Nevermore: Trotsky, Vanderbilt, Careless in Red, The Reckoning, The Secret Diary of Hendrik Groen

 Reported by Ambrea

This week, Nevermore started things off with a political thriller based on true events:  The Man Who Loved Dogs by Leonardo Padura.  Recounting the assassination of Leon Trotsky, The Man Who Loved Dogs is a fictionalized story of Ramón Mercader, the assassin—and Iván Cárdenas Maturell, who unexpectedly becomes drawn into the conflict.  Our reader said Padura’s novel was excellent.  Although she was still working through the story, she enjoyed The Man Who Loved Dogs immensely and highly recommended it to her fellow readers.

Following in the vein of fictionalized history, Nevermore checked out A Well Behaved Woman by Therese Anne Fowler.  Alva Smith’s family was left destitute after the Civil War, but, by a twist of fate, Alva met and married William Kissam Vanderbilt, joining on of the wealthiest families in America.  Determined to win respect from the old-money circles of New York, Alva spent years designing and building mansions, hosting grand balls, arranging for her daughter to marry a duke—all while defying social conventions.  Our reader said she rather liked A Well Behaved Woman.  She found the historical parts interesting, but she also thought it created a “good love story” and offered an intriguing look an unconventional female in history.

Next, Nevermore shared Careless in Red, a Thomas Lynley mystery by Elizabeth George.  After the murder of his wife, Detective Superintendent Thomas Lynley retreats to Cornwall to escape the painful memories—until he stumbles across the body of a young man who has fallen to his death.  First a witness, and then a suspect, Lynley must let go of the past if he hopes to help solve a murder and stop a killer.  Our reader, who is a very big fan of Elizabeth George, said she did not enjoy Careless in Red as much as she hoped.  “This book is incredibly long, and I skipped thorugh a bit,” she admitted.  Overall, George’s novel was okay, but not great—certainly not up to her usual standards for a Lynley mystery.

Skipping back to historical fiction, Nevermore took a look at a new novel by John Grisham, The Reckoning.  In Clanton, Mississippi, during the fall of 1946, Pete Banning—a decorated World War II hero, a friend, a father, a neighbor—went into town and committed a shocking crime.  With no answers, no motive, and no confessions forthcoming, the local sheriff and Banning’s lawyers are stumped.  Our reader said she enjoyed The Reckoning.  Although it has lots of tangents, especially as it delves into Banning’s experiences in the Philippines during World War II, and more “fluff” than necessary, it was a good mystery and worth reading.

Last, but not least, Nevermore read The Secret Diary of Hendrik Groen, 83 1/4 Years Old.  A novel written by Peter de Smet, The Secret Diary of Hendrik Groen tells the story of Hendrik Groen as he deals with the daily trials of growing older in a retirement community.  To fight back against his age—and the retirement home—he helps create the Old But Not Dead Yet Club in the hopes of showing that there is still life to be lived.  Our reader absolutely adored The Secret Diary of Hendrik Groen.  Although occasionally disheartening and slightly tragic, this novel was wonderfully written and unexpectedly hopeful.  She highly recommended it to her fellow readers, especially those who enjoyed A Man Called Ove.

Nevermore: Things to Worry About, The Man Who Loved Dogs, and Chasing Shackleton

Nevermore March 18, 2014

Reported by Kristin

Non-fiction kicked off the Nevermore discussion with What Should We Be Worried About?: Real Scenarios That Keep Scientists Up at Night by John Brockman.  Prominent thinkers were asked what their greatest concern with the modern world was—and a variety of answers were returned.  Some worry about the future of technology, or how the convergence of technology will affect the people in our world.  One commented that there isn’t so much a need to worry about nuclear weapons, but a need to worry about out of control world leaders.  Concerns from the group included the decline of the older population, worldwide food availability and the profit motivations of corporations balanced against the needs of people.

Next, Jud ran through a quick stack of books which he had ordered based on positive reviews.  He gave a few of them one sentence descriptions, or just let the titles stand for themselves.
•    The Bosnia List: A Memoir of War, Exile and Return by Kenan Trebincevic and Susan Shapiro
•    Fire Up Your Life in Retirement: 101 Ways for Women to Reinvent Themselves by Catherine DePino
•    The Mayo Clinic Guide to Stress-Free Living by Amit Sood, MD
•    Our America: A Hispanic History of the United States by Felipe Fernandez-Armesto
•    Phil Jackson: Lord of the Rings by Peter Richmond
•    Dear Abigail: the Intimate Lives and Revolutionary Ideas of Abigail Adams and Her Two Remarkable Sisters by Diane Jacobs
•    Bob Dylan: American Troubadour by Donald Brown
•    The Agent: My 40-Year Career Making Deals and Changing the Game by Leigh Steinberg
•    Uncharted: Big Data as a Lens on Human Culture by Erez Aiden & Jean-Baptiste Michel

A novel popped up as another reader mentioned The Man Who Loved Dogs by Leonardo Padura.  A fictionalized version of the assassination of Leon Trotsky in Mexico City in 1940, the book was declared a bit of a slow-starter, but very worthwhile to read.

Finally, another reader enthusiastically recommended Chasing Shackleton: Re-creating the World’s Greatest Journey of Survival by Tim Jarvis.  In the winter of 2013, explorer Jarvis re-created British explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton’s attempted voyage to Antarctica from 1914 to 1916.  Not only did Jarvis mimic the path, he pursued the sea and mountain journey with authentic equipment and food that would have been available to Shackleton in 1914.  This book was declared a great adventure story with excellent pictures from both the original voyage and the modern re-creation.