I managed to finish two more books over the last week. Unfortunately, I’m not a huge fan of either one.
📚 #10 White Wolf by John Conroe (Book 19.5 of the Demon Accords series)
I’ve read all the primary books in the series and thought adding in the backstory for Stacia Reynolds, a major character, might offer a new perspective on both her and the broader narrative. I was wrong.
This meandering book barely has a plot beyond a tepid love story, one that’s already been thoroughly covered in previous books.
According to Goodreads:
“Stacia Reynolds, the famous White Werewolf, plucked from her quiet Vermont life and thrust into the supernatural world. Rescued from mauling by the Hammer of God himself, transformed into one of the most skilled weres in the world, stepping from impoverishment to fame and fortune, and destined to become partner to the most powerful witch ever.”
The series is pure escapist fantasy, but this installment reads like a first-person, over-the-shoulder recap of familiar story beats from the main arc, only now through Stacia’s eyes. I learned almost nothing new, other than that her inner wolf apparently fell in love first. I’m not sure I needed to know that, but hey, now I do.
📖 #11 Diaries 1969–1979: The Python Years by Michael Palin
This book was a step up, but still fell short. It felt too brief and lacked depth. Essentially, it’s a personal diary, with no added commentary or context from the author.
Because the entries are rooted in the 1970s, I found myself constantly looking up people, places, and events. After 50 years, who really remembers the details of such a decadent, self-absorbed decade? Not me.
From Goodreads:
“Michael Palin has kept a diary since newly married in the late 1960s. This volume of his diaries reveals how Python emerged and triumphed, how he, John Cleese, Graham Chapman, the two Terrys—Jones and Gilliam—and Eric Idle came together and changed the face of British comedy.”
Palin does touch on the production of The Life of Brian (a film in my personal top 10), as well as other Monty Python and Python-adjacent projects. I picked up a few bits of trivia, but nothing that justified reading the entire diary.
Don’t get me wrong, Michael Palin remains one of my favorite personalities. I’ve read and watched nearly everything he’s done, including the time he hosted SNL in 1978. I watched that live with my friend Jon. It involved cats going into his pants and was hilarious. The diary touches on that experience lightly, which prompted me to search for the episode again (unsuccessfully).
📘 Next Up: The White Gold Score by Craig Schaefer
Next on my list is The White Gold Score, a novella in Craig Schaefer’s Daniel Faust series, a series I genuinely enjoy. Here’s hoping it doesn’t turn out like White Wolf.
Peanuts In My Pocket 
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