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Taste of Marrow
Taste of Marrow | Sarah Gailey
42 posts | 51 read | 21 to read
Campbell finalist Sarah Gailey's hippo mayhem continues in Taste of Marrow, the sequel to rollicking adventure River of Teeth. A few months ago, Winslow Houndstooth put together the damnedest crew of outlaws, assassins, cons, and saboteurs on either side of the Harriet for a history-changing caper. Together they conspired to blow the damn that choked the Mississippi and funnel the hordes of feral hippos contained within downriver, to finally give America back its greatest waterway. Songs are sung of their exploits, many with a haunting refrain: "And not a soul escaped alive." In the aftermath of the Harriet catastrophe, that crew has scattered to the winds. Some hunt the missing lovers they refuse to believe have died. Others band together to protect a precious infant and a peaceful future. All of them struggle with who they've become after a long life of theft, murder, deception, and general disinterest in the strictures of the law. At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
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GirlNamedJesse
Taste of Marrow | Sarah Gailey
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Pickpick

I loved this story just as much as the first! And the way everything came together at the end was *chef‘s kiss* perfection! I‘m going to be thinking of this alternate history that could‘ve been for a long, long time. 🦛

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DimeryRene
Taste of Marrow | Sarah Gailey
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Pickpick

Definitely getting a hippo tattoo after this series! So fun and such a wild romp! 🤠🦛

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DimeryRene
Taste of Marrow | Sarah Gailey
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I may like this one even better than the first! 🦛 I wish there was a graphic novel version!

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Jari-chan
Taste of Marrow | Sarah Gailey
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Pickpick

I enjoyed this part even more than I did the first one. Peter Berkrot is reading this audio book as well and he does a formidable job. His voice just adds to the atmosphere in the story, a mix between swamp feeling and western. This series is one of my favourites by Sarah Gailey so far. And I can only recommend reading the short story “Worth her weight in Gold“ as well, if you like these books.

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Robotswithpersonality
Taste of Marrow | Sarah Gailey
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Pickpick

Marvelous. I'd happily take another in this series, but I'm also content with where it ended. I love this bunch of characters and the slightly speculative world Gailey created.

shanaqui There are a couple of short stories in the world -- not sure where to find them outside of the American Hippo collection, but I remember enjoying them! 2y
Robotswithpersonality @shanaqui Thanks for the info! I will begin my search. 🔍🧐 2y
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Robotswithpersonality
Taste of Marrow | Sarah Gailey
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🌸🦛 Hippos grunting happily while eating purple flowers 🥰 - just like the first in this novella series, there are adorable moments interspersed among the action, drama and violence.

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peanutnine
Taste of Marrow | Sarah Gailey
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Pickpick

The sequel to River of Teeth. I liked the action plot of the first one better, but I liked the character development in this one more. Hero and Houndstooth both think the other has died but also are searching for each other. Adelia's baby has been taken from her and she must face her demons to get her back. The story is very wandering and what to do next? But there are some great themes about friendship, trust, and grief.

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Bookzombie
Taste of Marrow | Sarah Gailey
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Pickpick

I read these two novellas and a short story back to back. Gailey brought to life an alternate history where hippopotamus ranching and riding hippos is normal in the southern U.S. They created a cast of characters that included con artists, assassins, and a poisons/explosives expert, led by Winslow Houndstooth, that I really liked. I was especially fond of Hero and Archie. I loved the hippos each character rode. I was expecting something ⬇️

Bookzombie grittier and darker due to the man-eating hippos, but I found this to be more of a fun, Western caper. I would have liked a full novel fleshing out some of the characters‘ stories more. I also think this would make an excellent comic book series. #Screamathon #BookspinBingo #Freespace
4y
Sleepswithbooks HIPPOS 🦛 ❤️🦛❤️🦛❤️!!!!! 4y
Bookzombie @Stacypatrice I love hippos too. 🦛 4y
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TheAromaofBooks I've been meaning to read these - they sound like such fun!! Great review!! 4y
alisiakae 🎃👻 4y
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danimgill
Taste of Marrow | Sarah Gailey
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Pickpick

Despite the downside of the characters being split up for so much of the story, I felt like the pacing was better than the first novella and really enjoyed spending more time with this found family of hippo wrangling criminals!

