"Comet's Tale--How the Dog I Rescued Saved My Life" by Steven D. Wolf

Amazing, heartwarming read!

What an amazing true story Comet's Tale by Steven D. Wolf is!  Steven Wolf saved Comet from a bad fate, then Steve's health took a turn for the worse and Comet came through for him.  Comet became the first ever Greyhound service dog.  Find out by reading the book why Comet was named the "Service Dog of the Year."  If you like feel-good stories, start off the new year with this one!


Thanks for sharing your story, Mr. Wolf, and give Comet a treat for me and my dog, Abby.  LOVED this book!
(Gerard's review, rating 5++) 

Comet's Tale by Steven D. Wolf  is about a man with deteriorating back problems who gets a greyhound dog named Comet and trains the dog to help with every day tasks to make his life easier.  He got the dog a service dog jacket and the dog accompanied him everywhere he went.  The amazing thing about this book is that greyhounds are not service dogs.  This one was quite special and was very loyal and dedicated to Wolf.  I did  not like this book as much as Gerard did, but it has interesting information about greyhounds but Wolf's story was sad.
(Karen's review, rating 2 stars)
  
Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

"The Story of Edgar Sawtelle" by David Wrobiewski" (UPDATED)

The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wrobiewski is a book that Gerard and I have completely different reactions toward. We'd love to hear what you think of it.

I read a lot about this book before reading it. USA TODAY called it the must read book of '08. Sometimes a book does not live up to that hype like Kite Runner and We Need To Talk About Kevin. This book does. Edgar Sawtelle is born mute into a family that trains dogs. The best part of this book to me was his interaction with the dogs. The ending is so good you will want more! The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wrobiewski lives up to the hype! Read this book!
(Gerard's review 7/30/08, My rating: 5 stars)

(Karen's review 4/9/12: my rating: 2 stars)

Well, I finally got to The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wrobiewski and must say I did not like it. Gerard and I see this one very differently. He thinks it's a must read but I do not recommend this one at all. It is 562 pages that seemed like forever to get through. Although there were some parts of the book I did enjoy, like when Edgar ran away with three of his dogs and found a kind old man who let him stay with him for awhile; however, most of the book was boring or made no sense to me. I liked Edgar, the main character for the most part, but didn't like when he was mean to his favorite dog, Almondine.

I do not understand why Gerard thought the ending was good other than it was suspenseful. I did not like the ending at all but don't want to spoil it if you haven't read it yet so won't say anymore about that unless you wish to discuss it in an email.

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading! We are donating 50 cents for each legitimate comment we receive on all our blogs during April to Paralyzed Veterans of America.

"Expecting Adam" by Martha Beck

Expecting Adam by Martha Beck is a wonderful story about John and Martha who are expecting the birth of their son. They discover late in her pregnancy that their boy is going to have Downs Syndrome. I really enjoyed this book. It is told by Martha and has both funny and sad parts. It has all the emotion you could ever want. Give it a try, it's well worth reading!
(Gerard's review: 3 out of 5 stars)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

We are donating 50 cents for each legitimate comment we receive on all our blogs to Caroline's Kids Pet Rescue to help homeless cats this month.

"The Off Season" by Catherine Gilbert Murdock

The Off Season by Catherine Gilbert Murdock is the second book in the Dairy Queen series about a family who owns a small Dairy farm in Wisconsin.  The story is told through the eyes of D.J., a 16-yr.-old girl who leaves the farm to be with her older brother, Win, who gets a spinal cord injury playing college football.  The story involves being friends with people no matter what others think and not letting the opinions of others stop you from living.

My favorite part of the book is when D.J. gets through to Win to make him care about getting better by letting him coach her in basketball at the gym and the rehab center.  I look forward to reading the last book of this trilogy, Front and Center.  
(Karen's review:  My rating 3 stars)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

We are donating 50 cents to KIVA this month to help the poor change their lives for each legitimate comment we receive on all our blogs.

"The Boy in the Moon" by Ian Brown (Non-fiction)

I enjoyed The Boy in the Moon by Ian Brown, a non-fiction book. Ian's son, Walker, is severely disabled with C.F.C., a rare condition that only 100 people in the whole world have! This disease is a hodgepodge of a lot of issues. I respect Ian and his wife for all they did to help their son. It's a 24/7 job for sure. I also enjoyed the stories about the other people who have to raise sons or daughters that have C.F.C. They definitely have my admiration.

(Gerard's review:  My rating: 4 of 5 stars)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

You can help our charity of the month just by leaving a comment on any of our blogs! We will donate 50 cents per comment at the end of the month. The charity for this month is at the top of our blog.

"My Life Deleted" by Scott and Joan Bolzam

My Life Deleted by Scott and Joan Bolzam sounded interesting to me so I got the book from the library.  Basically, the guy fell and hit his head which caused him to lose his memory.  He didn't know his family or who he was.  I skimmed about the last half of the book.  Basically he started his life over again.  It just didn't have enough action for me and the writing style did not hold my interest. It just plodded along.

Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

You can help our charity of the month just by leaving a comment on any of our blogs! We will donate 50 cents per comment at the end of the month. The charity for this month is at the top of our blog.

"Thunder Dog" by Michael Hingson and Susy Flory (Updated)

Thunder Dog by Michael Hingson and Susy Flory is a must read!  It is a true story about Michael and his guide dog, Roselle.  It tells how they managed to escape the morning the towers fell and also his life story of being blind.  You get two stories in one book--both remarkable to say the least.  I enjoyed it very much!
(Gerard's review)

Karen's review:

I was surprised when I read Thunder dog by Michael Hingson because most of the book is not about his escape from the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001 which is what I expected.  Instead, the book focuses on the author’s life showing how he didn’t let his blindness hold him back.  He is an ordinary person who happens to be blind.  He was blind from birth but still rode a bike, drove a car, flew a plane, graduated with a Master’s degree in physics (with honors), held several high pressure jobs!  Yes, he and Roselle, his guide dog, were among many people who walked down 1,463 stairs to get out safely when the plane flew into the building, but the book explains more about the special relationship between guide dogs and their owners.  I learned a lot about what it’s like to be blind—it was fascinating to me how he could “hear” inanimate objects in front of him kind of like bats do based on the echo of sound waves. 

Thunder dog is inspirational, enlightening and educational—a good read!  Michael set up a foundation in memory of his beloved guide dog, Roselle which provides technology to blind children and adults to assist them in living normal lives.  Check it out at www.rosellefoundation.org. 

Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

You can help our charity of the month just by leaving a comment on any of our blogs! We will donate 50 cents per comment at the end of the month. The charity for this month is at the top of our blog.

"Until Tuesday" by Capt. Luis Carlos Montalvan

Until Tuesday tells the true story of Captain Luis, a highly decorated Captain who suffers from PTSD and whose life is a mess until one day he meets Tuesday, a service dog. It is a remarkable tale how a man and a dog bonded and helped each other overcome their fears. Thanks, Captain Luis, and give Tuesday a pet for me!

This book mentions the Wounded Warrior Project.  Maybe you would like to check it out.

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? You can help our charity of the month just by leaving a comment on any of our blogs! We will donate 50 cents per comment at the end of the month. The charity for this month is at the top of our blog.

Comment For Our Charity For June: Joni And Friends

We are pleased to announce that during May we received a total of 267 legitimate comments on our blogs so will donate $134 to The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Thanks to all our readers who took extra time to leave comments!

For June, we are excited about donating 50 cents per comment on all four of our blogs to Joni and Friends. Joni is a person Gerard most admires and whose ministry is close to his heart. Joni is a paraplegic, an artist and founder of Joni and Friends. After reading Out Of My Mind by Sharon M. Draper, I have more compassion for those with disabilities and got a better understanding of their needs and what they go through. I am so grateful that I do not have these struggles and want to help those who do. Donating to Joni and Friends is a good way to help.

