Nevermore: LaPlante, Liberty's Blueprint, Kalanithi, Ghosted, Sedaris, Lyon, 90% of Everything

Reported by Kristin

Nevermore kicked off the weekly book club meeting with a new novel:  Half Moon Bay by Alice LaPlante.  Jane, a single mother, left Berkeley after her teenage daughter was killed in a car accident.  Moving to Half Moon Bay, Jane hopes to begin a new life where no one knows her past.  When local children begin to disappear, the newcomer is accused, and Jane remains haunted by her past.  Our reader said that the plot kept her reading and she found it short, fast, and well worth the read.

Our next reader turned to non-fiction, with Liberty’s Blueprint:  How Madison and Hamilton Wrote the Federalist Papers, Defined the Constitution, and Made Democracy Safe for the World by Michael Meyerson.  Although written a decade ago, this work of political theory resonates with current events, and our reader found it very timely.  She said that the founding fathers had so much contention while drafting the Federalist Papers and the Constitution that it is amazing that these crucial documents were ever completed.

Another reader was fascinated by the complexities of how goods are shipped around the world, as described in Ninety Percent of Everything: Inside Shipping, the Invisible Industry That Puts Clothes on Your Back, Gas in Your Car, and Food on Your Plate by Rose George.  Imagine a floating behemoth as long as three football fields, loaded with more than 6000 twenty foot containers, all of which must be loaded, unloaded, and weight balanced.  The author researched this book by journeying on a container ship along a major shipping route.  Our reader found this very interesting and did not want the book to end.

When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi was found to be an uplifting book about finding the meaning of life while in the process of dying.  As a young neurosurgeon, the author suddenly found himself diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer, and was forced to examine his life and career as he fought to stay alive.  Our reader found many beautiful and meaningful insights in Kalanithi’s journey.

Another reader picked up a new novel:  Ghosted by Rose Walsh.  Sarah and Eddie meet and fall in love, but suddenly Eddie disappears.  Sarah doesn’t think he has just dumped her; she is very worried that something bad has happened to Eddie.  Weeks pass and Sarah’s friends urge her to move on, but the uncertainty tugs at her.  Our reader said that it was an okay book, but that the ending tied things up in a bundle that was just a little too neat.

The same reader moved on to a classic David Sedaris book:  Me Talk Pretty One Day.  She found his writing wonderfully engaging and really connected to this memoir of a young gay man growing up in 1960s and 1970s North Carolina.  Sedaris uses self-deprecating humor in his writing, comedy, and radio work.  Our reader thoroughly enjoyed the volume, and hopes to read more of his work.

Finally, Self-Portrait with Boy by Rachel Lyon caught another reader’s attention.  Lu Rile is a photographer whose life changes drastically as she is taking a self-portrait one day.  In the background of her image, she somehow captures a boy falling outside her window.  The tragedy both divides and unites the novel’s characters.  Our reader found the story sad, but well written.

Nevermore: Soil, Belgravia, Steam Locomotives, When Breath Becomes Air

Reported by Ambrea

This week, Nevermore kicked things off with a book by a local author, The Ultimate Guide to Soil:  The Real Dirt on Cultivating Crops, Compost, and a Healthier Home by Anna Hess.  In this fascinating overview of soil and agricultural cultivation, Hess delves deep into the soil and looks at the different ways to boost organic material in gardens, to balance nutrients in the soil, and simple techniques that will add richness and variety to both yard and garden.  Our reader said Hess’ book was lovely.  Filled with fabulous information and beautiful, full-color photographs with step-by-step instructions how to improve soil and grow healthy, organic plants, The Ultimate Guide to Soil received high praise as a “very wonderful [book].”

