I picked up The Soul of an Octopus because, ten years ago, I was utterly enamored with Sy Mongtomery’s The Good Good Pig. My expectations were so high that the contrast between what I learned about the inner lives of octopuses, and the Stockholm Syndromesque relationships between them and their keepers, quickly became too disappointing—and too tiring—for me to enjoy.
Viann Rossignol is a loving mother and wife who lives in a small, country town. She has a best-friend who has a daughter the same age as hers and even though she has experienced loss with multiple miscarriages, she still remains content with her life. Her younger sister Isabelle is a rambunctious young woman living in Paris. She always looks for a battle and is not afraid to stand up for herself. Since she and Viann were given up as children by her distant father, Isabelle has always gotten herself thrown into and out of boarding schools across France.
The Local Writers committee is pleased to announce Celeste Seay has won Johnson County Library’s #IHeartU short story contest with her entry A Good Fit. Seay’s story was chosen for its response to the theme of love and the quality of description. Of her writing she says:
Don’t be turned off by the title; Think Like a Freak by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner is a stimulating book that aims to entertain while educating and expanding the way one thinks.
Do you ever dream of working with monkeys in the Costa Rican rainforest? How about teaching English in Thailand, or helping orphans in India? Well John Marshall did and in a radical move to connect better with their teenage son and daughter, he and his wife quit their jobs and took a six month voluntourism break from life. Wide Open World is the story of how six months moving around the globe volunteering changed all of their lives forever.
From trapping and trading along the Missouri River to commerce at the confluence of the Kansas and Missouri rivers, Civil War conflicts and dominance at the stockyards, Kansas City continues to be a major player in our country's history. The Shawnee Indian Missionis one of Kansas City's many historical treasures etched with story and a captivating history of its own.
Kitchens of the Great Midwest by J. Ryan Stradal centers around the life of a young chef, Eva Thorvald. Through shifting narratives we follow Eva as a young girl growing exotic habaneros, see her struggle to support her father while interning at a restaurant, fall foolishly in love and finally start her own exclusive dinner club.
Maggie is a military canine who is injured and loses her handler in combat. Scott is a cop in Los Angeles who is injured and loses his partner in an unexpected shooting. Both are struggling with the trauma they have experienced and are working together to overcome these past tragedies. Suspect is told using multiple perspectives, which sometimes bothers me, but it’s well done here.
Growing up in a rural British Columbia is difficult enough for Jess, Courtney and Dani Campbell before their mother dies. But after their mother passes things really get difficult. One night things get really bad; Jess grabs the shotgun and accidentally shoots and kills their dad. Afraid of what will happen, the girls hide the body and take off for Vancouver before anyone can realize what has happened.
At sixteen, Letty Espinosa has everything going for her – she’s young, pretty and smart with a handsome boyfriend who loves her. Only the sky is the limit. When she discovers she is pregnant, all her hopes and dreams are suddenly dashed. Now a 33-year old single mother of two, working several menial jobs to bring in money for her family, she has been living somewhat irresponsibly while her mother has been raising her two children.
