Showing posts with label dogs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label dogs. Show all posts

Book Review: Puppy Life: The First Eight Weeks of Bonding, Playing, and Growing by Traer Scott

Puppy Life: The First Eight Weeks of Bonding, Playing, and Growing by Traer Scott is a nonfiction book that follows the stages of development of six litters of puppies across breeds from birth through eight weeks. Featuring 120 full-color photographs from best-selling animal photographer Traer Scott, this book takes readers on a photographic journey through puppyhood with a visual diary of how dogs mature and grow, as well as information about each stage of puppy development leading up to the day each puppy goes to its forever home. Follow the stories of these litters across different ages, with informative text about each breed and developmental stage: English Setters, Great Pyrenees, Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, Labradors, and Mixed Breed.

Puppy Life offers readers exactly what the title and blurb promises. Detailed information on the first eight weeks of life, development, and growth for five litters of puppies. The photographs were very cute, and helped to show how fast puppies change and grow. I always new puppies grew up fast, but as someone that has only had cats in my adult life, and adopted full grown rescue dogs with my family when I was a kid, sometimes seeing that growth documented is much more real that the knowledge of the subject. I thought the text was accessible and did a nice job of talking about the breeds and the specific litters that are covered, without getting deep enough to become too much. I think this would be a great book for fans of shows like Too Cute, which does something similar, and as a discussion starter in families talking about getting a puppy. 

Early Book Review: Love at First Bark (Rescue Me) by Debbie Burns

Love at First Bark is the fourth book in the Rescue Me series by Debbie Burns. It is currently scheduled for release on July 30 2019. You do not have to have read all the books, or the books in order, to enjoy them. They can each stand up well on their own.

Animal portrait painter Mia Chambers and architect Ben Thomas have volunteered at the High Grove Animal Shelter for years, and they share a complicated history. Ben has secretly loved Mia all this time, but she was married to his best friend. Now she's newly widowed, with a young son, and Ben doesn't know how to tell her what's in his heart. All he can do is stay close, help her as much as she'll let him, and watch for the right moment to bare his soul. When a dozen adorable border collies get dumped in St. Louis' biggest park, everyone at the shelter mobilizes for a large-scale rescue. Rushing to the park to round up the frisky collies, Ben and Mia unexpectedly plunge into a new phase of their entangled lives. Who knew that opening their hearts and homes—to animals in need and to each other—would lead to so many upheavals and new beginnings?
Love at First Bark is a sweet story about two great people in a hard situation, having trouble admitting their feelings. Mia was in then middle of divorcing her husband when he died. There are secrets and a lack of closure swirling around her and she is struggling to do the right thing and help her young son deal with all the changes in his life. Ben has been a good friend, but was always her husband's friend first, so Mia is not sure what to do with the still growing attraction for him as she deals with the chaos left behind. I like that Ben is honestly a good guy, and willing to stand back and care for Mia ans Ollie in what ever way he can. The addition of adorable pups and great secondary characters make the story even more engaging and fun to read. I did enjoy the characters, and getting to know them. I liked the story, but I have to admit that it did not wow me. There were a couple moments when I expected something bigger to happen, and it just did not. There was nothing wrong with the book, it was well written and solid, it just fell a little short of my expectations.

Love at First Bark is a lovely contemporary romance about second chances.  I enjoyed the read.

Book Review: My Forever Home (Rescue Me) by Debbie Burns

My Forever Home is the third book in the Rescue Me series by Debbie Burns. I had read the second book in the series, and enjoyed it, but still have not gotten a chance to read the first. Each book does stand well on its own, but reading as a series will give a better understanding of personalities and relationships between some of the secondary characters.

Vet school drop-out Tess Grasso dreams of having her own pet therapy business, but she meets one disastrous obstacle after another. There's no denying she has a way with animals, so in the meantime she puts her skills to use at a local no-kill shelter. Between helping her furry companions and a budding relationship with fellow dog lover Mason Redding, Tess begins to find fresh confidence. What Tess doesn't know is that Mason is recovering from an accident, hoping to get back to his pro-baseball career. He's afraid the truth will ruin everything-and he's right. But in the midst of everything a free-spirited stray Husky enters their lives, and teaches them a few things about faith, love and forgiveness.
My Forever Home is a book about coming home, finding yourself, and trust.Tess has little faith in herself, except when it comes to her connection with animals. She knows she wants to work with them, and help people keep them healthy and happy. Her plans are not working out, but she is not quite ready to give up. I like her combination of openness and vulnerability. She might be worried about her future and how others view her, but she will not let any of that change who she is. Mason has partied, and he has made mistakes. However, he is tired and ready to focus on his career and life again. In fact, he was ready for a change before the car accident that has him in a sing with a broken collarbone. Attraction and interest hit both almost instantly, but neither is sure about whether the interest is shared, or if they should pursue it. I liked watching the dance of the two getting to know each other, and thought the moment that was played up as the big conflict was over so very quickly that I do not think it was as big of a obstacle as it could have been. I still love the secondary characters, and most of the the personalities and love of the animals. It was a sweet, feel good book with some emotional moments that might affect others more or less than they did me. 