Next, Nevermore looked at a brand new novel by Julian Fellowes:  Belgravia.  Written by the creator of Downton Abbey, Belgravia is an intricate historical novel about a family with a dangerous secret—and it all begins on the eve of the Battle of Waterloo in 1815.  Our reader, who admitted she’s a bit of a fanatic for Downton Abbey, said she really enjoyed reading Fellowes’ latest novel.  Calling it a “wonderful period piece,” she explained that Belgravia was a bit of a Gothic novel , yet that didn’t alter its appeal for her.  Both scintillating and brilliantly complex, Belgravia received high marks from our reader who said she would highly recommend it to both fans of Downton Abbey and historical fiction.

Nevermore also went on to look at Aboard a Steam Locomotive by Huck Scarry.  Part sketchbook and part historical investigation, Aboard a Steam Locomotive was at once insightful and intriguing.  Although it is full of illustrations, our reader argued he wouldn’t classify it as merely a children’s book.   In fact, he said, “If you want to know how [steam locomotives] work or how complicated they are, this is the book for you.”  Scarry provides in depth diagrams of locomotives from their creation in 1830 to their modern equivalent, giving names to even the tiniest pieces and parts that make a steam engine run smoothly.  Our reader said it was a “fantastic book,” before handing it off to another Nevermore member who was likewise intrigued.

Last, Nevermore looked at a recent blockbuster hit, When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi.  Kalanithi was a neurosurgeon who passed away in March 2015 after battling stage IV lung cancer for several months.  He was only thirty-six.  After his diagnosis, he began writing about his experiences as a neurosurgeon, his thoughts and reaction as he went from healer and surgeon to patient.  Our readers actually had two very different experiences with Kalanithi’s memoir.  One reader said she really couldn’t stand reading When Breath Becomes Air.  Although she managed to finish Kalanithi’s book in a little under a day, she said she found the author to be an unsympathetic narrator who seemed to care for very little for his patients or his family, which bothered her.  However, another reader sympathized with the author, saying she enjoyed reading his work and his writing.  “[It’s obvious he] realized something was very, very wrong, but he was in denial,” she pointed out.  His questions regarding his mortality, his struggles to face death and new life with the birth of his daughter, was profoundly moving.

Nevermore: Florida, Paris, Einstein's Lawn, and When Breath Becomes Air

Reported by Jeanne

The Thang That Ate My Granddaddy’s Dog by John Calvin Rainey was praised by our reviewer as a fun and funny read, though there are some more thought-provoking themes as well.  It’s actually a series of stories set in Florida, told through the eyes of Johnny Woodside, an African American boy who has moved with his mother and sisters from New York City to his grandparents’ rural home. Many of the stories have elements familiar to anyone who has grown up in the country, especially in the South, with extended close-knit families.

Kristin Hannah’s Nightingale has been a favorite for book clubs and has won the author numerous new fans. Set in France during World War II, it tells the story of two very different sisters who find themselves tested by circumstances. Vianne, the older sister, became pregnant as a teenager, married, and moved to the country.  Rebellious Isabelle was kicked out of a series of boarding schools and ended up in Paris. Each offers resistance and bravery in her own way toward the German invaders, and has been described as a tribute to all the women who worked behind the lines during the War.  While several Nevermore members had read and liked the book, it didn’t seem to work its magic on our latest reader.  She praised the setting and the ambiance, but said the characters didn’t ring true for her—a very important point in a book that is largely character driven.  She thought the book overrated.

Another reader felt his book was somewhat misleadingly titled.  Trespassing on Einstein’s Lawn by Amanda Gefter is a memoir about the author and her father who bonded over science conventions, beginning when they posed as journalists in order to gain admission to a conference. In the intervening years, the two attended numerous conferences, speaking with some of the most influential thinkers in the field of physics such as Stephen Hawking.  Our reader enjoyed the book, but was a bit disappointed that the focus was less on the science and more on the personalities.  He did recommend it, however.

Finally, a reader had high praise for When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi, a young neurosurgeon who is suddenly faced with a diagnosis of terminal cancer. In a moment, he is transformed from doctor to patient, and is faced with the need to determine how to best live out his life in the face of death.  This is a beautifully written book which asks a reader to consider life and what it means to live. This book should join other classics of the genre such as The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch.