I completely have a new favorite book, and it's "I'm Still Here: A Dog's Purpose Forever." I almost feel like I should pre-order a dozen of them, becaI completely have a new favorite book, and it's "I'm Still Here: A Dog's Purpose Forever." I almost feel like I should pre-order a dozen of them, because I know this will now become my go-to whenever a fellow dog lover has that awful day where they must say goodbye.
In fact, it was saying goodbye to my beloved pug many, many years ago that caused my bookstore owner friend to put a copy of the novel A Dog's Purpose in my hand. Almost anyone who knows me as a reader knows receiving that gift started my deep and personal passion for that classic book, and all the other books by W. Bruce Cameron. I became such a superfan that I even started to read his wife Cathryn Michon's books, and though she had a very different style than Cameron's, I loved her funny, feminist vibe too.
Even though it really changed my life, for most people, A Dog's Purpose isn't the book you generally give someone right when they send their fur kid over the rainbow bridge. I think that beautiful spiritual book helps you out maybe after the first year of grief, which is when I read it.
This gorgeous book is the book you could give your friend that very day. Like A Dog's Purpose, the writing is at first deceptively simple, until you realize that this cheerful and very doggy narrator is literally giving us the good news of the immortality of all sentient beings. That's a big topic for one little dog.
But the dog has also got some real complaints about, for example, baths, and in one hilarious sequence, the absurdity of what the dog thinks of as the, "tricks," of, "sit," and, "stay."
The book made me laugh out loud, many times, and then at other times had me dissolved into what I can only call the most healing of tears.
I do know that author Michon is also the screenwriter, along with her husband Cameron, of the amazing films that are made of his books. Perhaps that is why this poetry almost reads as dialogue, from a wise and loving dog who really wants you to understand that their, "dog soul," is still with you, even though their, "dog body," is not.
This is a book I will read again and again, because it felt like the soul of my very own angel dog is whispering in my year from all those years ago. This wonderful wise dog is reminding me that our souls are eternal, that once we love each other we belong to each other always, and that whether, "here," or, "there," there is no doubt that we will meet again. That's a story I could hear every day of my life and still be glad to hear it.
I know some people consider it an insult to call something a, "coffee table book," but though this book isn't large, the quality of the beautiful water color paintings that illustrate its profound and comforting narrative only add to this literally perfect story. I know it's going to be sitting on my coffee table, where I can just grab it and glance at a few of its beautiful pages on a daily basis.
I don't want to say that I love it MORE than A Dog's Purpose, I want to say that I love it the same, but that it's a completely different, and so needed book. This book is going to heal people who are hurting, and I can't think of a better purpose.
I wish I could give it more than 5 stars, it's that wonderful.
Thanks to NetGalley for the advance peek, and to the publisher I say, don't worry about giving away that book for free, because this is a book I will buy again and again....more
It won't come as a surprise to anyone who knows me that I FREAKING LOVED THIS BOOK. Look, I'm a lifer when it comes to W. Bruce Cameron, and that's noIt won't come as a surprise to anyone who knows me that I FREAKING LOVED THIS BOOK. Look, I'm a lifer when it comes to W. Bruce Cameron, and that's not just for his dog books, his book Emory's Gift is a masterpiece, and I might even love it more than the book that hooked me into his cult in the first place, A Dog's Purpose, which I got as an ARC from my friend, not long after the death of my beloved pug.
But this book rates right up there in the Cameron Pantheon of great books. He's back to his sweet spot of writing better than any living author from the point of view of a dog.
Except this time he's upped the game, because he's writing from the point of view of three VERY DIFFERENT dogs. And the insight that gives you into how a pack works is so delightful, and heartwarming, and in the case of this book with its many plot twists, suspenseful.
I love a book that keeps you guessing, and boy did this one ever do that. And honestly, the way a book ends is everything for me, and this one has one of the best, most heart-meltingly satisfying endings ever.
It also has one superiorly hate-able villain, which is another element I love.
I'm blessed that I'm enough in the loop that I was able to download a digital ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review of this book.
One word of advice: Don't start it late at night if you expect to be able to function the next day. A 3:00 a.m. bedtime is so not my friend, but I HAD TO FINISH THIS AMAZING BOOK.
