Best Dog in the World: Essays on Love

The Best Dog in the World: Essays on Love is a wonderful collection of stories from authors about their dogs. Some will make you cry and some make you laugh and read aloud to share with the other dog person in the room.

The contributing authors are listed at the end of the book along with a short bio and some of their publications.  I found that helpful as I am always on the lookout for new titles.

The story about the greyhound adoption had me laughing and Bonnie Garmus nailed that story.  And the Petco adoption event by Trigiani was interesting to read as the daughter just knew which dog would be the best fit for her.  All of the stories are good and this little book would make an excellent gift for any dog lover.  It's a tribute to our canine companions and the unconditional love and devotion they give us as they in turn, enrich our lives. 

Linking up with Shelleyrae at Book'd Out for the 2026 Nonfiction Reading Challenge. Category: published in 2026

 

Books, doctors and an anniversary!

These past few weeks have been a little busy but more like those hurry-up-and-wait  situations. We are both trying to change doctors which is taking way longer than it should. Then last week was a CT scan for my husband; we are scheduled for the results at a neurosurgeon this week. Friday I'll see a podiatrist and I sure hope I don't need that awkward boot on my foot.  It's my driving foot!  And I need to walk....ok, I am borrowing trouble early here, lol.

The good things are today is our 42nd wedding anniversary I think we are going out to lunch.  Also, I've been putting a dent in my summer reading plans as I've been inside quite a bit.  That equals more reading so, without further ado...here are some the books I finished. 

The News From Dublin. This Colm Tóibín book is a set of seven short stories set primarily in Dublin. There is sadness of course because that's what you get with Irish literature.  The first story was good, the second was confusing to me as to what was going on until read over half of that one.  Then  after a few more I was tired of the short stories so I count this as a DNF. 

I very much liked his books Brooklyn, Long Island and Nora Webster but I could have given this one a miss.  Just my opinion. I would read more by this author in the future.

Hotline by Dimitri Nasrallah.  The setting is Montreal in 1986. I heard about this book from Jackie at Junkboat Travels, her post HERE.

This is about an immigrant from Lebanon trying to make a new life for herself and her young son Omar.  In 1984 Muna Heddad lived in Beirut with her beloved husband and son Omar. During the civil war her husband was kidnapped.  Her husband's family took care of her for a while but then "encouraged" her to follow through with the plans she and hubby made to immigrate to Montreal. Muna didn't really have a choice.

Muna is fluent in French and was a qualified teacher in her home country.  As there were a good number of French language teaching positions she thought she'd be able to get a good job in Montreal.  The postions always went to someone else who were either Canadian citizens or were just not Lebanese.

Finding housing and a job proved very difficult.  She was discriminated against for her nationality as well as having a child.  No one wanted to rent to her and have a noisy child around (he was not noisy).

Muna was forced to accept a job as hotline operator for a weight loss center.  You know the ones selling packaged foods and pitching the positive lifestyle? It was a paycheck and she needed to provide for her son.  The experience was sad watching her stretch her money to afford decent food, shop at thrift shops for warm clothes all the while missing her husband.  Always holding out hope he survived. 

The positive part of her job was connecting with people, realizing her "clients" were also experiencing hardships and her calls helped them, just by lending an ear and being positive.  Sometimes that's all someone needs - a kind word.

This story is inspired by the author's experience as his mother moved them to Montreal and scraped together a  life for them.  I can't imagine  being in that position, moving to a foreign country where my options were limited only by others prejudices and trying to make ends meet. Overall a positive and heartwarming story. 

I would read more by this author. 4.5 stars

This is Not About Us by Allegra Goodman.

This is one of those family drama novels I like with an interesting cast of characters.

After I had read this book I saw some reviews saying it was like short stories but I didn't find it to be that way.  The first chapter had so many characters mentioned I was getting confused about relationships until I bookmarked the family tree in the front.  After that, I had no trouble keeping the relationships straight.

First off it starts with the youngest sister Jeanne in hospice and all the family members making visits. Some heartfelt and loving, others obligatory visits. After that chapter each one after focuses on one person's point of view as life goes on. 

