The proverb “in like a lion, out like a lamb” is often applied to spring weather (specifically the month of March), meaning that the weather is very harsh and biting (like a lion) at the beginning, but gets warmer and more pleasant at the end (like a lamb) as summer arrives.
These books have nothing to do with that proverb, aside from their titles.
Wearing the Lion by John Wiswell
In a fit of god-induced madness, Heracles slayed his own children. Now a shell of a man and wracked with guilt, he embarks on a quest to find the god that cursed him and get revenge. Hera, the guilty party, sends Heracles monster after monster to slay as a distraction. Too traumatized to enact more violence, Heracles instead cares for the Nemean lion, cures the illness of the Lernaean hydra, and bonds with Crete’s giant bull. Wearing the Lion is a reimagining of the Labors of Hercules. It is also a story about grief, redemption, and the power of compassion.
The Lion Women of Tehran by Marjan Kamali
This novel explores the intertwined yet divergent lives of two Iranian girls as they grow into adulthood and experience different social classes, political leanings, and dreams spanning from 1950 Tehran, through the 1979 Iranian Revolution, to the United States in 2022.
Lion & Lamb by James Patterson and Duane Swierczynski
Rival PIs, Veena Lion and Cooper Lamb, work the same intense headline-making case involving Eagles starting quarterback Archie Hughes and his even more famous wife, Grammy-winning singer Francine Hughes. One spouse is murdered. The other is suspect #1. Even before the case hits the courtroom, it’s the hottest ticket in town. Together, Lion and Lamb knowing every secret in Philadelphia, prove how two wrongs can make a right.
Three Bags Full: A Sheep Detective Story by Leonie Swann
Something is not right with George the shepherd. His sheep have gathered around him outside the cozy Irish village of Glennkill to assess the situation. George has cared for the sheep for years, reading them books every night, and now he lies pinned to the ground with a spade. His flock, far savvier about the workings of the human mind than your average sheep, sets out to find George’s killer, led by Miss Maple, the smartest sheep in Glennkill (and possibly the world).
She’s a Lamb! by Meredith Hambrock*
Jessamyn will stop at nothing to become a Broadway star. But for now, she juggles working as an usher at a theatre in Vancouver with auditioning for TV commercials. When she gets the opportunity to try out for the main role in the theatre’s production of The Sound of Music, she’s convinced that this will be her big break. The only problem is she doesn’t book the part. Or any part, actually. She is instead offered a job as the babysitter for the child actors. Jessamyn knows in her heart that she could do a better job than the woman cast as the lead… and she’ll go to great lengths to try and snatch the role out from under her.
*Discuss this title at Thursday Evening Book Club.
