Review: Bobby Singer’s Guide to Hunting

Supernatural: Bobby Singer’s Guide to Hunting by David Reed. 2011. It Books, an imprint of Harper Collins. Review copy from publisher. A tie in to the CW TV show, Supernatural. Holiday reads. Here at Tea Cozy, holiday reads aren’t books about holidays; they’re grown up books for grown up readers to indulge in over the holidays.

The Plot: Bobby Singer’s brain is leaking memories. He has some blanks in his memory, and he doesn’t think it’s alcohol related. Things aren’t were they are usually kept, like the grenade launcher. And he just cannot remember how he got home from Ashland. Where are the car keys? Where is the car?

If Bobby was anyone else, well, there would be a medical explanation. Bobby is a hunter, hunting all those things that go bump in the night that are real: vampires, demons, werewolves, ghosts, well, you get the picture. Before Bobby loses all his memories, he wants to pass down some of his knowledge to Sam and Dean Winchester. Welcome to Bobby Singer’s Guide to Hunting.

The Good: Yes, this is a tie in with the TV show Supernatural. My love of the pretty, pretty Winchester boys is well documented. And I still they they would be awesome on a READ poster. Honestly, if you don’t watch Supernatural, this book is not for you. If you don’t watch the show, and do like horror and supernatural delivered in a way that is serious and scary and sometimes funny, give the show a try. Because there are season long story arcs, I’d recommend going all the way back and starting with Season 1; Bloody Mary, the fifth episode, is the one where this show really grabs you and says, watch this show. It’s more than two pretty, pretty boys and a terrific car.

If you watch Supernatural, Bobby Singer’s Guide to Hunting is a lot of fun. Who doesn’t love Bobby? And here is a whole book from Bobby’s point of view, as Bobby shares some of his past hunting stories. There is more on how he started hunting after his wife died; an explanation for Bobby’s fluency in Japanese; and what Bobby really thinks about John Winchester. It’s a series of short horror stories, with Bobby — well, he may not always win but he always survives. Up until his last case, in Ashland, and that frustrating lack of memories. It’s that tale that wraps it all together, sort of like how one story arc covers a season of Supernatural while there are monster of the week episodes as well.

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