In one chapter where Pam is telling her boyfriend about the Isabella Gardner art museum and how you get in free if your name is Isabella, I had to look that up.  Yep, it's a lifetime free pass if your name is Isabella. (That's the boyfriend's daughter's name).

I had many bookmarked pages on the kindle and highlights which can be read on Goodreads. 4.25 stars

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So, that's one book off the library holds list and two from my shelves,  I am just about finished with Priceless, a nonfiction about art theft. 

How is your summer or winter reading going, depending on your hemisphere? 

Sharing with:

Deb at Readerbuzz for Sunday Salon

Joy for British Isles Friday

Summer reading goals

This week my big plans are to trim the overgrown fig tree, put in some rabbit resistant  shade flowers and shop for a gas grill.  Or maybe charcoal.  We will see.

Here is the fig tree. You can still see some oranges high up on the tree on right.

Last week I posted about flowers, rabbits and a Matt Haig book but this week I have a big list of books for summer goals.

Recently I saw the Twenty Books of Summer mentioned on quite a few blogs and thought I'd make my own list.  I know can't get to get through all of these this summer but I wrote out my library holds list and will read them as they come in. 

Probably won't officially sign up at the host site but will challenge myself here.

 I made a short list of books to get off my shelves/kindle HERE....so including this list below, that makes a total of nineteen books. I'm close to getting Best Dog in the World (nonfiction) and Brawler by Lauren Groff.

Here are the titles I currently have on hold.

Selkie by Nataly Gruender

Saoirse by Charleen Hurtubise

The News from Dublin by Colm Toibin ✔ (this one arrvived early)

Ruins by Lily Brooks-Dalton (I liked her book The Light Pirate)

Under Water by Tara Menon

This Book Made Me Think of You by Libby Page

Whistler by Ann Patchett

We Burned So Bright by T.J. Klune

Go Gentle by Maria Semple

Land by Maggie O'Farrell

Brawler by Lauren Groff

The Door-To-Door Bookstore by Carsten Henn

Nonfiction

The Gales of November by John Bacon

The Best Dog in the World: Essays on Love by Alice Hoffman

Strangers: a memoir by Belle Burden

Wish me luck as I tackle all these books as they come in.  Do you have any from my list or any to recommend?  Update, as I was tidying up this post the nonfiction Priceless is ready for pick up!

Last but most definitely not least,  my thoughts are with Jinjer. xo 

Sharing with Readerbuzz for Sunday Salon.

Books and flowers and rabbits

 Hello fellow bookworms! I hope life has been good and you have lots of good reading material on hand.  Mornings I've been outside fiddling with the flowers, inside reading during the hottest part of the day and have had a couple of surprisingly pleasant evenings on the back porch.

It's not usually cool enough to sit out but we did have two nights.  Doug had his bourbon and I had my fizzy water.  Loki enjoyed some treats and stared out into the yard. He was asleep by the time this rabbit visited.

Let's talk books.  Recently I finished the Midnight Train by Matt Haig.

You can't change the past but you can witness it unfold on The Midnight Train.   The catch is, if you're on the Midnight Train you have just died.  You look on as a spectator at both the wonderful moments and the painful ones.

Our main character is Wilber Budd and after he dies he has this experience. The long dead Mrs. Bagsdale is his guide, a bookshop owner he liked and respected in his youth. She is with him on this journey as the train makes stops during the key moments in Wilber's life. 

Wilber's father died in WW II and he grew up poor, watching his Mam counting coins to see what groceries she could afford. It imprinted a sense of financial insecurity that stuck with him.  

As a young boy he was very well read, lots of classic books reminding me of Noel in Crooked Heart and V for Victory.  Wilber would haunt Bagsdale's Bookstore and read, standing there wanting to buy the book but having no money.   He strived to do all he could to afford good things in life, but it came at a dear expense with relationships.

There is tragedy, moments of celebration and of course regret he has for the-road-not-taken.  His dead self would like to alter things and he continually asks Mrs. Bagsdale if he may interact, change the path of his life.  

