Book Review: Three Wild Dogs (and the truth)

Three Wild Dogs (and the truth), by Markus Zusak (Harper Collins, 2024, $27.99, 223pp HB) Read a sample here and listen to a sample here.

By the incredible Australian best-selling author* of The Book Thief,

Love in Times of Chaos

Three Wild Dogs is not exactly about three wild dogs, but they were all rescues and rather boisterous and extroverted and difficult if that can be said for a dog. Or maybe they were rather wild but not feral, having come from a 'group home' (dog shelter).

As I was reading I wished I could see what the dogs looked like because in my mind's eye it was hard to picture them (especially the colorful Reuben), when, lo and behold I chanced upon two groups of pages with photos of the dogs and their humans! The author's two children have a lovely unique relationship with the dogs and vice versa: Reuben, a large rambunctious canine, deliberatively walks perfectly when walked by daughter Kitty but  pulls when the author walks him. Nobody trained Reuben to do that.

A very unusual nonfiction book (with expletives on occasion left in) written by an established fiction author, Wild Dogs will have you bonded near the end where the denouement is revealed. You will understand the love a man has for a dog (or two or three).

The worst thing about a dog is his shorter life span, compared to his human. Perhaps that is why dogs live in the present. 

I loved the foreshadowing and foreboding that Zusak includes and, thank goodness, sometimes the anticipation of unfortunate events did not seem all that critical to me. At times, this is the story of regular family pets - but at other times, I could just strangle the author as he could just strangle his dog for running away or starting a fight. I quietly thought to myself that I wished he had found a positive reinforcement trains for his dogs. Life would be less chaotic but also less full of  forgiveness and love for the unbridled behavior of the dogs.

*The Book Thief is also a 2013 movie (trailer) 

and #1 New York Times bestseller and Kirkus Reviews Best Young Adult Book of the Century.

Book Review: Growing Home (children's, unusual friendships)

Growing Home, by Beth Ferry (Simon & Schuster, 2025, $17.99, 272pp HB, ages 7-9, grades 1-4), a Barnes and Noble Children's Book of the Year for 2025 and co-illustrated by brothers Terry and Eric Fan

Even today, in October 2026, when you wander through a Barnes and Noble store,  you will be inundated with the front cover of Growing Home and rightly so. We finally were able to review a copy and were we ever glad we did!

For middle-schoolers, it can be a long book of 71 chapters! But the chapters are short so a young girl or boy can take these animal and plant friends along and sneak in a chapter or two on the sly. Parents will get the characters a bit mixed up what with the human names for them, with the exception of the ivy plant named Ivy. We have a  grumpy goldfish Toasty, a traveling spider Arthur, Ollie the violet (misnamed however, it is obvious) and some nefarious humans, along with an 8-sided fish tank, a marvelous bird cage and a break-in.

The story will remind you of Mary Poppins with the adventures in the possible setting of London. Each character has a slight superpower but has to discover it and they don't start out as friends but learn along the way to use their powers for the 'good of the order.'

Book Review: Cat Heaven (OT) (children's book)

 Cat Heaven, by Cynthia Rylant (Blue Sky Press, 1997, 40pp HB, preschool - 3, ages 3+, $12.39)

Cat Heaven is almost a companion book to Dog Heaven,

which came first. Both are now classics by Newbery medalist author, illustrator and librarian Cynthia Rylant because many families with dogs also have cats.

Often, over ten years or so, the child outlives the dog, a sad situation that requires time and empathy to recover from. Cat Heaven is a lovely book to be read over and over again as it comforts your child. Child-sized (big) and crayon colorful, imagining Cat Heaven will spark old memories all over again and begin conversations.

When cats go to heaven, an angel cat welcomes them at the yellow front door with a kiss and a bowl of milk. And tuna and salmon and sardines and little pink fish, with a soft angel cat lap just right for napping.

Rhyming all over the page and sometimes in circles brings smiles to little faces as they are tucked in for the night, to dream of their favorite pet enjoying his new life. And seeing him again sometime.

And God ". . . walks in His garden with a good black book and a kitty asleep on his head."

