Epic Projects for Your Reading Journeys by Amanda Sennett

Nevermore: Mudbound, Dying of Whiteness, Sum of Us, Sacre Bleu

 

Reported by Garry

 

Our first book reviewed was Mudbound by Hillary Jordan.  Our reader had watched the movie a while ago, and states that this is definitely one case where the book is much better.  There are six main characters in this book, and each tells their side of the unfolding story that is set in the Mississippi Delta in 1946.  Race relations, romance and the remaining shadows of war set the backdrop to this award winning debut novel.  Our reader cannot recommend this book enough.  

 

The ongoing corrosion caused by racism is examined in our next book, Dying of Whiteness: How the Politics of Racial Resentment is Killing America’s Heartland by Jonathan Metzl.   In this provocative book, Metzl, a professor of psychology and sociology at Vanderbilt University looks at the decades long effects of conservative white voters embracing the idea that if someone else gains, they lose.  He examines how racial resentment has led to pro-gun laws in Mississippi, resistance to the Affordable Care Act in Tennessee and cuts to schools and social services in Kansas.  The results have been increasing suicide by gun, dropping life expectancies and an increase in high-school dropout rates amongst the very population that these laws were supposedly designed to assuage.  Our reader thought this was an extremely well written and researched book that outlines how people for decades have been voting against their very own best interests.  

 

The next book, The Sum of Us by Heather McGhee dovetails beautifully with Dying of Whiteness.  In this New York Times best-seller, McGhee takes a close look at how racism is the underlying cause to myriad socio-economic and democratic problems across the country.  These problems that don’t just harm people of color, but all Americans, especially the poorer citizens of the country.  She examines why many believe that progress is zero sum game – progress for some only comes at the expense of others, and how this thinking has led to growing economic inequality, stagnating wages, and the startling fact that America alone is the sole first world country that does not have universal healthcare.   Our reader thoroughly enjoyed this book, and recommends it for anyone wanting to have a deeper understanding of how we got to this place in our history and how we can go forward.

 

Our next reader thoroughly enjoyed the satirical Sacre Blue by Christopher Moore.  This bawdy historical novel follows the (mis)adventures of Lucien Lessard and Henri Toulouse-Lautrec as they search for the source of a near mythical shade of blue paint and try to find out the truth behind Vincent van Gogh’s death.  This historical fantasy incorporates elements of mystery, romance, science fiction and features appearances by many of the prominent Impressionist artists of the time.  Our reader thought this was a hilarious book and, being an artist herself, loved all the “cameos” by the late nineteenth-century high-rollers, and greatly recommends this book. 

 

Also mentioned:

Keep Sharp: Build a Better Brain at Any Age by Sanjay Gupta.

Charming Billy by Alice McDermott

After the Fog by Kathleen Shoop

The Paris Library by Janet Charles