Book Chatter

Demon Wolves
By Slade Ciric
Dead Gnome Productions, September 2026, 51 pages.

The Short of It:

Lovers of lycanthropic lore, rejoice.

The Rest of It:

Guys, there be werewolves here.

I love to dive into a big, thick, juicy chunkster but now and then I surprise everyone by picking up something short. Demon Wolves was short, under 100 pages but brimming with exactly what we all want in October; atmospheric reads that put us in the mood for the season. Demon Wolves did just that. Where are my RIP Readers?

As with any good werewolf story, the origin story is important and this one all starts with some poor drunk guy making a bad decision in the 18th century. That decision carries well into the 20th century and starts a chain of events that end in a trail of blood, gore and destruction.

As these hapless victims are taken down in unique and dare I say, humorous ways, I still managed to laugh at some of the details in the story. My fave part, and this is not a spoiler is when a toddler gets trampled. I mean, I don’t know what this says about me but I was in bed reading and just laughed so hard at that.

Short, but witty and atmospheric. An excellent story to kick off the season. Slade’s work is new to me but check out his other stuff. My only criticism is that I wanted more. Can we please get a full length novel? Pretty please?

Highly recommend. He labels his books for Adults. Sorry, read it anyway.

Source: Purchased
Disclosure: This post contains Amazon affiliate links.

Big Little Truths
By Liane Moriarty
Crown, August 2026, 464pp.

The Short of It:

Just dishy enough to hold your interest but timely too.

The Rest of It:

*No Spoilers*

“The last time we saw the women of Big Little Lies—Madeline, Celeste, Jane, Renata, and Bonnie—their children were five years old. If someone wasn’t invited to a birthday party, feelings were hurt. But ten years have passed and the kids are in high school, navigating all of the drama that accompanies teendom (goodbye playdates, hello drugs, sex, and alcohol).” ~from the publisher

The story opens with a bang. A human finger is sent to the school principal, and no one seems to know what it means. Detectives step in to investigate, and the school is all aflutter over what it could mean. The parent chat is out of control. Rumors are flying. Side-eye is being thrown left and right. These women latch onto the situation like a dog with a bone.

In the midst of all this, life continues. There is a wedding to plan, a cancer diagnosis to deal with, and the complicated relationships formed after the tragedy in Big Little Lies. These people are friends and, in some cases, family, so how do they sidestep the actual crimes that were committed? Can they? And what about this finger situation? How does it affect them directly?

Big Little Truths is a respectable follow-up to the previous book. There are journal entries to sift through, moody teens with an agenda, and grown-ups trying to do the next best thing for their loved ones and the friends they’ve come to know. Moriarty blends realistic daily life with a scandal that is casually kicked around until it is suddenly right in your face.

Recommend.

Source: Borrowed
Disclosure: This post contains Bookshop.org affiliate links.

Chatting with friends about books and life…