Book Review: Dog Heaven (children's book)

Dog Heaven by Cynthia Rylant (Blue Sky Press, 1995, ages 3+, $16.99, 40pp HB, preschool - grade 2) 

A Classic for Children (and you, too!)

Most children have a pet at one time or other and many of those pets are dogs. Often, over ten years or so, the child outlives the dog - a sad situation that requires time and empathy to recover from. Dog Heaven can help your child. It is a lovely book to be read over and over.

Child-sized (big) and crayon colorful, Dog Heaven is written in rhyme that may not be apparent at first glance, and in words and pictures that children can relate to so easily: pictures of a different-looking God, angel children, cloud beds, angel dogs, and a dog bowl for every dog with his name on it.

The pictures appear with words superimposed and the illustrations are as if a child drew them so your child will identify closely with them and designate their favorite pages - perhaps the page with dog treats in different shapes (cat biscuits and squirrel biscuits) or the pages with plentiful fields to run in or geese to tease.

Author Cynthia Rylant is also the illustrator, a librarian, and the author of more books for children, including the Henry and Mudge books!

In Dog Heaven, every dog is always a Good Dog.

Book Review: The Women (military nurses in the Vietnam Conflict)

The Women, by Kristin Hannah (St. Martin's  Press, 2024, 480pp HB, $30), a Goodreads Choice Award winner; Washington Post, New York Times, LA Times and USA Today number one bestseller; and recognized by Barnes and Noble, Amazon, NPR, and Audible

A saga usually spans generations of an influential family during turbulent times but author Kristin Hannah manages to create sagas that cover only a decade or so in her books (Firefly Lane,

Magic Hour 

and 18 others) yet leaves the reader exhausted emotionally nevertheless. She creates depth as well as breadth in her novels that are breathtaking in their realism and optimism and inspiration yet are so much more than 'chick-flicks' in word form.

With a front cover reminiscent of the Broadway play "Miss Saigon," 

The Women encompasses a truly believable story amidst the turmoil of the 60s and ventures into the 70s and beyond. If you were alive and kicking during that time, you will remember the protest songs and folk songs mentioned and the political  headlines that not only brought the country together but also divided us politically.

The Script: "Women are Heroes, too."

Frankie (Frances to her mother) was raised to believe military service was an honor and a duty, but only for men. Her brother was a Navy pilot, so Frankie, a nurse, joined the Army almost on a whim. The men she met in Vietnam and the nurses she bonded with (for life) and the homecoming that so many vets experienced serve as the background for this long but fast-reading novel (short paragraphs help as well).

The Best?

Touted as one of the best of the Hannah novels, The Women has won several literary awards and will serve as a book club selection for many years to come. Now, this reviewer is on to read The Nightingale, a Book of the Month selection!

Book Review: Wildlife Anatomy (OT)

Wildlife Anatomy: The Curious Lives & Features of Wild Animals Around the World, by Julia Rothman (Storey, $18.99, 2023, 208pp PB)

What a wonderful incredible book - to keep and refer to, often! But you can't read it in one sitting because there is too much to digest: more than 200 pages of delightful drawings and scientific information* so the built-in bookmarks come in handy.

With six chapters including "Have you Herd?" and "Social Networks" as well as "Built From the Ground Up." Most are self-explanatory but "Built From the Ground Up" may not be: it is about dens, underground tunnels, nests, and of course dams built by nature's engineer, the beaver. Some nests are rebuilt every day! Mud is a common component as well.

Colorful illustrations crowd every page as the reader follows up the phylogenetic tree with digressions along the way and a bit too many unusual animals for me - we would never run into them and with only a sentence or two about each one, the author doesn't nearly do them justice.

Having said that, Wildlife is a good review for a former zoology major or for a high-school student who can't get enough of animals: perhaps he or she is trying to decide their favorite one. If so, Rothman's book will help. And now I am going to look up the author's work on oceans and maybe a sticker book or activity book or. . . . 

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*life span, courtship rituals, size of 'litters,' and yes, anatomy (anatomy of the hoof on p. 94 and of a giraffe, flamingo, armadillo, camel, owl, tarantula, . . . .oh, how I wish the author had included an index!

