Review 246: Once There Were Wolves

Once There Were Wolves by Charlotte McConaghy
My rating: 5 of 5 stars



I enjoyed this novel, despite it being somewhat dark. I didn’t expect a mystery, but that happened when a dead body shows up, maybe killed by a wolf, maybe a human.

Init Flynn is leading a rewilding effort in Scotland, bringing back wolves, which should also restore the forest. Her team is facing a community that is strongly against the wolves with the most vocal being a man who appears to abuse his wife. The dynamic of spousal abuse, of what it does to the victim is, one of the main components of this book. The story of the wolves is just the backdrop.
The author McConaghy shows her deft writing. I felt immersed in this story, as if it was true, despite that the story takes place in the near future, or some other timeline. The mystery unwinds, what happened in Init’s past, with her twin sister? How about Duncan’s past, the town sheriff who Init hooks up with? And of course that dead body, the man who abused his wife.

One other aspect that I liked about this book was the hope given for wild animals, that we could come back from the collapse of species failure. I will be looking out for what McConaghy writes next.


Thanks to Flatiron Books and NetGalley for an uncorrected electronic advance review copy of this book.

Review 245: The Guide

The Guide by Peter Heller
My rating: 4 of 5 stars



A continuation of the character Jack from Peter Heller’s previous book: The River. It’s not necessary to read the first book, maybe even better if you haven’t as there is information from the first book that is repeated. But if you did read the first book, you’ll want to read this one.

We find Jack sitting on a small cabin porch nearby a small river, creek really, where he will be a guide to the ultra-rich in their fishing adventure during their time at the Kingfisher Lodge. Jack thinks he could sit here and watch the stream for the rest of his life.

Well, quickly he finds things are a bit “fishy” and not all as they seem. Why the cameras, the fences, and neighbors that are so unfriendly they will either shoot at you or send a raving pack of dogs? Jack is assigned to Alison K, someone nearly perfect for him, except being too famous. She knows how to fish, how to settle and focus, something Jack appreciates. As we get further into the oddness of the compound, Alison wants to know just as much as Jack, what is this place really about? It doesn’t look like it’s fishing and the other cover story of being a detox place isn’t holding much water either.
It was surprising to find the pandemic and coronavirus as part of the plot points in the book. I almost wished it wouldn’t be there, but it did help to add to the tension at a pivotal moment.

I like Heller’s way of describing the setting, I felt myself there in the woods, hearing the birds and the water over the stones. Nearly smelled the pine.

One issue that really bothered me was we had Jack's point of view for nearly the entire book. But then we get moments, mostly near the end when it switches to Alison. A stronger book would have stuck with the one viewpoint. In any case, an improvement over the previous.


Thanks to Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group and NetGalley for an uncorrected electronic advance review copy of this book.

Review 244: Hotel Bosphorus

Hotel Bosphorus by Esmahan Aykol
My rating: 3 of 5 stars



"The first Kati Hirschel murder mystery". Yes, but the book seems to focus more on Kati's life than the murder mystery. We get her life as a bookseller of crime fiction in Istanbul, and being part German she is considered a foreigner, despite living her first 7 years of life there, and the last 13. A friend from school calls out of the blue saying she will be visiting while working on a film in the starring role. It is the next day after arrival the director is found dead in his room. And Kati is curious, gets caught up in trying to figure out who did it. Along the way she is nearly shagging every available guy. At one point Kati just about gives up trying to solve the case, much like the Turkish police. Some of this narrative is very odd.

The book was okay, the English translation may have lost some of the language as it felt stiff and awkward.

Not going to continue the series. Not my usual reading, usually don't read series, and the setting just wasn't strong enough to retain interest to continue.

Review 243: Yale Needs Women

Yale Needs Women by Anne Gardiner Perkins
My rating: 4 of 5 stars



It's surprising to learn that just 50 or so years ago many ivy league universities did not admit women. 1969 was the first year Yale admitted women, but only a few compared to men. The book covers how this first group of women challenged the president of Yale, Kingman Brewster, and the governing body Yale Corporation, to get rid of sex discrimination, and admit students on the basis of merit not sex.

The focus is on just a few of the first women: Shirley Daniels, Kit McClure, Lawrie Mifflin, Connie Royster and Elizabeth Spahn. They aren't the only women detailed, but we keep going back to what these women in the first group admitted to Yale did and how they experienced the university. Such as Kit McClure was the first Yale band member. Laurie Mifflin started a women's field hockey team. We also get the view of Elsa Wasserman, the first administrator to oversee women's education in Yale.

An interesting and informative read!

I received a free copy of this book at a library conference. I was not required to write a review, but felt like it and, of course, the above opinions are my own.

Review 242: Below the Edge of Darkness

Below the Edge of Darkness: A Memoir of Exploring Light and Life in the Deep Sea by Edith Widder
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars



What a fantastic book about bioluminescent ocean animals and a woman scientist breaking barriers in a mostly male world. Part autobiography, part science the main focus is on the research and exploration of the ocean’s waters and bioluminescent animals in particular.

This is an exciting read with amazing discoveries (yes, the Kraken is real!), disparaging tv documentary teams (slanted science for ratings), and submersible mishaps (although most dives do go well). Widder’s research and how she goes about trying to capture the bioluminescent animals on film and study them in the wild are fascinating tales. The few mishaps that go awry lead to moments of intense reading. And don’t skip the footnotes! They are extra nuggets that usually contain a bit of a joke. I’m not sure when the last science book made me laugh this much.

The book did have message: we have barely explored the ocean waters, which do cover more surface of the earth than land, and we need to do more, much more. Widder juxtaposes ocean explorations and research to space exploration, which gets funding and attention on an extreme scale comparatively. We need to learn more about the animals and environment in the oceans before it’s too late. There’s some really neat stuff down there, we just need to find it!



Thanks to Random House Publishing Group and NetGalley for an uncorrected electronic advance review copy of this book.