The Big Finish by Brooke Fossey

Reviewed by Laura

          If you have ever read and enjoyed The Story of Arthur Truluv by Elizabeth Berg or A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman, then you need to read this book. It has the requisite curmudgeon and the same sweet, sad, and heartwarming qualities with a little adventure thrown in.

          Duffy and Carl are roommates in an assisted living facility (do NOT say nursing home!) and have become best friends, confidants, and partners in crime. At least Duffy thought they were confidants until Josie, Carl’s yet–to-be-mentioned granddaughter, bursts through the window one morning as they are preparing to go to breakfast. She’s shoeless and sporting one heck of a shiner. Turns out Carl had an affair and illegitimate child; hence the granddaughter. To say Duffy is blown away would be an understatement. Carl has always been the upstanding, moral one in the friendship and helped keep Duffy somewhat restrained (remember the requisite curmudgeon?)  Imagine trying to keep a young woman hidden in an “assisted living facility” and you have some idea of the hijinks that ensue.

          It doesn’t help matters that the new owner is systematically weeding out all residents who require actual assistance and in the midst of the crisis, through no fault of his own, Duffy ends up on her list to watch. Josie adds to the stress as Duffy recognizes a fellow alcoholic and tries to help her get clean, as he did. He is hoping to redeem his own mistakes and perhaps leave a lasting legacy after all. But when a suspicious man shows up looking for Josie, things go from bad to worse.

          This book may not be quite as good as the aforementioned examples, but it sure comes close. It kept me up reading past my bedtime two nights in a row. I love books with a good main character that I can fall in love with and appreciate as a real human, warts and all. None of us are perfect and I love digging into the gold mine beneath the bluster.  I laughed, I cried, and I found my heart sufficiently warmed while reading this book. I was pleased to find it was a debut novel and will definitely be looking for more books by Ms. Fossey in the future. (Fun fact: the author used to be an aerospace engineer with a secret clearance.) Read the book, you’ll be glad you did.  You’ll cry, but you won’t be sorry.

Nevermore: Anne Tyler, Doerr, Mukherjee, Lindemuth, Winspear, Powell

Nevermore has moved into the internet age with COVID-19, so this week’s meeting was courtesy of Zoom.  Technical glitches aside, it was wonderful to have so many familiar faces on the screen!

The first book up was Redhead by the Side of the Road by Anne Tyler.  It’s the story of a 40-something year old Micah Mortimer who has a steady female companion but who immerses himself in his need for order and quiet.  He works as a super for an apartment building and also offers tech support as the Tech Hermit.  He lives a very orderly, safe existence until one day when a young man shows up on his doorstep, claiming to be his son.  Then Micah’s lady friend is evicted from her apartment and the man who values order and solitude is suddenly faced with the prospect of more human contact that he is used to.  While our reader usually loves Tyler’s books, she said this one just did not do it for her and is not recommended.

Our next member has been reading books by Harriet Doerr, whose first novel was the acclaimed Stones for Ibarra which was published when the author was 74.  The story centers on the Evertons, an American couple who move to a small village in Mexico to reopen a copper mine once owned by the husband’s grandfather.  The book is beautifully written. The reader also read Tiger in the Grass which is a collection of stories and essays by Doerr, including new stories with the Evertons, but also Doerr’s own reminiscences.  Both were highly recommended.

The Gene:  An Intimate History by Siddhartha Mukherjee fascinated our next reviewer. The emphasis in the book is on the history of genetics, though the author does weave his family history in to illustrate some of the principles.  However, our reader was most impressed with how the book shows that real science is about gathering data and in unbiased examination of that data.  Many of the pioneers in the field were not appreciated in their own time.  The author also wrote the excellent history of cancer entitled The Emperor of All Maladies.

In the words of Monty Python, and now for something completely different:  My Brother’s Destroyer by Clayton Lindemuth is the first in the Baer Creighton series.  Creighton is a moonshiner with the ability to know when someone is lying and who has no compunction about wreaking vengeance on those who wrong him or his dog, Fred.  The book was described as very redneck and very entertaining. 

The American Agent is the fifteenth in the Maisie Dobbs series by Jacqueline Winspear.  Maisie is back in London after escaping Nazi Berlin, and working as an ambulance driver when she meets a young American reporter, Catherine Saxon.  When Catherine is found murdered, Maisie is called in to help investigate.  It’s an entertaining historical mystery.

Finally, Women in the War Zone by Anne Powell is once again extravagantly praised by a Nevermore member. Powell collected first-hand accounts of women who worked in hospital services on the front lines during World War I, at a time when women were not really accepted as medical personnel.  Their experiences were as horrifying as they were heroic, shedding light on a hidden part of history. Our reader admired the strong, brave, independent women she met within the pages and recommended the book very highly.

Vintage Cakes by Julie Richardson

Reviewed by Christy

            While dusting our shelves during our closure, I came across a cookbook of vintage cakes. Author Julie Richardson combed through a treasure trove of old cookbooks to find the tastiest, most interesting, and most popular recipes. She would bake the original recipe as written then tinker with it until she felt it was updated for modern cake lovers. One surprising note she made was that older cake recipes were much sweeter than they are today. (I would’ve assumed it to be the opposite.)

            We should probably start with my favorite part of any cookbook: the pictures. These pictures are absolutely gorgeous and make me want to bake everything! I’ve never been a fan of malted milk balls but I’d give Malted Milk Chocolate Cupcakes a chance. Cherries aren’t my first fruit of choice but the Cherry Chip Cake with Cherry Buttercream could definitely bump them up the list.

            The book is divided into sections like Hasty Cakes for when you’re in a hurry or Everyday Cakes for when you just feel like baking something. And of course Party Cakes for when it’s safe to congregate again! Each recipe has a little introduction on its history, which I found interesting. I went through and read every one of these even though I only made one cake.

            I chose to make the Honey Bee Cake. Created in 1954 by the Proctor & Gamble Bakery Research Department, this cake is drenched in honey. It was delicious (if I do say so myself) and surprisingly not cloyingly sweet. The texture reminded me a little bit of cornbread but less crumbly and much more moist. It even had a golden crust, which was my favorite part. Though I just used ordinary honey-from-a-plastic-bear, the great part about this cake is you can use any kind of honey you want: blackberry, wildflower, orange blossom, etc. And if it’s locally sourced, well, then that makes it even more unique. I was also tempted to make the Goober Cake, which has chocolate ganache and crunchy peanut butter frosting.

I can see this being a book I check out many times. I’m particularly looking forward to trying my hand at the Not-for-Children Gingerbread Bundt Cake this holiday season. With a spicy gingerbread and brandy glaze, it should be interesting.

The Honey Bee Cake!