A Dog’s Purpose

A puppy plays in the woods with his mom and his siblings but this is not an entirely idyllic scene. The puppy and his family are feral and the mother dog has taught her puppies to be afraid of humans but the worst happens—all but one are captured and taken to a shelter. This is a private shelter, though, not the pound, so there is hope for their future. And so begins the tale of a dog who lives through one existence after another, remembering his past each time.

There’s no such thing as an animal-centric novel that doesn’t make you cry as far as I know and this one is no exception. It’s a natural cry, though, meaning that the moments of sadness revolve around the dog’s deaths and that is tempered by the humor and joy that occur during each of the dog’s lives. Along this journey, the dog learns much in each life—discovering love, saving a boy’s life, working in search and rescue, having a great adventure—but always feels that something is missing, his true purpose in being a dog.

Told from the point of view of the dog, the reader/listener is treated to the full gamut of emotions from fear to joy to pure happiness and the narrator, George K. Wilson, does a nice job of making the dog’s “voice” seem natural. This is no cutesy tale with an animal who talks to humans but we hear his thoughts, including his very entertaining interpretations of what humans mean by certain words and gestures. This is a story that will engage any reader who appreciates dogs—just be prepared for those occasional two-tissue moments.

Reviewed by Lelia Taylor, October 2011.

Three Bags Full: A Sheep Detective Story

Suppose you were walking down a country lane someday and came across a flock of sheep. What would you do? Hope they wouldn’t suddenly decide to stampede and mow you down? Ignore them and walk past? Not me. I’d be checking out each one to see who is Miss Maple or Othello or Mopple the Whale or any of the other delightful sheep in this book.

When I first picked it up, I thought this would be just another cute animal sleuth mystery. After only a few pages, I knew I was wrong.

This flock of charming Irish sheep finds their shepherd murdered and, being a rather educated group, they decide they need to solve his murder. George, you see, used to read to them every night and they’ve learned quite a lot about humans although, unfortunately, he never finished reading their first detective novel so they’re not entirely sure what they’re doing. Led by Miss Maple, they set out to do their best detecting, with shades of Sherlock Holmes and Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot, determined to find the killer since the village humans don’t seem to be working at it very hard.

The mystery here is fairly slight with a neat twist at the very funny denouement but the character development of the sheep is wonderful, equal to some of the best human character development I’ve read. You just can’t help liking these animals and wanting to know more and more about them individually. They have much more interesting backstories than you might imagine and you’ll come away from this book being absolutely sure there’s a lot more to the woolly beasts than you ever dreamed all those times you’ve driven past them in a field. I bet you’ll never ignore sheep again.

Reviewed by Lelia Taylor, June 2007

The Koala of Death

This novel is the second in a new series, following the author’s well-received Lena Jones detective stories.  The protagonist in the current Gunn Zoo Mysteries is Theodora “Teddy” Bentley, who prefers working at the zoo to the ease of living the life of Riley with her well-to-do mother who is forever attempting to get her daughter married off to some rich man.  Instead, Teddy is in love with the widowed Sheriff Joe, and regularly gets into trouble.

In the present tale, Teddy fishes the body of Koala Kate, her fellow zookeeper, out of the harbor in which her houseboat is docked.  It turns out she was strangled.  Soon, another nearby “liveaboarder” is found murdered with a similar MO. It remains for Teddy to solve the mysteries.

A zoo is a strange setting for a crime novel series, but it enables the author to develop material about the animals and the people who care for them as excellent background.  The novel is more of a cozy than a hard crime mystery, but that, of course, is what it is intended to be.  Many of the characters seemed to me to be stilted, especially the Sheriff, who seems merely to utter the usual hackneyed phrases and take the expected stance that Teddy should not become involved in the case.  Of course, Teddy has now, with this book, solved his cases in two novels, so the roles are pretty well set.  In any case, the novel is light and enjoyable reading, and is recommended.

Reviewed by Ted Feit, October 2010.

Damrey and Nakri are two Asian elephant cows residing at Finley Memorial Zoo near Vancouver, Washington.  As Iris Oakley walked towards the Commissary after her night volunteer shift, she heard noises coming from the elephant barn.  It was 7:00 a.m. and Iris was possibly the only human on the grounds of the zoo.  As Iris got to the elephant barn, she found Damrey very agitated with a person face down in the stall with the elephant.

Iris Oakley’s husband was killed at the zoo.  Iris is pregnant, has no training with elephants, and does not have the slightest idea of what action to take.  Iris managed to reach Sam who was in charge of the elephants on her cell phone. Sam instructed Iris as to how to handle the elephants until he arrived and Iris did the best she could.  She finally was able to coax the elephants into a stall and away from the body.  The body on the floor of the elephant barn was Kevin Wallace, her boss.  Although Wallace was still alive when rescued from the elephant barn, he later died of his injuries.

