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The Bees and Other Wild Things
A sequel to A SURPLUS OF LIGHT
Places can be haunted, but so can people. It’s not just the woods that are imbued with the memory of two boys and the five summers they spent there.
Two boys stand on a creek bed at the end of one chapter of life and the beginning of another. Two boys with no idea how to begin. An unlikely friendship is forged, boundaries are crossed, absolutes are tested…and life finds a way. Over the course of many seasons of two lives, two boys learn that life, and friendship, are what you make of them.
Places can be haunted, but so can people. It’s not just the woods that are imbued with the memory of two boys and the five summers they spent there.
Two boys stand on a creek bed at the end of one chapter of life and the beginning of another. Two boys with no idea how to begin. An unlikely friendship is forged, boundaries are crossed, absolutes are tested…and life finds a way. Over the course of many seasons of two lives, two boys learn that life, and friendship, are what you make of them.
- GenresM M Romance
139 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 21, 2022
11 people are currently reading
48 people want to read
About the author
Chase Connor
39 books316 followersBANG BANG HE SHOT HER DOWN - the fourth book in the Head Rock Harbor Mystery series - can be pre-ordered here!
https://mybook.to/HRHM4BBHSHD
GHOST IN THE CUPBOARD - the first book in the NEW Silas Erie Paranormal Cozy series - can be pre-ordered here:
https://mybook.to/SEPC1GitC
Chase Connor spends his days writing about the people who live (loudly and rent-free) in his head when he’s not busy being enthusiastic about naps and Pad Thai. Chase started his writing career as a confused gay teen looking for an escape from reality. Ten years later, one of the books he wrote during those years, Just A Dumb Surfer Dude: A Gay Coming-of-Age Tale, was published independently. Chase has numerous projects in various stages of completion lined up for publishing. Chase is a multi-genre author, but always with a healthy dollop of gay.
https://mybook.to/HRHM4BBHSHD
GHOST IN THE CUPBOARD - the first book in the NEW Silas Erie Paranormal Cozy series - can be pre-ordered here:
https://mybook.to/SEPC1GitC
Chase Connor spends his days writing about the people who live (loudly and rent-free) in his head when he’s not busy being enthusiastic about naps and Pad Thai. Chase started his writing career as a confused gay teen looking for an escape from reality. Ten years later, one of the books he wrote during those years, Just A Dumb Surfer Dude: A Gay Coming-of-Age Tale, was published independently. Chase has numerous projects in various stages of completion lined up for publishing. Chase is a multi-genre author, but always with a healthy dollop of gay.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
October 31, 2022
***please make sure to read A Surplus of Light before jumping into this!***
[4.4~4.5, rating in conjunction with the short story at the end of the book] a month since Ian and Mike have left Podunk, Texas, the creek has gone dry, and two boys standing on opposite sides of the dried creek bed lay eyes on each other.
this is the story of Kevin and Carson’s very own summer.
there’s something about the way Chase Connor establishes a sense of place in his books that draws me right in. the blazing heat of a nasty drought, the whispering and nodding of townspeople, the buzzing of hundreds of bees. it’s been a while since i read A Surplus of Light, but once again i felt like i knew this small town, with its limited selection of stores and slew of backward-thinking residents, like the back of my hand. i would like nothing more than to sit down with Wallace Lee in his backyard and contemplate what the world has to offer.
i wish i could write more, but i still haven’t packed for my trip, so i’ll leave you with a few of my thoughts on that ending. the last few pages were far from what i envisioned for the two of them, but even in their ambiguity, or rather my initial reluctance to accept their implication at face value, rereading the short story “A Species of Special Concern” immediately after had coated on the sugar to a decent afterglow. hopeful and lonely no more, that’s enough to keep my greed at bay (for now, though more short stories and the like are always welcome 😉). while i think this will be different from what most readers expected in a sequel, i trust they will at least walk away with some food for thought.
---pre-release excitement!!---
next month is bursting with goodies!! we are truly winning this October 😌💃
I suppose that is what we're moving toward in life—becoming a piece of the hazy collective memory of the people who knew us least and haunting the memories of those who can't forget us.
Like memories of past summers in the creek.
[4.4~4.5, rating in conjunction with the short story at the end of the book] a month since Ian and Mike have left Podunk, Texas, the creek has gone dry, and two boys standing on opposite sides of the dried creek bed lay eyes on each other.
this is the story of Kevin and Carson’s very own summer.
there’s something about the way Chase Connor establishes a sense of place in his books that draws me right in. the blazing heat of a nasty drought, the whispering and nodding of townspeople, the buzzing of hundreds of bees. it’s been a while since i read A Surplus of Light, but once again i felt like i knew this small town, with its limited selection of stores and slew of backward-thinking residents, like the back of my hand. i would like nothing more than to sit down with Wallace Lee in his backyard and contemplate what the world has to offer.
i wish i could write more, but i still haven’t packed for my trip, so i’ll leave you with a few of my thoughts on that ending. the last few pages were far from what i envisioned for the two of them, but even in their ambiguity, or rather my initial reluctance to accept their implication at face value, rereading the short story “A Species of Special Concern” immediately after had coated on the sugar to a decent afterglow. hopeful and lonely no more, that’s enough to keep my greed at bay (for now, though more short stories and the like are always welcome 😉). while i think this will be different from what most readers expected in a sequel, i trust they will at least walk away with some food for thought.
