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

Book Review: Woodrow on the Bench - Life Lessons from a Wise Old Dog (Boston, well-loved old dog)

Woodrow on the Bench: Life Lessons from a Wise Old Dog, by Jenna Blum (Harper Collins, 2021, 197pp PB, $17.99) 

"Sometimes, it seems, when you let people know what you're going through, help arrives when you're least expecting it, bringing you what you didn't know you needed, in forms above and beyond what you've ever imagined." p. 61

The Story of a Lab, His Life and Friends

I am partial to labs. OK, I am in love with labs, and black labs are classic. So I thought Woodrow on the Bench was about a judge and a trial.

Was I wrong! Woodrow is a lovely memoir of a Boston Labrador retriever who lived across the street from a park with a bench where he and his person, Martha, would  hang out and collect friends - for who can ignore a friendly lab!

Martha's love for Woodrow comes through on every page in the way she cares for him but, not only that, Martha's bevy of friends caring for him and for Martha, whom Woodrow left behind. We read starting in May, through to December, with each month having its own subtitle. And we empathize with Martha who struggles and struggles with the question, "When?" even as she carries "Kooks" (aka Woodrow) up and down three flights of stairs every day to his park bench and his myriad of friends who stop as they walk by.

We learn of one friend all the way over in Minnesota who comes for a last visit. We meet several Boston authors, friends of both Martha and Woodrow, who come to help. Even the doorman has a special place in his heart for Woodrow - and some dog biscuits.

This is a short read for it contains the Quality of Life questionnaire (one of several) and short inter-chapters.

A Love Story

The inscription reads: "For Woodrow and for anyone who's ever loved an old dog. . . . " so have some Kleenex at the ready.

Book Review: White Cat, Black Dog (short stories)

White Cat, Black Dog, by Kelly Link (Random  House, 2023, $18, 276 pp PB) 

This is not my usual book review in which I write about plot and style. White Cat, Black Dog is a hard book to review, for me. I always have a difficult time reviewing a collection of short stories: the plots vary too much as do, sometimes, the writing. 

I wanted to read White Cat because it is short, has Dog in the title and comes highly recommended. Author Kelly Link is highly regarded: she won a MacArthur Genius Grant. 

So, how could I go wrong? I generally like books other reviewers like and pan those that others also pan. Sometimes I am the lone voice in the wilderness. 

The stories did get better and more understandable but I just don't see how they could be the basis of a book club selection or the Chautauqua Literary and Scientific Circle  (CLSC) list for 2026 or even a finalist for the 2024 Chautauqua Prize. Obviously many people disagree with me. You might, too.

A collection of seven stories can usually be read in any order, so I started with one of the short ones, sort of in the middle. It was hard for me to understand: I found even sentences were hard to comprehend. The premise is great however: stories that are modern day remakes of the Grimm Brothers' Fairy Tales.

Book Review: A Dog Named 647 (middle-grade adventure, puppy mills)

A Dog Named 647, by Nancy Kay (Speaking for Spot Press, 212 pp PB $10.99, 2025, 11+ years)

You're a 12 year-old girl and it's summertime in Missouri. You live with your mom. You have wanted a dog all your life but your mom is afraid of dogs after a childhood incident. And to top it all off, your dad moved to another state plus too often your brilliant best friend and you get into spats. Thus the stage is set for an inspiring story of a dog and a girl, a very brave and ingenuous girl.

Riveting

This reviewer received A Dog Named 647 in the mail today and devoured it in one sitting. 

But I knew I would. Leery at first, I hesitated to open this book - I am such a wuss and I knew author Nancy Kay would be touching on some serious issues, but the trials and tribulations of middle school, divorce, bullying and puppy mills were handled with great care and sensitivity.

647 is a story about friendship, about families, about love and forgiveness, about steadfastness, and about taking risks - all for the love of a pregnant dog who temporarily escaped a terrible situation. 

Even the title, A Dog Named 647, is riveting, along with the cover illustration whose dog's body language says it all - and accurately.

What's it All About?

Raising money to buy a dog at an auction, researching the internet, sneaking out at night with your best friend to gather photographic evidence, convincing the authorities to raid a puppy mill thus saving hundreds of dogs, understanding your mother's foibles and moving slowly with her fears as well as those of fearful dogs.