My Forever Home is a sweet romance with some humor and lots of animal goodness. I enjoyed it and read it in a weekend. Fans of the series and author will really enjoy it, although I did not love it quite as much as I had hoped. 

Book Review: Sit, Stay, Love (Rescue Me) by Debbie Burns

Sit, Stay, Love is the second book in the Rescue Me series by Debbie Burns. I did not read the first book, but found that while some of the characters were introduced in the first book, I think I was still fully able to enjoy the read without having read the previous book, although those who have will likely enjoy it even more.
For devoted no-kill shelter worker Kelsey Sutton, rehabbing a group of rescue dogs is a welcome challenge. Working with a sexy ex-military dog handler who needs some TLC himself? That's a different story. Kurt Crawford keeps his heart locked away from everyone. Well, everyone except the dogs who need his help and always have his back. But as Kurt gets to know the compassionate, beautiful woman he's been assigned to work with, he can't help but feel a little puppy love.
Sit, Stay, Love is a sweet contemporary romance. Kurt has never been good with words, and is just trying to deal with the loss of the grandmother that helped raised him, and reintegrated to civilian life after losing too many friends and dogs during his tour of duty. Kelsey is more than a little gun shy when it comes to men. The last time she put herself out there it did not end well. When they are brought together to help rescued dogs and fix the house that is housing them, they slowly get to know each other and come together. Each has their faults, and struggle with their inner doubts and demons. I like that they actually talk about things, as much as the taciturn Kurt can, and work things out and trust each other even when appearances make it hard. Family, friends, and helping animals are all key to the story, and I came to love the animals as much as the main characters. I found the secondary characters and the personalities and problems of the pups to be just as engaging as the slow burn between Kurt and Kelsey, and think that the combination of feels and great characters really made this book. I am looking forward to the next book in the series, and need to find the time to go back and read the first.
Sit, Stay, Love is a charming contemporary romance, with characters and animals that tug on the heart strings and leave readers looking for more. I know I will be reading more from this author. 

Book Review: Under Dogs by Andrius Burba

Under Dogs by Andrius Burba is a book of dog photography showing our furry friends from an unexpected perspective--from underneath. In the vein of bestsellers like Underwater Dogs and Shake; Under Dogs is an unique look at man's best friend. The images of dogs taken from below are by turns surprising and hilarious—providing readers with a little-seen view of the pets we love.
Under Dogs is a book of dog photographs like none you have ever seen before. I like that there were a variety of breeds, and often the dogs are just being cute, goofy, or weird- not always perfectly posed and behaved. The images are crisp and clean, and the constancy of the background and set up made the similarities and differences of the different dogs stand out. It was interesting to see some breeds that I had never even heard of before, and some more popular dogs. My daughter (animal obsessed third grader) and I flipped through the book together a few times, enjoying the images. If you love animals, dogs in particular, and want a unique view of them this is a delightful book to take some time and enjoy. 

Book Review: Top Dogs : Canines That Made History by Elizabeth MacLeod

Top Dogs : Canines That Made History by Elizabeth MacLeod is a children's non fiction book. It shares the stories of eight canines whose actions influenced the course of history. Among the dogs featured are Stubby, a mutt who rescued American soldiers in the trenches of WWI, Buddy, the first seeing-eye-dog in North America, Brandy, a German Shepherd who discovered a bomb aboard a plane, and Seaman, the Newfoundland, who accompanied Lewis and Clark, helping them complete their expedition by protecting them from wild animals and providing them with food. Scattered throughout the book are side bars filled with information about the exploits of many other dogs as well as the history, habits, and characteristics of various breeds.

Top Dogs : Canines That Made History is a wonderful collection of stories and bits of information that will interest young readers, particularly those with a love of animals. The information is presented in a narrative style that is accessible and interesting. There is a sense of adventure and flavor of the time from each story, and there are sidebars of other information about dogs that might inspire further research. While I knew most of these stories, at least in part, I enjoyed the read and felt like I learned a lot. I think readers like my daughter, who loves all things animal related, will be very interested in this read. Others that are interested in history or dogs along will also get a good amount of knowledge and enjoyment from the read. The balance of entertainment and knowledge is nearly perfect here, and I think that the book would make a good addition to school and public library collections.