After a face-off with an angry gunman at a Boston ceremony celebrating a controversial wetlands preservation project, wildlife biologist Alex Carter is only too happy to get away. The chance to track wolverines in the Montana wilderness is a dream come true. She's eager to study the elusive animals, working to save the dying species. Not all of the locals are thrilled with her presence, however, and they're letting her know it. Determined not to bow to their scare tactics, she stays on at the abandoned ski lodge where she lives by herself. 

When Alex's wolverine-watching cameras catch movements of a different kind of animal on film, she's puzzled. Why is a man who's clearly suffering from a severe injury roaming around in the woods looking dazed and confused? When Alex reports her findings, she's even more stunned at the authorities' dismissive response. Refusing to let it go, she soon finds herself caught in the crosshairs of a dangerous predator. Just what has Alex stumbled upon? And how far will someone go to keep the curious scientist from sticking her nose where it doesn't belong?

It's no secret that I dig immersive, atmospheric mysteries set in isolated places. From the looks of A Solitude of Wolverines, the first book in a new series by Alice Henderson, it appears to be just this sort of read. Is it? Well...I did like the setting, not just mountainous Montana but also the creepy lodge, which adds an eerie vibe to the story (always a plus in my book). I also appreciate that Henderson's passion for nature, animals, and the conservation of both really comes through in this novel. In fact, her prose (which is pretty humdrum otherwise) shines brightest when she's writing about these subjects. Unfortunately, the author has a tendency to drone on and on, adding so many unnecessary details that the plot drags under them. Add in a storyline that's contrived and convoluted, characters that are bland and unlikable, and narration that's melodramatic and wordy, and you've got yourself one sluggish novel. I persevered with A Solitude of Wolverines (which is saying something, I guess), but it ended up being, for me, an average read at best. Needless to say, I won't be continuing with the series. Bummer.

(Readalikes: Reminds me of The Last Woman in the Forest by Diane Les Becquets and The Wild Inside by Christine Carbo)

Today's Top Ten Tuesday prompt is about Characters I'd Love an Update On (Where are they now that the book is over?). This topic wasn't really lighting a fire under me, so I decided to go rogue and talk about Thanksgiving, which Americans will be celebrating on Thursday, instead. Although Christmas is my favorite holiday, Thanksgiving comes in at a close second. I love that it's a day centered around gratitude. It's not about getting anything (except really, REALLY full), but about giving thanks. There's a hymn members of my church sing regularly that says, "Count your many blessings, name them one by one. Count your many blessings, see what God has done." Thanksgiving is the perfect time to do this, to really focus on all the people and things that make my life so abundantly rich and beautiful. I hope you know that you are among the former. Your support, encouragement, and friendship means a great deal to me. So much so that I'm going to make a whole TTT list devoted to why I'm grateful for everyone who reads this blog.

First, though, I want to encourage you to join in the TTT fun. Hop on over to That Artsy Reader Girl for all the details.

1.  Seeing your comments always makes me smile.

2.  You have the best reading recommendations!

3.  You give me a place to talk about my favorite subject—books. It's nice to be able to have conversations with other readers instead of just talking to myself.

4.  The fact that you take time out of your busy lives to visit my little blog makes me feel good about myself and the many hours I log trying to make BBB a fun, helpful place to be.

5.  Through your comments (and your blogs), you've helped expose me to new book genres, thus helping me open my mind and expand my reading interests.

6.  Your blogs give me even more places to hang out and geek out about our favorite hobby.

7.  You help make up a great and wondrous online community that I have always found to be warm, welcoming, and empowering.

8.  I'm always inspired by visiting your awesome blogs. There are so many talented writers, reviewers, and designers in the book blogosphere!

9.  You encourage me to use my own talents to make BBB the best it can be.

10.  Your kindness and loyalty make me feel appreciated and loved—and who doesn't need more of that in their lives? 

Thank you, thank you, thank you for reading my little blog. It has truly been a blessing to get to know all of you through your blogs and through the wonderful comments you leave me here at BBB. 

For those of you who celebrate, have a wonderful Thanksgiving. My aunt-in-law does the majority of the cooking for our annual family feast. She doesn't love fighting the crowds at Costco for pies, though, so that's my yearly task. I'm writing this on Monday, just in case I don't make it out alive. Wish me luck!

Growing up in a New York City orphanage has given scrappy Amelia Matthew the pluck to survive in a rough time and place. Combining moxie with a modicum of psychic talent, she manages to earn enough to create a decent life for herself and her beloved foster brother, Jonas. When a knock on the head changes Amelia's mild ability into something far more powerful, she's shocked. As she grapples to understand her newfound skills, a strange vision in a public park assaults her. The next thing she knows, she's waking up in a city insane asylum on isolated Blackwell's Island. Despite her protests, Amelia is unable to leave. Even Jonas can't find a way to free her. 

In spite of himself, Andrew Cavanaugh, a young doctor from Philadelphia, finds himself quite taken with the pretty new patient. Naturally, he doesn't believe her when she claims to see spirits—until she proves it to him. As Andrew works to release Amelia from care, he's approached by a desperate mother searching for the daughter she believes is being hidden in the asylum. With Amelia's help, he looks into the case, uncovering a shocking trail of corruption and cruelty at his workplace. Powerful people rule the asylum. What can a lowly doctor and his imprisoned patient possibly do for their helpless victims? Especially when Amelia's dubious gift is still so uncontrollable and she's not entirely sure she doesn't belong on Blackwell's Island herself...

Until 16-year-old Ada Morgan ran away with her boyfriend, she had never known true freedom. The last thing she wants to do now is return home to the squalor of her stilt house on the swamp. She knows her father—a coarse and cruel trapper—will be thrilled to have her back. Not only will he have someone to wait on him again, but he will also delight in punishing her for leaving him. If she had any other option, she would never return to him. With nowhere else to go, she has no choice but to go back to Mississippi, back to the Trace, back to her father. 

Matilda Patterson is also anxious to leave her home on the Natchez Trace. The Black teen is the daughter of poor sharecroppers who eke out a meager living in a place that will never allow them to get ahead. With local bootleggers making things even more difficult for the family, Matilda's ready to take her secrets and run. A more promising future awaits her in the north; she just has to make it there.

When their lives converge one fateful night, Ada and Matilda are shocked to find themselves partners in crime. Literally. Their tenuous bond is the only thing keeping both of them safe, but it's a tenuous sisterhood that could break at any moment. As their linked past becomes more apparent, the two begin to realize just how much danger they're really in. When more trouble comes calling, it's up to them to protect themselves and each other against deadly odds.

It's no secret that I love me an absorbing historical story, the more atmospheric the better. The Girls in the Stilt House, a debut novel by Kelly Mustian, ticks all these boxes. Its vivid, visceral setting is a character in its own right, exhibiting all the beauty, danger, and contradiction inherent in every human. As untamed as the swampland surrounding them, our heroines are sympathetic because of their impoverished, hardscrabble lives. What makes them admirable is the fiery grit that burns deep inside them, giving them strength, courage, and the will to keep fighting. Plot-wise, this is a slow-burning tale. While this device takes a little patience, it also ensures that by the time the story's action really amps up, the reader cares deeply about what's going to happen and to whom. Although it's not a happy, all-tied-up-with-a-bow story, The Girls in the Stilt House is compelling, moving, and beautifully written. I loved this assured debut.