Author Nancy Kay is also a veterinarian so she understands dogs. And she is an author of two books* that will enhance the bond between human and animal by using education and sensitivity.

We loved this book and believe it will spark a new movement among middle-school dog lovers like Kids United for Animal Welfare. It's just what the doctor ordered!

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*Speaking for Spot

Your Dog's Best Health

Book Review: Scout Hits the Trail (with CD)

Scout Hits the Trail, by Liam O'Donnell (Soundprints, 2008, $4.95, 32pp PB, ages 4-8, preschool to grade 2), a Pet Tales book, with assistance from the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA)

Do you remember how, when you were a kid, you had one or two read-along books and took them everywhere you went? You would look at the story and listen to it being read just for you. Maybe that's even the way you learned to read! Or, pretended to.

Soundprints has published a wonderful story, approved by the AVMA, about a  yellow labrador retriever named Scout and who goes on a hike with his family. Everyone carries something, even Scout. After lunch, Scout saves the day but, just how, will be revealed not by me but by reading and listening to Scout Hits the Trail.

Inspired by a real dog, Scout is also depicted with appropriate body language in illustrations that seem almost to be photographs, and not only is there a glossary in the back but also a page about taking care of your dog - in the heat of summer, with an ID collar and leash on at all times, and advice about not interacting with wild animals.

Definitely a book to use daily - and keep!

Book Review: Dogs, Boys, and Other Things I've Cried About (dog rescue, young woman in NYC coming of age)

Dogs, Boys, and Other Things I've Cried About, by Isabel Klee (HarperCollins, 2026, 288pp HB, $19.60)

This review is here because the word, Dogs, comes before the word, Boys, in the title! And because we have put it on your To Read List for 2026. A warm, funny, inspirational book, Dogs, Boys, and Other Things I've Cried About is a book you will race through, hardly believing it could be true but loving it nevertheless.

Our heroine, Isabel, has lived many lives before she is 30 - lived in many apartments with many roommates and boys, fostered many dogs, spent many nights partying in New York City bars. . . .

A Gem of a Book

A little gem, with an added bonus that I didn't notice until about chapter 5 are the faint outlines of a dog at the top of each chapter. I wondered if their breed might foretell something about the content of the chapter but I didn't want to take the time  to analyze the possible connection. Suffice it to say that perhaps the drawings did, perhaps they didn't.

And I would suggest  paying attention to not the chapter titles as much as the months and years preceding each chapter (I didn't).

Author Isabel Klee has also given us a gift in the chapter on losing a pet and how it differs from losing a parent or other close someone. "When you lose a dog, it's impossible to imagine ever loving again. Then, one day, you stumble across another dog who needs you, and it just makes sense. . . choosing the inevitable heartbreak that comes at the end of a dog's life. They were going into it knowing how much it would hurt one day and doing it anyway. Because the loss is excruciating; there's no way around it. But the in-between is pure magic." (p. 169)

And the Story is. . . . 

The author is dog-crazy and searching for love in the Bog City. She also has a great day job with dogs. And, she fosters dogs with issues and turns them around, just by being accepting - a lesson for all of us. I would love to meet her!

A party girl, her life was exhausting for me but parts of it I envied. Does she ever truly find "true love'? (apart from dogs, that is.)

Now I am ready for her next book on more canine characters and how she loved them back to physical and emotional health!

I give this book an A-. Like Kristin Hannah's, it is emotionally exhausting but I was sad when it ended.

Book Review: Magic Hour (PNW, child: lost and found)

Magic Hour, by Kristin Hannah (Ballantine Books, 432pp, 2010, $14.00)

Remember Love Story starring Ali MacGraw and Ryan O'Neal back in the 70s? Remember it wasn't a love story between the two of them but between O'Neal's character and his father? 

New York Times' bestselling author Kristin Hannah's 15th novel is likewise the story of a little girl lost and found but primarily about two grown-up sisters (the reader actually likes and identifies with both of them). The older one, a cheerleader, becomes the town sheriff while the younger, quieter, studious one becomes a child psychiatrist who sort of runs into trouble and is asked to come home to help out her hometown, which she does. 

