"Paws from Heaven--True Stories of God's Amazing Animal Angels" (Guidepost Contributors)

Paws from Heaven is a collection of short stories about cats and dogs that do remarkable things to help us through life.  All the stories are really good and if you have a pet, you will sometimes see yourself in them.  If you do not have a pet, you will want one after you finish this book!  (Gerard's review, 5 stars)

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"The Ride of Her Life" by Elizabeth Letts

The Ride of Her Life by Elizabeth Letts is a true story that is amazing!  Annie is 65 years old.  The doctor told her she had two years to live.  She had no family left, no money and just lost her farm.  The one thing she did have was a will to see the Pacific ocean.  She lived in Maine so how would that even be possible?  Annie, her dog and an old horse set out across the country on foot.

I enjoyed this story very much.  I liked Annie, her horse and her dog very much!  (Gerard's review, 5 stars)  

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We Miss You, Abby!--A Letter to My Dog

Abby with her Daddy, Gerard

It is with great sorrow that we had to help our dog cross the Rainbow Bridge last Monday.  I thought about this book and the letter I wrote to our dog back in November of 2014 so thought this would be a good post to update and post again.    
 
A Letter to My Dog by Robin Layton is a happy, feel-good book that is a collection of notes from people (some well-known) to the dogs which show the value of rescue dogs.  Along with the notes are full-page photos of the dogs and in the back is a summary of the dog-owners with their dogs including smaller pictures of them together.  I enjoyed this book very much and found myself smiling all the way through.  It is a quick-read that I recommend to anyone who is considering getting a dog as well as all dog owners.  This book inspired me to write the following letter to our dog:

Dear Abby a/k/a Abby Dabby Doo or Abby Dabs,

You are the best dog we could ever have!  You won our hearts the first day we met you with your soft thick fur, your big beautiful brown eyes, your sweet personality, your curly fluffy tail, your big smile and your gentleness.  I am amazed at how well-behaved you were from the first day we met you.  You got along with our two cats just fine and fit right into our family with no problem at all. 

I love how all kinds of people are drawn to you.  It was so much fun taking you to dog training classes at PetSmart because you managed to make people laugh and still were the best at following commands most days.  You are so eager to please and easy to train.  We are so proud of you!  I love to watch you enjoy the outdoors and wish we had an area where you could run off leash like you did at the park the one day when the clasp broke off and you got in a good run.  I couldn’t believe how fast you could go and how happy you were that day! 

The bond you have with Gerard is heartwarming to me.  I know you will always be a daddy’s girl, but just hope you know how much I love you too.  I enjoy feeding you breakfast every morning and reviewing the commands you learned.  I like giving you big hugs and belly rubs too.  You are such a good dog and I am so glad we decided to look on Petfinder for you when we did.  You have certainly enriched our lives!

Addendum to letter--5/25/19:  We are so sorry you dislocated your shoulder January of 2017 and that you were in pain for a couple years.  You were so tough and stubborn and we just wanted to have as much time with you as possible.  It was so hard to watch you not be able to enjoy so many of the things you used to be able to do.  Yet, you were a trooper and still wanted to please us!  When you finally reached the place where you could not longer get up or walk through the house even, we knew it was time to say goodbye.  Tell Mr. Moe and Manny Boy we miss them too and say "hello" to them for us.  We know they would be ready to greet you as you cross the Rainbow Bridge.

Karen, Lucky Mom of a Rescue Dog

 (Karen's review 11-6-14, 5 stars)

A Letter to My Dog by Robin Layten is a collection of letters written by people to their dogs.  Some famous, some old, some young contributors all have one thing in common:  they love their dogs!  The pictures in this book alone are a reason to get this.  It is filled with full-page color glossy pictures of all kinds of dogs on every other page!  The letters are very touching, some funny, some sad.  If you are a dog lover, this is a must read!  I'm sure you can agree with most, if not all, of the letters.  I know I did!

What a great book to start off with for November!  I love you, Abby!
(Gerard's review 11-5-14, 5++ stars)

Also read and loved A Letter to My Cat.

