Summer reading suggestions!
Happy summer reading!
I was surprised at how gently this book flowed. It felt like stream-of-consciousness, progressing from memory to memory without me even fully realizing how far the story strayed. Susan had a very difficult life, and she is very honest about what she endured and also what she brought on herself. Her relationship with Lay Me Down and other horses, even the impetuous Morgan Georgia, reveal a lot about her and her maturity. This is really a book about love, life, death, and how a person is never to old to learn and grow wise.
- Mood:
tired
The cover text and the description of this book makes it out to be about how a genetically engineered slave overcomes the obstacles built into her physiology in order to ultimately obtain true freedom and happiness. While those are a part of the story, it's just not what seemed like the main point at all, which was somewhat disappointing. Instead, it was far too much about how well this unusually intelligent former sex slave fit in with the unusual family of Captain Boyce of the Pegasus, and any adversity seemed to be overcome within pages of Leanna, the main character, coming to terms with it being possible to work at the problem. The conflict of her trying to hide her intelligence from the oh-so-perfect empathically gifted creature charged with dealing with her was also rather pathetic.
In all honesty, I'm not sure how this story managed to spin out as long as it did, but I do know that it didn't really keep what the cover text promised (which was a darker story with more struggles against aversity instead of "identify problem, put up with problem for a short time, problem is fixed with mystery future technology"), and its language and cast were at times jarring. I am not entirely unfamiliar with Doove's work, so that a majority of the important cast members are hermaphrodites should not really come as a surprise. That is, in my opinion, no excuse to occassionally confuse pronouns, or to extensively use "herm" in narrative. Nor does the word "fem" as a short form of "female" ever belong in narrative. The narrative also hits one of my pet peeves by implying that black markings are normal for arctic foxes - while it's quite possible what Doove intended to say was that a particular breed of genetically engineered fox creature resembled an arctic fox with added black marking, what it comes off as is more "they resemble arctic foxes, including the black markings".
There is also the matter of this book having a main character who prefers not to use clothing, and the book being heavily illustrated. This isn't so much a "bad" thing about the book as it was unexpected and I do wish I'd realized it before bringing the book as reading material during a train trip. Because of my groaning about this when I arrived at my destination, More Terrible Than Chains was dubbed "the dickgirl book" by that group of people. Be aware of this before you decide to read this book in public somewhere!
27. Moondance (original title: Halfmoon Ranch 14 - Moondance) by Jenny Oldfield (young adult/horseback) - 3 Jun 2009
There's never a calm moment at Half Moon Ranch; this time retired cowboy Hadley has purchased a beautiful but inexplicably frightful mare at the auction. Soon Kirstie finds out that the mare used to be owned by none other than miracle trainer Ty Turner, who is said to never fail to tame a horse. Which has to be a lie - the misbehaving Moondance is proof enough of that. But things get hairy as Kirstie, motivated by a desire to help the poor horse, starts digging a little too deep in the dirt surrounding newly-famous Turner.
Fairly predictable and cheesy, but I don't really expect more of these novels and as all of Oldfield's work that I've read it was a well enough written story. The predictability makes it fluff reading, despite the content in parts being dark, but there's nothing wrong with fluff.
28. På kudde av gräs (original title: Grass for his Pillow) by Lian Hearn (historical fiction) - 7 Jun 2009
The second book of the Otori series, in which Otori Takeo needs to uphold his vow to give up his claim as the heir of the Otori family to be trained as an assassin. He resents this task, and particularly the taskmaster he's given, so when the time comes to choose between old loyalties and new, it's hardly surprising what path he takes, and damn the consequences.
His love, Kaede, has problems of her own, as she must balance the needs of her family and with her devotion to Takeo - while marrying the head of the neighboring family would provide for her loved ones, it would also be cutting the ties to the man whose child she is pregnant with.
Not quite as captivating as the first book, in my opinion, but an interesting read nevertheless, especially Kaede's plotting.
29. Under lysande måne (original title: Brilliance of the Moon) by Lian Hearn (historical fiction) - 25 Jun 2009
Otori Takeo and Kaede may have bitten off more than they can chew by defying two of the most powerful leaders in the country. That's on top of Takeo's ties to an old family of assassins that now want to kill him for leaving them, and the enmity between him and his foster father's uncles, who arranged for the death of a man he respected and loved every bit as much as a son should their father. Luckily for Takeo, he has friends in places so low, it wouldn't occur to most of the lordship to consider them a threat or a resource. The task that lies before them is deceptively simple: claim Kaede's inheritance after Lady Maruyama and Takeo's claim to the Otori lands, and don't get killed doing so.
But they've made powerful enemies, and things rarely go as one might expect in matters of war.
Like Grass for his Pillow, I felt this book wasn't as strong as the first one in the series, but it was still a pleasant read, which stressed the realities of war through Takeo's "unwarriorlike" compassion; people on both sides of a battle will die.
30. Eldfuxen (original title: The Island Stallion) by Walter Farley (young adult/horseback) - 2 Jul 2009
What can I say, other than this book is very Walter Farley? I find him fascinating to read as his body of work primarily consists of books written for young boys but now marketed for young girls. A boy who always dreamed of a horse of his very own literally meets the horse of his dreams. After the lead stallion of the herd first gets defeated by an exceptionally ugly challenger, and then gets stuck in a completely unrealistic pit of quicksand and Steve saves him, the wild stallion takes to the strage boy, who nurses him back to health until he's ready to deal with his hideous pinto rival.
Pure fluff, for me. It's not nearly as magical as The Black Stallion, but it'll do in a pinch.
- Location:Sweden
Title: German Shepherd Dogs
Author: Susan M. Ewing
Genre: Non-fiction
Book details: Hardback, 111 (numbered) pages
Amazon: link
Back cover summary: German Shepherd Dogs are one of the most versatile breeds in existence. Willing and able to "do it all", he can herd a flock of sheep, guard a home, lead the blind, or just be a wonderful family companion. Ask the German Shepherd Dog to do something, and he's up to the challenge, whether it's jogging, playing ball with the kids, or formal training classes. Known for his elegance, discipline, and dedication to his family, this intelligent companion will truly be a friend for life.
