Once There Were Wolves

Once I got into this book I was invested - but it took a minute for me to actually come around. This is a tough book if you are sensitive to domestic violence and animal cruelty because there is plenty of both to be found in the pages. I hope I didn't completely deter you though because this book is both fascinating and complex. It's a book I won't be able to stop thinking about and it made me think about wolves in an entirely new way. Inti and her twin sister, Aggie, arrive in Scotland to release wolves into the forests for the first time in hundreds of years. The Highlands have been empty of the gray predators for hundreds of years - but Inti and her team of scientists have great hope that this will restore the dying landscape. Inti and Aggie are fleeing trauma of their own having fled from Alaska - can the wolves heal them and the Scottish people? Or is it bound to be a bloody affair with mangled bodies and spirits. Lyrical, dark, and haunting. Get through the initial slog and it's well worth the journey. 

The Secret History of Food

Siegel, Matt. The Secret History of Food. digital. 2021. HarperAudio. $20.99. ISBN 9780062973238. 

Foodies and trivia lovers will eat up this irreverent and fascinating book about the origins, misconceptions, science, and subculture behind certain foods and spices. Author, Matt Siegel, digs deep to uncover weirdly entertaining facts about food that will leave readers both fascinated and moderately disgusted. From the origins of a well known cereal, to mummified heads in honey, to the most expensive and exotic spice in the world being used to describe boring sex lives; The Secret History of Food has something in it for everyone. Over the course of ten chapters, Siegel spills the beans on so many different "common" foods, that walking into the grocery store or showing up at a potluck with your favorite dish will never be the same again. Brilliantly read by Roger Wayne who effuses energy and hilarity into his narration. A feast for the mind. - Erin Cataldi, Johnson Co. Public Library, Franklin, IN

Billy Summers

Stephen King is really bringing the heat on his non-horror books and I am here for it! Billy Summers is about a hired gun who only kills bad guys. It's a thriller with a meaty back story and great character development. Once readers get invested it is impossible to put the book down. Billy Summers has just taken a long job. He's to scope out a sleepy little city and fool everyone into believing that he's a writer just looking to finish his book before the deadline. In reality he's one of the best snipers in the world, a former marine who take jobs only if he's sure the person he's killing is really bad. Joel Allen is a bad man, and once he's taken from the jail to the courthouse for his arraignment, Billy will take the shot. He's promised himself that this is his last kill and the payout from this will be big enough that he can retire. What he doesn't know is the big picture. Nothing is going to go down the way he thinks it will and that will cause wrinkles. The only "beef" I had with the story is the character Alice, a loner with absolutely no friends and no close ties to family? Hard to believe - especially the way she is around Billy. It made it easier for the story but it wasn't remotely realistic. Overall though - great storytelling - another great Stephen King novel. 

Broken

I've listened to all of Jenny Lawson's books on audio and I don't want to read her books any other way. I love her narration and I love that her voice exudes honesty, vulnerability, and laughter. Per usual, Jenny Lawson is able to reveal her struggles, fears, uncertainties, broken bits and all, to help readers understand that they are not alone. Equal parts memoir, self help, and humor - this look inside of Jenny Lawson's mind is candid and revealing. She can go from the funniest story to the saddest  - but readers won't be able to stop listening. Everyone can find something to relate in and if everyone could talk about mental health the way that Jenny Lawson does the world would be a much better place.  

The Plot

While the start was slow, the unease picked up steam throughout the book leading to a chilling (and somehow satisfying?) ending. When a once successful and now thoroughly down on his luck author finds himself teaching a creative writing course - he can't be bothered. He knows what trash his students will come up with and he normally wouldn't be bothered but he needs the money. After his first book's moderate success, Jacob Finch Bonner, failed to produce anything noteworthy and his era as an author seems to be over. When a rude and pretentious student shares the plot of a novel he's working on though - Jacob is hooked. This kid isn't bluffing the plot is new and different and only an idiot could mess up the story of it. When Jacob finds out years later that his student died, he immediately looks for the story - did he ever publish it? Jacob decides that a good plot can't die so he writes the story and "borrows" the genius plot. As he predicted the book throws him into the spotlight and suddenly he's one of the most famous authors in America. Oprah made it her book club choice, Spielberg is directing the movie, the money keeps pouring in. He has everything he ever wanted, but why isn't he happy? The more famous Jacob gets, the more nervous he becomes. What happens if people discover he's a fraud? But there is no way that anyone could know... could they? Suspenseful and intriguing. A great books about writers, the literary arts, and deceit. 

Isn't it Bromantic?

I really enjoyed getting to learn the Russian's mysterious backstory - and I thought it was a realistic romance with some big miscommunication. It was a little over the top in some areas, but on the whole I enjoyed the storyline. Instead of the Bromance Book Club reading a bodice ripper - they are instead reading Vlad's manuscript. He's been writing a romance novel in secret and they are going to help him finish his book AND fix his marriage to the elusive Elena. Elena hasn't been seen since the wedding as she's been in Chicago working on getting college degrees. When Vlad gets injured during a hockey game she comes back to care for him out of a sense of duty and obligation. He is after all her husband. But what if they could have a real marriage instead of the sham one they are both in. Cheesy and cute. Good fluff. I hope there are more in the series!

Sword Stone Table

Reading this collection of Arthurian re-tellings makes me want to go back and read the old stories anew! This anthology contains new takes on old tales, modern takes, and even some futuristic takes. Every single story was unique and different, although some were much stronger than others. The stories focus on different characters from the Arthurian legends and played around with them in fun new ways. From a vengeful baseball player to a barista falling in love with Lance to the Lady of Shallot taking illegal memories like drugs in a futuristic city - the span and scope was impressive. About half of the tales failed to draw me in but the ones that I loved, I LOVED. I only recognized a handful of authors, but that didn't matter to me. Pardon me while I go dig out The Mists of Avalon from under my bed.