Way into the book towards the end the character Nora Seed pops up.  She has a small part and was the main character in The Midnight Library.  I was delighted to see her for those fleeting moments.  If you are a fan of Matt Haig's you'll enjoy this book.  I think I enjoyed The Midnight Library more but I liked this book. 

I suppose the theme is take a look at your life as it is and while you can't change the past, you can  be mindful of your choices here and now. 

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Currently reading Hotline by Dimirti Nasrallah, one of the books on my kindle I'd planned to get to.  Actually I am almost done so I will be starting my list for the next goal, the library holds list. That can be summer reading.

I just got in these three, one is an interlibrary Loan so I need to be mindful of that due date.

What is on your reading list currently?  Any challenges for the summer?  Wishing you all the best.

Sharing this post with Joy for British Isles Friday as British author Matt Haig book set this book primarily in London.  

My 70th summer - Here's to another orbit!

Here is a sobering thought and good advice.

Basically just do whatever you have been meaning to do but had put off for whatever reason.  Today makes my 70th trip around the sun.  Wow, where did all those years go? 

That old saying "so many books, so little time" has more meaning for me now and I am definitely prioritizing the books I want to read.  As I love making a list I will select three books to read from my shelves/kindle and a new one I've had my eye on for a short term goal.

One book I very much want is Valerie Perrin's latest set for publication June 23.  It was published in French a while back but I am awaiting Hildegard Serle's translation to English. 

Next up from my shelf, in no particular order are the following.

Hotline by Dimitri Nasrallah

The Death of Ivan Ilych by Leo Tolstoy (from my classics list)

Beneath the Water by Sarah Painter

Tata by Valerie Perrin - ok, not currently owned. 

Unknown - A possibilty from my classics list or a buddy read.

*This list does not include my library holds of some very cool books I am looking forward to getting this summer. You know...Patchett, O'Farrell, Toibin among others. 

I think I will post that list next as it's extensive.  How many holds does your library allow?  Mine has a limit of about 50 books, I think.  Not that I'd ever try and check out that many!

What else is new here...I made English Muffin Toasting Bread from a recipe from the King Arthur website.  Recipe HERE.  Makes excellent toast.

Haircut accomplished 

Happy reading and may life give you many joys!

Linking up with:

Readerbuzz for Sunday Salon

Yesteryear, The Young Will Remember and a new Matt Haig book :-)

Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke was certainly a page turner.   The characters were mostly unlikeable but the story was fascinating.  In real life there are folks who have a huge following on social media and labeled influencers.  They have people flocking to their website and buy what is presented, be it merchandise or a lifestyle.

The "influencers" are looked at with envy, sometimes jealousy, but there is that side dish of judgement as well. This fictional story is about Natalie and how her lifestyle was all an illusion.

Presented is a homey life wth lots of happy children, being reared on a farm with fresh milk, organic vegetables, room to run and explore nature instead of looking at a television or phone.  They had lots of attention from their parents, Christian tradwife  Natalie and her handsome cowboy husband Caleb. Homemade bread, fresh veggies and meat from their farm served in picture perfect photos.  Natalie posts about "our sweet little farm" and people eat it up.

But it's an illusion.  Behind that pantry wall are modern conveniences such as food processors and microwaves, all hidden from view.  The lovely children and their loving mom interacting? Nope.  As soon as the camera is off they are handed off to their nannies.  The farm is a money pit and the produce has chemical help (which is illegal to label it organic). Natalie has zero maternal feeling for her offspring, although she seems to like some kids more than others.  The children are unwitting actors in the presentations online.

The subscribers who tune in to see the perfect life feel envy, wishing they weren't pulled in so many directions with work, daycare, making a good dinner and spending quality time if there is an hour left in the day to do so. How does Natalie do it?!  Well...with nannies and lots of extra help you never see on her Instagram. (This is not a spoiler, all of this is in the begining chapter)

But then.... Natalie is suddenly in 1855 living "the dream" of that lifestyle she was trying to sell.  No electricty, no modern conveniences such as an oven, washer/dryer (laundry day was particularly horrible), making soap and more. Pioneer living, just as she had sold it.  Did she lose her mind or is this time travel?  Read on to see....there are wild revelations in this story.

