With all the “Best of” lists coming out as we wrap up 2016 — I figured why not add a pile of this year’s dog books to the mix? If you’re looking for stocking stuffers or other pet presents, there’s plenty of reading material to entertain the dog person in your life!
Wesley Banks, author of the newly-released Faith in Every Footstep, has compiled a list of his Top 100 Dog Books using a complex, dog-eared algorithm of ratings, reviews, and sales (call it Moneyball for Mutts) — and It’s Just A Dog is proud to chew up the #30 slot!
Also, Mr. Banks is gifting a bundle of classic dog books this weekend — so check out his giveaway here on his website!
Alexandra Horowitz, author of the best-selling Inside of A Dog, is back with a new dog-delving science book, BEING A DOG: FOLLOWING THE DOG INTO A WORLD OF SMELL. Widely known for sniffing out drugs, bombs, and certain types of ancer, this book will surely open up our minds — and nostrils — to the infinite ways that dogs perceive the world around us! (NPR)
It’s Just A Dog is thrilled to be part of Amazon’s new October promo, #PoweredbyIndie. So whether you like dog books, romance, thrillers, non-fiction, or humor, I’m sure the book behemoth will have something in stock for your Kindle!
As this Labor Day weekend marks the official end of the dog days of summer, I’ll try to get through my pile of unread New Yorkers — but I’ll probably just skip right to the cartoons, including this classic by Charlie Hankin.
Bookbub, the big-time discount ebook site, now has two major dog books for sale at $1.99 — Meg Donohue’s Dog Crazy and Dog Years (by Mark Doty) — so get ’em while they’re hot!
Hey, now that the U.S. DEM/GOP political conventions are out of the way, you can take this time to go save yourself by rescuing a dog or cat at this year’s annual Broadway Barks event in NYC!
Just check out some of the handsome pets that have saved their humans on Twitter using the hashtag #BroadwayBarks!
The dog book of the summer, Lily and the Octopus, is now on sale for $1.99 on Amazon Kindle. Reviews have compared it to The Art of Racing in the Rain and Life of Pi — so if you’re into some good old-fashioned animal magic, you might like this read!
On this 4th of July holiday weekend, why not snuggle up with a (somewhat) patriotic dog book? Bronwen Dickey’s excellent new non-fiction title, Pit Bull: The Battle Over an American Icon, clears up the myths and misconceptions of America’s most demonized dog breed — and also shows the cruel part that humans have played in abusing this loyal animal’s reputation.
If anything could unite this country, it’s probably not a politician — but a lovable Dachshund — if you believe the trailer for Wiener-Dog (not to be confused with Weiner, the documentary about the controversial former New York U.S. representative). This little IFC release tells the story of one dog’s life tied together by four different owners.
Since it’s an indie film directed by Todd Solondz (Welcome to the Dollhouse), chances are the movie might be a bit of a downer — but at least this trailer looks like it has a few definite feel-good doggie moments!
(SPOILER ALERT: It has been brought to my attention that the ending of this movie is very disturbing, especially for Dachshund/dog lovers, so please beware!)
Like the banner says, it’s part book, part blog — and ALL DOG. (Okay, there may be a few cat videos, too, to show some love for the other team!)
Now I know what you’re thinking: does the world really need another dog book? Hasn’t English literature pretty much covered this territory in the past century — e.g., Old Yeller, My Dog Skip, and Marley & Me? Well, yes and no. The thing that makes It’s Just A Dog stand out from the pack from all those other dog books is that in this story the dog dies in the beginning, and then comes back from the dead!
So what’s the book about? Here we go…
IT’S JUST A DOG : THE NOVEL
What if your dog died and then came back as a ghost…that could talk? Would you welcome him back with open arms or run away scared to death?
This is the premise of IT’S JUST A DOG, a new novel about love, pet loss, and one man’s dog who rises up yapping from the grave.
Charlie Keefe is not just your typical dog lover –– he’s a world famous dog painter, a.k.a. “The Picasso of Pooch Portraits”. Unfortunately, Charlie’s beloved muse, Pete, his lovable Jack Russell terrier, has just died. And he’s totally devastated by the loss of his furry best friend.
So, after months of grieving over his dearly departed soulmate, Charlie reluctantly agrees to foster a new puppy –– a cute Cavalier King Charles spaniel named Brownie from the local animal shelter. Soon after, Charlie is surprised to find himself falling head over heels with this new puppy girl, his ‘Rebound Dog’, as he calls her –– as well as being romantically attracted to Janelle Jordan, the head hound at the dog rescue.
But then complications arise when the ghost of his old dog, Pete, mysteriously reappears one night and comes back to haunt him and the new puppy –– setting off a bizarre chain of events that throw Charlie’s life, career, and entire belief system into chaos!
If you’ve enjoyed such classic dog books as The Art of Racing in the Rain and A Dog’s Purpose, then you are bound to find a place in your heart for IT’S JUST A DOG.
IT’S JUST A DOG is not just for dogs. It’s for anyone who has ever lost a pet –– and learned to love again. If you’re a feel-good fan of dog books, make IT’S JUST A DOG your special treat! (Available at Amazon.com and Amazon UK – download the Kindle app here for ebooks).
As an added bonus, a portion of sales during the book’s launch was donated to Muttville Senior Dog Rescue (in San Francisco, CA), which believes that every dog deserves a happy ending.
In what has to be one of the most disturbing unusual ways to grieve the loss of a beloved pet, a Dutch artist named Bart Jansen has transformed his deceased cat, Orville, into a drone called the “OrvilleCopter”. Read all about it on Business Insider.
Apparently, he’s brought new life to other taxidermy as well, as you can check out this flying Ostrich video…
ItsJustADogBook.com 