Nevermore: First Frost, Never Have I Ever, Book Charmer, Redhead by the Side of the Road, Rodham, My Lovely Wife

Reported by Kristin

Our first Nevermore reader reported on the joys of using Tennessee R.E.A.D.S. for ebooks. From the historical sage of A Secret History of Witches by Louisa Morgan, a multigenerational store of the Orchire family, to a story collection entitled Strange Trades by Paul Di Filippo, a look at humanity through their daily work, the world of ebooks has opened up many more reading possibilities as many readers stay safe at home. Our reader effused the joy of jumping back and forth between different genres, and especially noted as “absolutely fabulous” the Virginia mountain tale of Ivy Rowe in Fair and Tender Ladies by Lee Smith.

Another reader continued with her enjoyment of Sarah Addison Allen novels, this time with First Frost. The Waverley sisters were first seen in Garden Spells, and the tale of the family with a mischievous and moody apple tree has captivated several readers in the group. Set in Bascom, North Carolina, Claire Waverley has begun a new business, creating candies with herbs and a hint of magic. Our reader said that this entertaining tale was exactly what she needed.

Never Have I Ever by Joshilyn Jackson took our next reader a little further south to Florida. When Angelica Roux arrives at a suburban book club, she quickly turns Amy Whey's world upside down. Amy has created a normal life which some might even call boring and blasé, but she loves it—raising her baby son and her stepdaughter, being a loving wife to her husband. But Roux knows something about Amy's past, and she has her own agenda of destruction. Our reader said that it kept her on the edge of her chair waiting to see what would happen next.

Next up was The Book Charmer by Karen Hawkins, featuring Sarah, a librarian in a small southern town called Dove Pond. With her particular gift, Sarah is able to hear the books whispering to her as she matches stories to readers. This quirky little book was touted as a happy, nice story.

Another highly recommended novel was Anne Tyler's newest release, Redhead by the Side of the Road. Micah Mortimer is the very organized manager of his Baltimore apartment building and is rather set in his ways, some might even call him rigid. His life is thrown into more confusion than he likes when his “woman friend” may be getting evicted and needs a place to stay and a teenage boy shows up on the doorstep claiming to be his son. Our reader found this to be full of beautiful writing, and well worth reading.

This day full of fiction also included a title which sounds like it should be non-fiction, but isn't. Rodham by Curtis Sittenfeld is a speculative novel which asks the simple question: What if Hillary hadn't married Bill? Taking Hillary Rodham's potential as a law student, activist, and proponent of women's rights, this novel imagines what could have been if she had diverged from her real life path. Our reader enjoyed the novel and recommended it to others.

Finally, My Lovely Wife by Samantha Downing is a debut thriller told from the point of a husband who really loves his wife and their nearly perfect life. Millicent feeds her family healthy food and maintains their high social standing in their upper middle class community. Their fifteen year marriage seems perfect, except that to spice it up, Millicent has begun to murder people. Our reader said that she really wasn't sure how to feel about this book because of this extremely unusual premise, but that it was amusing and unique. 

The Lady Takes the Case: A Manor House Cat Mystery by Eliza Casey

Reviewed by Jeanne

England, 1912.  The aristocratic Bates family is facing financial hardship as their efforts to maintain the family manor requires much more money than they have at hand, leaving them with few choices:  sell family heirlooms, part with their land—or marry the son of the family off to a filthy rich American heiress whose money will pay the bills in return for a title and a country house.  Guess which option they choose.

After a bit of a fright when it seems the American cash cow—er, heiress—has gone down with her ship, the lady in question shows up on the doorstep with a maid and bemoaning the loss of her luggage.  Patrick, the heir, is trotted out and put through his paces though the dear boy would much rather be tucked up with his test tubes and botanical experiments.  Clarabelle, I mean Annabel, is loud, somewhat lacking in social graces, and only grudgingly impressed with Danby Hall—having the bath down the hall is terribly inconvenient.

Witness to all this is Lady Cecilia Bates, the daughter of the house and devoted sister to Patrick.  She desperately wants to save the family home but is also concerned that her sensitive, bookish brother find true love.  Cecilia is a bit of an outsider herself, given to boisterous play at times and chaffing under the strictures of class and the time period.  She is an open, affectionate child of 19 who quickly bonds with the exotic working class maid, Jane, Annabel has brought with her.  Jane has also fetched a cat she saved from the sinking ship and of course Lady Cecilia adores cats. 

Things seem to be going along swimmingly until one of the guests downs a drink and expires from poison.  Annabel is certain the drink was intended for her, and much drama ensues which might reduce the chances of Danby Hall’s salvation, so Cecelia and Jane set out to investigate.

I had hoped to be enchanted by this book but I wasn’t.  I have the distinct impression that the author is an American who has watched a little too much Downton Abbey.  I’m an American who watched a little too much Upstairs, Downstairs, an earlier series which made the class distinctions of the time quite clear.  There is a feeling of egalitarianism which I find disconcerting, given the time period. 

As the book went on, I had the distinct feeling that I was reading a bit of Downton Abbey fan fiction though with new characters.  The many names in common seemed to be a wink to the series --Bates, Hughes, Aunt Maggie, even a J. Fellows—and the cat who survives the sinking of ship is named Jack, which I took to be a nod toward the Titanic (DA fans will know that the sinking of that great liner sets up the conflict as the series opens.)   Feeling it might be more tongue in cheek than I first realized helped some, but not enough. 

Since this is also a first in series, the opening chapters seemed very slow as characters and relationships were established. The plot was done well enough but the characters dragged it down for me.  Your mileage may vary.

How to Argue with a Cat by Jay Heinrichs

Reviewed by Jeanne

My disappointment that this is actually more of a book on how to argue with humans because a cat is going to win every time was eased by several facts: one, that the first chapter opens with a quotation from one of my favorite authors, Bob Tarte (“They’re exactly like us, minus our useless mental power and thumbs”); two, that he differentiates between arguing and a fight; and three, that he offers practical suggestions.

Heinrichs makes it clear to the reader from the start that outcome is the important thing.   What do you want to accomplish by the argument?  Most of the time, we want to persuade (or purrsuade, in keeping with the conceit of the book) the other person to do or to believe as we would like without having to resort to putting the person in a headlock.  He offers tips such on how to fit into a group, how to defuse a tense situation, and how to avoid fallacies.

The humorous aspect of arguing with his cats lets him explain the ancient rules as laid out by the Greeks in a painless and fun manner. He demonstrates the practical uses, from talking your spouse into going to a concert instead of staying home to how to avoid being manipulated.  For the latter, he advises asking questions. Statements that begin “They say…” need to be clarified.  Who is “they”? What qualifications or expertise do they have to offer this opinion?  “They say that chocolate is good for your heart” means more if it comes from a cardiac specialist and not, for example, a Hershey’s salesman. Heinrichs just wants you to stop, think, and ask.

I enjoyed this little venture into the civilized way of disagreeing without being disagreeable.  The cute illustrations and the author’s light-hearted approach complement each other. This is a good introduction to the fine art of persuasion.