Nevermore: Peach Keeper, Florence of Arabia, Overstory, At the Edge of the Orchard, Hand to Mouth, Poisonwood Bible

Reported by Kristin

The Peach Keeper by Sarah Addison Allen provided a much-needed light, summery read for one of our Nevermore readers this week. Willa Jackson and Paxton Osgood have known each other for years, having grown up in the same small town although not necessarily running in the same social circles. When Paxton buys and restores the old Jackson family home in order to open an inn, history rises to the present in the form of a skeleton found beneath a peach tree. Allen weaves stories together from generation to generation, creating a captivating atmosphere of friendship.

Following with more fiction, another reader thoroughly enjoyed Florence of Arabia by Christopher Buckley. Clearly satire, this novel approaches Arab-American relations with a level of irreverence sure to enchant and/or offend its readers. In the country of “Wasabia,” a junior diplomat decides to try to fix the injustices of the Middle East by granting full citizenship and rights to women. Our reader found some references to other countries very obvious and some rather subtle, and altogether funny.

In somewhat more serious fiction, our next reader described The Overstory by Richard Powers, winner of the 2019 Pulitzer Prize in Fiction, as an awesome book. Beautifully written, this novel examines the natural world through a series of connected stories. As nine different characters are moving through their separate lives, they each discover a connection to trees. Our reader was enthralled by the relationships between the people and trees, and how the manner in which trees live, grow, and even communicate with each other mirrors the interdependency necessary for human survival.

At the Edge of the Orchard by Tracy Chevalier is a frontier story, with James and Sadie Goodenough settling in Ohio in 1838. Their son Robert escapes his difficult family by moving westward with the California Gold Rush. Trees popped up here again (as you might guess from the title,) as the characters were involved in shipping saplings and seedlings from the West Coast to England. Our reader said that it was a very enjoyable book about starting anew.

The discussion then turned to non-fiction with Hand to Mouth: Living in Bootstrap America by Linda Tirado. This is a real working poor memoir by a woman who details her struggles of maintaining multiple jobs while struggling to keep her family above water. Our reader felt that this was a perspective not usually seen, and that the author had done a good job of raising her children to learn for themselves and to be curious in life. Much discussion ensued, with various readers weighing in with their opinions on how the author had included a running commentary on how important cigarettes were to help her get through another long walk to work or to steal even a moment of

relaxation.

Lastly, another reader admitted that she was still in the middle of but still enjoying The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver. This epic tale is spun from the perspective of a Baptist missionary’s wife. Nathan Price is dispatched to the Belgian Congo in 1959 along with his wife and their four daughters. Our reader’s main comment thus far was the fact that the wife sees how terribly her husband treats his family, but she still believes in his mission.

BPL Book Club Reviews Cold Sassy Tree by Olive Ann Burns

Reported by Lauren

                This month, the BPL Book Club discussed Cold Sassy Tree by Olive Ann Burns. Told from the perspective of fourteen-year-old Will Tweedy, Burns’ novel tells the story of Will and his relationships with his family and friends, most especially his close relationship with his grandpa Rucker who has scandalized their small town of Cold Sassy, Georgia, by marrying the milliner at his general store, the beautiful “Yankee” Miss Love Simpson, only three weeks after Will’s grandma dies. Miss Love happens to be MUCH younger and the prettiest girl in town, and Will’s mother and aunt are furious, not just because they’re in mourning, but also because Miss Love’s presence threatens their inheritance. First Will, and then the rest of the family, eventually come to appreciate Miss Love’s role in Rucker’s life, but not before many hijinks ensue. Cold Sassy itself is at a turning point, caught between its traditional Confederate farmer roots and the rise of industrialized travel and commerce by railroad and automobile. Grandpa becomes a symbol of old made new again (just like the town), and Will watches through innocent eyes as his town, his family, and his own life are changed forever.

                Our Book Club discussion started off with an examination of Will Tweedy and Grandpa’s characters. Will is considered the protagonist, but we decided that Grandpa Rucker is really the driving force of the novel. Several members could see a family resemblance in Burns’ portrayal of Grandpa Rucker as an old Southern man, stubborn and hard-headed, but with a good heart and a mischievous sense of humor. We also enjoyed watching Will grow and mature, and learn life various lessons right alongside his grandfather.