The police decide that Damrey is the murderer but others at the zoo were not convinced.  Things are unsettled at Finley Memorial Zoo.  Animal rights activists who want the elephants sent to a sanctuary are picketing the zoo.

Soon other incidents happen that can’t be explained.  A zoo van is stolen along with the body of Rajah, a tiger, which had died that was in the van.  Then two turtles disappear from an exhibit.  Iris and her friends speculate but no one can come up with an answer.  Iris is nominated by her friends to find the underlying cause of the murder of Kevin Wallace and discover who is behind the incidents at the zoo.

Did Not Survive gives readers an inside look at life from the eyes of zoo employees and information about the lengths that some animal rights activists will go to whether they are right or wrong.  The mystery presented in Did Not Survive is a good one and the setting unusual.

The author worked as a zookeeper at the Oregon Zoo for twelve years and is a life-long environmentalist.  If you enjoy Littlewood’s writing, you will want to look for her previous book Night Kill.

Reviewed by Patricia E. Reid, November 2010.

Cats and dogs have always held a prominent place in the mystery world and cats are also favorite  characters in fantasy and science fiction.  Dark fantasy is full of both felines and canines.  Then there are all the dragons, unicorns, werewolves, etc., running throughout the fantasy and dark fantasy genres and the odd animal shows up here and there like the chimp in Jennie by Douglas Preston or the villainous squirrel, Morwenna, in Robin Jarvis‘s Deptford Mice trilogy.  The Redwall series by Brian Jacques features all kinds of woodland creatures.  The nonfiction stories, though, are the ones that seriously get to me, especially the ones about our everyday pets.

Why the utter fascination with and near-obsession with animal stories in book or film?

Some people don’t have an affinity for animals and I’m sorry for that—pets bring us great joy and great sorrow, just like the members of our families that they really are.  Research has shown that merely petting an animal can soothe us and bring down our blood pressure and there is no doubt they have distinct personalities.  My own two sister cats, Sugar and Spice, are as different as night and day, much like human siblings.  Sugar, pure white with blue eyes, is more than a bit on the clueless side and very leery of anybody but me and, occasionally, another family member, but she’s just about the sweetest-natured cat I’ve ever known.  Spice, on the other hand, is black and white and looks very much like a Holstein cow (aided by her 20 +/- pounds) and has the ability to stare anybody down.  The cat has actually waked me up just with her nonblinking stare and she is afraid of nothing, sure that she is the queen.  Both cats being hefty, you might expect they would be ponderous in their movements and that’s true of Spice—she walks with leaden feet that echo on my hardwood floors—but Sugar walks like a butterfly.

No book will ever be written about any of the animals I’ve loved but I’ve enjoyed many that others have written.  I asked Becky if she had ever read the Norton trilogy written by Peter Gethers and she hadn’t so I ordered them for her and mailed them the other day.  Before I did, I read the author’s afterword in the third book, something he added to the paperback edition.  Since I had read the hardcover, this was new to me.  In just a few words, he took me right back to the laughs and the wonder and the tears I experienced when I first read the books.  That’s what’s so good about animal books, I think—they never lose their appeal and they never become dated.

I can’t wait to hear what Becky thinks about Norton.

Movie for Dogs by Lois Duncan is a later installment in the popular “for Dogs” franchise.  Before getting to the review I need to note two things.  The first is that I haven’t read the previous books in the series or seen the movie (Hotel for Dogs).  The second comment is that I do enjoy juvenile fiction.  Madeline L’Engle’s A Wrinkle in Time is one of my favorite books.  I even enjoy an occasional offering by Dr. Seuss or a Little Golden book (The Pokey Little Puppy is seriously underappreciated as a work of literary fiction).  O.K. – on to the review.

In Movie for Dogs, Bruce and his sister, Andi, have entered a dog themed film contest.  Those who have read the previous books will not be surprised to hear that Jerry Gordon and his dog also make an appearance.  What I believe are the usual supporting characters – parents, aunts, etc. – are again present.  The not-quite-perfect children and the appropriate social messages present in the previous stories are here again, as well.  Plans are made, the villain tries to derail them and then … well, you know the rest of the story. In spite of my fondness for juvenile fiction, I can’t say that I enjoyed this book.  The plot is a bit too predictable and I didn’t fall in love with the characters.  Scholastic suggests that this book is appropriate for ages 8 to 12.  I think if you liked the previous offerings, you will be safe with this one.  I also think that if you have a young friend who likes dogs and is at the earlier end of that 8 to 12 age range, or even a bit younger, then this is an excellent choice.