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!

"Will's Red Coat--The Story of One Old Dog Who Chose to Live Again" by Tom Ryan (UPDATED)

Will's Red Coat by Tom Ryan is a true story about Tom who lives a simple life in the mountains of New Hampshire with his two Schnauzers, Atticus and Will.  It is the story of how his dogs helped him become a better person and how he helped his dogs, especially Will who was an older rescue dog in bad shape with biting and incontinence issues that no one else wanted.  

This book has a wonderful theme:  old age is not a disease and it's never too late to love or receive love.  I enjoyed the parts about his dogs and the wildlife, especially the bear who became their friend.  I really liked the nature parts of this book where he included the reader on his hikes through the forests and mountains.  Sometimes though, he went off on tangents about his beliefs and philosophy which I found boring and thought distracted from the story.  Of course, I cried when one of his dogs had to be put down.  It just brought back the feelings I felt when I had to put down several cats.  That is why I gave this book only 3 stars.
(Karen's review)

Gerard's review 11/13/17, 5 stars:

Will's Red Coat by Tom Ryan is a true story which makes it that much better!  Will is an old dog.  Most people think it does not have much time left, but Tom decides to take him in.  His friends did not think this was a wise choice.

This book is a story of love!  If you are a dog lover, this book is one you will love reading.  I give credit to Tom for writing this book about his dog!

Teaser from page 17:  "No.  I meant what would you have me do if you were the one who was old, in pain, alone, and had no place to call home?"

This is the second book I read by this author.  The first one was Following Atticus, which I also loved.

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. To find books on a specific topic, scroll to the bottom and click on the topic you want. Happy Reading!

"Godsgrave" by Jay Kristoff (book 2)

Godsgrave by Jay Kristoff is book two of the Nevernight  Chronicle series.  It was so good to be back with Mia and her faithful companions, Mister Kindly, her cat and Eclipse, her wolf-like dog.  I loved those two!  Mia is still out for revenge and her plan to do it is going to be a very hard journey indeed. 

I loved this book!  It is just as good as the first one in the series!  There is plenty of action and we have some new characters that added to the story in a good way.  There is a list of characters with descriptions to help the reader remember who is who which I found very helpful.  The ending really surprised me and sets up for a fantastic book 3!
(Gerard's review, 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. To find books on a specific topic, scroll to the bottom and click on the topic you want. Happy Reading!

"The Bark Before Christmas" by Laurien Berenson

The Bark Before Christmas by Laurien Bebenson is about a woman named Melanie. She is put in charge of a Christmas bazaar at a private school so it is a big deal. It is only for a few hours on a Saturday afternoon. What could possibly go wrong? The story line was okay and I enjoyed the characters well enough; however, I would have loved it if the dogs would have been more involved. Sadly, they only played a small part.
(Gerard's review, 3.5 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. To find books on a specific topic, scroll to the bottom and click on the topic you want. Happy Reading!

"Love Saves the Day" by Gwen Cooper

Love Saves the Day by Gwen Cooper takes place in New York and is about Sarah (a DJ and record shop owner), her cat Prudence, daughter Laura (an attorney) and son-in-law, Josh (free-lance writer).  Laura and Sarah's relationship is strained but after Sarah dies, the cat helps Laura remember good things about her mother and carves out a place in Laura's heart.  Laura discovers how much her mother loved her and that family is more important than money.

This story was slow moving but picked up toward the end.  I liked the narration by the cat best because the reader gains insight into what cats like and don't like, but the story is pretty good too.  My favorite part was when the cat jumped on the table during the Seder dinner at Laura's when she had her in-laws over for the first time.  I loved the cover.  I liked Homer's Odyssey by this author better but this one is okay.
(Karen's review, 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. To find books on a specific topic, scroll to the bottom and click on the topic you want. Happy Reading!

