Non-Fiction Pick of the Week: Soldier Dogs

Soldier Dogs by Maria Goodavage 2012

Soldier Dogs is an inspirational tale about the role of military working dogs (MWD) in the Afghan and Iraq wars. Many chapters describe the special bond of a military dog handler and his working dog. Some chapters deal with how the dogs are selected by the military and about the training centre for dogs and handlers, Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonia. Most dogs that are used in Afghanistan are dual purpose, patrol and sniffer dogs. These dogs have been trained for both aggression for patrol work and for detecting IED’s (improvised explosive device). There is also an adoption program in place for the dogs that are trained but not suitable to become MWD and dogs who have been deployed and have retired due to age or medical conditions. If you love dogs this book is a must read!

Non-Fiction PIck of the Week: Ever By My Side

Ever By My Side: a memoir of family, fatherhood and the pets with me through it all by Nick Trout 2011

After writing two books on his life’s work with animals, veterinarian Nick Trout has written a memoir about his life. He tells the story of his childhood, growing up in England and the path that he follows to his career and family life in the United States. Each part of his life is beautifully defined by the pet that he had at the time. His love of animals began at an early age and his experiences with them led him into the world of veterinary medicine.

The memoir has a strong focus on the relationship between the author and his father. He always felt that he had disappointed his father by not going into practice in the English countryside. His father had a vision of him as a modern day James Herriott. The story is both funny and sad as it celebrates the joys and sadness having a pet brings to your life. There is definitely a special bond between a person and his pet.

A great choice for animal lovers.

Fiction Pick of the Week: The Elephant's Journey

The Elephant’s Journey  by Jose Saramago
Published in Portuguese in 2008; Published in English in 2010

This is a seemingly simple story of Solomon, an elephant, and his mahout, Subhro. It is 1551 and King Joao III of Portugal has decided to present to Archduke Maximilian of Austria a most remarkable wedding present: Solomon, his elephant. The departure, journey and arrival in Vienna is really an extraordinary commentary on royalty of the day, the Reformation, the Council of Trent and civil war, but also on friendship. When the entourage has been delivered to the Austrian military, which will conduct them passage to Austria, not only the names of Solomon and Subhro are changed. The author based his story on a true story of the journey of an elephant from Lisbon to Vienna. Saramago was awarded the Novel Prize for Literature in 1998.

Fiction Pick of the Week: New Tricks

New Tricks by David Rosenfelt 2010

New Tricks is the 7th book in Rosenfelt’s Andy Carpenter series. I just discovered this author, and in fact this is the first book in the series that I have read. I just couldn’t resist the adorable puppy on the cover. When I picked up the book I didn’t know it was part of a series, although it can certainly be read as a standalone title. But as I love reading mystery series, now I will be able to go back and start the story at the beginning.

Andy Carpenter, a lawyer, is fortunate that he doesn’t have to work much, thanks to a large inheritance from his father. As part of his pro bono work he is given the job to look after a 7-month-old Bernese mountain dog puppy. The puppy is the center of a custody battle between the late owner’s wife and stepson. Before Andy even has a chance to get the dog home, the wife, Diana Timmerman, is killed when her house blows up moments after Andy takes “Waggy” outside. The number one suspect is Diana’s stepson Steven. He is the other person seeking custody of Waggy. After he is arrested for the murder of his stepmother Andy agrees to represent him. As Andy begins investigating to help his client he falls into some dangerous situations.

Fiction Pick of the Week: Stay

Stay by Allie Larkin 2010

Reviewers call Allie Larkin "an irresistible new voice" and I agree. This first novel makes great light reading, and it will make a dog-lover out of you, even if you aren't that way inclined. Savannah Leone is maid-of-honour at her best friend's wedding. The only problem is that she is in love with Peter, the groom, whom she dated in college. For consolation, she orders "Joe" from an international website. Her puppy arrives fully grown with instructions, since he is trained only in Slovakian commands.
Set in Rochester, and narrated in the first person with emotional honesty and wit, this novel sorts out love and friendship. The huge black dog is the source of the healing; he starts out as the object of Van's misplaced affection for Peter and then he introduces her to Alex, the local vet.

Non-Fiction Pick of the Week: Keeping the Bees

Keeping the Bees: why all bees are at risk and what we can do to save them by Laurence Packer 2010

“During the winter of 2006-07 over 40% of the bee colonies in the U.S. were lost.” The main reason was colony collapse disorder – the mass disappearance of bees during winter months. The author suggests that CCD is not the only cause of the decline of the bee and cites other detriments such as: pollution, global warming, environmental disturbances, habitat fragmentation and pesticide use. These are some of the main threats to the 19,500 known species of bees in the world. This book about bees – facts and myths- is also about what we can do to save them. Laurence Packer is currently a professor at York University in Toronto. The proceeds from sales of this book go to support research on bee conservation.

Non-Fiction Pick of the Week: The Whale

The Whale: in search of the giants of the sea by Philip Hoare 2010

Philip Hoare hasn’t just researched whales, he has swum beside them; such is his interest and deep respect for whales. This book is a cultural history of the whale which includes the whaling industry, accounts of Melville, and stories of whales from sea to sea. He includes the fine examples of scrimshaw, the terrible fights of giant squids and whales, how whale fat was turned into candle wax in 1748 in Nantucket, and Henry Benston’s account of whales; he referred to them not as animals, but as nations. Philip Hoare is the winner of the prestigious BBC Samuel Johnson Prize for Non-fiction.

Fiction Pick of the Week: One Good Dog

One Good Dog by Susan Wilson 2010

Looking for a light summer read? I picked up One Good Dog by Susan Wilson last weekend and thoroughly enjoyed it while sitting on the patio out back. It is a lovely story about a man and a dog; two unlikely characters drawn together by circumstance. One character has been emotionally damaged while the other suffered physical abuse. Adam has lost his high-powered job due to a sudden loss of control. He finds himself divorced, estranged from his daughter and facing community service in a homeless shelter. He soon meets up with a dubious character; a runaway pit bull who has escaped a confined basement where he has been caged all of his life and only let out to fight. Their relationship is wary at first but develops into a loving and healing experience. Wilson’s writing style is interesting as she alternates chapters between Adam and the dog. It was quite amusing to read from the dog’s perspective. The story highlights the power of human-animal relationships and the ability to overcome past trauma. Great choice for animal lovers.

Non-Fiction Pick of the Week: Making Rounds with Oscar

Making rounds with Oscar by David Dosa 2010

Oscar: the extraordinary cat who sits at the bedside of dying patients in a home for people suffering from Alzheimer’s. This book came to be because of Dr. Dosa’s skepticism about Oscar’s ability to tell when a patient was going to pass away. Dr. Dosa’s journey (as he meets with family members of patients who have died) leads him to learn - not only about Oscar- but also about the effects of this disease on the families and caregivers. We get an inside view of the true repercussions on those who have a dementia patient in the family. One leaves the book understanding a bit more about the true difficulties of dementia and knowing that animals may indeed have a special understanding about patients – and the amazing effect animals can have at any stage in an illness.

Non-Fiction Pick of the Week: A Lion Called Christian

A Lion Called Christian by Anthony Bourke and John Rendall 1971, revised in 2009

If you know anyone who likes to send email forwards, you may have received a touching video recorded in the early 1970s of two long-haired young men being reunited in Africa with a lion they had bought as a cub at Harrod’s in London a couple of years prior. The lion quickly recognizes them and gives them the most affectionate and playful greeting and is obviously overjoyed to see them. Anthony “Ace” Bourke and John Rendall were these two young Australians and unbeknownst to them the video “went viral” on the Internet a couple of years ago. A Lion Called Christian is the memoir they wrote about their time with this beautiful creature, re-released after the lion reached international fame in 2008. The book talks about the amazing adventure they had after falling in love with this little cub they saw while sight-seeing in Harrod’s and how they took care of him in London for several months before realizing that Christian was outgrowing his home in a furniture store. By a stroke of luck, they encountered the actors who had performed in the movie Born Free and who were still in touch with conservationists in Africa. With their help, John and Ace took Christian to Kenya and released him into the care of George Adamson, an expert on rehabilitating lions and preparing them for life in the wild. The audio version is beautifully narrated by British actor John Lee, who assumes a slight Australian accent for this recording. It is very entertaining to listen to the wonderful, humorous stories about the lion’s life in London and heartwarming to hear that what seemed to be an ill-advised decision on the part of John and Ace turned out to be the best possible thing that could have happened to the beautiful lion Christian.

