2. It might be jarring for a lot of readers to not see pretty much constant action.

Me, I enjoyed the slowdown. It gives the story time to breathe.

There were times reading, that I thought, this could almost be a soft onboarding point for new readers, but I wouldn’t recommend it. 3/3

The first few chapters feel a bit uneven, but that could be part of the theme of grief and recovery that permeates the novel.

The prior books are all set over a few days, and this one encompasses an entire year. 2/3

1. That is huge shift in pace for a writer to manage.

I would recommend this for anyone who has ever run, hiked, swam or participated in anything that got so hard they thought, I can’t go any further, but pushed on. Or wished they had. 4/4

The biographical elements of Laz’s (Gary Cantrell) life, serve to frame the real center of this. The fight between a person and themselves to keep going when their body has nothing left except pain and will.
3/4

I found myself wanting to continue long into the night. A marathon of reading, if you will. The writing style is captivating and inspiring, but the scene from within the races themselves are induce a mix of fear and a wish that I had the physical ability to join in. 2/4

This is why I am a terrible social mediator (media-ite, medior?). I might read responses I get, but rarely respond because, I would rather read a book or play with my kids or stay moderately sane.

In some states, a lot of money was paid to the ISPs to deliver fast reliable internet to rural areas. They basically took the money, looked at it, said “yeah, that’s going to be too hard” and did next to nothing. Maybe, ran some extra lines in small towns. But if you live in a hollerer, nope.

I read this for the first time in my late 20s or early 30s. I did not have the same reaction to it I probably would have as a teenager. It also took me less than a day to read, since I was on vacation.

The last ~50 pages had me on the edge of my seat, though. I recommend this for anyone that loves sourdough (or loves someone who does) and anyone that likes a world where magic exists, but it hides in the things that feel like home.
3/3

The characters are engaging, the story is fun, with some heavy moments and themes, but (compared to much of my reading) light. Some of the dialogue made put me in mind of the post-silent picture era movies I watched with my grandparents.
2/3

Crossing my fingers that you come to East Tennessee. I went to a reading at Fable Hollow Books in Knoxville, and it was very fun.

It’s like my 6 year old giving his little sister his ribbon for advancing at swimming lessons. I still won’t let her in the pool alone.

I’m a little behind on my Paramount+ Trek, and have generally enjoyed it. But what the hell was SNW’s 4 and a Half Vulcans? It would have worked better as an episode of Coneheads.

I also meant to say, I would be revisiting it while waiting for Carry Me to My Grave. Night Birds was one of my favorite books of 2025.

With my 30 year reunion coming up, I’m going to revisit The Boys are Back in Town. It’s been 20 years since a first read it, and I even got an email back from you in the days before social media became the easiest way to interact with authors.