---pre-release excitement!!---
THE BEES AND OTHER WILD THINGS is the sequel to A SURPLUS OF LIGHT. As was speculated, and as I confirmed, BEES is the story of characters Kevin and Carson. Not that Ian and Mike are forgotten. Not by a long shot. Kevin and Carson find themselves in that space between childhood and manhood, waiting, wondering, confused, lonely. The town around them is changing. Life is changing. Sometimes...when nothing makes sense, and you're trying to figure out life...all you can do is lean on someone who understands you. Even if your history with each other is less than amiable. THE BEES AND OTHER WILD THINGS is available for pre-order now. Coming October 21st, 2022.
next month is bursting with goodies!! we are truly winning this October 😌💃
November 1, 2022
The only thing I didn’t like was that it ended too soon.
December 28, 2022
Another beautifully written book! This book took me on a journey of finding comfort in the most unlikely of places. This book had so many layers. Everyone had their own story, their own secrets and struggles.
I did feel melancholy once finished. It wasn’t the ending I anticipated but it was the ending Carson and Kevin needed.
There were overwhelming feelings of isolation and hopelessness throughout the book but so much connection and desire for more. These two young men were kind of lost and both searching for meaning where there didn’t seem to be any.
Carson was dealt a rough hand from the beginning. He was left with no options after his parents’ accident. He had to take on the responsibilities of grown adults at a young age. He had virtually no support. While that didn’t excuse his actions in high school, it certainly made sense when the whole picture was presented.
Kevin was such a kind soul. He didn’t have much direction in his life and wasn’t sure where he fit. He had every reason to treat Carson with disdain but he also knew that would serve no purpose. He was there for Carson when he could’ve been anywhere else.
The comfort they found with and in each other helped them feel less alone. It gave them something to look forward to and cherish. It may not have been meant to be for the long term but it helped them navigate their darkest days.
I did feel melancholy once finished. It wasn’t the ending I anticipated but it was the ending Carson and Kevin needed.
There were overwhelming feelings of isolation and hopelessness throughout the book but so much connection and desire for more. These two young men were kind of lost and both searching for meaning where there didn’t seem to be any.
Carson was dealt a rough hand from the beginning. He was left with no options after his parents’ accident. He had to take on the responsibilities of grown adults at a young age. He had virtually no support. While that didn’t excuse his actions in high school, it certainly made sense when the whole picture was presented.
Kevin was such a kind soul. He didn’t have much direction in his life and wasn’t sure where he fit. He had every reason to treat Carson with disdain but he also knew that would serve no purpose. He was there for Carson when he could’ve been anywhere else.
The comfort they found with and in each other helped them feel less alone. It gave them something to look forward to and cherish. It may not have been meant to be for the long term but it helped them navigate their darkest days.
October 26, 2022
So much more than expected
Coming of age is never easy. Add to that a small Texas town, a bully you were asked to watch over and a past you never knew about and it gets really complicated. A great read with a lot of life lessons from bees.
Coming of age is never easy. Add to that a small Texas town, a bully you were asked to watch over and a past you never knew about and it gets really complicated. A great read with a lot of life lessons from bees.
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July 13, 2025This book was heartbreaking through and through, and not in the ham-fisted misery porn way. Beautifully written and an excellent study of the human psyche and contradictions, but heartbreaking and bittersweet nonetheless. Damn you Chase I didn’t need to feel more depressed than I already am 😭
November 15, 2022
4 stars for the atmosphere and the sense of place this author is able to return.
February 26, 2023
Me heart 🥺🥺🥺🥺
May 4, 2023
Not like the first but good. I don’t thing it’s a story about love though I thing is a story about kindness and friendship at the end
February 6, 2023
I really enjoy this author's writing. It has a very magical feel. I'm not big on Novella's because I always want more, but Chase really packed a lot into this short story. It was an emotional ride. The main take-away for me was finding comfort in the least likely place. I loved the friendship and support that these characters built. I did feel that the ending was kind of abrupt - and it wasn't necessarily the ending I was hoping for BUT I can agree that it made sense.
August 17, 2024
Having unfortunately not read A Surplus of Light this still left me with much feels by book's end.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews