Brian McGrory

Content warning: for those who just wanted a fun book about a guy doing battle with a rooster, McGrory starts out by dedicating a good chunk of the beginning of the book to his awesome dog, Harry, who gets very sick and he has to put to sleep. I had just put my cat to sleep a few short weeks ago and found myself sobbing while reading that section in public.

I really enjoyed this book, despite my crying jag. Harry's death led to a relationship with Harry's vet, who happens to also come with a suburban life, two kids, and a small menagerie. Buddy, the title rooster, comes along thanks to a science experiment from one of Pam's daughters. McGrory's trials and tribulations with the rooster mirror his own struggle to adjust to suburban and family life, after decades of living alone in the city.

This was a sweet and funny book. Though I was as befuddled by McGrory at the sheer amount of STUFF his soon-to-be step-daughters needed. I grew up and live in surburbia. I don't have kids but I have memories of when I was a kid and I certainly didn't have $200 birthday cakes or extravagant birthday parties. Weird.

Review copy courtesy of the publisher via Goodread's First Reads program… (more)

Jack Flynn is an investigative reporter who's looking into why this one guy got a presidential pardon. He makes routine inquiries and the next thing he knows, the president of the United States has invited him to play a round of golf. He's playing this incredulous round when he becomes part of an attempted presidential assassination. And the story begins. This is a first novel for McGrory and I sure hope it isn't the last. The story is really well told with delicious little snippets like '...a man so large that the fabric on the collar of his white button-down shirt didn't appear so much tight as absolutely furious…' A great read.… (more)