Book Review: A Farewell to Arfs (a Chet and Bernie dog mystery)

A Farewell to Arfs, by Spencer Quinn (Tor Publishing Group, 2024, 278pp HB, $27.99) Reviews of other Chet and Bernie books here and here and here. . . . 

I came across A Farewell to Arfs quite by mistake but it reminded me that it has been a long time since I last read a Chet and Berrnie dog mystery and I missed those guys! It was good to be back. This is number 15 in the series. So far.

Author Spencer Quinn is at the top of his field as usual, with the help of Chet The Dog (Bernie is Chet's human and a PI). Or maybe it's because of Chet The Dog. I had mistakenly remembered that chapters alternated between the two as narrators but soon recalled that Chet The Dog is the "narrator extraordinaire" and the reason for the book series - and its successes.

Chet is the lovable, fast-talking but slow-remembering sidekick in danger but we love him. He gets sidetracked so easily that even we can't always follow him.

The Plot

We love how the exciting climax comes not at the end but several chapters earlier with the explanation at the end. Set in probably Arizona or New Mexico, like many Chet and Bernie stories, this one tackles AI and computers and hacking and . . . . basically, an old man's life savings are stolen by his son when the man's passwords are handed over. But was it really to his son on the phone? Does a parent ever get his child mixed up over the phone? 

We love the return of the Hawaiian shirts and 'big guy' and how Chet thinks Bernie is the smartest one in the room (always) and we love the love Chet has for Bernie.

And,  About the Cover

Starting with Heart of Barkness (number 8 in the series), the book covers feature a pawprint* and a photo of our hero, Chet, rather than just his silhouette (which left it all to your imagination). I preferred to imagine Chet rather than see him as a dog different than what I had imagined.

You can read the Chet and Bernie books in any order but they are a bit better when read consecutively. For example, I read Farewell after skipping a few, only to find that Bernie's love interest had changed. Now he is engaged to a female police officer who doesn't need his protection (given) which results in the ceremony being put off.

And, About the Title

As a book reviewer, I find myself starting in the back. Is there an index? Does the book need one? I read the acknowledgements, intro, preface, ToC (table of contents), all the boring things you, the reader, skips over. I look at the front and back cover, and, of course, the title. I couldn't figure out this title though it did refer to A Farewell to Arms. . . . 

Recommendation

If you don't mind talking dogs, you will love these books!

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*However, fortunately, the Chet and Bernie books are referred to as the Chet and Bernie books with the right order of protagonists: Chet, first!

Book Review: Firefly Lane

Firefly Lane, by Kristin Hannah (St Martin's Griffin, 479pp PB, $19, 2008)

I am drained after finishing this 479-page book in four days. And I was late to the table discovering author Kristin Hannah. But I will read more of her 15-plus* books.

The Magic Hour 

was incredible but Firefly Lane topped it. Both were set in the Pacific NorthWest (PNW) where I grew up and Firefly's two women graduated from my university, the University of Washington, so I recognized most of the place names and the popular songs that were sprinkled throughout - and remember the clothing - after all this was in the Hippie Times, and the following 30 years..

Firefly is a long book that is a fast read because I loved both women and wanted to be both but never even knew girls like that growing up. Kate and Tully could not be more different but starting at age 14 (in 1974), they became and remained best friends and yes, they fought and were jealous of each other but they were also there for each other.

Kate and Tully had that rare friendship that is also found among veterans in that you can ask them for anything. 

Although the end was rather long and the chapters did not have titles, just about everything else was pretty near perfect.

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* 24 so far, as of September 2026

Book Review: Social Animals (3 women, 3 dogs, a mystery or two at the dog park)

 Social Animals, A Novel, by Camiille Perri (Penguin RandomHouse, 2026, $30, 313pp, HB)

Would you buy this dog? or at least buy this book? Isn't he adorable? But he* looks stuffed (and angry).

Oh, how I wish authors would ask book reviewers to read their book before they publish! But they have editors to do that. And most reviewers are positive. That's why I like to include what I like about a book as well as what I might change.

Social Animals stars three women who meet at the local dog park and form a supportive group quickly. Each has issues: either her job (possibly covert) or her living situation (abuse) or the fact that one was a college athlete and another hides her wealth - and one is not who she purports to be while one has a dog and is so not a dog person. Why not? How are the three 'related'?

Author Camille Perri begins Social Animals with a plethora of characters both human and canine. I suggest keeping paper and pen nearby, though the field does narrow as the pages turn,

I felt the pacing was a bit off so that one woman becoming brave towards the end simply was not terribly believable. However, the antics of the dogs and typical dog park humans was characteristic though many were left out.

Bonus: it is a quick beach read!

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*Can you guess the breed? 

Book Review: The One and Only Bob (Ivan, storm)

The One and Only Bob, by Katherine Applegate (HarperCollins, 2020, 368pp PB, $8.99, ages 8-11, grades 3-7) 

"The one and only" Katherine Applegate gave us The One and Only Ivan,

winner of the 2013 Newbery Medal for children, followed by The One and Only Bob, then The One and Only Ruby (2023)

and The One and Only Family (2024), 

Odder (reviewed here), the otter,

and the oh-so-cute Doggo and Pupper books. And many many more books.

You are probably familiar with Ivan, the shopping mall gorilla who was saved after nearly 30 years and lived out the rest of his days in a wildlife sanctuary. But do you remember Ruby his young elephant buddy or Bob the dog or any of his adventures? 

Bob is a unique book, albeit a long one at nearly 400 pages. 400 pages? For a kid? Yup, but some chapters are only one page or a few sentences and there are plenty of spaces and empty lines, so reading goes quickly.

Applegate takes about 100 pages to introduce daily life at the sanctuary with Bob the free dog who lives with Julia who carries him in her backpack as she sneaks into the sanctuary so Bob can  play with little Ruby the elephant just over the wall from Ivan the gorilla with a heart of gold.

But it's starting to rain and a storm is coming. And then it comes. And blows down roofs and floods the buildings: the animals have to escape, even the pets in the shelter down the street.

But does everyone make it? Who ends up being a hero? What stories develop and who runs into someone they haven't seen for many years? 

Exciting, funny, inspiring tale of patience and love and family and wisdom and patience again. "Everyone wants a piece of us. Humans treat us badly. Cars really have it in for us. We even get eaten by coyotes, which is kinda like having your cousin invite you over for dinner, then inform you you're the main course." (p. 104)

Every reader will love Bob and Ruby and Ivan but have a hard time deciding on their favorite. Maybe they should read The One and Only Ruby and The One and Only Family next to help them decide!

Book Review: Bite by Bite: Nourishments and Jamborees (OT)(about food)

Bite by Bite: Nourishments and Jamborees, by Aimee Nezhukumatathil (HarperCollins, 2024, 210pp HB, $26.99) 

What? No Papaya, No Durian?

Bite by Bite is different from yet similar to author and poet Nezhukumatathil's first book, World of Wonders

and both are informative, delightful and magnificent! 

The author relates her life story in bits and pieces, "bite by bite," using food as the fulcrum on which to reveal a food's history, etymology, and most of all, the love between family members and their trials and tribulations growing up in different cultures. The author's mother is Filipina and her father is from India. We also learn about the different food and recipes, many of them fruit and many of the fruit, tropical fruit. It was fun for me because one of my faves is the mangosteen (and the mango).

We have lovely illustrations from Fumi Nakamura again but this time they are more realistic in style (compared to World of Wonders).

From nuts and sandwiches to deserts and staples, this book should be read slowly, though that may be hard to do. Slowly because of the details, telling the story of that particular spice, for example. And each of the 40 short chapters conjures up something in the author's background to relish. But not only her background but also of sharing cooking with her children and their grandparents, and reminiscing about TV shows from the 60s.

I miss the chapter on papayas but not one on durians!

Book Review: World of Wonders: In Praise of Fireflies, Whale Sharks and Other Astonishments (OT)(a biography of nature)

World of Wonders: In Praise of Fireflies, Whale Sharks and Other Astonishments, by Aimee Nezhukumatathil* (Milkweed Editions, 248pp HB, 2024, $25, a national bestseller and Barnes and Noble's Book of the Year)

From Dragonfruit to Flamingos, From Monarch Butterflies to Corpse Flowers

A poet writes a book of short short snippets, chronologically, of not only the plants and animals that populated her world  in numerous states** but of how they painted her growing-up years - and it is one fascinating read! Short stories (short chapters, short essays), presented by an illustration by Fumi Nakamura and introduced with the species' scientific name, in italics to boot, which makes it fun to recall their Greek and Latin roots!

I would, however, had titled this book differently: World of Wonders simply does not do it justice. It is so much more than that.

As I usually do, I counted the pages in each of the 28 chapters (usually reaing the shortest ones first) but quickly gave up because nearly all the essays were wonderful! I did start at the beginning, however, then went to the back, then back to the early essays and read through, page by page.

My Favorite? Ah, that is pretty difficult to say because I love how author Nezhukumatathil (Filipina) connects the natural world with the human condition - on every page - many of the species being tropical ones with which the reader may not be aware. Perhaps my favorite essay is just the animal (or plant) I love the best, the one that brings back memories of my own growing up or when I taught English (like the author) in a university in South East Asia.

The author lives nature and almost miraculously could also teach college zoology or botany and make it fascinating. And don't forget to scrutinize the front cover for colorful pictures of many of the plants and animals inside.

And now I am off to get Bite by Bite!

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*Some editions have both a reader's guide and a teaching guide (of course, the author being a professor)

**Kansas, Mississippi, Arizona, Wisconsin, New York, Ohio. . . . and overseas assignments teaching poetry. With a degree in environmental writing, this is the perfect book for her and she is the perfect author for this book.

Book Review: Mommy, Baby and Me (Is your child expecting a sibling?)

Mommy, Baby and Me, by Linda Marshall (Peter Pauper Press, $16.99, 2017, 32pp HB, 2-5 years, grades 1-2) 

A New Classic!

We love this book! Written by Linda Marshall from the baby's point of view, Mommy, Baby and Me is not only delightful but just may solve a myriad of problems, aided and abetted by British illustrator Ged Adamson. 

Family Grows from Two to Four

The pupster (a Corgi) and her person live a lovely, busy life and do everything together.

 

Then, along comes Boyfriend and pupster gets pushed aside a little bit. Then in comes Baby and the poor little pupster is pushed aside even more.

 

That is, until she learns why the baby came into their lives.

Do you have a little one and are expecting another? Is the first one a bit jealous even before the blessed arrival? And more so, afterwards? Do you have a pupster who feels pushed aside all of a sudden when the family grows? 

Then this is the book for you. We are keeping ours forever just because we love the drawings and the story plus there are several drawings on each page! And we aren't even Corgi people!

Book Review: Bark (stories)

Bark, by Lorrie Moore (Random House, 2014, 192pp PB, $15.00)

Seven Short Stories

Although I don't usually review books of short stories, I was willing to try my hand at Bark for two reasons: the title (and front cover illustration) and the fact that the author comes highly recommended (and is an English professor). (The reason for my reluctance, generally, is due to the fact that the writing is too varied in style and accomplishment.)

One of the first things I do is locate the front cover online and append it to my review (see above) and also put in a folder for later reference. The book I physically have right now features a dachshund on the cover but the only cover I could find online has trees on the cover (see above)! Go figure. So, which is it? Or both? (And I apologize for the fuzziness. . . .)

The book on my desk currently has a couple of references to dogs but too few to actually merit the title in my opinion. But sometimes I simply can't ever correlate the title with the content so the slight disconnect here didn't bother me.

Author Lorrie Moore includes short and longer stories in Bark so of course I began with the short ones even though a longer one, the first, seemed to be more about dogs (Debarking). 

Most of the stories are what I call, plotless, which is not necessarily a bad thing: they show the reader what the characters are like more than what they do, so we get to know them, really know them. And if we like them, we tend to like the book. Unfortunately, I could only identify with the characters in one of these short stories making this book a chore to finish. However, your mileage may vary!

Book Review: Drinking with My Dog: The Canine Lover's Cocktail Book

Drinking with My Dog: The Canine Lover's Cocktail Book, by Natalie Bovis (Running Press, 2023, 206pp HB, $22.00) 

I was so excited to hear of this book and it came in the mail quite quickly, along with Cocktails with My Cat* which I reviewed first (here), for some reason (maybe saving the best for last since I am a dog person?)

Author Natalie Bovis is an animal advocate primarily but also a mixology instructor extraordinaire, as evidenced by her classes and books such as Drinking with My Dog. With dog-themed chapters like "Rescue Me" and "A Walk on the Wild Side" (lions and tigers and [bears], oh my!) and "Friends in High Places" (famous owners), she includes more than 60 original easy-to-make fun drink recipes. 

Chapter Three

A Dog Book or a Drink Book?

But is this a dog book or a drink book? "That is the question." Because so much information about man's best friend is jam-packed into this little hard cover book with whimsical illustrations galore that we just couldn't decide. 

My Favorite, Blue Velvet

We did decide to start not only making some of these delicious-looking concoctions but also to create some of our own: Bovis concludes with a chapter on how to invent them, name them and the steps to follow in making the drinks. 

And, never fear, the first chapter has all you need to know about beginning, with eight different shapes of glassware, and seven different bar tools, followed by ingredients to start with on your home bar. And garnishes. "People love dressing up their dogs with a cute bandana. . . . Similarly you can also dress up your drink with a decorative garnish. . . . " (p. 14)

Comparing Drinking with the later book (but earlier reviewed) Cocktails with My Cat, both are similarly organized but just enough different that families with both cats (perish the thought!) and dogs, will want to stock both books in their family bar.

We Learn About Dogs, Too

Did you know that poodles are the second smartest breed, after Border Collies?  After reading that, we wondered about golden retrievers, one of our two breeds, only to find them featured on the very next page, along with five other retriever dogs. Snoopy, the Obama's Bo and Prince's dogs are also included.

Legally Blonde

Honoring Betty White, A Golden Girl

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* Cocktails with My Cat, reviewed here, is hot on the heels of Drinking with My Dog.

Book Review: Cocktails with My Cat: Tasty Tipples for Feline Fanatics (OT)

Cocktails with My Cat: Tasty Tipples for Feline Fanatics, by Natalie Bovis (Running Press, 2024, $24.00, 144pp HB) 

Cocktails with My Cat almost turned me, a dog person, into a cat person. The day after it arrived in the mail, I brought it to Starbucks to meet my cat friends and they all whooped and hollered and wanted a copy for themselves. The title alone is an unforgettable gem, quite the attention grabber.

Did You Know You Can  Invent Drinks?

I don't drink so don't blame me for not knowing that drinks can be invented but now I just may go out and stock my empty home bar, now that I know how to create drinks, thanks to author Natalie Bovis, a bartending guru and instructor who also fosters kittens and cats and shares her life with eight rescue pets.

Quotes and Stories and 60 Recipes and More!

Bovis begins at the beginning with information on stocking your home bar with various  items of glassware (showing eight of them), bar tools, and ingredients such as garnishes, eggs, liqueurs (cordials) and even shrubs (not the green growing kind). She also defines 'neat' and explains James Bond and 'shaken not stirred.'

Chapters two through seven lead with a 2-page intro

followed by almost a whole page story of one breed of cats or one particular cat in history ("Famous Felines") with a final sentence leading into the name or ingredients of the new drink, followed by its recipe. Chapters include those on rescues, wild cats, and the holidays, with the final chapter encouraging you to create your very own signature drink inspired by your own cat.

The Hardest Decision

The hardest job I had was to choose just one drink to show you. So I picked two: "Seven Seas and Six Toes" and "Treetops and Tropics." Enjoy! 

Seven Seas and Six Toes

Treetops and Tropics

More Mocktails, Please

When (if. . . .) 'volume 2' comes out, I hope it features more 'mocktail' recipes (Cocktails has a few, thank you) and perhaps some photos to show off the drink colors to their best advantage. Even though many of the recipes in 'volume 1' are accompanied by whimsical illustrations and feature the storied cats, and drinks somewhere in the pictures if you search hard enough, I would love to see some of these as real-life colorful photos.

Should I have started with Preggatinis: Mixology for the Mom-to-Be?

I also have my eye on Edible Cocktails: From Garden to Glass - Seasonal Cocktails with a Fresh Twist. 

And now to take a look at Drinking with My Dog!

Book Review: Lilac Girls (three lives intersect, WW2)

 Lilac Girls by Martha Kelly (Ballantine, $17.00, 2017, 502pp PB) 

Where was I when this book came out in 2017? Why did I miss all the hullabaloo about this fantastic story of World War II? 

Author Martha Kelly has a habit of ending chapters on cliffhangers. . . . and with three major characters in three different geographical areas, I had to keep reading.

The Title. . . .

I am always cognizant of titles - what they mean and why they were chosen. Lilacs do appear twice in this book but I might have selected something different.

And the front cover illustration of three women walking away, arm in arm. How do our three women's lives intersect, I kept wondering.

I almost posted a preliminary review yesterday when I was about halfway through the book but then found some time and finished it (and it's a long book). And glad I was to read the author's note: Lilac Girls is based on true events which is amorphous, misleading, contradictory at best and doesn't usually tell me anything but the author's note does help tremendously.

Sisters and Friends and Family and the War and a Little Bit of Love

It is hard yet realistic to bounce from a wealthy socialite in New York City to a young woman in occupied Poland and a woman doctor in occupying Germany who believes wholeheartedly in the Reich. Reminds me of the conflicts in recent decades where the wars have been fought far from home and we hardly were affected at all. 

The first woman has a heart of gold and volunteers for the French war effort, seeking funds from the well-off for French orphans. The latter is hindered by her gender in a male-dominated occupation so when she sees an ad for a doctor in a re-education camp for women, she takes it (and finds herself in Ravensbruck!) And the other is a fighter and a supporter of others until she has a difficult time after the war.

We have one of them falling in love with a married man. We empathize with the war wounds that continue to plague another, well after the fighting stops. We follow the women in a concentration camp and really feel we are experiencing daily life there with its acts of generosity and betrayal.

Saga

Most sagas are historical novels about several generations of one family or two. This is a saga but horizontal not vertical in that it takes the reader through only a few years but focuses on three young women in three countries during World War II.

And the sage continues well beyond D-Day.

And, oh My!

Lilac Girls is part of a trilogy, the first book, Lost Roses,

 

also based on true events introduces us to the previous generation and World War I while Sunflower Sisters

begins the trilogy in the Civil War.

Book Review: Life is Golden: What I've Learned from the World's Most Adventurous Dogs (golden retrievers love camping)

Life is Golden: What I've Learned from the World's Most Adventurous Dogs, by Andrew Muse with Kicker Dog (Gibbs Smith [To enrich and inspire humankind], $10.99, 2022, 144 pp)

Every once in a while I see a photo book of goldens (or labs) doing what they do best: accompanying their human photographer (on camping trips) - and I just have to have that book, to drool over the photos*. Whether of the mountains in the distance (that I miss) or the gorgeous goldens, I won't say, but goldens are very photogenic. 

Life is Golden is one such book that I bought on a whim. Or, rather, it took me three hours in the bookstore to walk out with it and a few other books, which is why I don't often frequent bookstores in person - I can break the bank and have trouble carrying them all out to my car in one trip!

I took a long time reviewing this book because I didn't want to let it go (I donate the books after I review them).

Plotless Plot

There is no plot! Just a story of the travels of a man and his dogs and some of the lessons he learned along the way and the people they met and the places they visited around the country (mostly mountains) and the (extreme) sports they participated in - both man and dog - from the oceans to the mountains and Alaska to Ohio and hang gliding to snowboarding - and glaciers along the way.

The trip started with Golden Retriever Booter in Utah and finished with Golden Retriever Kicker (also in Utah) but along the way, author Andrew Muse grows up (though he started the adventure in his 20s) and also found a career - that of a content creator - of a podcast called Tiny Home Adventure, first sponsored by Go Pro and lasting three seasons (so far).

Most of the photos star Puppy Kicker and scenery, though Muse does appear in a few himself.

Love the font and I want so many of the photos on my wall as posters! However, not all the photos were identified and I would have loved a map of their travels.

*Puppy Kicker and Puppy Fun

Puppy Kicker

Puppy Fun