GrilledCheeseSamurai I've just discovered the first book and am intrigued. I haven't picked it up yet but I'm definitely onboard with the premise! 🤘 4y
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UnRuLee
Taste of Marrow | Sarah Gailey
This post contains spoilers
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Pickpick

I would die for Hero Shackleby. That is all.

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sebrittainclark
Taste of Marrow | Sarah Gailey
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4/5

My first book of 2020. I loved this conclusion to the American Hippo Duology and all the characters in it. It's such a great and imaginative alternative history.

rachelsbrittain Such a good one to start 2020 off with! 5y
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kyraleseberg
Taste of Marrow | Sarah Gailey
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Pickpick

I didn't love this one *quite* as much as River of Teeth but it was still fun to return to a river of feral hippos and see how things pan out for Houndstooth and his team!

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kyraleseberg
Taste of Marrow | Sarah Gailey
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A few library holds came in this week!

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xicanti
Taste of Marrow | Sarah Gailey
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Panpan

Unfortunately, TASTE OF MARROW didn‘t do nearly as much for me as its predecessor, RIVER OF TEETH. I found the plot choppy and the relationships never gelled in a way I could thrill to, despite the groundwork Gailey laid in the first novella.

I always feel like a failure when I dislike popular things, especially when they SHOULD be my jam. I admire everything Gailey attempts here, but their execution left me cold. Forgive me, Litsy!

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xicanti
Taste of Marrow | Sarah Gailey
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Pain day. So far I‘ve finished WILD SEED by Octavia E. Butler, watched two things I had to read (TACO CHRONICLES, which I did semi-understand because it‘s in Spanish, and ROOKIE HISTORIAN GOO HAE-RYUNG, which I really needed the subtitles for because it‘s in Korean), and fed myself tacos. Now it‘s back to bed with TASTE OF MARROW.

TobeyTheScavengerMonk My wife LOVES Rookie Historian! Don‘t know if it‘s on Canadian Netflix, but another of her favorite K-dramas is Romance is a Bonus Book, which is set in the publishing world. 5y
xicanti @TobeyTheScavengerMonk it is! I‘ve got it on my list. 5y
43 likes2 comments
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speljamr
Taste of Marrow | Sarah Gailey
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Mehso-so

This one was a bit better than the first, but it still wasn't all I'd hoped for. The concept sounds great, but some of the characters just didn't feel like they were really fleshed out. I know a lot of people loved these, and they were worth reading, but I guess I'm just not quite understanding some of the hype these books got.

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althaeria
Taste of Marrow | Sarah Gailey
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This has been a really good week. I have had multiple days that I walked more than 10 km, have gone bouldering twice, and done one short bw workout on a day off (needed to let my feet rest a bit 😂 ). Spending so much time out in the very green Heidelberg has been wonderful, and really a nice boost for my mental health as well.
And I finished three books!
#BookFitnessChallenge #BFC

wanderinglynn Way to go! 🙌🏻 A great week 4! But I have to ask, what is bouldering? 5y
althaeria @wanderinglynn it's rock climbing without a rope. Indoors for me so far. 5y
wanderinglynn Ah, got it. Go you! That‘s amazing! 5y
BookwormAHN Great job 👏🏻 5y
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Lindy
Taste of Marrow | Sarah Gailey
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Pickpick

The raucous conclusion to a duology that defies genre classification—queer/alternate history/noir/western-with-hippos—has a little more violence and a little less hippo presence. Author Sarah Gailey (who uses the pronoun ‘they,‘ btw) explores the idea that people can change: a lech can be loyal to one person; an assassin can decide not to kill anymore. It‘s as fast-paced entertainment as the first novella, with deeper character development. #LGBT

ReadingEnvy Yes! One of my coworkers recently read this based on my recommendation and can‘t stop thinking about it. 5y
Lindy @ReadingEnvy It‘s got a smidge too much casual violence for my taste but I still really liked it. 5y
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Lindy
Taste of Marrow | Sarah Gailey
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She swore under her breath. Then, dissatisfied, she swore over her breath.