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Next is The Young Will Remember by Eve Chung.

There are many characters in this historical fiction but the focus is on Eleanor Chang, a Chinese American news correspondent. It's 1950 and Ellie is on a plane full of injured American soldiers trying to get a story.  They are shot down in the mountains of North Korea. Soldiers surround the plane, kill the pilot and decide Ellie is a Chinese prostitute for the Americans.  She is about to be taken prisoner when a Korean woman called "Emma" shows up. Emma saves Ellie from certain death, declaring Ellie is her daughter Song Yun-Hee, placing herself bodily between the soldiers and Ellie.

Emma has been searching for her daughter Song Yun-Hee for years.  The sad thing is, her daughter was conscripted into service in the Korean Army so the mother has no idea where her daughter is or what became of her.  If there weren't any males in the family to draft into service the military took the young women.  Some went to factories to work, most certainly under horrendous conditions.  Others had it worse, especially if they were pretty, and were conscripted to service as "comfort women"...basically sexual slaves.  Those details are thankfully not described in this story.

I didn't know that white was the color of mourning, but in Korea it was also the color of resistance. During  colonial rule, the Japanese had forbidden Koreans from wearing white, so it became a symbol. And so the rebels wore it. Lots of interesting facts in this book.

There is focus on the travel through North Korea to the south, rebel fighting, American women serving in the military as nurses and correspondents and so much more packed in this book. I would defintely read more by Eve Chung. Themes of resistance, sacrifice and war. A satisfying ending although there was much sadness.

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I wasn't sure what I would read next but the library just notified me the newest Matt Haig book - The Midnight Train - was avaliable for pickup - yea!  So that is my plan today, going to the library.

Last but not least is the plan for a haircut.  This unruly mop needs trimming.  A brush is begging my acquaintance: -)  More later.

What are you reading or what is in your lineup? Posting my list of summer reading soon.

Linking up with:

Readerbuzz for Sunday Salon

Hotel Du Lac and Two Old Women (two very short books)

The Classic Club Spin number was 9 so I read Hotel Du Lac by Anita Brookner.

This book is short at 184 pages but it felt long....because nothing significant happened. I found myself starting to skim and who does that with a book under 200 pages. I'm in the minority as I see its gotten good reviews but this one didn't do it for me.

Our main character is Edith Hope and she finds herself leaving London and spending time at Hotel Du Lac in Switzerland.  An exile of sorts.  She abandoned her fiancé as well as the married man she was diddling around with.  A faithful woman she is not. There are many descriptive chapters but not a lot of dialogue.

 With her ruminating about her situation, she finally settles on a life decision.  She is knowingly settling and accepting how her life will be with neither enthusiasm or regret, just acceptance. Some people loved this book but I did not.

Anita Brookner was an English novelist with many publications. Maybe I'll try another book of hers in the future.

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I also read Two Old Women (Anniversary Edition) by Velma Wallis. Publication date 1993, 140 pages. #oldercharacters

This is a story about a migrating group of indigenous people, trying to survive the harsh Arctic conditons without starving or dying of hypothermia.  It was survival of the fittest and with food scarce, it was decided to leave two elderly women behind as they continued their trek to find shelter and good hunting.  

Some tribesmen didn't want to leave the women to freeze or starve while others knew the burden of slowing their pace or sharing the little food they had. The women, both over 75 years of age, were heartbroken by this betrayal.  They decided they would die trying before giving up and surprised themselves.  After some introspective thoughts they started hiking towards a area where fishing was plentiful.  They set snares to capture rabbits, they worked together and while it was slow progress, they weren't ready to lie down and die.

We have learned much during our long lives. Yet there we were in our old age, thinking that we had done our share in life. So we stopped, just like that. No more working like we used to, even though our bodies are still healthy enough to do a little more than we expect of ourselves.”

This short book was packed with themes of resilience and determination. 4 stars

Armchair travel took me to Alaska, France and England.

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Upcoming a list of books to get off the shelves and kindle and a monthly wrapup.