Magic Hour is also about forgiving, and growing up as adults after failed marriages and also about the questionable involvement of the media and its ability to twist events just a little. Throw in a disappearance or two, a prison sentence, and the beautiful Pacific Northwest and you may just fall in love with and read the rest of Hannah's work.

Magic Hour is a fast read but not because there is a lot of dialogue. Rather, because the story is so compelling and the pace is riveting. You may just devour it in one weekend, taking it with you wherever you go, on the chance you can read a quick chapter or two. 

Truly a love story about growing up and growing better and helping each other along the way, including the little girl who may just be the real winner after all.

Book Review: My Friends (teens, 25 years later)

My Friends, by Frederik Backman (Marble Sky Corporation, 390 pp, 2023, ages 16 and up, $19 PB)

A very unusual read from a Swedish author that might take you halfway through before you identify with the characters but the rest of the book is well worth it: your reading speed will accelerate and along the way you will guess at what happens - sometimes you will be wrong, though sometimes you will be right.

A group of 14-year-olds who are as tight as any friends (and any age) can be which astonished me, a senior citizen who tried to remember the summer when I was 14. Three boys and a girl (eventually) and how they spend their summer days together (sometimes pilfering, but always supporting each other). 

Other major characters in the book are the pier (though I would call it a dock) and the painting of three friends sitting on the end of the dock, the debut work of one whose name is revealed only near the end.

The prolific author of other books on my Must-Read list, My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry (with a dog on the cover) and Beartown, Frederik Backman has a very unusual style of writing. Like many others, he tells his story by going back and forth over 25 years but he also drops in a sentence here and there that are simply unforgettable gems - and these increase with frequency as the story progresses.

I only wish a reading guide had been included with questions for book clubs but, no doubt, this book will be studied for a long time.

Book Review: A Dog's Gotta Do What a Dog's Gotta Do: Dogs at Work (children's book)

A Dog's Gotta Do What a Dog's Gotta Do: Dogs at Work, by Marilyn Singer (Scholastic, 2000, 96pp, ages 7-10, grades 4-6, $6.25)

I just couldn't pass up this book once I saw the title: A Dog's Gotta Do What a Dog's Gotta Do, and the cover photo of a golden retriever bringing in the newspaper.

Each of the seven chapters starts with an incredible one-paragraph, one-page story of a real dog, followed by several pages of non-fiction facts and stories about dogs in the same 'occupation' as the theme for that chapter, such as military working dogs, livestock guarding dogs, scenting dogs and therapy dogs, seeing eye dogs, avalanche and sled dogs, TV and movie dogs and even the dog on the Titanic who saved many lives!

Although written as if it could be read quickly in one sitting, it is so full of different facts that the reader would do better to go through it chapter by chapter. And, of course, dog-ear the pages that resonate most - even have a competition among the family members as to which dog jobs are their favorite or which dogs they think do the most incredible unbelievable jobs!

With so many different things a dog can do, each dog has its specialty. This makes for a riveting discussion with your young reader about valuing each dog, each person, for something.

Book Review: Bugs (OT)(Oh, what a gem!)

Bugs, by Nancy Parker and Joan Wright (Harper Collins, ages 3-8, $6.99, 1987, 40pp, a Reading Rainbow book of 44 titles)

OK, so I broke my rule of not considering books that are old. Especially if they are research tomes, I usually limit them to the past five years. This is not research, however, therefore, I can allow myself to go back further, even to 1987 because Bugs is simply that good!

Many authors attempt to write in rhyme, albeit unsuccessfully. Author Nancy Parker, however, not only succeeds in rhyming but makes the rhymes make sense and flow into each other. She poses a question about an insect, then answers it with both lines rhyming. It must have taken a long long time to come up with such colorful matches! And her descriptions on the facing page have just the right amount of biological information - size, gender, stage of life, and ending with geographic location.

The final page is written more for the adults in the room with a bibliography and taxonomy, preceded by a few pages of a picture glossary for the younger ones.

We generally donate the books post-review, but this one is a keeper! With 16 bugs!