Of Mice and Minestrone: Hap and Leonard: The Early Years

Written by Joe R. Lansdale, Kathleen Kent and Kasey Lansdale

Narrated by JD Jackson

A brand-new Hap and Leonard series collection chock full of Joe R. Lansdale’s inimitable blend of humor, mayhem, and insight, Of Mice and Minestrone delivers never-before-seen stories, a selection of the boys’ favorite recipes, by Kasey Lansdale, and an introduction from New York Times bestselling crime author Kathleen Kent.

“An absolute treasure trove.”—Ace Atkins, author of The Shameless

“Of Mice and Minestrone is classic Lansdale at his legendary best.... Compelling. Hilarious. Poignant"—NY Journal of Books

Today’s Special: Justice, East Texan-Style

Hap Collins looks like a good ol’ boy. But even in his misspent youth, his best pal is Leonard Pine, who is black, gay, and the ultimate outsider. Inseparable friends, Hap and Leonard climb into the boxing ring, visit their families, get in bar fights, and just go fishing—all the while confronting racists, righting wrongs, and eating a whole lot of delicious food.

So pull up a seat and sit a spell. Master storyteller Joe R. Lansdale—along with Kasey Lansdale’s down-home recipes and Kathleen Kent’s introduction—has cooked up a new passel of tales for you about the unlikeliest duo East Texas has to offer, created by his own self.

About the Hap and Leonard short story series
Hap and Leonard
Hap and Leonard: Blood and Lemonade
The Big Book of Hap and Leonard (digital only)

Lansdale’s duo made their screen debuts in the three season Hap and Leonard television series, starring Michael K. Williams (The Wire), James Purefoy (The Following), and Christina Hendricks (Mad Men).

• Language: English
• Publisher: Brilliance Audio
• Release date: Sep 22, 2020
• ISBN: 9781713526902

Joe R. Lansdale

Joe R. Lansdale is the winner of the British Fantasy Award, the American Horror Award, the Edgar Award, and six Bram Stoker Awards. He lives in Nacogdoches, Texas.

Reviews for Of Mice and Minestrone

[Robert J Keaveny · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

JD Jackson ruined the series with his lazy narrating.Too bad

[bjkelley · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

5 Short Stories featuring Hap and Leonard in their earlier years. Like everything Lansdale writes, I highly recommend. Last part of book contains recipes of food that appeared during the stories, these recipes collected by Kasey Lansdale also feature short humorous remarks by Joe R. Lansdale.

[tobinelliott · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Hap and Leonard lite...

A quick read and an interesting looking into the teen and early twenties years of (mostly) Hap and (somewhat less) Leonard. Don't come in looking for all of the crazy shenanigans these two normally get up to. This is more a look at some of the moral codes Hap was developing at the time, and it was a good excuse to name-check some of the characters referenced in earlier H&L adventures (such as, for example, Leonard's uncle).

While there's a few men (and one woman) that takes a beating in these stories—and Hap and Leonard get their fair share—some of the stories, such as the opener and the closer, are downright philosophical.

A different aspect and a rare insight into two of my favourite characters.

[stahl2ricco · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

“...a large pot of minestrone soup, and at the bottom of the pot two rats, dead of poison it was surmised.” Well, that explains the cover!First 62 pages - no Leonard?!?!? Last 32 pages, recipes not written by the author!?!? So, 93 pages of Hap and Leonard, with 13 of those having been previously published. SO, 80 pages of H&L for $15.95...Ok, now that I've gotten that out of my way... I still really liked those 80 pages of new Hap and Leonard, and I did enjoy re-reading the 13! Joe R. is a favorite of mine, I love these characters, and I really love their wise-cracking dialogue! I'd probably give those 93 pages 5 stars, but the book, the way that it is packaged and sold, is not getting that. Even $10 would seem high for 80 new pages. And those recipes are just filler, that add nothing to round out the characters or add to their stories. All-in-all, this book feels like a cash grab and/or a commericial way to tie in to the t.v. show. For someone like me, a pretty big H&L fan, this purchase was a bummer. “What’s that them frogs in France say. Bone up a tit.”“Blood sheds easier than it cleans,...”

[gothamajp · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Lansdale does. He manages to make the grim, crude, and violent into off-kilter heart-warming tales populated by, in Hap & Leonard’s case, heroes you cant help but root for. If you’ve read the numerous Hap & Leonard novels this collection of five short stories from their teenage years plus Hap’s favorite recipes (yep recipes) is a perfect addition. If you only know them through the excellent TV show, or have never tried their adventures before, this collection is a great point at which to discover who they are.