STOP THE PRESSES! How did I miss this book? I'm going to go ahead and blame Covid, since it published in 2020 and that's when every freaking bookstoreSTOP THE PRESSES! How did I miss this book? I'm going to go ahead and blame Covid, since it published in 2020 and that's when every freaking bookstore in America was closed. I'm not a Kindle reader, I'm a bookstore browser and all I did in 2020 was like, watch crap reality TV. I didn't even try to bake sourdough bread.
I did gain weight, I was on trend for that one.
Anyway, point is, I've always read everything by this author and then somehow I missed this one. But no worries, because this guy is such a hilarious writer even his freaking diaries are fantastic. I can't wait to read his grocery lists.
Anyway, I'm a lifetime fan and I have to say as a person who also goes to book events, this guy might be the nicest author I've ever met in person. Hundreds of people line up to talk to him and he spends time with every person. For like, hours.
Anyway, I'm a lifetime fan and this is another great book! ...more
Obviously I saw him in reruns of Happy Days when I was a kid, but needless to say he's nothing like The FonzThis guy! So charming, so sweet, so FUNNY.
Obviously I saw him in reruns of Happy Days when I was a kid, but needless to say he's nothing like The Fonz. Also, is it just me or has he kind of gotten BETTER looking?
I mean, men do that. It's so unfair. I got this on Kindle and I'm so glad I did. It helped me on a long plane ride. ...more
The first Michael Connelly book I ever read, and I actually have a signed copy because I got it when he was doing a book event. That was years ago, ohThe first Michael Connelly book I ever read, and I actually have a signed copy because I got it when he was doing a book event. That was years ago, oh God, like maybe 15 years ago, but I never lent this one out to anyone because it's yet another book that I sometimes like to re-read, which is saying a lot for a mystery thriller. ...more
This might be the greatest novel ever written, which is like, so known, but honestly, Jane Austen basically created the template for character driven This might be the greatest novel ever written, which is like, so known, but honestly, Jane Austen basically created the template for character driven storytelling AND having women characters take the lead in the story.
Basically she's the Greta Gerwig of her day.
And like with many things, the film of this book is a masterpiece, and you should watch it, especially because of its Oscar winning screenplay by Emma Thompson. AND YET, the book is so much better.
Because the book is always better than the movie! Anyway, treat yourself. I have literally read this book a minimum of 5 times. ...more
I don't know how this author does it, she has written so many bestselling books, and they are all really different! This one so captures the feelings I don't know how this author does it, she has written so many bestselling books, and they are all really different! This one so captures the feelings of what people in small towns in the south are like. I know because my Mom's family is from the south and this book just really nails it in that regard.
I also love, and this is always a big deal for me, how great the women characters are. ...more
I don't know how the last three years or so have gone for all of you, but I really clung to my dog and felt cTHE BOOK I NEEDED FOR POST PANDEMIC PTSD!
I don't know how the last three years or so have gone for all of you, but I really clung to my dog and felt closer to him than ever. Somehow, W. Bruce Cameron has once again written EXACTLY the book I needed to heal my heart from these strange times. I originally read A Dog's Purpose after I lost my beloved dog, and that book healed me too. Thank you to this beloved author for once again writing exactly the book I needed, at exactly the time I needed it. Since the whole world was on lockdown and isolated, I have a feeling that there are a lot of people who could use the heart and the laughs this book so generously provide.
Love, Clancey: Diary of a Good Dog is told from the point of view of a very good, diary keeping dog, but it's really different than other books he's written. For one thing, it's so HILARIOUS! And then, it's really ROMANTIC. It's about a crazy group of people who all love their dogs, some of them are super crazy, but at it's core is Alana and JayB.
What I love about this couple is that they are both really kind people. So much of fiction and film and TV in the current climate is about these kind of awful, selfish, evil people, but these two characters are kind people, dare I say, NORMAL people, dealing with the kind of problems that most people have: changes in employment, dealing with the death of a parent, trying to wrangle family dynamics, in other words, real life.
But the reason it's taken me out of my post pandemic funk is because it's so full of life, and hope, and frankly, hilarity. It's a breezy escape, and when all the characters load into a giant conversion van with all their dogs and head to Las Vegas, it's a blast with a ton of surprising, and again, truly funny plot twists.
