dogs

Dog books and Cat books and more for younger readers

/ Pamela Kramer

Books with high interest are really important for kids to read during the summer months when they aren’t reading in school. Teachers will tell you that the summer setback in reading ability is real for kids who may not read much because they are outside playing or at camp. And while want kids to be outside when the weather is nice, reading daily is important, too. And high interest books are the way to go. Here are many books about dogs, cats, and other animals that will not only intrigue kids, but that have important messages to share. Perfect for rainy days, bedtime stories, or just reading at breakfast to get a good start to the day.

Continue reading →

‘The Book of Pet Love & Loss: Words of Comfort & Wisdom from Remarkable People’ by Sara Bader

/ Pamela Kramer

Those of us who are lucky enough to have animal companions know one tragic truth: With the exception of a few parrots, we will outlive all our companion animals. And as we experience the passing of each one, our hearts break. In “The Book of Pet Love & Loss,” Sara Bader manages to reassure us that we are not alone in our grief, that our sadness, our heartbreak, our sense of loss, is normal and equivalent to what is experienced by many others, include the noted writers of the quotes in this small treasure.

Continue reading →

‘Someone Else’s Life’ by Lyn Liao Butler is a chilling story of family and loss

/ Pamela Kramer / 1 Comment

Lyn Liao Butler’s newest novel is a thriller, and she provides carefully curated clues to help us figure out what is really going on. The ambiguity of some of the narrative is purposefully confusing, but she clearly creates a main character who is filled with sadness and self-doubt and who is trying to overcome recent loss in her life.

Continue reading →

‘Lie to Her’ by Melinda Leigh is another satisfying murder mystery in the ‘Bree Taggert’ series

/ Pamela Kramer

While the mysteries in Melinda Leigh’s “Bree Taggert” series all work as stand alone novels, those who start the series with the latest addition, “Lie to Her,” will miss out on some great backstories which are shared in the previous novels. Such readers will still enjoy the twists and turns that Bree Taggert, the female sheriff in a rural upstate New York county, must unravel in her search for a serial killer. But those who have read the previous five books will understand why Bree is living in this rural area and raising her sister’s two children. They will have met Matt, Bree’s boyfriend, and Dana, Bree’s former partner from the police force. And they will understand the backstory regarding Bree’s former fear of dogs. She has overcome that fear and now has a rescue dog of her own.

Continue reading →

‘Christmas in Blue Dog Valley’ by Annie England Noblin is a charming story of small town values, friendship, and finding love where you least expect it

/ Pamela Kramer

Author Annie England Noblin brings us the Christmas spirit with her newest novel, “Christmas in Blue Dog Valley.” As in her other novels, she offers not only a sweet story of a woman trying to find her place in the world, but also the joy of having a companion animal by her side as she does so. In fact, right from the start we see that the main character, Goldie McKenzie, a veterinarian, has a soft heart.

Continue reading →

‘Santa’s Little Yelpers’ by David Rosenfelt is a mystery which provides plenty of suspects in addition to the plethora of puppies

/ Pamela Kramer

True to form, “Santa’s Little Yelpers” features not only a myriad of doggie characters, but also David Rosenfelt’s favorite wants-to-be-retired lawyer, Andy Carpenter. This is the 26th mystery featuring that self-deprecating, wise-cracking, extremely dog-loving attorney who really doesn’t want to work anymore. Most of the mysteries in this series are more thriller than legal procedural, with a hefty dose of humor on the side, and in this novel we meet a former lawyer, Chris Myers, wrongly incarcerated for a crime he didn’t commit. Now he is being accused of another crime, a murder, that he also didn’t commit. And just as in many of the mysteries in this series, Andy Carpenter must begin the trial for this defendant with no idea of how he will prove his client is not guilty.

Continue reading →

‘Bark to the Future’ by Spencer Quinn about the intrepid Chet and Bernie investigative duo — man and dog

/ Pamela Kramer / 2 Comments
Bark to the Future by Spencer Quinn

“Bark to the Future” is the latest doggie mystery featuring the charismatic narrator Chet, a distinctive black shepherd-mix dog with one white ear, who tells the story as only a dog might. And in the capable paws, er, hands, of author Spencer Quinn, we chuckle and nod our heads in amusement as we realize that Chet’s narrative is just what our dogs might say if only we could understand them.

Continue reading →

Dogs, dogs, dogs — especially in the classroom

/ Pamela Kramer

What’s the next best thing to having a real, live, sweet dog in the classroom? Having lots of books about dogs in the classroom! And even if you are lucky enough to attend a school where a dog is available in the classroom, lots of dog-themed books are the perfect complement to the pup. Here are some great book choices for elementary age readers — all of which promote the notion that every child should have a dog (and every dog should have a child) and the idea of rescuing a dog. I highly recommend all of these.

Continue reading →

‘Holy Chow’ by David Rosenfelt is the latest tail-wagging murder mystery with the affable Andy Carpenter

/ Pamela Kramer / 1 Comment
Holy Chow by David Rosenfelt

Not everyone in the fictional world of wanna-be-retired attorney Andy Carpenter loves him. But IRL (in real life), author David Rosenfelt’s fans adore the irascible, humorous, and self-deprecating lawyer whose dialogue literally makes us LOL (laugh out loud). “Holy Chow” is the latest in a long series of Rosenfelt novels about Andy Carpenter and his motley crew of investigators. As the series has continued, the cast of supporting characters has grown. In addition to Andy’s wife Laurie, who acts as his investigator, there is retired cop Corey Douglas and his K-9 Simon Garfunkel. They, in fact, star in their own kick-off series titled “K Team,” the “K” referencing the amazing Simon, as he is known for short.

Continue reading →

‘Every Dog in the Neighborhood’ by Philip C. Stead and Matthew Cordell: A story of activism…and dogs

/ Pamela Kramer / 1 Comment
Every Dog in the Neighborhood
by Philip C. Stead and Matthew Cordell

“Every Dog in the Neighborhood,” acclaimed author Philip C. Stead and award-winning illustrator Matthew Cordell’s new collaboration, is much more than it would appear to be by looking at the cover. Yes, it’s about the many and varied types of dogs in a neighborhood, but thinking that it’s “just” a cute book about dogs is doing this magnificent creation a disservice. This is a book that will make children think. In the right hands, it will raise questions that will stretch the brain cells of children from four to fourteen.

Continue reading →