Reviewed by Alva Hughes, May 2010.

This is the true story of Oscar, an ordinary cat from the street with an extraordinary talent.  He knows when a patient is going to die and goes that that person’s bedside to remain with them. Inscrutible like every other feline, we honestly do not know why Oscar does what he does.  Dr. David Dosa, the author of “Making Rounds With Oscar” explores the phenomenon in his book.  One thing we do know is that Oscar helps patients and their families at a time of great need.

Chapters within this book talk about Dr. Dosa’s interviews with patient families as well as his own observations about Oscar.  The tales are heartwarming and will leave cat lovers with tears in their eyes and those with a scientific bent wondering precisely what it is that draws Oscar to ill patients.

Reviewed by Rebecca Kyle, June 2010.

Animal bonding and intelligence have always fascinated me. How do dogs and cats, who many people classify as ‘dumb’ animals accomplish so much? How did my two young female cats know to cuddle up on either side of an ailing older cat? They both held that cat like bookends and stayed at his side until he was better.  Scent of the Missing explores this bond from beginning to end with all the pitfalls and pratfalls in between. Charleson‘s prose is eloquent, literally taking you into Texas brush as the team searches for the remains of the “Columbia” space shuttle, allowing you to hear a dog’s triumph ‘woo’ as they have found their missing subjects.

This is an excellent read that will leave you with a tear in your eyes and a smile on your face. Thanks to all the hard-working men, women, and canines who contribute to these efforts.

While I’ve been a voracious reader my entire life, books about animals are the ones that have left the strongest impression on me.  Beginning with Black Beauty and Call of the Wild, I have gotten hold of much great fiction about our four-legged friends, but the non-fiction is what leaves the deepest impression:  James Herriott, Louis Camuti, and now Susannah Charleson are authors who I will never forget and will strongly recommend to any animal lover.

Reviewed by Rebecca Kyle, June 2010.

Pet psychic Mary Catherine is a widow with panache and a successful radio show.  Then, one day, she hears the thoughts of an animal in distress and discovers a turtle with the body of his murdered owner.  Unfortunately, turtles don’t have a good grasp on communication skills so Mary Catherine will need to do some sleuthing to figure out what has happened, especially since the police don’t exactly have faith in her psychic abilities.

I’m not sure if this is a standalone or the first in a series—no new titles have been listed yet—but I enjoyed it.  It’s entertaining in a lighthearted way and quite amusing to “read” the thoughts of the animals.

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Hollywood Cemetery: A Tour
James E. DuPriest, Jr.
Richmond Discoveries, 1989
ISBN 0941087018
Trade Paperback

This is a small (28 pages) booklet that would be of little interest to anyone other than a resident of Richmond, Virginia, or someone who likes to explore old cemeteries.  Hollywood Cemetery, dedicated in 1849, is an especially beautiful resting place for people from all walks of life, including U.S. presidents, Confederate soldiers and generals, and Supreme Court justices.  Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, Hollywood is a place where locals and tourists go to enjoy incredible beauty and peace while immersing themselves in history.

This treatise offers descriptions of the burial sites of some of the more prominent “citizens” as well as many photographs and the history of the cemetery and is a must-have for anyone with an interest in cemeteries in general and this one in particular.

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The Unscratchables
Cornelius Kane
Scribner Book Company
ISBN 1416596410
Trade Paperback

San Bernardo police dog detective Max “Crusher” McNash finds that he must ignore his misgivings and work with special agent Cassius Lap of the Feline Bureau of Investigation when a serial killer cat begins targeting dogs, starting with two Rottweiler goons for hire and progressing through movie star Jack Russell Crowe and other victims.  Along the way, they are offered help by an incarcerated psycho cat, convicted of murder.

Seemingly just another entry in the collection of animal-driven mysteries, this one is different.  Most of the books in this subgenre are naturally very cozy in nature and involve humans but this is a classic hardboiled story with a great deal of satirical humor set in a completely human-free world (although all the accoutrements of humans–clothing, bars, divorce, etc.–are present).   Anyone who likes the Raymond Chandlers of the mystery world and who can place tongue firmly in cheek will enjoy this book.  I really hope there will be more stories of Crusher and Cass.

How To Take Over Teh Wurld

The next entry in the I Can Has Cheezburger canon, this is another collection of riotously funny pictures and captions of kittehs on the quest to dominate their hoomins and, ultimately, the world.  If you haven’t already, you must check out icanhascheezburger.com .

Very highly recommended.