Wyoming Book Reviews

Sep 5, 2017

Black Hare (The Aspects Book 1)
By Toni L.H. Boughton
Toni L.H. Boughton, 2017

Toni Boughton, veteran writer of the Wolf in the Land of Dead trilogy, brings to life a world that is at once familiar as it is fantastic in Black Hare. Part horror, part fantasy, part mystery, this book has something for everyone.

Rook, a woman driven by demons both real and psychological, finds herself unwillingly settling down in small town Wyoming where everything is not as it seems. Her only companion, a spectral black hare she can’t shake, provides little comfort and represents a responsibility – and a past – she would rather forget. Meanwhile, the town of Red Horse River is suffering from a series of brutal and fiery deaths that perhaps only Rook can stop – if she can find a way to overpower the threatening evil, and discover the good in herself.

I was enthralled by this story and it’s beautifully complicated heroine, and found Boughton’s setting and story-telling intensely immersive. I recommend this book to anyone looking for a unique, fast-paced read and can’t wait for the next installment!

Brenna Philbrick, Library Assistant, Senior
University of Wyoming Coe Library

Dilemmas of the Angels: Poems
By David Romtvedt
Louisiana State University Press, Baton Rouge, 2017

David Romtvedt of Buffalo, Wyoming is a professor of creative writing at UW, the former poet laureate of Wyoming, the author of ten published works of prose and poetry, and my favorite Wyoming poet. Dilemmas of the Angels is an impressive and enjoyable collection of bittersweet poems of the supernatural contrasted with everyday life, of both the foreign and the familiar. Every third or fourth poem in the collection continues the “dilemmas of the angels,” which imagine the everyday lives and inner thoughts of those celestial beings. In between these are touching poems of fatherhood, such as those about his young daughter, like “Sunday Morning Early” and “Surprise Breakfast,” along with other compelling poems about his experiences in Africa, such as “Western Aid” and “One-Legged Dancer.” This volume is highly recommended for all collections and will join other Romtvedt works like his previous poetry collection Some Church and the memoir Windmill: Essays from Four Mile Ranch on my personal bookshelf.

Elaine Jones Hayes, Assistant Manager Reference Services / Special Collections Librarian
Laramie County Library System

If you have a question about this or any other article, please contact us at statelibrary@wyo.gov

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