The Mourning Parade

The Mourning Parade by Dawn Reno Langley   350 pages

I was lucky enough to win a copy if this heartbreaking and hopeful novel in a contest from Amberjack Publishing. I entered based on its title and cover art without knowing what it was really about.

Set in contemporary time, Natalie has thriving veterinarian clinic in North Carolina, specializing in horses. Life’s been rough. Real rough. Although it’s not a major plot point, it’s important that the reader know that her husband, Parker, walked out on her and their two sons. No more contact; only silence.

Then the crushing blow hits. Both, yes both, of Natalie’s sons are killed in a school shooting. Hats off to author Langely for not going into gory details about the event. Natalie can’t eat, can’t sleep, can barely function. Parker didn’t even bother to come to his sons’ funeral. The first-year anniversary is swiftly approaching. Natalie isn’t sure that she can handle it.

At a veterinarian conference, Natalie hears Andrew Graham talk about his work at an elephant sanctuary in Thailand. Against her parents’ advice, Natalie volunteers to spend a year at the sanctuary.

Trouble begins almost the moment she arrives. The head vet, Dr. Peter Hatcher, hates her the moment he lays eyes on her. Although she suffers from PTSD, Natalie stays strong and pushes forward. As she is learning her way around she is drawn to a large female, Sophie.

Sophie also suffers from PTSD and has a nasty, nasty leg wound that won’t seem to heal. When Sophie injures one of the compounds many dogs, Hatcher wants to put her down. But Natalie interferes, talking with Andrew about some rehab methods she has used back in the States.

Hatcher tries to sabotage her efforts, but Natalie refuses to buckle under. Instead the Natalie and Sophie become BFFs. But grab a hankie, if the ending wasn’t so hopeful, it would be too hard.

I learned a lot about elephants: their spines aren’t designed to carry a lot of weight, their foot pads are super sensitive, and their eating habits. Sophie does love to eat!

I loved The Mourning Parade, and it receives 6 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.

The Sasquatch Escape

The Sasquatch Escape by Suzanne Selfors, 215 pages

This is the first book in a new series, The Imaginary Veterinary.  We first meet Ben, who is being sent to stay with his grandfather for the summer.  We also meet Pearl, a girl who lives in the same town as Ben’s grandfather.  Ben and Pearl both see a large bird on the day Ben arrives in town.  Pearl thinks it is a dragon.  Ben isn’t sure what it is but when a small creature that seems to be an injured baby dragon appears in his bed, Ben also recalls a strange man he and his grandfather saw at the store who had a recipe for artificial dragon’s milk.  Ben and Pearl seek him out at the newly opened worm hospital where they make a fantastic discover about many creatures that they didn’t know really existed.  Unfortunately, in the process, they accidentally let a Sasquatch escape and are given the task of retrieving it before it causes any trouble.  This is a fun fantasy story for school age readers.

Dog Gone, Back Soon

 
Dog Gone, Back Soon by Nick Trout
324 Pages

The second entry in Trout's fiction series, this book continues wher "The Patron Saint of Lost Dogs" left off.  Cyrus Mills is still trying to make the veterinarian practice left to him by his father a going concern despite the threats of multi-conglomerate competition.  As Cyrus gets involved in a series of tricky cases he must solve, he soon finds that the all are connected in an almost Dickensian manner.

A light and enjoyable read, it is especially fascinating how Cyrus solve a series of tricky vet problems.