TrishB Great line 😁 5y
TrishB And me most days. 5y
Lindy @TrishB 😆🤪 5y
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Tanisha_A Hahahahaha 5y
Tanisha_A Love that 5y
Lindy @Tanisha_A It‘s an entertaining audiobook. 😝 5y
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Weaponxgirl
Taste of Marrow | Sarah Gailey
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Pickpick

After my complaints yesterday about audiobooks I listened to all of this today. This is just fun, if you need a little relief from heavy reading this is perfect. Less killer hippos in this one but they still show up.
On audio I wasn‘t completely convinced by some of the voices but I didn‘t turn it off. I really want a hippo western film made.

Weaponxgirl Available on scribd and hit a prompt for #readharder2019 and #readingwomenchallenge2019 6y
TieDyeDude Agreed! This could make a fantastic movie 6y
Weaponxgirl @TieDyeDude it would be so much fun! I‘m looking at Netflix hopefully 6y
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Lea
Taste of Marrow | Sarah Gailey
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Pickpick

This is the second book in American Hippos. It‘s mostly about the reuniting of the two “parties” that got separated in the first book. It‘s got a lot of action, but less hippo involvement. #diversereads #librarybook
#readharderchallenge - non-binary author

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rachelsbrittain
Taste of Marrow | Sarah Gailey
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Pickpick

I've said it before and I'll say it again: this hippo western is brilliant. And Taste of Marrow is the perfect conclusion to the duology, just as much action and maybe even higher stakes. If possible, I think I actually love the characters even more now than after the first book. Definitely recommend this awesome duology!

Weaponxgirl I loved the first one and all I could say was alternative history with violent hippos to my friends 6y
rachelsbrittain @Weaponxgirl haha right? it's just such a bizarre and fascinating premise! 6y
Weaponxgirl @rachelsbrittain yes! And I don‘t know how to talk about it in any other way 6y
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Cinfhen It sounds so crazzzy pants but I‘m intrigued!!!! 6y
rachelsbrittain @Cinfhen it's awesome! Based on a actual idea presented to Congress to introduce hippos into the Mississippi. I definitely recommend checking out the first book 6y
Addison_Reads Yay! Finally someone else on my friends list has discovered how awesome this duology is. I recommend these all the time. I'd love to see more from this author. I need more hippos in my life. 💚 6y
Cinfhen Thanks for tagging the first book!!! 6y
rachelsbrittain @Addison_Reads yes I love it so much! And she has several new books coming out this year. Nothing in the hippo universe I think, but one does involve a magical private eye 6y
rachelsbrittain @Cinfhen you're so welcome 😊 6y
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GivenLemons
Taste of Marrow | Sarah Gailey
Pickpick

I couldn‘t bear to put this down even at Christmas lunch, so I finished it on Christmas Day. It was really fun with the perfect amount of drama and things left in the air. It follows straight on from River of Teeth, so maybe don‘t leave a few months between reading them!

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Addison_Reads
Taste of Marrow | Sarah Gailey
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Pickpick

Let me just go ahead and say it. I liked the first one more. This is a good sequel, writing is done well, it's action filled, but I personally wanted more involvement with the hippos. I loved the animal characters with their unique personalities in the first one, and here, they just weren't featured much. The author does do a good job though of answering questions left over from the first book. Still a pick for me, just didn't enjoy it as much.

bookandcat Best out of context line in a review ever "I really wanted more involvement with the hippos". Now I have to look this up ? 6y
Addison_Reads @bookandcat I thought about that as I was typing. Glad someone else saw the humor in it too. 😁 If you're going to have a book about killer hippos, you really have to have an appropriate amount of hippos. 😄 6y
Lea I, too, loved the hippos 🦛 6y
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night_shift
Taste of Marrow | Sarah Gailey
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Pickpick

😍 so great! I love me these hippos and hope Gailey uses these characters again, but this was a really solid and satisfying ending!

