By W. Bruce Cameron
I’ve always heard authors should not write using a dog’s point of view, but Bruce Cameron catches Bella’s thoughts perfectly
Dog Book Reviews
Soul of an Octopus
By Sy Montgomery
You might think a book on octopuses would be the farthest from my list of book reviews about dogs and the environment, but octopuses are very smart, inquisitive, and have individual personalities. In many ways, the octopuses at the aquarium can act as pets, remembering people who interact with them and express their feelings by blowing water at those they don’t like. They enjoy getting their heads petted, and playing, much like a dog.
Thunder Dog – The True Story of a Blind Man, his Guide Dog & the Triumph of Trust – A Book Review
Few of us know what it’s like to be blind or even know a blind person. Just imagine being blind in today’s world, the challenges, but also the advantages provided by technology, and more acceptance of guide dogs by the public.
Blind people today can do almost anything if they are willing to try, and Michael Hingson tried everything.
The Dog Year—A Book Review
I met Ann Garvin when she gave an enthusiastic and funny keynote address at the UW Madison Writer’s Institute in 2015. As an exercise physiology nurse turned novelist, her stories intrigued me with her sense of humor. Her book, The Dog Year, grabbed my heart and eyes with a photo of a dog on the cover. I met Ann again a year later at the Chicago Writer’s Conference, where she gave me pointers on how to pitch an agent for the book I am currently writing.
The Dog Year is not directly about dogs but uses them as ancillary characters to help Dr. Lucy Peterman and her friends heal from various emotional traumas. Dogs are great therapists, which Lucy discovered after she decided to keep an abandoned d
Book Review: Through Frankie’s Eyes
A Dachshund in a wheelchair on the book cover grabbed at my heart. About fifteen years ago, I too had owned a dog that needed a wheel chair due to osteosarcoma, a fast-growing bone cancer.
Was the author’s experience similar to mine? How did she deal with the constraints of a wheel chair? I had to find out.
Book Review: Katie Up and Down the Hall by Glenn Plaskin
“A cocker,” I exclaimed, as I looked out the car window at the neighboring car during a traffic jam. My boyfriend slammed his foot on the brakes, thinking my outburst signaled impending danger as we passed through Hubbard’s Cave in downtown Chicago. That was his inauguration into my world of dogs, especially cocker and springer spaniels. At that time I was living without a dog, alone in an apartment and in desperate need of a dog.
Oprah’s 17 Books for Dog Lovers
I’ll have to read all of these – I’ve never not liked an Oprah endorsed book! I’ll make my New Year’s resolution to read half of these this year and half next year. For a summary of each book, go to:
Book Review: Pack of Two by Caroline Knapp
Caroline Knapp has put into words many feelings that I share regarding several of my relationships with dogs. Words I had not heard before about the deep relationship a dog can provide—not just any dog, but a special bond that forms especially with dogs we have had for a long time or have had during critical periods in our lives.
Book Review: The Dog Who Lived (and So Will I)
The Dog Who Lived (and So Will I) by Teresa J. Rhyne, 2012 by Sourcebooks, Inc.
This #1 New York Times bestseller memoir is a love story on multiple levels. First Teresa acquires Seamus, a beagle rescue, who won over her heart and that of her ’boyfriend’, Chris. I use the term boyfriend in quotes, since Teresa didn’t want a serious relationship with Chris, who was much younger, and she had been burned twice by divorce.