Sharing with:

 Joy's Book Blog for British Isles Friday (for the Anita Brookner book)

The Classics Club

Mudlarking would be a fun hobby

The Mudlarkers Club by Jane Riley is a very light positive read.  This women's fiction is predictable in many ways with cosy descriptions of friendship and personal growth.    This is set in London where our main character, Gemma, learns about trust and self discovery after her husband abandons her.  

I'm not usually drawn to cosy type books but I liked the connection with a group who share a passion for mudlarking... which sent me down that rabbit hole.

The topic had me look up mudlarking which led me to follow an Instagram account to see the treasures people find.  Here are snaps of two Instagram accounts with their mudlarking finds.

Just finished YesterYear with Susan at The Cue Card and just... wow. Review upcoming but I'll say this was a surprise ending. Funny how captivated I was by a book with awful characters.  Well written and I'll post a review here and on Goodreads.

Currently reading The Young Will Remember by Eve Chung.  Well I just started it this morning so, not too far in.

The Classic Club spin number indicates I will read Hotel Du Lac by Anita Brookner.  This is a short book so I may add another title from my classics list. Knock out two, why not.   

Other than that, I am still fiddling with flowers, seeds and weeding early in the day.  It gets awfully hot after 10:30 so I am in...reading. Hope your life is full of good things and great books.

Linking with:

Joy for British Isles Friday 

Classic Club Spin Time

 The time for the Classic Club Spin!  Check that out through the link 👈 and join in if you'd like.  It took me years to finally join the Classics Club and I've enjoyed having a goal of reading books on my list.  The Spin is a fun little game.

Here's my book list for the Classics Club Spin 

1. A Town Like Alice by Nevil Shute
2. And The There Were None by Agatha Christie
3. Breakfast at Tiffany's by Truman Capote
4. Catch 22 by Joseph Heller
5. Daisy Miller by Henry James
6. Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton
7. Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway
8. Goodnight, Mr. Tom by Michelle Magorian
9. Hotel Du Lac by Anita Brookner
10. It Can't Happen Here by Sinclair Lewis
11. Lost Horizon by James Hilton
12. Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf
13. Out of Africa by Blixon, Karen 
14. Scapegoat by Daphne Du Maurier
15. Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut
16. The Covenant by James Michener
17. The Death of Ivan Ilych by Leo Tolstoy
18. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
19. The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark
20. The Road to Wigan Pier by George Orwell

When the spin number is announced on Sunday 17th of May, I will (hopefully) read that book before 5th of July, 2026.  Wish me luck!

Will you be joining in?  Check out the announcement post HERE.

Sharing with:

The Classics Club

British Breakfasts, Classics and bookish plans

Hello to my bookish friends!  I am inside for a very rainy day and getting some good reading in.  Taking a break to post about books and have more coffee. 

Currently I am reading YesterYear by Caro Claire Burke with Susan at The Cue Card. The start of this leads me to believe we are getting a snapshot of events from our main character's future, us being dropped in the middle of a crazy situation.  I read on to see what happened beforehand.  She isn't a very likeable person yet I am interested to see how events unfold, before and after. It's a page turner.

Recently I finished a nonfiction by Felicity Cloake titled Red Sauce, Brown Sauce: A British Breakfast Odyssey.

This was a fun book about traveling through England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, as well as the Isle of Man, in search of regional breakfast preferences.  Felicity Cloake rides her bike, meeting up with other cycling enthusiasts and samples a traditional breakfast from the area. The end of the chapters, after eating, they state their preferences for using a red or brown sauce, or nothing added at all.

I grew up using ketchup on eggs, still do. That is apparently a regional thing as I witness anything from raised eyebrows to revulsion here in the south.  Completely unsolicited opinion on MY breakfast.  I grew up in the Philadelphia area and that's what I was used to.

They stop at pubs, tour farms and are educated about honey and bread making, disappointed by being turned away at the Marmite factory as it was during lockdown/covid times.  They ride in beautiful weather as well as rainy gloomy conditons. Felicty suffered a hamstring injury early on but managed to adapt, making her way across the British Isles.  This is a story about cycling. friendship with a detailed foodie element. Oh, there are also some recipes included.