Really want to buy American Hippo to have all this on my shelf 💚

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SarahSaysRead
Taste of Marrow | Sarah Gailey
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Pickpick

YEP, finished the 2nd book already (they're short, but still).

The intensity ramped up a bit as 3 of the characters tried to get back to the people they love. Loved the ending. I'm gonna go buy American Hippo in paperback, which has these first 2 books PLUS additional stories.

#hippos #alternatehistory #action #sofun #western

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lisakoby
Taste of Marrow | Sarah Gailey
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Pickpick

Amazing world building, hippo riding and the conclusion to an great story. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

#wildwest #western #hippos

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razmanda
Taste of Marrow | Sarah Gailey
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Pickpick

I‘ve been in a bit of a depression lately so trying to read lighter, more absurd fare than normal, and this hit just the right spot. I loved River of Teeth and its sequel did not disappoint.

UrsulaMonarch How wonderful! 7y
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razmanda
Taste of Marrow | Sarah Gailey
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Sunday ritual: drop toddler beast off at religious school, drink copious amounts of coffee, maybe run an errand or two.

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Grrlbrarian
Taste of Marrow | Sarah Gailey
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Popped into absentee daughter Juliet‘s bed to snap up a few chapters of this hippo-laden heist caper. Instead, I passed out for two hours 😴 Afternoon nap 1, sleepy Grrlbrarian 0. Alas!

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Shaunesay
Taste of Marrow | Sarah Gailey
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More hippo action in the bayou! Bring it on!

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RedbagReadbooks
Taste of Marrow | Sarah Gailey
Pickpick

5/5

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Aluciddreamstate
Taste of Marrow | Sarah Gailey
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Pickpick

4/5🚨. I liked the continuation to the story. It was a great and fun book 📖. Would highly recommend. I am an Iowa native but was given the opportunity to be in lovely Colorado for the weekend. Beautiful views for fun pages 🤡

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Aluciddreamstate
Taste of Marrow | Sarah Gailey
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Bookmail

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AshleyKorinE
Taste of Marrow | Sarah Gailey
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Pickpick

More Hippos! I love these hippo story novellas and I want more! Houndstooth and Hero are adorable, Archie is my favorite ever, and it‘s all around perfect. It‘s a well rounded story with both books and it made my day getting some closure. I just have to hope for more for now.

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kammartinez
Taste of Marrow | Sarah Gailey
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Pickpick

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ of 5 ⭐️s

So given what happened in the previous novella, I really wanted to know what had happened to the gang - and it was AMAZING XD. Not quite as long or involved as River of Teeth, but still an absolutely fun, riproaring read. Now: when are we gonna get a full-length novel :D?

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kammartinez
Taste of Marrow | Sarah Gailey
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kammartinez
Taste of Marrow | Sarah Gailey
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Slow day at work so sneaking this in to read ;D.

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shanaqui
Taste of Marrow | Sarah Gailey
Pickpick

Oh man I needed this. I needed things to work out. So glad I got an ARC.

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nosferatoos
Taste of Marrow | Sarah Gailey
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It's here! It's here! It's here!!!!! And I have two books to read for school before I can read it 😫😫😫😫😫#riverofteeth #studentlife legit add this to my #fivestarpredictions because I know I'm gonna love this.

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Liberty
Taste of Marrow | Sarah Gailey
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Evening reading. #hungryhungryhippo 😂

Emilyrjones22 I read River of Teeth a couple of weeks ago and wasn't sure about continuing... what do you think about this one? 7y
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RanaElizabeth
Taste of Marrow | Sarah Gailey
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Because the world can never have enough hippos. Hippoes? Hippopotami?
Both first and second in the series are up for $3.99 preorder today.