                We next discussed the portrayal of small town gossip, “keeping up appearances,” and traditional death rites. The death of Will’s grandmother sets the story in motion, and it was interesting to see how small southern towns take their grieving so seriously. The family mourns for months, and the entire town attends the “settin’ up” and burial. Rucker’s quick marriage to Love is considered an unforgiveable transgression. Rumors of Rucker’s possible infidelity abound, and the couple is shunned from church and other social gatherings. This bothers Miss Love, but not Rucker! He enjoys the attention, and delights in pointing out the hypocrisy of his fellow “Christians.”

                Overall, we found this book to be a sweet, funny, and endearing portrait of small-town Southern life. The writing style was a little hard to read at times, as Burns is heavy-handed with the Southern dialect, but hearing it read aloud made it much easier to follow. Some commented that they wished Burns had gone a little deeper into the various issues Will encounters, like racism, classism, infidelity, and suicide, but others thought the “skimming over” of the serious parts added to the novel’s charm. The fact that Will is young and doesn’t quite understand how serious these issues are actually gives them more weight. We ended our discussion by saying that while this was no To Kill a Mockingbird, it was entertaining and authentic without going too deep. 4 out of 5 stars!

                Join us next month, August 15 at 6:30 as we discuss Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng. All are welcome!

Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup by John Carreyrou

Reviewed by Christy

            When Elizabeth Holmes was just 19 years old, she dropped out of Stanford to found a medical start up that she would later call Theranos. Her dream was to do away with the needles necessary for bloodwork and run hundreds of tests from a single pinprick from the tip of a finger. She charmed big investors (like former secretaries of state George Shultz and Henry Kissinger) into funding this dream and set out to make it a reality. She asked professors for advice and ignored the ones who told her they just didn’t think her plan was feasible. (Ignoring warnings from people with much more experience than her would become a constant pattern.) There were problems early on, and soon Holmes was lying to investors, employees, and even the public about a “break-through” medical device that didn’t even work.

            Holmes’ house of cards slowing started to fall in 2015 when John Carreyrou published his article in the Wall Street Journal exposing the company for the fraud it was. Holmes tried to ride out the bad publicity but eventually the company dissolved and she and her business and romantic partner Sunny Balwani are both facing 20 years in prison for defrauding investors. Carreyrou expanded his articles into Bad Blood which is a wild showcase of corporate hubris.

            It might be hard to quickly get across just what terrible people Holmes and Balwani are but I’m going to try. The most glaring example of course is the fact that their faulty devices were tested on patients thus jeopardizing their health. Some people thought their cancer had come back. One woman got several second opinions to make sure she was healthy and racked up thousands of dollars in medical debt, and I’m sure she wasn’t the only one. A handful of nurses, doctors, and patients spoke on the record for the Wall Street Journal article, and Theranos responded by harassing them with lawyers and threatening to ruin their reputations anyway they could. Balwani’s “management” style consisted of terrorizing the employees to the point of mental breakdown and instilling paranoia that forbade communications even between departments. They seemed to constantly wreak mental and financial havoc.

            Though it is non-fiction, Carreyrou’s book reads like a corporate thriller. It is fascinating and truly astounding what these people were able to get away with for so long. I do wish he delved a little deeper into how Holmes was able to essentially bamboozle so many powerful and intelligent people. He does sometimes talk about her charisma but even that doesn’t feel like a sufficient answer. (She even had Shultz on her side against his own grandson, one of the whistleblowers.) Regardless, this was a surprisingly quick (and bizarre) read and really felt like a page turner. There’s supposedly a movie in the works starring Jennifer Lawrence, and I’m excited to see their interpretation.

Nevermore: Lost Dogs, Florence of Arabia, Cold, Carter Family

Reported by Lauren

                This week, our Nevermore members shared a few fresh titles, but also gave their opinions on books we had discussed at former meetings that they had passed on to others. We can’t help but get a sense of satisfaction when we review a book so well that all the other members fight over who gets it next! Hand to Mouth: Living in Bootstrap America by Linda Tirado, My Stroke of Insight: A Brain Scientist’s Personal Journey by Jill Boldte Taylor, and The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson have all been popular with our group. We loved hearing reviews of each title from different perspectives, and the recaps and differing opinions sparked a lot of lively conversations.

                One reader shared Where Lost Dogs Go by Susannah Charleson, a new memoir about Susannah and her dog Ace. According to Susannah, 1 in 6 dogs in the US go missing at some point. Many owners are devastated, and if the owners are invalids, not comfortable with using technology such as Facebook to locate their lost pets, or if they don’t have access to transportation, their pets may never be found. Ace, Susannah’s own rescue dog, has a talent for sniffing out lost pets and helping Susannah reunite them with their owners. The author also shares other life experiences, like caring for her mentally-ill mother, and how the techniques she uses to calm and care for her pets are also helpful in reaching her mother. Our reader said this was one of the best books she’d ever read, she “just couldn’t put it down.” Another member who loves dogs snagged this title for herself.