Amazon Description: The German Shepherd is a versatile and endearing companion. Find out how to take the best care of this sturdy dog, and learn about breed-specific health problems every owner should understand.
My Rating: 5/5
My Review:
When I saw that all these dog breed books were done by Animal Planet, I totally had to get one. The choice was easy, as I love big dogs and have been interested in the GSD (a.k.a. German Shepherd Dog) recently.
This book is very straightforward and easy to follow. You’ll find everything you want to know about the breed and more here. It’s very informative about health issues and caring for your GSD (even in emergencies, such as it getting choked or getting lost). There’s plenty of info on activities for you and your GSD, training, grooming, etc. Everything you need to know.
I knew quite a bit about the training and tricks because I watch Animal Planet so much, but I still learned a lot from this book and would love to have it in my collection. I would also read others from this collection.
I liked the photos they included and the look of the book(s) in general.
Suffice to say, this book made me want a GSD even more someday. Actually, it clinched it!
- Mood:
full
Non-Fiction/Animal Literature
In 2008 an extraordinary two-minute film clip appeared on YouTube and immediately became an international phenomenon. It captures the moving reunion of two young men and their pet lion Christian, after they had left him in Africa with Born Free’s George Adamson to introduce him into his rightful home in the wild.
A Lion Called Christian tells the remarkable story of how Anthony “Ace” Bourke and John Rendall, visitors to London from Australia in 1969, bought the boisterous lion cub in the pet department of Harrods. For several months, the three of them shared a flat above a furniture shop on London’s King’s Road, where the charismatic and intelligent Christian quickly became a local celebrity, cruising the streets in the back of a Bentley, popping in for lunch at a local restaurant, even posing for a fashion advertisement. But the lion cub was growing up—fast—and soon even the walled church garden where he went for exercise wasn’t large enough for him. How could Ace and John avoid having to send Christian to a zoo for the rest of his life? A coincidental meeting with English actors Virginia McKenna and Bill Travers, stars of the hit film Born Free, led to Christian being flown to Kenya and placed under the expert care of “the father of lions” George Adamson. Incredibly, when Ace and John returned to Kenya to see Christian a year later, they received a loving welcome from their lion, who was by then fully integrated into Africa and a life with other lions.
Originally published in 1971, and now fully revised and updated with more than 50 photographs of Christian from cuddly cub in London to magnificent lion in Africa, A Lion Called Christian is a touching and uplifting true story of an indelible human-animal bond. It is is destined to become one of the great classics of animal literature.
226 pages
This book was great! It was a heart-warming story of the relationship between two men and their lion. Through amazing description of Christian's character, I really felt for him and fell in love with him (and his handlers) very quickly.
This book carries within its pages a powerful message: with enough love and the ability to adapt quickly to new situations, anything is possible. It makes you laugh, cry and everything in between and showcases the enormity of the love and determination of human kind.
All in all, I give Anthony Bourke and John Rendall's A Lion Called Christian five stars out of a possible five. I very highly recommend this book!
- Mood:
Sore - Music:Circus - Britney Spears
Like the pharmacologically inactive sugar pill dispensed to placate a patient who supposes it to be medicine, eradication of the Pit Bull is heralded as the cure for severe dog attacks. However, a placebo is administered to appease a person's mental duress. In the present day climate of fear and misinformation about Pit Bulls and dog attacks, eradication of the Pit Bull is the placebo administered solely to appease the public's mental anxiety.
And so it goes. The Pit Bull: locking jaws, biting and holding while grinding, the dog that attacks like a shark. These are all media myths designed to demonize one particular dog breed.
The Pit Bull Placebo traces the media's coverage and the reality of dog bite attacks from the end of the 19th century through to today. Drawing on real cases and quoting from the newspapers' accounts of these cases, Karen Delise makes an incredibly simple case: There have always been dog attacks, some severe, some fatal. But it is the media's focus that has twisted the public's perception of the Pit Bull.
( Read the rest here )
Total pages in this book: 200
Total pages read so far: 7170
#51: The Good Life: Your Dog's First Year by Mordecai Siegal & Matthew "Uncle Matty" Margolis
Format: Hardcover
Genre: Nonfiction
Subjects: puppy care
Why I chose it: Still reading puppy books
Description:
The first year of a puppy's life will shape the dog he grows up to be – and it's up to his owners to give him the best life possible. This book covers all the stages of puppyhood, from the baby he'll be when you first bring him home to the gawky and sometimes-infuriating adolescent he'll become – and provides tips for each stage, telling you what to watch for and offering solutions to common behavioral problems.
Thoughts:
I liked the style of this one better than the previous puppy book I read, and this one seemed to have more specificity (although the other one got plenty specific at points, so I'm not sure if that's a valid observation). I also liked how the book broke puppyhood down into different stages, and explained how the stages were different from one another.
But there was plenty of stuff in this book that struck me as weird. The authors say to confine your puppy in his crate as much as possible to help with housebreaking, and then caution not to lock your puppy in his crate when you're home, because that will make it seem like a punishment. These contradictory statements were both in the same paragraph! The authors also lay out a rigid schedule for when you walk your dog, and caution that it is imperative to follow this schedule, making slight alterations if you absolutely must. They say to increase the amount of food you give your puppy by 15 percent if he eats all his food three days in a row, and to decrease it by 10 percent if he leaves food in his bowl… so at what point do you keep giving him the same amount? And what about the dogs who will eat whatever is in their bowl, whether it's too much food or not?
The one that bothers me the most is how they suggest tempting your dog to do something wrong (encouraging him to mouth you, or jump on you, or leaving tempting objects near him to chew) so that you can then correct him for doing it. That seems sketchy to me. If you encourage your dog to mouth you or jump on you and then correct him for it, you're going to have a confused dog – and if your puppy has a chewing problem that you're trying to correct, he's chewing tempting objects whether you're leaving them out for him or not.