Joni and Friends is a Christian organization that seeks to meet physical, mental, emotional and spiritual needs of the physically challenged. The exciting part is that up until July 15, there is a group of supporters who will match each donation received up to $250,000. That means our donation will be doubled so this is the right time to donate! Visit Joni and Friends website to learn more about this fantastic organization.

Please visit our blogs and comment away! The best way to visit our blogs regularly would be to include us in your blog roll so you can easily see when we update and remember to visit.

If you donate to a charity per comment on your blog, kindly let us know so we can include you in our special “comments for charity” blog roll and support you as well. Take a look at it to find other blogs that are doing this. Our other three are listed there.

Tuesday Teasers: "Out Of My Mind", "The Emergency Teacher", "3 Little Words"

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should  Be Reading,. Anyone can play along, so I thought  I  would play for fun! Just do the following

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on  that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away!   You don’t  want  to  ruin the  book for others!)
• Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can  add the book to their TBR  Lists  if they  like your teaser. 

Karen's:

I knew a lot of words, but I couldn't read a book. I had a million thoughts in my head, but I couldn't share them with anybody. On top of that, people didn't really expect the kids in H-5 to learn much anyway.

From page 45 of Out of My Mind by Sharon M. Draper. Click the link to see my review of this one.

Alone in this spooky castle, I crept down the stairs, and then ran down the hallway to the fire-escape door. A heavy chain hung from one side, but had no padlock. Panting, I flung the door open, realizing the next time I came back here the building would be filled with kids.

From page 27 of The Emergency Teacher--The Inspirational Story of a New Teacher in an Inner City School by Christina Asquith. (non-fiction)

Gerard's:

The cake smelled lemony as it baked.  My mother handed her parenting class completion certificate to Mr. Ferris.  "There's only a few more tasks on my list before you can come home with me," she said to me.

From page 89 of Three Little Words by Ashley Rhodes-Courter.

You can help our charity of the month just by leaving a comment on any of our blogs! We will donate 50 cents per comment at the end of the month. The charity for this month is at the top of our blog.

"Out Of My Mind" by Sharon M. Draper

I enjoyed this children's book, Out Of My Mind by Sharon M. Draper about Melody, a girl with Cerebral Palsy. She had a photographic memory but greatly limited physically. She couldn't talk, walk, feed herself or do basic things. Kids thought she was retarded and pretty much ignored her or made fun of her. When she was in 5th grade, she got a medi-talker which enabled her to communicate. When the kids discovered how smart Melody was, they were very surprised.

This was a quick, enjoyable read that has increased my empathy for those who have disabilities.  I recommend this to anyone who knows or has contact with special needs kids.

To see how far we have come as a society though in treating people with Cerebral Palsy, I suggest you read Petey by Ben Mikaelsen which is about the 1920s.  This one is very sad but also interesting.
(Karen's review, 5 stars)

Check out Bloggin' bout Books review of this for another opinion:  An Important Story For Us All

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? You can help our charity of the month just by leaving a comment on any of our blogs! We will donate 50 cents per comment at the end of the month. The charity for this month is at the top of our blog.

"One Hundred Names For Love" by Diane Ackerman

One Hundred Names For Love by Diane Ackerman tells the heartwarming story of Diane's husband, Paul, who suffers a stroke. Both are very talented writers who have to find a new way of communicating with each other. Interesting to me was Diane explaining how our brain works.

If you want to read an inspirational love story of a husband and wife, I recommend this book. I finished it in just two days.

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? You can help our charity of the month just by leaving a comment on any of our blogs! We will donate 50 cents per comment at the end of the month. The charity for this month is at the top of our blog.

"Left Neglected" by Lisa Genova

I liked Left Neglected because even though it dealt with a career woman and super mom, Sarah, who suffered brain damage, it was funny because of her sense of humor.  The way the book is written makes it very interesting because it is told from Sarah’s perspective.  I enjoyed reading about the mother-daughter relationship and how Sarah understood her son's attention deficit better after her accident.  The ending was very good and I am glad I read this book! 