Non-Fiction Pick of the Week: All my Patients have Tales

All My Patients Have Tales: favorite stories from a vet’s practice
by Jeff Wells 2009

This is a collection of 36 stories based on the author’s experiences as a veterinarian in Colorado. Wells is a mixed animal specialist so he not only treats dogs and cats but also cows, horses, pigs, donkeys and even yaks. The stories are heart-warming and told with a lot of humour. From the one about the Chihuahua known as Biker Dog who rides in the saddlebag of his owner’s motorcycle sporting a leather vest complete with rhinestones to the indulged, pot-bellied pig named Bacon who learns how to break through the Invisible Fence and then teaches the family dog to do likewise, the book is great entertainment. Funny, light and very enjoyable!

Fiction Pick of the Week: Dog On It

Dog On It: a Chet and Bernie Mystery by Spencer Quinn 2009

This winning debut mystery introduces one smart canine detective and his partner, PI Bernie Little of the Little Detective Agency. The story is told entirely from Chet's point of view, which will delight dog-loving mystery readers, but the book is also an excellent PI tale as Chet and Bernie investigate the disappearance of a teenage girl whose developer dad may be up to no good. This novel is fresh as a breeze, and I found myself smiling and laughing throughout, and now eagerly awaiting the next in the series. Great appeal from the cover design to the very end!

Non-Fiction Pick of the Week: Wesley the Owl

Wesley the Owl by Stacey O’Brien 2008

This book’s subtitle, The Remarkable Love Story of an Owl and His Girl, says it all. This is a simply-written yet engaging account of the 19 years that Caltech biologist Stacey O’Brien spent as the sole care-giver to a barn owl she named Wesley. Given a unique opportunity and supported by her scientific background, the author learned much about ‘the way of the owl’, albeit in captivity, which she carefully documented to share with the zoology community and now with the general public. Some of the anecdotes are bizarre, but facts are frequently stranger than fiction; in this case, they attest to the deep bond and mutual respect that formed between Wesley and his girl.

Non-Fiction Pick of the Week: Dewey

Dewey: the small-town library cat who touched the world by Vicki Myron with Bret Witter 2008

Dewey: the small-town library cat who touched the world will appeal to all cat and library lovers. One cold January morning in 1988 Vicki Myron, the librarian at Spencer Public library in Iowa, was opening up the library when a staff member alerted her to a noise coming from the book drop. Amid the many books in that freezing cold metal book drop they found a tiny frightened orange tabby kitten. Vicki and her staff fell in love with this down and out little creature and the library board allowed the kitten to become the library cat. Vicki named the kitten Dewey Readmore Books.
What I liked about this book were the endearing tales of how Dewey enamored the townsfolk of Spencer and how this plucky cat seemed to know who needed a rub against
their leg or to allow a severely disabled girl to smile whenever she came to the library to see Dewey. Vicki allowed us to get to know the real Dewey and how he got to be known far and wide.

My Pick of the Week!

Merle's Door: Lessons from a Freethinking Dog by Ted Kerasote is a humorous, jubilant and touching story. This story of the relationship between man and dog is informed by the author's grasp of animal research and his attachment to Merle, a stray dog he adopted. A Labrador mix, Merle first appeared while the author was on a camping trip. Kerasote (Out There: In the Wild in a Wired Age), an award-winning nature writer, decided to take his canine friend home to rural Wyoming. This chronicle of their 13 years together is interspersed with studies by animal behaviorists that strengthened Kerasote's desire to see Merle as a responsible individual rather than a submissive pet. Merle set his own eating schedule (though not without early mishap), refused to hunt birds (although not elks) and, according to the author, possessed a range of emotions and sentiments similar to those of humans. Kerasote's joyous relationship with Merle is balanced by a bittersweet account of a close relationship the author had with Alison, a neighbor and fellow dog owner. Kerasote's last weeks with the dying Merle are beautifully rendered.