Nevermore: Our Missing Hearts, Summer I Turned Pretty, Micro, More!

 

Reported by Rita

Our Missing Hearts by Celeste Ng is a dystopian coming of age novel about a 12 year old boy named Bird trying to unravel the mystery of his missing mother, a Chinese American poet who left when he was nine during a time of great civil conflict. In his quest to find her, he revisits the folktales his mother shared with him using a network of underground libraries. Our reader wasn’t impressed, calling it cumbersome and redundant. NH

The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han was a surprisingly enjoyable read according to our reader.  This young adult novel is the first of a series that follows Belly, who lives for summer and time spent at the beach house, and with her crushes Jeremiah and Conrad. Our reader picked it up as a beach read and later found out her nieces love the series so it made for a nice connection between them. In spite of being described as “agonizing and cringe worthy” at times, it was an enjoyable book. HM

Micro by Michael Crichton was described by our reader as Jurassic Park meets Honey I Shrunk the Kids. This sci-fi thriller follows a group of graduate students working for a mysterious biotech company in Hawaii who find themselves shrunk to “micro” size. They must find a way to return to normal before it’s too late while navigating a strange new world where every bug is an enemy and even a blade of grass is a giant obstacle. Our reader really enjoyed the book and said it also includes lots of interesting bug and plant information. AC

R.E.A.D.S. audio made the discussion this week with one reader recommending a short story that is part of the NPR Classic Driveway Moments available through R.E.A.D.S. or the Libby app. “Hitching a Ride with Junior McGee” is a 21-minute audio tale of two people traveling cross-country to attend a bluegrass festival. It was described as a fun and interesting listen. PP

Also Mentioned:

Thunder Dog: The True Story of a Blind Man, His Guide Dog, and the Triumph of Trust at Ground Zero by Michael Hingson with Susy Flory

Dave Barry Turns 50 by Dave Barry

Tropic of Cancer by Henry Miller

I’m Just Saying: A Guide to Maintaining Civil Discourse in an Increasingly Divided World by Milan Kordestani

The Dollmaker by Harriette Simson Arnow

Ripper by Isabel Allende

Long Shadows by David Baldacci

Why Am I Like This: The Science Behind Your Weirdest Thoughts and Habits by Jen Martin

Time Remembered by Miss Read

The Hidden Message in Water by Masaru Emoto

The Cheerleaders by Kara Thomas

Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman

The Thorns Remain by JJA Harwood

The Light We Carry by Michelle Obama

Three Pines/Chief Inspector Gamache series by Louise Penny

New Books:

Hillsville Remembered: Public Memory, Historical Silence, and Appalachia’s Most Notorious Shoot-Out by Travis A. Rountree

The Questions That Matter Most: Reading, Writing, and the Exercise of Freedom by Jane Smiley

The Summer of 1876: Outlaws, Lawmen, and Legends in the Season that Defined the American West by Chris Wimmer

The Paris Deception by Bryn Turnbull

The Old Lion: A Novel of Theodore Roosevelt by Jeff Shaara

Nevermore: Kendi, Ozeki, George, Malerich

 

The first book discussed in Nevermore was How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi.  Our reader was impressed with Kendi’s intellectual rigor in approaching the subject and his explanations of why he uses the terms he does.  Antiracist, for example, is the idea that all races are equal. The book addresses non-overt racism and the assumptions underlying it, such as that there are just two ways to deal with race issues:  segregation or assimilation, which fails to acknowledge that there are any other courses of action.  While a slim volume, it discusses some important concepts and provides much food for thought. 

A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki beautifully intertwines the stories of several different people at different points in time.  Ruth, a writer who is experiencing writer’s block, finds a Hello Kitty box washed up on a shore in British Columbia.  Inside is the diary of sixteen year old Nao, whose family moved from California back to Japan after the dot com bubble burst.  Unhappy, Nao has decided she is going to commit suicide but first she wants to write down the story of her great-grandmother, a Buddhist nun.  The book moves back and forth in time and points of view.  Our reader said that the beginning was a little off-putting, but it turned out to be a wonderful book which she highly recommends.

 

Paris, 1927 was the setting for the next book, Alex George’s Paris Hours.  The story revolves around four ordinary people, each of whom is seeking something or someone: there’s an Armenian refugee who ekes out a living by putting on puppet shows for children; Proust’s former maid who fears her deepest secret will be revealed; a man searching for his lost daughter; and a man who is secretly following an old lover because he believes she may have had his child.  There are many famous people who flit in and out of the stories—Hemingway, Gertrude Stein, Josephine Baker, and Proust—but the important stories are those of the ordinary people.  There is some description of the horror of WWI, but our Nevermore member said that it was a very good book and she does recommend it.

 

 History and fantasy meet in The Factory Witches of Lowell by C.S. Malerich when the mill workers of Lowell, Massachusetts are driven to a desperate strike for better working conditions.  Long hours, low pay, and dangerous work is the norm for these workers, almost all young women, who have seen their co-workers die from respiratory diseases and who have seen their wages cut while still working over 70 hours a week.  The workers live together in company-owned boarding houses and when the owners raise their rent, they decide to strike. Judith Whittier leads the strike, pinning part of her hopes on her friend Hannah who may have magical talents. Our member said this short book was magical and filled with a lot of facts.  Others mentioned visiting the museum at Lowell and the exhibits on the historical portion of the book.

Finally, a staff member attending the meeting took advantage of the gathering to plug the “Lucky Day” book from Tennessee READs.  “Lucky Day” items are high demand titles that are available for immediate checkout.  The loan period is shortened to seven days and only two titles per card are allowed.  Our staffer was delighted to have found two excellent books which she checked out immediately.  She was delighted to have gotten them so quickly!

Audio Book Recommendations by Christy

 

            I didn’t start listening to audio books until I was in my 30s, and I’m kicking myself that I waited that long. I still read traditional books but for some genres (specifically non-fiction), I prefer the audio medium now. Listening to audio books has almost doubled my yearly reading count, and opened up a new world of content for me. Here are a few of my favorite audio books that I highly recommend.

I Must Say: My Life as a Humble Comedy Legend by Martin Short

            This book is what got me into audio books. I checked it out on a whim after seeing a few glowing reviews pop up on Good Reads. I liked Martin Short just fine but never really gave him a second thought. This book made me love him and appreciate his talents. He does silly voices and sings songs but he’s also clearly grateful for his friends, family, and the life he leads. He also tenderly remembers loved ones who have passed, and it’s hard not to feel his grief along with him. A well-rounded and charming memoir.

 

True Crime from Texas Monthly

            A collection of five articles from Texas Monthly, this audio book is perfect for true crime fans who may not be in the mood to commit to one story. As someone who seeks out in depth, true crime articles, Texas Monthly always seems to deliver, and this audio book is further proof of that. Whether you want to hear about a woman who robbed banks for years dressed as a man or a mother who plotted murder to secure her daughter’s spot on a cheerleading squad, there’s something here for everyone.

 

Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson

            This is a great, quick listen that you could probably finish up while wrapping Christmas presents. I hadn’t read this book since elementary school but it’s still as charming as ever. Elaine Stritch does a fantastic job narrating, and she sounds like she’s enjoying herself too. A delightful way to kick off the holiday season!