Until I read this book, I never knew that someone could not know their left side existed.  Reading this book was a good way to learn about Left Neglect.  The author has a PhD in neuroscience and talked to people who actually had Left Neglect.  This is an interesting story about how a person’s whole life can change in an instant. The lesson is not to talk on your cell phone while driving!  I recommend this one too!
(Karen)

Put this book on your MUST READ list--it's the best book I've read so far this year! Left Neglected by Lisa Genova is a wonderful read! Sarah has a husband, three young children and a very high prestigious job. There are just not enough hours in the day for her until her car accident. The brain damage she suffered from the accident makes life as she knew it not there anymore. How she and her family copes is the basis for this book.

I really enjoyed Left Neglected from page one! The writing and humor makes it hard to put down. It’s very funny and thought provoking with a wonderful ending. In short, please read this book! Here's my Tuesday Teaser from it.
(Gerard)

Here's a short interview with the author:




Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

"The Lock Artist" by Steve Hamilton Deserves The Hype

"The Lock Artist" lives up to the hype! Now I know why this book made the top 10 teen books of the year.  It’s that good!  The lock artist, Michael, tells the story.  He has two special things that make him unusual:  (1) he does not speak out loud; (2) he can open up any lock.  The writing is very good.  I got into it right away!  Both story lines kept my interest.  I was “locked” into this book!  I give this 10 stars and highly recommend it!
(Gerard's review)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

"Kasey To the Rescue" by Ellen Rogers--An Enjoyable Read!

This video shows some of the things monkeys are trained to do for handicapped people.  Kasey To The Rescue is about a family who got one of these monkeys to help them.





Kasey To The Rescue by Ellen Rogers is a true story of an amazing son, Ned, and his mom, the author of this book.  Ned gets in a horrific car accident but miraculously survived.  The mother brought Ned home to take care of him along with her other children and two dogs.  Taking care of Ned was a major task!  To help with his care, they went to Helping Hands and got Kasey, a monkey.

To me, the mother is amazing and the main story of this book about how she takes care of Ned, runs her family, and tries to keep up everyone's spirits including her own.  Ned too shows remarkable courage.  The monkey, Kasey, is also pretty remarkable in the way he helps.  This is a very enjoyable and encouraging read about a family who did not fall apart when faced with tragedy.
(Gerard's review) Read the teaser.

UPDATED 12/18/10:
This book is really about a super mom (Ellen) persevering in raising her family and taking care of her son Ned, who was in a car accident while away at college and suffered a spinal chord injury which rendered him a quadriplegic. The story is basically all about Ned and how his mother made him her top priority, even going so far as to bring in a monkey (Kasey) from the Helping Hands organization. In actuality, it seemed to me Kasey was more work for her than help; however, it did help Ned stay positive and gave him a constant companion. Ned gained more dexterity in his fingers and arms because the monkey provided motivation for Ned to interact with Kasey. Kasey was entertaining and although it took three months for Kasey to really trust and feel a close relationship to Ned, it was worth it.

I enjoyed reading this book but was anxious to get to the part when the monkey came which is about halfway through. This is the story of a loving family and although the beginning was sort of depressing, the second half of the book is very entertaining and inspirational. I really liked learning more about the Helping Hands organization and how the monkeys are trained to be service animals. 
(Karen's review)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it?


Find best posts of the week at Saturday Sampling at Half Past Kissin' Time and submit the one you wish more people would see that you wrote this week!