"The Dog That Talked to God" by Jim Kraus (UPDATED)

The Dog That Talked to God by Jim Kraus is about a bitter widow who blames God for taking away her husband and son who died in an auto accident when hit by a drunk driver more than about the dog.  Mary doubted her faith and stopped praying to God for a long time.  She got a puppy she named Rufus and used it as a sounding board.  Then one day the dog talked to her.  This Christian fiction book dragged along for me but at least had a good ending.  I preferred the author’s other book better— The Cat That God Sent.
(Karen's review, 3 stars)

The Dog That Talked to God by Jim Kraus is about a woman named Mary who decides to get a dog for companionship after her husband passes away.  She names the dog Rufus and what a tale tale they tell!  This book starts out a bit slow, but stick with it.  I loved Rufus and I grew to like Mary too as the book went on.  It has some good stuff that I did not see coming and a great ending!  It's worth the read!
(Gerard's review, 5 stars because Rufus is so good!) 

 

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!

A Children's Ebook: "Candy and the Cankersaur"

Image source:  Amazon

Candy and the Cankersaur by Jason Sandberg is a children’s book about a little girl (Candy) who has a very rich father that enjoys giving her lots of things, including a pet dinosaur! The jealous neighbor boy does something very mean but admits to his crime and apologizes. I love stories with happy endings! The illustrations for this ebook are very cute and it shows the strong bond kids can have with their pets. This would be a good bed-time story for toddlers or any boy or girl who likes dinosaurs.
(Karen's review)

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!

"Lost Cat--A True Story of Love, Desperation, and GPS Technology" by Caroline Paul

"This Cat had a fun adventure; good book."--Manny Boy

Lost Cat--A True Story of Love, Desperation, and GPS Technology by Caroline Paul with illustrations by Wendy MacNaughton is a short tale of a cat who ran away from home for five weeks and returned. Caroline, owner of Tibby, the runaway cat, tries to figure out where it went using various methods, only to find that talking face-to-face with the neighbors worked best. This is filled with humor and is a light, fun read I recommend to any cat lover who will appreciate the cat-owner relationship. My favorite part was the animals communications class! The illustrations are cute too!

Here's a teaser from it: 

Today I had brought two sides of myself to the class:  My skeptical side counted the people in the room and added up the money the teacher was making.  My earnest side stared at Tiby's photo and told him, "Tonight we're going to have a little chat."

(Karen's review)

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!

"Mischief Master Class" by Dogs, 2 Cats and a Turtle

Inspirational,a 'Must Read" for dogs

Mischief Master Class by dogs, two cats and a turtle assisted by Annette Vivian is a really fun book about mischief real pets get into.  It has lots of great short stories and pictures!  I LOVED it!  (Gerard's review, 5+ stars)--UPDATED 2/13/13

Mischief Master Class by Dogs (two cats and a Turtle!)...assisted by Annette Vivian is a must read for all dogs!  It is a great reference book giving 20 rules that dogs (and any pet really) should know for getting away with mischief by becoming a "Master of Mischief."  It is a collaborative effort spearheaded by Snoopy (visit his blog by clicking the link), a dog blogger who is a bearded collie therapy dog but that doesn't mean he can't get into mischief.  In fact, he even hosts a "Monday Mischief" blog hop every week.  Various pets on the Internet contributed their mischief stories which Snoopy cleverly used as case studies to illustrate how the rules work.  By the way, our pets have rule #1 down pat:  "Look Cute."

It has lots of colored photos and URLs for videos to watch of the contributors too (with their blog URLs) as well as many of Snoopy himself, of course.  It is a quick, fun, light read that I enjoyed in spite of the overuse of a couple words:  "doh" and "Tee Hee."  My favorite mischief was the two dogs who ate the cookies that were hidden inside the oven and then left the empty tray inside and closed the door when they were done!  I must admit, I've never seen any other book quite like this one although "Dear Sparkle:  Cat-to-Cat advice" which is written by a cat for cats comes close.   

Mischief Master Class is available in paperback and Kindle versions on Amazon with 50% of the proceeds donated to Therapy Pet Support charities which we think is awesome! 

Good job, Snoopy and your buddies!
(Karen's review)

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!

"Buddy (How a Rooster Made Me a Family Man)" by Brian McGrory

Buddy (How a Rooster Made Me a Family Man) by Brian McGrory is a really good true story of a man who comes into a family that includes his wife, two young girls, a dog, and a rooster! This is a family book. Kids would enjoy reading it as well as parents. Brian, who tells the story, learns about life from his dog and the rooster. I LOVED it!
(Gerard's review, 5+)

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!

"Dear Sparkle: Advice From One Cat to Another" by Sparkle

Image source:  Amazon

Dear Sparkle: Advice From One Cat to Another (No Humans!) by Sparkle the Designer Cat is not only a fun read but also insightful and informative. There are all kinds of different problems that cats have, most involving their humans. The advice is given in such a way that humans can benefit from it as well. I highly recommend this cute book to any cat owner. The cat letters may be fictional; however, the tip part for humans is really non-fiction. Sparkle says what a smart cat owner should do. I found it both amusing and interesting.  Visit Sparkle's blog too, it's very cat friendly and interesting!
(Karen's review, 5 stars)

You HAVE to read this one!

This is a very good book for all cats.  We LOVED it as much as Sparkle's other book:  Dear Sparkle:  Cat to Cat Advice From the World's Most Foremost Feline Columnist by Sparkle the Designer Cat.  It's a must read!
(Spunky Doodle and Manny Boy's review)


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!

"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!

"A Dog's Purpose" by W. Bruce Cameron

A Dog’s Purpose by Bruce Cameron is touching and at times funny. The dog narrator will made me question how my dog feels how good a dog owner I am. The dog has several different lives with various owners throughout this book, but is loyal to the end to the boy, Ethan. I especially enjoyed reading about the dog’s life as Ellie, the search and rescue dog and laughed when the dog said the cats he lived with had no purpose. The dog’s relationship with Ethan shows how loyal dogs are and was heartwarming. This is an emotional read because when some people mistreated the dog, I felt a lot of anger rise up in me. Although the dog dies, it’s not too sad because it is reincarnated as another puppy and gets another life! I recommend this book to any dog lover. (Karen's review 6/27/12)

 I really enjoyed A Dog’s Purpose by W. Bruce Cameron. This is told by a dog who knows he needs to find a purpose for his life. He meets a boy named Ethan, then he becomes a search and rescue dog with a fantastic and touching ending! If you are a dog lover, you will love A Dog’s Purpose. I sure did! I highly recommend you read this book! (Gerard's review 7/27/10)

 Other book by this author that we both liked is A Dog's Journey 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 June and July to The Wounded Warrior Project which helps wounded warriors and their families returning from current conflicts.

"A Dog's Journey" by W. Bruce Cameron (Updated)

A Dog’s Journey by W. Bruce Cameron is about the dedication of a dog to its owner. This story follows Clarity June (CJ) from toddler through her 70s when she dies in Hospice and how her dog(s) watched over her. CJ is neglected by her mother after her father died in a plane crash, struggled with anorexia, bad boyfriends, pursued an acting career, was a dog walker, attempted suicide, but found love with her best friend. It’s a cute story actually and although the dog dies several times in the book, he comes back as a different dog but keeps all his old memories and is re-united with CJ over and over again. He’s an “angel dog.” There's even a cat in it named Sneakers!

This is an emotional read. I was angry at the mother right from the beginning of the book but other parts were funny and touching. I loved that the dog was the narrator of the book and enjoyed his perspective on things. I’m glad I read this one and plan to read his first book, A Dog’s Purpose too!  I recommend this to any dog lover.
(Karen's review)

Gerard's review:
A Dog's Journey by W. Bruce Cameron is a must read for animal lovers.  It is told very well by a dog.  It is funny, sad, and very touching.  What it isn't is boring, and that's a good thing!  I loved this book from page 1 and it only grew as I read it!  The ending left me with tears and a smile!  I loved both books I read by this author, the other being A Dog's Purpose.

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 June and July to The Wounded Warrior Project which helps wounded warriors and their families returning from current conflicts.

