Books about wolves and new films | daily city gate

My wolf craving not being satisfied, I read “Decade of the Wolf” by Douglas W. Smith and Gary Ferguson. Remembering my college days when I read “Never Cry Wolf” by Canadian author Farley Mowat, I read it again.

Alas, due to flooding, the northern part of Yellowstone was closed, so we were unable to see any wolves on this vacation. However, my journey into wolf literature was educational and entertaining. I asked an artist friend of mine, Leo Clark, to do a wolf portrait and it looks a lot like McIntyre’s Wolf 8.

But my appetite has been whetted for more Farley Mowat, who is an excellent writer. So I read his “And No Bird Sang” (a war story), “The Dog Who Wouldn’t Be” (a dog story) and “Bay of Spirits” (a love story). I really enjoy Kindle.

Elizabeth Strout has a new book, “Oh, William.” Ginnie and I read it. Ginnie was impressed, it’s kind of a chick book. I was more intrigued by a certain vulgar word Strout uses that I’ve never seen in print. Sorry, I can’t repeat it here, but I made a mental note to use it in my fiction writing. I like to read women authors because in general they write with more sensitivity than men and use vulgarity more intelligently.

Ginnie was going through a box of her father’s books. I spotted “Coyotte Waits” by Tony Hillerman and grabbed it. I read a number of Hillerman books 25 years ago so I thought I’d give it a try. If you like well-written mystery, especially Navajo mystery, this fills the ticket.

Needing background literature, I picked up “Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy” by Eric Metaxas, skipping the Intro, Foreword, and Prologue. At the same time, I started reading “Nothing but Prairie and Sky: Life on the Dakota Range in the Early Days”, by Walker D. Wyman (Copyright 1954). A true story, the narrator is from Winfield, Iowa, and I recognize several surnames. I have never read two books simultaneously before, especially books with such opposite subjects. It’s kinda trippy and refreshing.

I have my prejudices of course, but the best book I’ve read lately is my own, “Task Force IED” which will be available this fall. I lived it so many times, galleys of tests, I memorized it. I still haven’t had enough. Be patient.

Movies: “Father Stu” with Mark Wahlberg, pulled my trigger, Ginnie not so much. Not typical of Wahlberg’s macho karate movies, it’s also based on a true story. Wahlberg helped finance it.

“Top Gun: Maverick,” with Tom Cruise cruising, is a must-watch. If you don’t see another movie all year, see this one. It has all the bells and whistles an exceptional film should have, including vibrating seats. Ginny agrees. Pure entertainment.

“Elvis” starring Austin Butler and Tom Hanks is one big hot piece of love. Ginnie also agrees.

“Old Man” with Jeff Bridges hooked us. A mini-series on FX, we record it, then we watch it to fast forward in commercials. I identify with the old man’s part, for the most part, although Bridges, contrary to what I thought, is not the ‘old man’.

“Where the Crawdads Sing” is a special treat. Go ahead, sing.