I won't spoil the happy, happy, OH SO HAPPY ending, but know that this is NOT one of those books that serves up a gut punch at the end.
At times like these, knowing that no matter what crazy people are in our lives, our dogs are always on our side is like, the best feeling ever. It feels true because it is true, but I love hearing it from Clancy's point of view.
I'm really hoping that this book will become a movie like many of Cameron's other books. It's sort of like, Little Miss Sunshine, but with dogs! It would be amazing. Nobody Hollywood cares what I think, but I'd love to see Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson as JayB and Alana. How fun would that be?
Treat yourself to a book that makes you feel better, and reminds you that your dog, and in fact, all dogs, are VERY GOOD DOGS!
Thanks to Net Galley for letting me have an early read with this ARC, you pulled me out of my funk!...more
OMGOMG Thank you Netgalley once again for making me feel like the luckiest reader in THE WORLD! I love Betty White, but that's like saying, "I love oxOMGOMG Thank you Netgalley once again for making me feel like the luckiest reader in THE WORLD! I love Betty White, but that's like saying, "I love oxygen," because really, who doesn't love her? Why would you even want to know someone who doesn't lover her?
My mom is the one who turned me on to how great she was with DVD's of the Mary Tyler Moore show, which is just excellent in every way (another duh! Who wouldn't love that?)
Anyway, enough stupid questions. This book is so charming, and has so much great information about Miss White and wonderful photos etc. etc.
It is literally the perfect gift for anyone who loves Betty White (again! Don't be friends with anyone you wouldn't give this book to, then give them the book!)...more
I don't have kids of my own but I am like, the greatest Aunt in the history of Aunts, and all of my Thank you to the publisher for this advance read!
I don't have kids of my own but I am like, the greatest Aunt in the history of Aunts, and all of my nieces and nephews are getting this book for summer reading. I'm a huge fan of the "grown up" books of W. Bruce Cameron, and so I am always introducing kids to this author through these books. I have created some real superfans!
But the truth is, I read every one of these books before I give them, and they make the most gentle, heart-tugging, often hilarious bedtime stories for an adult.
Cooper is a dog with a very special purpose, he's being trained to be an assistant dog to his boy Burke, who is in a wheelchair. His journey towards understanding that he is a dog who is not like other dogs, that he is a dog who WORKS is suspenseful, emotional and so satisfying.
Also his devotion to his true dog love, Lacey, is so sweet and adorable. I found myself rooting for a boy and his dog and a dog and his dog!
I also love how this book explores the world of a differently abled child without preaching, because, well, it's told from the point of view of a dog. Dogs don't see disability, just like they don't see race or a lot of the other things that people get so messed up about.
This feels like a beautiful, classic children's book that will last for the ages. TREAT YOURSELF TO THIS BOOK!...more
OMGOMGOMG! Everyone who knows me knows that I am a FREAK for the books of W. Bruce Cameron going all the way back to when my friend gave me an advanceOMGOMGOMG! Everyone who knows me knows that I am a FREAK for the books of W. Bruce Cameron going all the way back to when my friend gave me an advance copy of his first novel A Dog's Purpose.
Some people might say, "How many books can you read from a dog's point of view?" Having just finished the amazing A Dog's Courage, I'm going to have to say AS MANY AS W. BRUCE CAMERON CAN WRITE.
Honestly, this is the best one he's written yet. As the sequel to A Dog's Way Home you might be like, what? How is there a sequel, didn't Bella find her way home? She certainly did, but you are in the hands of a master storyteller here so don't worry your pretty little head about it and enjoy this amazing ride.
There is heart pounding adventure, there is laughter, yeah, there are a few tears (but not because the dog dies!) but mostly, there is love, love, LOVE!
No accident that this book comes in time for Mother's Day and Father's Day, for at it's heart, it's all about the love of a parent. Lucas and Olivia for their fur child, Bella for the (plot spoiler) kittens of Big Kitten, and so much more.
I hope W. Bruce Cameron is taking good care of himself, he has a LOT MORE BOOKS HE NEEDS TO WRITE FOR ME!!!...more
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