The English-speaking peoples are differentiated from the other nations of the earth by the peculiar and substantial character of their breakfast … to the nation as a whole the British breakfast remains as sacrosanct as the British constitution. – F. Marian McNeill, 1932

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Last but not least, the Classics Club has announced another Spin event HERE and I will write up a post about it next.  Hope to participate with a book from my list.

I hope you are well, have a stack of great books and enjoying life.

Linking with:

Shelleyrae at Book'd Out for the 2026 Nonfiction Reading Challenge for the Food category

Joy for British Isles Friday for British author Felicity Cloake

April roundup of books and movies

Well...April went by fast. I've read, planted more seeds, enjoyed some tv time in the evenings and have started walking more. I like writing letters and watching the rabbits in the backyard in the mornings ..that's my exciting life.

Here are two of the larger rabbits who graze as seen from the screen porch.

 Here's the April breakdown.........

Watched........ 📺

Just started Ted Lasso again.  It's been a while.

This month we watched a variety of genres.  We finished Shrinking (love that show), season 3 of Colony,  season 3 of Blue Lights (a police drama set in Belfast) and started Ted Lasso again as we heard a 4th season was coming out.

Still waiting on For All Mankind to drop all the episodes. 

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I had a good month of reading.  Reviews may be found by clicking on the title links.

Nonfiction 

Raising Hare by Chloe Dalton

Everything is Tuberculosis by John Green

Dog Days by Andrew Cotter

Fiction

Buckeye by Patrick Ryan (a buddy read with Susan)

I Should Have Told You Sooner by Jane Ward

A Far-Flung Life by M.L. Stedman

More Than Enough by Anna Quindlen

Contemplating

Every once in a while I get restless about the blog format or how often to post.  Do I make a schedule?  Should I post once a week (ideally that would be good for me) or just stick to Goodreads and post there exclusively? 

I think I will post randomly this month and see where that takes me as I have not been joining up with much of the blog hops lately.  Just wool gathering here.

Well....that's it for now.  End of April, over and out!

I don't think I ever want to do a DNA test

Here we are about to slide into May - ALREADY!

My last book of the month is More Than Enough by Anna Quindlen. This is my first by this author and I was pleased to see there are many more titles, both fiction and nonfiction, for me to check out.

I liked this book about relationships, friendships and discovery. Polly Goodman is a character I could see having as a friend.  She is a high school English teacher, dealing with IVF treatments with support from her best friend Sarah and her lovely husband Mark.  The husband is a large animal vet at the Bronx zoo and the little bits about his interactions, with both people and the animals, are great.

Polly meets with her three friends for a book club, a book they never read, and they hash out all sorts of topics.  On Polly's birthday one of her gifts is a DNA test kit.  It was meant as a joke but opened up Pandora's Box.

Another character who will win the supporting actor category, in my opinion, is Polly's brother Garrison.  He's supportive, funny and he needed more page time in this story.  When they meet and she tells him about the DNA test ...well, that conversation is great.  He keeps her grounded for the most part.

"I love you, Garrison said.  I'm all you've got. Live with it."

"Oh, Gar, you are so much more than enough."

Polly and Garrison's father Jack is on the fast road with dementia, a sad progression , and their mother Mary is a judge.  There are surprises about the relationships and I think it was written well.

There are many other characters who are very realistically written.   I loved Sarah, Helen Mark's parents Lou and Skipper, and tolerated Jamie. 

The thing about you, Polly, is that you’re lucky. You let life in. I know because I don’t, and I’m fine with that. I never have. But you want, and you give, and you open your arms to everyone but her. 

Topics include cancer, DNA testing, infertility,  friendship, love.  Rounded to 4 stars

📚📚📚 Nonfiction is on the agenda next 📚📚📚

I just started Felicty Cloake's book Red Sauce, Brown Sauce: A British Breakfast Odyssey   It's about traveling via bicycle through the British Isles and researching the different sorts of regional specialties for breakfast.  She has friends she meets up with, other biking enthusiasts, and they enjoy the riding, the eating and scenery throughout the country.

That's it.  Hope everyone is well, your weather is good, your book stacks are filled with all you want and life is good for you.