Rating: 3/5
#49: The Perfect Puppy by Gwen Bailey
Format: Hardcover
Genre: Nonfiction
Subject: puppy care
Why I chose it: I'm looking at getting a puppy in the next couple of months, so I'm reading puppy books to get all the information I can. I figure if I read enough of them, I'll be able to see where they overlap and what I do and don't agree with.
Description:
While humans have a long childhood, puppies go from newborn to adult dog in about a year – which means even one week for a puppy is a substantial chunk of its puppyhood. Because of this, it's important to make the best use of this time as possible. This book shows puppy owners how to raise loving and well-behaved puppies, covering issues from housetraining, to playtime, to acclimatizing a puppy to the outside world.
Thoughts:
There were a few things in here that I didn't know. For example, I didn't know that dogs went through a teenager phase between puppyhood and adulthood. And I thought a lot of the tips for using playtime to teach your puppy were useful, and not necessarily things I would have thought of.
There was also a lot of stuff I had already heard elsewhere, though. I'm not inclined to trust all of it, either; for instance, she says the ideal time for puppies to go home is when they're six weeks old, whereas everything else I've read says that's too early. And her socialization program, which she sees as essential, would be all but impossible to complete unless you live in a city and can easily get to a farm. Once a week, or preferably more often, you're supposed to expose your puppy to a dizzying array of experiences, including people with beards, people in uniform, people with disabilities, toddlers, teenagers, parties, livestock, shopping malls, ducks… I agree that socialization is important, but I can't imagine many people who would actually be able to follow the author's program.
I also don't think I agree with her about how a dog will always reflect its owner's personality traits; it's not that simple. She said, trying to prove her theory, that the same thing happens with children – a child will reflect his parents' personality traits. But clearly that's not always – or even often – the case.
Rating: 3/5
Don't think that "encylopedia" is some sort of euphemism for a book covering the ins and outs of canine behavior in this particular book. It's not. It's exactly what it says it is -- an encyclopedia, with each item listed alphabetically and cross-referenced. I expected it to be the former and was somewhat disappointed to find out that this one can be billed as "truth in advertising."
This book covers most everything in regard to canine behavior, but everything is just barely touched upon. Sections on important elements are often reduced to mere paragraphs. There's ultimately nothing wrong with this, as it makes this book a really good, solid introduction to canine behavior for anyone who knows little about it. I've read a lot on dog behavior and knew most of what was in this book in far greater detail than Abrantes seemed to want o go into, but I would recommend it to anyone who has a dog and doesn't know much about how they communicate. It's also excellent as a resource, just something to keep on the book shelf and look up concepts as needed. Its layout with multiple references (Escape - SEE FLIGHT) makes it an easy book to look up something quickly and easily.
The best section for me, personally, was the section on ethology (the science of behavior). He gives a rundown of ethology through the ages, starting with Aristotle and moving into modern theories. While it goes into only small details on each theory, it opens up the possibility of exploring more into the various ethology theories throughout the ages. I'm most interested in the writies of Augustinus (354-430) and Thomas Aquinas (1224-1274), both of whom believed animals have feelings. I find it amazing that someone from over 1500 years ago believed animals have feelings, but some modern people do not!
I took issue on the author with only a couple small things. He emphasizes (almost to the point of overemphasizing) that dogs cannot be fear aggressive, but rather that fear equals flight. I simply don't find this true. When cornered, a fearful animal will lash out, turn to "fight" rather than flight, because it's the only recourse left. In this case I think it's quite correct to say the dog is acting out of fear. Abrantes, however, says that a dog can be both submissive and aggressive. I find that these two are contradictory. If a dog is being submissive, it cannot be aggressive -- they're showing deference, placating a more dominant dog. I found this sort of change up to be a little odd.
My other very small quibble is that he describes a joyful dog as having a closed mouth. He never once mentions the open-mouthed "grin" dog owners all know so well. It seems odd to leave this aspect out, while bringing up most everything else about a dog's expression (including the dogs who smile by lifting the mouth up and showing their teeth in an imitation of a human smile).
Other than those two issues, I think this book is a great one to have on the shelf as reference or is a good book to read for new dog owners.
Total pages in this book: 255
Total pages read so far: 6580
This book outlines one year, starting in Autumn, of a shepherd's life in North Devon (on the coast of Britain). While the dogs (5 border collies named Greg, Swift, Gail, Fern, and Ernie) feature prominently in this book, there is also much about the sheep and sheep farming within these pages. I think the book really makes a good point about the working shepherd's life: it's not all about the dogs. They certainly play an important role. They're both companion and coworker, but tending to the sheep is the main job of the shepherd. Here you learn about sheep dips, foot bathes, shearing, and all sorts of other things that being a shepherd is about. The book also describes much about the working border collie's life and some tidbits about sheepdog trials as the author is also sometimes involved in those.
I found this a fascinating read. I'm very much interested in reading his other books.
Total pages in this book: 344
Total pages read so far: 6325
I didn't really expect to like this book much, but I picked up on a whim anyway. It had two basic strikes against it: (1) It's told from the dog's point of view, which can sometimes be really odd to read and (2) it's "juvenile fiction."
Well, I was wrong. This was a fantastic book and I wish I could read more like it! It tells the story of Squirrel and her brother, Bone, who are stray dogs born in a shed behind a house. After their mother leaves them, they depart together for parts unknown. The book is, at turns, sweet and sad, wonderful and heartbreaking. The ending brought tears to my eyes and made me smile. It was just a fantastic book and I highly recommend it!
Total pages in this book: 182
It's Me or the Dog! by Victoria Stilwell
I think after reading so many dog psychology books I expected more out of this one. It really was just simply a training manual. It gave some basic hints at dog psychology, maybe just enough for those who don't know much about dogs and are just learning about them through a new puppy. I like her positive approach to training. She's a much more positive trainer and if I had to recommend a TV show trainer to watch, it would be Victoria. But overall, I found myself disappointed. She's still following suit a bit with debunked alpha theories, though not to the point of Cesar's books. Overall, I found the book a little devoid of real information, though what's there is fairly useful. I would recommend it for people looking for a beginning training manual (how to train your puppy to sit, walk on a leash, not go to the bathroom in the house, etc.) but if you really want to understand your dog, then try one of Patricia McConnell's books or Suzanne Clothier's Bones Would Rain from the Sky.
Total pages in this book: 215
Total pages read so far: 5981
Temple Grandin is autistic and brilliant. She is known for her work with animals, in particular cattle; she's designed half of the livestock-handling facilities in the United States. In this book with Cathrine Johnson, she explores the viewpoints of animals themselves in contrast with autistic and normal people. The results are astonishing. The subject sounds dry, but the writing is not. Through citations of scientific studies and personal experience, Grandin makes the case for animal brilliance. I could note any numbers of especially intriguing information in this book:
- Rapist roosters are becoming more prevalent because as chickens have been bred for bigger breasts, they have lost other important genetic material such as mating dances. Some roosters also murder the hen after the rape.
- Albinos are highly unusual in nature, and with reason - they have more flaws and nervous problems. This is becoming more prevalent with Dalmatians, which are being bred to be as white as possible, but are having increasing health issues that are harming the integrity of the breed.
- How animals handle pain, and why: if a prey animal shows pain, it makes them likely to be culled by a predator. Certain breeds are more tolerable of pain, such as Labradors, because they are a type of dog designed to jump into ice-cold water. This pain tolerance is why they handle young children so well.
- A leucotomy is similar to a lobotomy but only severs the connections to the frontal lobe instead of removing it entirely. The 1949 Nobel Prize winner developed the procedure to assist people dealing with severe, chronic pain. These patients still felt the tremendous pain, constantly, but after the operation they no longer cared. They could finally function in their daily lives and the pain just didn't matter anymore.
In case you couldn't tell, this is an awesome book to completely geek-out with. I couldn't wait to share facts like these with my husband and my mom. In addition, since my son is autistic, I learned more about seeing the world through his viewpoint, something that presents a daily challenge in my household. I can only hope he grows up and experiences as much success as Temple Grandin.
- Mood:geeky
I picked this up on a whim while at the library. It's not one I had heard about in the realm of dog books, but it looked interesting enough. And it was. I cna't say this book was wholly about a dog. Thomas Healy was a man struggling with many demons, mostly alcoholism. He bought a Doberman pup, who he named Martin, off a nasty man and Martin was his savior for a time. The way he writes is compelling. The book is present, future, and flashback all at the same time. There are no chapters, so it reads in a continuous flow, almost a sort of stream of consciousness.
It was an interesting read, though I never quite became so connected to the dog in the memoir that I cried at the inevitable end of the Martin's life. I usually do. That is not saying the book was not emotional, not well-crafted. It certainly was and I certainly enjoyed reading it. I just never felt wholly connected to Martin, even though it was clear the author loved him dearly.
Total pages in this book: 204
Total pages read so far: 5584
This was an incredibly short, brief read. I wanted to call it a memoir and in a way it is. But it's fairly disjointed and at times hard to follow. That being said, it's a lovely tribute to a dog who meant a lot to the author and I felt that she expressed those emotions well.
How Dogs Think by Stanley Coren
This book took me damned near FOREVER to read. It's fairly densely packed and takes a little while to digest everything that Coren is telling you. He writes exceptionally well and discusses not only scientific theories and behavior theories, but also anecdotes from his own life and from the lives of others. The book begins by discussing the dogs 5 senses and how they differ from human beings. Through this I learned that humans see and taste better than dogs, while they hear and smell better than us (the latter are commonly known). I was surprised to learn how dogs REALLY see. Common "knowledge" is that they're colorblind, but this isn't quite true. Dogs see only certain colors and color combinations. They're not colorblind, but neither do they have our complete range of colors. It helped me pick out an appropriate color of frisbee for tossing in the park (here's a tip: those bright orange things people buy for their dogs are NOT easily seen against grass; pick something that is blue instead). After tackling the senses, the author discusses learning theories (he has some very good thoughts on why punishment does not work) and at the end of the book, tackles canine consciousness. I've read one other book by him (The Left-Hander Syndrome) and I thought this one was just as well-written and well put together. If you really want to know how your dog sees (or rather, smells) the world, then this is a great book to check out.
#40: Dogs Never Lie About Love by Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson
Format: Trade paperback
Genre: Nonfiction
Themes: dogs, psychology, love
Why I chose it: Still looking for dog books
Description:
Some people insist that dogs have no emotions. Jeffrey Masson disagrees. In this book, he argues that dogs feel even more intensely than humans – and that their underlying emotion, the feeling that drives everything they do, is love. He backs up his views both with stories about his own dogs and others' observations.
Thoughts:
I don't agree that love is the basis for everything that dogs do. Dogs do love, yes, and they have a strong connection with humans, but you can't say they're only motivated by a single feeling, any more than you can say humans are only motivated by love, or hate, or fear. Dogs aren't motivated solely by their connection to humans, either; as close to us as they are, they do have lives apart from us.
Still, I enjoyed this book. A lot of it didn't seem meant for me – I don't need convincing that dogs have emotions. After living with a dog for half my life, and observing many others, it seems obvious to me. What I enjoyed were the stories, both about the author's dogs and other dogs he's read about or heard about.
I found the parts where the author talked about the intensity of dogs' emotions interesting, particularly since he takes it for granted that humans aren't able to feel at that same level of intensity. For me that's untrue – my emotions are often on that level – but I know my emotions aren't typical.
Rating: 3/5
Three young colts arrive to an auctioner's stables, all three of them looking every bit as marvellous as the Black himself. The discovery of these mysterious, supposedly Spanish horses lead Alec Ramsay and Henry to travel overseas with the Black, to the estate of one Mr. Gonzales who in reality is more interested in his bulls than in his horses. This leads to an adventure where Alec and especially the Black are once again in mortal danger, this time for the sake of searching for the Black's father Zijadah, long thought deceased.