"Hope Unseen" by Captain Scott Smiley and Doug Crandall is Amazing! (UPDATED)

Hope Unseen by Scotty Smiley and Doug Crandall is the true story of how God showed his love to Scotty Smiley and led him step-by-step along a very difficult journey, giving him many blessings in spite of losing his sight during a war mission in Iraq. Scotty is the first blind soldier to actively still serve in the army as a speaker and leadership teacher at West Point (thanks to his wife following her instincts and God). This book is very enlightening regarding the struggles blind people have. I really liked the emotional part of the book where Scotty shares his anger toward God and how he was able to recapture his faith and trust in God in spite of what God had allowed to happen to him. It is amazing that after he was blind he still was able to be adventurous: he surfed, climbed Mt. Rainier, skydived and accepted speaking engagements which all began with a choice he made to get out of his hospital bed and take a shower.

This book is so inspirational and encouraging. It started a bit slow for me but I’m am glad I chose to read it and finished it. At the end he shares some key points about transformational leadership on page 232 that I found interesting: 1) use unconventional strategies, 2) care about individuals, 3) demonstrate self-sacrifice, 4) communicate confidence. (
Karen's review 6/18/15, 4 stars)

Gerard read it back in 2010:
A Remarkable story!  Hope Unseen by Captain Scott Smiley and Doug Crandall works in so many ways.  Scott Smiley was a platoon leader in Iraq when a bomb blinded him for life but not before he helped save the men under his command.  He received the Purple Heart.  He climbed up a mountain, surfed in Hawaii, got his M.B.A. from Duke and won the MacArthur Leadership Award--all while blind!  This is also a great faith story.  He was strong in the faith of the Lord, lost it, and now he gives talks in churches to share his story, giving all the credit to the Lord.  This is an outstanding book!
(Gerard's review, 11/15/10)


 Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

"Buzz: A Year Of Paying Attention" by Katherine Ellison

Buzz by Katherine Ellison is a true story of Katherine who takes a year off from her job to pay attention and be with her son, Buzz, who has Attention Disorder Deficit (ADD).  Katherine finds out she has ADD too.  She tries to help both Buzz and herself. 

I think this is a great book for parents going through this because there are lots of tips and resources in it.  It's a good story too!  I'm rooting for you, Buzz!
(Gerard's review)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

"Lucky Man" by Michael J. Fox

"Lucky Man" was a very interesting book to me because it was about Michael J. Fox, the star of "Family Ties," a show I liked a lot because of the part he played as Alex.  Michael had a tough start and did a lot of drinking, but married the girl who was Alex's girlfriend on "Family Ties."  She stayed with him through his drinking and his illness and was a good wife to him.  Book gave great insight into Parkinson's disease and ended on a positive note--he quit drinking, became an advocate for Parkinson's research.  He shared a lot about his family and his failures as well as his successes.  He was down but never quit.    He has quite a story to share!
(Karen's review 2/5/09)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

"Tuesdays With Morrie" by Mitch Albom

Thought Tuesdays With Morrie was a bit slow reading, but it was touching and certainly thought provoking. It's a record of conversations between a man and his former college professor who he admired and became friends with when the professor was dying from Lou Gehring's disease. The professor shared his feelings about a variety of subjects, including how he felt about dying and becoming like a baby again, helpless. It was sort of depressing, but yet had enough good philosophical thoughts to keep me reading. The one I liked best is that he said "Love Goes On." When the professor was asked if he worried about being forgotten when he died, his answer was,

I don't think I will be. I've got so many people who have been involved with me in close, intimate ways. And love is how you stay alive, even after you are gone.

I agree with this because the loved ones I've lost are still alive in my thoughts.
(Karen's review 3/09)

 Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

"The Ha-Ha" by Dave King

Don’t let the title fool you, this book is good.  The Ha-Ha by Dave King is a fiction book about Howie, a Vietnam vet who can’t speak or hear.  His girlfriend, Sylvia, asked him to look after her son, Ryan, while she is in drug rehab.  The book is based on how Ryan and Howie form a relationship.  You’re going to care about Ryan and Howie.  I enjoyed this book, give it a shot.
(Gerard's review 5/2/10)

Please tell us: What categories of literature do you like? What are you reading now? Who are your top five favorite authors? Have you read this one? What did you think of it?