                Next, we discussed Florence of Arabia by Christopher Buckley, a satire recommended by one member to another. The current reader found the book witty and enjoyable, but it was taking her a while to finish because of the subject matter. Buckley uses his main character Florence to examine the role of women in the Middle East as well the role of the American government in attempting to police a society they can never fully understand. Buckley continually points out the ridiculous bureaucracy and red tape all government enterprises fall victim to, and manages to make Florence’s adventures both hilarious and dangerous. 

                Our next reviewer raved about Bill Streever’s novel Cold: Adventures in the World’s Coldest Places. Streever is a research biologist who spent a year living in Alaska and documenting his experiences there. Each chapter opens with a comparison of the temperatures of several big cities all over the country, and all convey various aspects of living in the frozen Alaskan climate. Polar bears, blizzards, melting glaciers, and global warming are all discussed. Our reader raved about this book, so much so that another member decided to give it a try.

                We closed out our meeting with a review of Will You Miss Me When I’m Gone? The Carter Family and Their Legacy in American Music by Mark Zwonitzer. All of our Nevermore members are very familiar with the Carter Family, as they originated from the Scott County region, and we have several museums in our area dedicated to celebrating their music. Our reader thoroughly enjoyed the book, though it was a little dense and packed with lots of complicated family ties. The Carters’ impact on country music is undeniable, originating from the Bristol Sessions, a two month-long effort to capture local Appalachian musicians on record. The Bristol Sessions have been called “The Big Bang of Country Music,” and have given Bristol braggin’ rights as the Birthplace of Country Music. Reading about the Carter Family’s influence on other famous musicians, such as Jimmie Rodgers, Hank Williams, and Elvis Presley, was fascinating. While most are familiar with the love story of Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash, our reader enjoyed tracing their roots back to where it all began with A.P., Sara, and Maybelle Carter. Another member also grabbed this book to check out!

Geekerella by Ashley Poston

Reviewed by Ambrea

Elle Wittimer is dying to return to ExcelsiCon.  She’s been saving tips from her part-time job at the Magic Pumpkin food truck and building an excellent costume for this year’s Cosplay Ball.  Despite her stepmother’s attempts to dampen her dreams and destroy her love of Starfield, a TV show both she and her father treasured, Elle is determined to go to ExcelsiCon—after all, it’s the convention her father helped build and her last remaining connection to him.

Darien Freeman, on the other hand, is wondering how he can get out of going to ExcelsiCon.  He loves Starfield and he used to love going to conventions, but, since acquiring the lead role in the reboot of Starfield, most diehard fans have dismissed him as just another pretty face.  But one message to the wrong number will change his life forever and put him on course to meet a girl with a love for Starfield to match his own.

Geekerella by Ashley Poston is, of course, another retelling of Cinderella; however, I found it to be one of the more enjoyable ones I’ve read.  I love Cinderella stories anyway and I enjoy seeing how authors manage to tweak the staid Cinderella story in new, surprising ways.  In particular, I enjoyed Geekerella because it’s one of those retellings where the heroine does the unexpected:  she saves herself.

I always love a good story where the main female character has plans, where she’s working to save herself—where she has dreams beyond finding Prince Charming.  I genuinely liked Elle and I appreciated her as a character.  She was someone who had hopes and fears and dreams and, like all people, she makes mistakes.  Likewise, I liked that she wasn’t going to let anyone—not even her Stepmonster, as she’s appropriately named—stand in her way.

Speaking of the Stepmonster, I really disliked her.  She’s manipulative, controlling, and, sometimes, she’s just plain cruel.  It didn’t take much for my dislike to turn to immediate hate.  The Stepmonster—and her daughter—are not likeable characters.  I know they’re not supposed to be, but I really thought there might be something else there that would define them.

Nope.  They’re just surface level superficial and downright mean.

Overall, I really liked Geekerella.  It’s sometimes difficult to read, simply because the Stepmonster and Elle’s stepsister are so very horrible; however, it’s a fun, romantic and nerdy read.  I liked the friendships Elle builds along the way, and I even liked Darien.  It was interesting to see how their lives intersected and how their shared adoration of Starfield becomes the focal point of their budding relationship.

It's a lovely little story and well worth reading if you love a good fairytale retelling.