Curiously, I found this book to have less of the "boy's novel" feel that some other books in the series have - a completely understandable vibe as the original target audience was young boys, but a slightly confusing one as the books are now marketed to girls. The descriptions of Tabari are in some parts rather misogynic, something that doesn't overly bother me (though I found her a much more interesting character in The Black Stallion Returns) but which I could see getting on the nerves of someone who cares more about such things in general. The conclusion was rather tragic, while the ending clearly points to where Farley wanted to head with the series at this point.
12. Edward Finnigans upprättelse by Anders Roslund & Börge Hellström (crime) - 11 Feb 2009
A dead man, singing for a band playing dance music on a Sweden-Finland cruise ferry, is arrested for aggravated assault after kicking a man in the face during his performance. A dead man, who six years ago sat on Death Row in Ohio, USA, sentenced to death as a 17-year-old for the murder of his 16-year-old girlfriend. A dead man with a wife and child and a Canadian passport.
A powerful man spends all his days hating. Hating the boy who took his daughter from him. Hating the boy who had the nerve to die before the State could take his life. Hating the boy who denied him his closure. And when he is told that his daughter's dead killer is behind bars at a police station in Stockholm, Sweden, somewhere approximately a skip and a jump from the North Pole, his hatred and rage flame up anew.
And the only heart that isn't broken by the whole affair is the heart consumed by hatred.
The book was a bit of a slow read at first, though it mostly picked up its pace. I'm still not sure what I think of Roslund & Hellström's style of writing; I think I felt similarly about Box 21, their previous book, but for some reason I keep reading it. It's definitely not the massive hit that some other authors have been with me - sometimes the story seems to meander and drag. It is quite interesting and refreshing that they've managed to write crime novels where there is no black and white, where the guilty have understandable motifs and where the innocent may be the ones getting the harshest punishment of all. If you want a happy ending, this is definitely not the book for you; it made me cry even as I'd had little emotional investment in any of the characters throughout most of the book.
13. Flickan under gatan by Anders Roslund & Börge Hellström (crime) - 14 Feb 2009
As always, Roslund & Hellström are trying to tell several stories simultaneously. In some respects, they're succeeding better with this book; it's certainly more readable than Edward Finnigans upprättelse. But the timeline is more confused, "now" and "then" get more and more tangled up until I'm not quite sure which is which. A girl who's been reported missing since two and a half years, the corpse of her mother turning up with rat bites in the basement of a hospital, and a busful of Romanian street children who get dropped off on a plaza in the capital in the early morning hours. Beside these investigations, either one of which would be hard on Ewert Grens, his vegetative wife's health has taken a turn for the worse.
The book gave me a feeling of "I've seen this" to start with, the story about children in the tunnels under the city too like an episode of Beck. The connection to murder didn't change that. It also frustrates me, as a reader, to have watched Grens through three books before this one, and only now finding out that he's not just watching over that woman in the nursery home out of guilt, but because they had a few happy married months, maybe years, before he somehow backed over her head with the patrol car. It makes me feel tricked.
I saw someone in an Amazon review of the first book, Odjuret (English title The Beast), remark that the book felt moralizing, and while I don't neccesarily agree with that reviewer's interpretation of the message the authors are trying to get across, I can agree that throughout the books they do get quite heavy-handed with their message sometimes. Maybe rightly so; they are in many cases writing about real problems (both this book and Box 21 are loosely based on real facts in so far that there are Baltic women kept captive in apartments and forced into prostitution, and there are homeless, underage women in the tunnels), but it sometimes gets in the way of telling a good story. There is one twist at the end of this book which is moralizing in a good way, by making the reader aware of their own prejudices, but I won't say what it is here, lest it loses its impact, but it's also not in-your-face.
The one thing I think that keeps me coming back to these books, even with the sometimes iffy writing and the confusing pacing, is the lack of happy endings. The police make errors, misinterpret the situation, make the same assumptions that people make. But the crimes don't always get resolved, and the ones that do, often do so in a way that leaves a bad taste in everyone's mouths. And that makes it real.
14. Felix och Morrhoppan by Heddi Böckman (young adult/animal) - 16 Feb 2009
I couldn't quite get a grasp of this book - it's a spin-off of Böckman's series about Sandra, a girl who likes horses, but though Sandra's had her encounters with the strange, it's never been provably supernatural, and the books in general have been pretty down-to-earth. This book uses rather immature language (then again the target audience is maybe ten years old, so it could be appropriate) to tell the story of Sandra's younger brother Felix, who can talk to animals and who stumbles onto a very supernatural adventure when he rescues Morrhoppan, a little abused mutt, where she's tied up outside the grocery store, getting her away from her alcoholic owner. Felix's ability to speak with animals is something I could get over quite easily, but the other supernatural things were too far out there to really work for me.
It's a cute adventure nevertheless, and I could see it being suitable as a reading-aloud book for an elementary school class.
15. One Good Knight by Mercedes Lackey (fantasy/fairy-tale rewrite) - 19 Feb 2009
The second book about the Five Hundred Kingdoms, countries which are ruled by kings, but also by the powerful, undeniable force of The Tradition, which dictates that things must happen in the way stories, legends, songs and rhymes declare. When a dragon starts ravaging a small coastal Kingdom, the bookwormish princess Andromeda digs up old such legends according to her mother's instructions, and suddenly there is a weekly virgin sacrifice in progress. It will take Andie and her unlikely Champion George, along with the unlikely allies they find on their way all their cunning and skill to persuade The Tradition to help them defeat the threat to the small Kingdom.
An enjoyable read, though part of me finds the ending somewhat lacking, in that problems that had been there beneath the plot for what felt like half the book were resolved within breaths of them being voiced. It does show that these are intended to be fantasy romance novels, but they still have strong characters and romance does make for very pleasant fluff reading. Reccomended.
- Location:Sweden
Bloodlines by Susan Conant
This is the 5th in the Dog Lover's Mystery series by Susan Conant. This one focuses on the murder of a pet store owner and Holly's subsequent search for not only the killer, but a malamute who has disappeared. It takes her into the horrible world of puppy mills. The one thing I've noticed about Conant's books are how preachy they can get. Puppy mills are horrible. Pet stores are not a place to buy a puppy because they come from puppy mills. I'm totally with her there, but really, most people who read a dog mystery book are probably crazy dog people and therefore know this. Maybe they don't, but still, she gets a little overly preachy for a mystery novel. Other than that, I do enjoy the books. They're not my favourite dog mysteries out there, but they're a nice enjoyable read.
Total pages in this book: 256
Walking Ollie by Stephen Foster
This promised to be a nice read: the story of man who rescues a dog from an animal shelter and the subsequent bonding and working through of the dog's issues. Unfortunately, it wasn't. There were so many moments in this book where I smacked my head (figuratively speaking) and wanted to scream at the guy. The problems I had with the book are as follows:
( Some spoilers )
So all together, this was NOT an enjoyable book.
#36: The Darkest Evening of the Year by Dean Koontz
Format: Mass market paperback
Genre: Thriller
Themes: dogs, fate
Why I chose it: I really like Dean Koontz, and I'm still looking for dog books
Plot:
Amy Redwing is passionate about golden retrievers, and has started a golden retriever rescue organization. Brian McCarthy is an architect who has fallen in love with Amy. Both of them have secrets in their past that they're not proud of. But they don't know how these secrets intertwine, until Amy receives a message from one of the dogs she's rescued and Brian is given the opportunity to save his long-lost daughter
Thoughts:
This book was both a good thriller and a good story for dog lovers. I know a lot of people thought the parts with the dogs were too sentimental, but I didn't mind. I enjoyed reading about the characters' special dogs and their love for them.
I ran into the same problem with this book as I do with most of Dean Koontz's books – I didn't like the villains. They were crazy just because they were crazy; there was no reason, no motivation. I prefer villains to have more depth.
This is a minor point, but I didn't really like how Koontz wrote about the disabled children in the book. An autistic girl, a minor character, appears only to pass on a psychic message; a girl with Down's syndrome is portrayed as practically a saint. This "disability as holiness" mentality always strikes me as condescending in a backhanded kind of way.
Rating: 4/5
Of the books I've read this year, I think this one might have been my absolute favourite (so far!). Clothier writes in a way that I find it very easy to connect to.
Ultimately, this book is the complete opposite of the one I read by Cesar Millan. The basis of the book is respect, love, compassion, and understanding. Clothier draws on her experiences with her own dogs and with her client's dogs to tell stories that illustrate each of her very well- explained points.
( Some spoilers of what she discusses in the book )
I definitely recommend this book to anyone interested in learning more about their relationship with their dogs.
Total pages in this book: 305
Total pages read so far: 4530
#34: Pack of Two by Caroline Knapp
Format: Trade paperback
Genre: memoir
Themes: the relationship between people and dogs
Why I chose it: Still looking for dog books
Description:
Recovering from alcoholism and reeling from the loss of her parents, Caroline Knapp, on a whim, brought home a dog. Soon her relationship with Lucille, a German Shepherd mix, had become the most significant relationship in her life. Exploring her relationship with her dog made her wonder about the roles dogs play in our lives, and both the good and bad aspects of how we bond with our dogs.
Thoughts:
This book was both about Knapp's experience with her own dog and people's relationships to dogs in general; Knapp did a good job of combining the two. She talks about how Lucille helped her through a difficult time in her life, and became a true friend in a way only a dog lover can understand. She explores the different relationships people have with their dogs, and how a bond with a dog is a bond in its own right, rather than something almost as good as a relationship with a human.
But she doesn't sugar-coat the relationships between humans and dogs. She talks about how people can project their own issues onto their dog, and how the dog can become a convenient method of denying the owner's own problems or blaming them on somebody else. She talks about how easy it is to give into the temptation to spoil dogs and treat them as human – dog birthday parties, feeding dogs gourmet meals, taking the dog to important business meetings because the owner can't stand to abandon him at home.
The fact that she gets into the negative side of people's relationships with their dogs makes her observations about the love shared between human and dog that much more powerful. This book is a good glimpse into people's lives with their dogs, both the good and the bad.
Rating: 4/5
This is the story of the animal victims of Hurricane Katrina - the pets who were left behind, usually by well-meaning owners who believed they'd be back within only a few days. In some cases, the animals were left by those forced to evacuate by government officials, who forcibly separated residents from their pets. Scott tells the story from her own point of view as a Best Friends Animal Society volunteer, working for one of the largest animal rescue operations to respond to the disaster. Although the book is filled mostly with success stories, there are sobering mentions of the failures - the animals who didn't make it home - and what is being done to assure companion animals are not abandoned on this scale ever again.
Progress toward goals: 49/365 = 13.4%
Books: 18/100 = 18.0%
Pages: 4636/30000 = 15.5%
2009 Book List
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15000pages, 50bookchallenge, and ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small}
gwynravenA cute little story told from the point of view of a feral cat named Rachet. Her description of feral cat life is pretty accurate, although she made a bit much of the 'mysterious connection between cats and humans' to explain why the main character was willing to befriend the boy in the story, despite her previous bad experiences with humans. I was very pleased however to see her accurately portray the 'taming' of a feral cat as a process that takes years, not mere weeks or even months. I think stray and feral cats' lives would be much better if everyone were required to read this book.
Progress toward goals: 48/365 = 13.2%
Books: 17/100 = 17.0%
Pages: 4392/30000 = 14.6%
2009 Book List
cross-posted to
15000pages, 50bookchallenge, and gwynravenYet another book by Donald McCaig. I really enjoyed his writing in Nop's Trials and the other books, so I thought I would check this one out. This is the true story about how the border collie people fought the AKC's inclusion of their breed in conformation shows.
I found this really fascinating. Interwoven with their battles, both legal and otherwise, was a history of sheepdog trials, working border collies, and the AKC. I always wondered why the border collies in the conformation shows looked so different from the ones you see doing agility and herding exhibitions, and now reading this book I realize what happened. In 80s and 90s the rumors started to fly that the AKC, which had the Border collie in its miscellaneous class for a number of years (which allowed those dogs to complete in AKC sanctioned events like obedience trials), was considering full inclusion of the breed. The Border collie people wanted none of it. But AKC, big and powerful as it was, worked against them every step of the way.
In the end, well, as anyone who watches any of the AKC shows, like Westminster, knows, the Border collie people did not succeed and the AKC sucked the breed in (just as they did for Jack Russells, Australian shepherds, and others mentioned in the book).
I knew almost nothing about conformation shows before this and was always in the belief that dogs bred for those were the "best" quality dogs out there. Reading this book, which gave me only a small bit of information about the AKC and their dogs, made me realize the truth about this old institution.
If you're into Border collies, or even into dog culture, this is a very interesting read/
Total pages in this book: 192
Total pages read so far: 4225
A collection of remembrances by the former superintendent of reptiles at the Bronx Zoo, and curator of the Central Park Zoo. It's quite nice to read about someone's experiences with crocodiles, venomous snakes, and other reptiles without quite the...over-exuberance of a Steve Irwin.
7/10
#32: Merle's Door by Ted Kerasote
Format: Ebook
Genre: Memoir
Themes: dogs
Why I chose it: Still looking for dog books
Description:
When Ted Kerasote meets a strange dog out in the wild, he somehow knows that this dog is meant for him. He names the dog Merle, and brings him home. As he and Merle adjust to living together over the years, they both learn to make compromises for each other; Merle figures out when he has to capitulate to Ted, while Ted learns to give Merle his freedom. The two of them form a strong bond, and through that bond Ted discovers a lot not just about Merle, but about all dogs.
Thoughts:
From how the author described him, Merle sounded like a great dog. I had trouble relating to the author – hunting and the outdoors are his main passions, and they aren't interests of mine – but I found him likeable for the most part, and enjoyed hearing about his special bond with Merle.
I wasn't fond of his philosophy about dogs in general, though. He thinks that dogs and humans should be equals, and denounces dog training as simply a form of brainwashing. I do think dogs should be given respect (and not just in the "this animal has big scary teeth" kind of way), but I also think it's okay to treat a dog like a dog. I also find it interesting that after going on at length about this philosophy, the author then describes how he used a shock collar to keep his dog from eating treats at his neighbor's house. He thinks it was wrong of Merle's previous owner to neuter him, and thinks that not having a dog door is wrong because it deprives the dog of the freedom to wander… but he won't give the dog the freedom to get fat? I'm confused.
Rating: 3/5
I was horse-obsessed as a kid. This is a book about a woman who loves horses, and who lost her beloved horse in a tragic accident 20 years before and is still living with the consequences. It sounds like a good match. However, the heroine, Annemarie, is completely unlikeable. She's mean, petty and selfish, and drags everyone down with her. Her husband leaves her for another woman, she is fired, and she returns to her parents' riding school to find her father is suffering from ALS. Oh, and her teenage daughter is an absolute witch. I kept reading with the hope that Annemarie would mature as a character and she did - at the very end. By then I was skimming through the book trying to make it end as fast as possible.
The writing is good, and Gruen again excels at writing about abused animals and the recovery they can make with love and patience. I understood that Gruen was trying to make Annemarie completely human and flawed. She did a very good job of that. The problem was that Annemarie didn't really have any redeeming qualities, and I knew if I met her in person she would be just as cold and condescending towards me.
I will not be buying the sequel.
- Mood: disappointed
A Useful Dog by Donald McCaig
This is the same author who wrote Nop's Trials and Nop's Hope, which I read earlier this year. I enjoyed both of those books but this one, a slim little volume (only 80 pages long) was a huge disappointment. It's a series of short stories by the author. Only one of the stories, the three-page "Passports," was really touching. Most of the stories seemed to veer off the idea of the book, which is stories about working stockdogs. One tread right into the problems with purebred dogs and genetic issues without really saying much about working stockdogs. Overall, it wasn't really worth the money.
Total pages in this book: 80
Total pages read so far: 4033
I need to start with a bit of a disclaimer about this one. I read this book as a sort of "know thine enemies" thing. I have seen enough of Cesar's show and read enough about his techniques to know I don't agree with him and I find his ideas about dogs sometimes old and out of date, sometimes simply wrong, and sometimes dangerously wrong. But I opted to read the book to give myself a more complete picture of his techniques and so that I'm more informed when it comes to refuting those techniques I disagree with. I did, however, approach it with an open mind and made sure to take notes on the things I agreed with, as well as those things I didn't agree with.
So all that being said, here are my thoughts on the book.
( This is long...very long...read at your own peril! )
Too long? Didn't read? Here's the summary.
The good: Recommendations of exercise, give your dogs boundaries and rules, realize your dog lives in the moment, consider your lifestyle and get a dog that matches it, anti-dog fighting and anti-breed specific legislation.
The bad: Based on dubunked dominance theories that were based on a flawed study on captive wolves, recommends walks that do not include enough sniffing and mental exercise for the dog, believes exercise is much more important than affection or discipline (whereas most believe they're all important), believes you have to give exercise, discipline, and affection only in that order.
The ugly: Recommends some horrible techniques like alpha rolls (shoving an aggressive dog down and onto its side), flooding (flooding a fearful dog with the object of their fear), and using treadmills with the dog tied to them and unobserved (could hurt or even kill your dog), does not understand canine body language and often misinterprets clear signals the dog is giving off.
The weird: Too much New Age mumbo jumbo for me, talks mostly about your energy. I kept thinking he was going to bring up crystals and auras next.
The contradictions: Cesar contradicted himself so many times it was hard to take what he said seriously.