"Walk a Hound Lose a Pound" by Zeltzman and Johnson

Walk a Hound, Lose a Pound by Phil Zeltzman and Rebecca Johnson gives you the do's and dont's of dog walking. It's pretty basic stuff but I liked reading how other people enjoy walking their dogs.  I so look forward to retiring from work so I can do more dog walking.  The bottom line is that you and your dog both benefit from walking, so just do it!
(Gerard's review)

Walking at the Park

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 March to the American Cancer Society.

"Toes" by Tor Seidler is Cat Story

Toes by Tor Seidler is a children's book, 5th grade level, about a black cat with seven toes on each paw.  His litter mates don't accept him so he leaves home and finds a musician to live with.  The cat is very intelligent and helps the man achieve his dream.  I did not like the sad ending at all.  Other than that, I enjoyed the fast fun read.

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.

"Battle Hymn Of The Tiger Mother" by Amy Chua

I read Battle Hymn Of The Tiger Mother by Amy Chua just to find out what all the hype and controversy was about and I liked it. It is a true story about a Chinese mom, two daughters and two adorable dogs with superb writing and a great ending. I didn't want to put this one down and highly recommend it! Read and enjoy!
(Gerard's review)

Karen read it too:
The Battle Hymn Of The Tiger Mother by Amy Chua is a non-fiction book points out the differences between parenting styles of Western culture and Chinese culture through the eyes of a Chinese mother living in the United States with a Jewish husband and two daughters. Amy, the determined, mother is a law professor at Yale who raised her two daughters the Chinese way to give her children skills that will open doors for a bright future. She wrote this book to show the Chinese way to be the best way to raise kids but discovered that the best way is a combination of the two.

Amy Chua raised two amazingly talented daughters: Sophia the obedient, well-behaved one who was good enough on the piano to get to play at Carnegie Hall at 14, and Lulu, the one proficient on the violin but more rebellious and willful. I liked both daughters and thought the mother was obsessed with success and too driven. At times, I thought her methods were crazy! I found myself cheering for Lulu, the younger daughter who finally was able to choose tennis while not being so focused on the violin. Thanks to her mother, she developed a great work ethic that she applies to tennis without her mother’s help.

I think Tiger Mother is interesting and enjoyed the pictures and touches of humor throughout. Their dogs are really beautiful and I liked how the mother’s attitude about dogs changed for the better once they got one. I thought it was interesting to see how children in the same family, raised the same can be so different. It proves that children are individuals and should be treated as such. What works for one, doesn’t always work for the other.

Here are a few of my Favorite funny quotes:

Thank God we live in America, I thought to myself, where no doubt because of the American Revolution rebelliousness is valued. In China, they’d have sent Lulu to a labor camp. (p. 38)

. . . there’s nothing I hate more than all these festivals and projects that private schools specialize in. Instead of making kids study from books, private schools are constantly trying to make learning fun by having parents do all the work. (p. 64)

Lulu: “I wish I had a pet.”
mom: “You already have a pet,” I snapped. “Your violin is your pet.” (p. 65)

Once, when I came back from a “walk” with my elbows scraped and my knees grass-stained, Jed said, “It’s her Samoyed nature. She thinks you’re a sled, and she wants to pull you. Let’s forget about teaching her to walk. Why don’t we just get a cart that you can sit in and have Coco pull you around?

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? You can help Canine Lifeline (a dog rescue organization that saved our dog, Abby) by leaving a comment on any of our blogs in March. We will donate 50 cents per comment at the end of the month.

"Last Dog On The Hill" by Steve Duno

At Where Is My Mind I found this "Review In Five" meme that fits Gerard's short reviews perfectly. You just say five things about a book like this:

 1.  It is the true story about Steve Duno befriending a dog.

2.  The dog's name is Lou.

3.  Steve and Lou have a great bond of friendship.

4.  Steve trained Lou well and Lou taught Steve a few things too.

5.  Last Dog On The Hill by Steve Duno is a good read if you like stories about dogs and the human-animal bond.

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