Despite never having met the author myself, while reading his words, I couldn’t help but feel the heaviness of the tragic circumstances surrounding his death. I have no intention of critiquing a dead man’s work, nor is it necessary. I enjoyed both of this completed stories and can only imagine how more time could have enhanced this writer’s body of work. Let the cocktail speak for itself.
Years ago, prior to Bonnie’s Book Blog, I read either Skinny Dip or Sick Puppy. I can’t remember which, which kind of goes with the territory. This author’s writing is a tad formulaic but funny as hell. As a teacher I loved Hoot and enjoyed sharing Hiaasen’s other young adult books with my students.
Turns out Bad Monkey is also an Apple TV series now starring Vince Vaughan. Might be time for another free trial ;)
I’m not going to lie, about halfway through, I lost interest in the book’s trajectory. The location in the Bahamas and the island dialect got tedious for me. I didn’t care for the Voodoo Queen character, and I even began to worry about the fate of the bad-tempered monkey. Also, the constant introduction of new characters and shifts between different locations became dizzying!
I found myself laughing more at the beginning of the story and then the quirky bits got old. An unexpected twist energized me toward the end, and of course, I needed to know how it all wrapped up. A quick two-week read that I ultimately enjoyed.
Fun fact: there’s a character named Bonnie who’s a sexual felon, but not the cunt.
As one review states, “Eerie woods, forgotten cities, and other obstacles await Amaya and the Wolf on their adventure. As they make their way through the wilderness, the two learn profound lessons about love, sacrifice, and the importance of embracing change.”
I was moved to tears by the story’s gentle commentary on life’s journey, loss, grief, and death. This quote especially spoke to me and my particular search for meaning:
“Somewhere inside you is a poem that you alone can write—a unique blend of what you love, what you fear, and all the things that only you’ve experienced.”
Here is more of the Wolf’s Zen advice:
“Most of our lives are spent doing the traveling, and the arrival is only a tiny part of that journey. We should do our best to enjoy every part of the adventure. Maybe we will never get to where we want to be, and wouldn’t it be sad if we had not even enjoyed the ride?”
“How do I do that?” asked Amaya.
“Slow down, look around, breathe, take in the sounds and colors. Imagine you’d chosen this moment as your destination, not just a point along your journey.”
Finally, the Wolf reflects on his circumstances: “He’d led the pack to great victories and bitter defeats. His life was a tapestry of successes and failures, and he wondered what different choices he could have made that would have saved him from dying on this mountaintop exiled from his pack.”
The Wolf’s contemplation of his life is not so different from that of most humans in the end. As it turns out, the wolf was exactly where he needed to be, in a moment that would forever impact his new friend Amaya and countless other lives moving forward. It’s reassuring to know that a life well lived will lead each of us to the same place.
At first, it was disappointing listening to the audiobook because I missed flipping the pages and seeing the stunning illustrations. By the end of the hour-long reading, my weeping eyes would not have been able to focus on the beautiful pictures. I plan to treat myself to a hardcover copy of the book.
It delves into personality disorders like sleepwalking, OCD, depression, and introversion. It documents relationships between spouses, parents and children, roommates, coworkers and bosses. As SNL’s Stefon would say, “This place has everything!“
During an unexpected delay, an airplane full if people are trapped as an older woman systematically predicts the how and when of their deaths. That in itself is terrifying— being trapped for hours on an airplane with kids puking and babies crying—then some random crazy lady in a trance starts predicting when and how every passenger will die. Her mantra, “Fate can’t be fought.”
I love this reviewer’s perspective: “A riveting story so wild you don’t know how she’ll land it, and then she does, on a dime.”—Anne Lamott
I finished reading this book on the plane to Sarasota, Christmas 2024!
Although I was baffled and confused through much of North Woods, I found the writing flowed well and was easy to read. I just kept plowing ahead and usually could figure out what weird, creepy thing had happened.
Basically the story follows the lives of characters who inhabit a piece of property in Western Massachusetts over the course of time, starting in pre-colonial days and continuing to the present. The author’s extensive knowledge about and obvious enthusiasm for the natural environment of the area make the setting come to life. The unusual characters are all deeply, physically and spiritually, connected to the yellow house and acres of forest surrounding it.
The rich vocabulary stimulated my brain, as I time-traveled through 400+ years of the transforming landscape. I learned what a catamount is and why a picture of one features prominently on the book’s cover. This quote from the last chapter demonstrates the underlying theme. “…the only way to understand the world as something other than a tale of loss is to see it as a tale of change.”
I finished reading last night, and ‘the what in the … WTF’ ending brought everything together in a strange and thought-provoking way. I didn’t want it to end, and I immediately went back to reread the beginning. Here is a bit of foreshadowing from an early chapter. “I have come to the opinion, generally, that he who does good to the land shall be protected, while he who trespasses upon her will be met with most violent return.”