Total pages in this book: 320
Total pages read so far: 3953
#29: Walking in Circles Before Lying Down by Merrill Markoe
Format: Trade paperback
Genre: Chick lit
Themes: instincts
Why I chose it: I'm still on a dog-book kick
Plot:
Dawn Tarnauer is unlucky in love. She's been divorced twice, and her latest boyfriend has just dumped her, saying he's in love with someone else. His leaving, however, is not as surprising as what happens afterwards – her dog, Chuck, starts talking to her, and giving her advice on how to improve her life. At first she thinks she's going crazy… but crazy or not, Chuck's advice actually makes a lot of sense.
Thoughts:
This book started off on the wrong foot with me. The first six chapters were an infodump - they basically summarized everything that happened in Dawn's life up to the point where the story really started – at the end of chapter 6. Also, the book's narrator is apparently a woman who is writing a novel based on her life (and apparently everything in it actually happened to the narrator, including the talking dogs). So the author is writing from the point of view of a woman who is writing the novel that the author is writing. It made my brain hurt. A chick lit novel is not supposed to do that.
After I got past the first few chapters, though, I enjoyed it more. I liked hearing the dogs' thoughts on everything, even if they didn't quite ring true. The humor in this book wasn't really my style – I had the same problem with The Nanny Diaries, in that things were a little too exaggerated – but that's just a personal preference, not a problem with the book; I know some people enjoy that style of humor.
Rating: 3/5
The Canine Good Citizen: Every Dog Can Be One by Jack and Wendy Volhard
I got this book before it outlines some training ideas for passing the Canine Good Citizen (CGC) test, something my dog, Dahlia, and I are going to be doing this April. I thought it would be a good idea to read as much as possible on the test. This book was written back in 1994. The CGC test, which is intended to test dogs in 10 basic things to prove that they're a good citizen, was only about 5 years old at the time. One thing I found out was that the test has changed slightly, but not a huge amount since it began. The one thing that HAS changed since this book came out was the focus of dog training from dominance theory (disproved) to more positive methods.
The Volhards sit somewhat in between dominance theory and positive training. They do talk a bit about being the pack leader and how dogs supposedly strive to always one-up their owners (simply not true), but they also talk about positive reward-based training.
The book is VERY basic and I'm ultimately glad I didn't buy it. It's not a bad book if you know NOTHING about dog training, but if you know a bit and have spent a lot of time reading up on training methodology and getting your dog into training classes, the book is a bit too simplisitc and explains some of the things you already know as well as including some things many don't agree with (like physically forcing your dog into sit/stay).
The Canine Personality Profile was interesting, but I'm not sure how useful it is. It did seem to somewhat match my dog -- she's "pack driven" (in other words, she loves her people), does not have a strong fight/flight response, but while the test said she had a decent prey drive I've yet to see a hugely strong one (ok, she does try to chase buses and geese, but that's her herding instinct, which may be part of the prey drive).
Overall, I'd say that if you're a beginner in the dog training world and looking to teach your dog some things for the CGC, this is a decent book.
First up is Melissa Cleary's A Tail of Two Murders, the first in a longer series featuring film teacher Jackie Walsh, her son Peter, and the dog that soon becomes theirs, an older Shepherd named Jake. The basic plot to this one was simple: the lecherous chairman of their department is murdered. Jackie, of course, finds him, and ends up heavily involved in solving the crime. It was a quick read, and a nice mystery. There are many possibilities for who murdered the man in question and in the end, I was surprised to find out who really did it.
I also read three more Susan Conant books:
Dead and Doggone
A Bite of Death
Paws Before Dying
All three were quick easy reads, just like the first in the series that I've read. Of the three, I like Dead and Doggone the best. The plot centered around a gossipy woman very few seem to like who is murdered with a pair of grooming sheers. Mixed up into it is the disappearance of her father's wolfdog, and some tension between Holly and her beau, veterinarian Steve. There were a couple plots going on at the same time, but they were tied together nicely, especially at the end. Some have complained that she seems to use her books to bring up animal welfare topics (in this one, the horrors lab animals go through, in Paws Before Dying it's shock collars) and she does sometimes get heavy on the animal welfare/training topics, but it fits the plot and I don't mind. I do wish she'd get away from the dominance based theories and maybe she eventually does as these books were written in the late 80s and early 90s.
My least favourite was Paws Before Dying. It was a good read, don't get me wrong, but for most of the book I was trying to figure out if they really believed the murdered woman was murdered. Other than that, I really did enjoy it. I have more of hers ordered from the library, so I'll work my way through the whole series eventually.
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Page Summary
- slimequeen : #57: "Chosen by a Horse" by Susan Richards [+0]
- quoting_mungo : Books 26-30 [+0]
- keitorin : [Book 2] German Shepherd Dogs, by Susan M. Ewing [+2]
- saturnine_tears : (no subject) [+5]
- crysania4 : Book #30 [+0]
- enelysios : #51: The Good Life [+0]
- enelysios : #49: The Perfect Puppy [+3]
- crysania4 : Book #28 [+0]
- crysania4 : Book #27 [+0]
- crysania4 : Books #25 and #26 [+0]
- slimequeen : #19: "Animals in Translation" by Temple Grandin and Catherine Johnson [+0]
- crysania4 : Book #24 [+4]
- crysania4 : Books #22 and #23 [+0]
- enelysios : #40: Dogs Never Lie About Love [+0]
- quoting_mungo : Books 11-15 2009 [+0]
- crysania4 : Books #20 and #21 [+0]
- enelysios : #36: The Darkest Evening of the Year [+2]
- crysania4 : Book #19 [+1]
- enelysios : #34: Pack of Two [+1]
- gwynraven : (no subject) [+1]
- gwynraven : (no subject) [+1]
- crysania4 : Book #18 [+6]
- agelena : #13 [+0]
- enelysios : #32: Merle's Door [+2]
- slimequeen : #14: "Riding Lessons" by Sara Gruen [+2]
- crysania4 : Book #17 [+0]
- crysania4 : Book #16 [+0]
- enelysios : #29: Walking in Circles Before Lying Down [+0]
- crysania4 : Book #15 [+0]
- crysania4 : Books #11-14 [+0]
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