Nevermore: Buckeye, Call of the Wild, How the World Ran Out of Everything, The Women, Molly and the Cat Cafe

 

12-30-25

 

Our first reader picked up Buckeye by Patrick Ryan, which has been generating a lot of interest as a Read with Jenna book club pick. Set in small town Ohio during and following World War II, this is a story of love and secrets in middle America. Highly recommended!

 

One of our young readers who attends Nevermore with a parent during school breaks read The Call of the Wild by Jack London. Buck, the canine main character, reminded our reader of their dog Millie. Next up by the same author: To Build a Fire.

 

A non-fiction title that our book club member summarized as “greed is ruining the world” was How the World Ran Out of Everything: Inside the Global Supply Chain by Peter S. Goodman. The author describes how companies will do absolutely anything to get results and to make profit, regardless of the fallout.

 

Another reader picked up The Women by Kristin Hannah. This reader noted that the second part of the book, when Frances “Frankie” McGrath returns to the United States, felt like an entirely different book from her Vietnam combat nursing experience.

 

Two books by Melissa Daley, Molly and the Cat Café and Christmas at the Cat Café were called light, fun reads, appropriate to the holiday season. (We can’t argue, as we like cat books around here.)

 

Also mentioned:

 

Hastings (Battles That Changed the World) by Samuel Willard Crompton

 

The Quiet Little Woman by Louisa May Alcott

  

Theo of Golden by Allen Levi

 

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

  

The Engine House by Rhys Dylan

 

The Truth about the Devlins by Lisa Scottoline

  

Read Your Mind: Proven Habits for Success from the World's Greatest Mentalist by Oz Pearlman

 

Always Remember: The Boy, the Mole, the Fox, the Horse and the Storm by Charlie Mackesy

Nevermore: Shantaram, Library of Lost Dollhouses, The Women

Nevermore 10-21-25

Reported by Rita

 

Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts

Based on his own extraordinary life, Gregory David Roberts' Shantaram is a mesmerizing novel about a man on the run who becomes entangled within the underworld of 1980s Bombay--the basis for the Apple + TV series starring Charlie Hunnam. It took me a long time and most of the world to learn what I know about love and fate and the choices we make, but the heart of it came to me in an instant, while I was chained to a wall and being tortured. An escaped convict with a false passport, Lin flees maximum security prison in Australia for the teeming streets of Bombay, where he can disappear.

I really liked the first half and learned a lot. I didn't care for the second half. - MH 5 stars

 

The Library of Lost Dollhouses by Elise Hooper

When a young librarian discovers historic dollhouses in a hidden room, she embarks on an unexpected journey that reveals surprising secrets about the lost miniatures.

Interesting and mysterious. It's a nice escape from reality. - WJ 4 stars

 

The Women by Kristin Hannah

In 1965, nursing student Frankie McGrath joins the Army Nurse Corps in Vietnam, facing life-and-death situations and deep friendships, before confronting challenges of returning to a divided America.

I liked the story. It was interesting and well researched. I thought it felt a little preachy at the end. - VC 4 stars 

 

Other Books Mentioned

Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver

Al Capone Does My Shirts (Tales from Alcatraz, #1) by Gennifer Choldenko

The Crystal Cave (Arthurian Saga, #1) by Mary Stewart

How to Hide an Empire: A History of the Greater United States by Daniel Immerwahr

The Girl Who Takes an Eye for an Eye (Millennium, #5) by David Lagercrantz

The Girl Who Lived Twice (Millennium, #6) by David Lagercrantz

The White Dawn: An Eskimo Saga by James A. Houston

The Last Gentleman Adventurer: Coming of Age in the Arctic by Edward Beauclerk Maurice

The Snake Scientist by Sy Montgomery

The Octopus Scientists: Exploring the Mind of a Mollusk by Sy Montgomery

Inside Animal Minds: The New Science of Animal Intelligence by Virginia Morell, Mary Roach, Peter Miller

Jayber Crow by Wendell Berry

Nevermore: The Women, Lie Down in Darkness, Smitten

 

Nevermore 11-19-24

Reported by Rita

The Women by Hannah, Kristin

In 1965, nursing student Frankie McGrath, after hearing the words “Women can be heroes, too,” impulsively joins the Army Nurse Corps and follows her brother to Vietnam where she is overwhelmed by the destruction of war, as well as the unexpected trauma of coming home to a changed and politically divided America.

Awesome book! It was very touching. I couldn’t put it down.     - GP       5 stars

Lie Down in Darkness by Styron, William Clark

William Styron traces the betrayals and infidelities—the heritage of spite and endlessly disappointed love—that afflict the members of a Southern family and that culminate in the suicide of the beautiful Peyton Loftis.

I didn’t like it. I didn’t like any of the characters.      - CD     1 star

 

Smitten by McKenna, Rachael

In a kitten's-eye view of the world, an acclaimed animal photographer captures a series of images of charming kittens as they play, explore, find mischief, and sleep, accompanied by memorable quotations on everything from the importance of curiosity to the joy of a good nap.

Full of photos of absolutely adorable kittens. Charming!     - MS      5 stars

 

Other Books Mentioned

A Pair of Wings by Hopson, Carole

Ethan Frome by Wharton, Edith

Rules of Civility by Towles, Amor

The Coal Tattoo by House, Silas

Relatively Dead by Connolly, Sheila

Bloodlands by Snyder, Timothy

High Tide by Ābele, Inga

 

New Books

Lovely One by Jackson, Ketanji Brown

Walk, Ride, Paddle by Kaine, Timothy M.

The Paranormal Ranger by Milford, Stanley.

Sharks Don't Sink by Graham, Jasmin

The Danish Secret to Happy Kids by Russell, Helen

Nevermore: The Women; The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse; Ethan Frome

 

Reported by Rita

The Women by Kristin Hannah

In 1965, nursing student Frankie McGrath, after hearing the words “Women can be heroes, too,” impulsively joins the Army Nurse Corps and follows her brother to Vietnam where she is overwhelmed by the destruction of war, as well as the unexpected trauma of coming home to a changed and politically divided America.

I thought it was too formulaic and not realistic. I didn’t enjoy it.  – CD     3 stars

 

The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse by Charlie Mackesy

A  modern, illustrated fable for readers of all ages that explores life's universal lessons from British illustrator Charlie Mackesy.

The most beautiful book I’ve ever read. The art is fantastic. It’s full of hope, love, and promise. Uplifting.  – NH    5 stars

 

Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton

A New England farmer must choose between his duty to care for his invalid wife and his love for her cousin.

It’s a very sad story, but worth reading. It was a quick, easy read. I loved it.  – DC      5 stars

 

Other Books Mentioned

Suffrage Song: the Haunted History of Gender, Race and Voting Rights in the United States of America by Caitlin Cass

Katharine, the Wright Sister by Tracey Enerson Wood

The Life Impossible by Matt Haig

The Paris Secret by Karen Swan

Selected Stories by William Trevor

Unbelievable Crimes Volume One: Macabre Yet Unknown True Crime Stories by Daniela Airlie

Unbelievable Crimes Volume Two: Macabre Yet Unknown True Crime Stories by Daniela Airlie

These Tangled Threads by Sarah Loudin Thomas

The Art of the English Murder by Lucy Worsley

The Drowning Kind by Jennifer McMahon

 

New Books

At War With Ourselves by H. R. McMaster

That Librarian by Amanda Jones

The Art of Gothic Living by Paul Gambino