Come, Sit, Read, Enjoy

A Dog’s Purpose

By W. Bruce Cameron

It’s unconditional love.  We crave it; we seek it.  Many find it with their canine best friend.  This book is all about it.

First appearing on the page as a feral puppy, Toby will tug at your heart as he learns from his litter mates, and starts his quest to learn why he exists.  What is his purpose in life?  This author skillfully reveals this dog’s thoughts and heart, as the story is told by Toby.  You’ll read Toby’s vivid, innocent insights from his dog’s senses.  Toby doesn’t always fully understand the human world around him and his misinterpretations add to life’s adventure.

Toby’s first life ends in a way that leaves you still wondering about his life purpose.  And Toby isn’t finished.  He’s reincarnated and frolics into a second life, snuggling into a family and especially snuggling into the arms of the boy, Ethan.  In his second life he remembers some of the more compelling lessons learned from his first life.  What’s also revealing is how Toby, who is now Bailey, views the people around him, and their lives.  Bailey’s family life has its delights, and at times is no walk in the park.  As a reader you care for Bailey, and join in his pursuit of purpose as he matures.  This universal quest to answer why we’re here is an exhilarating exploration in this novel.  A dog’s life is just too short.

Back again, you’ll greedily lap up Bailey’s next incarnation as Buddy.  This time a she, her spirit is brought back in a most unique way and she has retained knowledge from both her previous lives.  You’ll share all new experiences that will keep you turning or swiping, pages hungrily.  I felt thrilled that Buddy was fulfilling a great purpose, and then a most unexpected turn took the story soaring.  Toby/Bailey/Buddy is an old soul who will warm your heart like the old Peanuts quote “happiness is a warm puppy”.

W. Bruce Cameron’s entertaining humor is scattered throughout this marvelous novel.  In a taped interview, hosted by his dog Tucker, the author said that “I remember reading these books when I was young and you had this great bond with this dog, then the dog dies.  I remembered how much I hated that.  I wanted to write a book that made you feel good about your relationship with dogs, and then the dog doesn’t die at the end.”  Adorable Tucker the “interviewer” is a rescue dog, and the author has said his favorite “breed” is a rescue dog.

This book will remind you why, or teach you why, people love dogs.  It will also remind you that we all have a purpose to fulfill, and there is goodness in that search and fulfillment.  That’s a lot to learn from a wag and a bark.

Here’s to the many dogs I’ve loved, especially Tristan, Charley, and King.

No Excuses

No Excuses

By Derrick Coleman Jr. with Marcus Brotherton

Derrick Coleman is #40, fullback for the Seahawks and part of the Super Bowl XLVIII championship team.  He made history by becoming the first deaf offensive player in the NFL.  He tackled Trindon Holliday at the 12-yard line on the opening kickoff of Super Bowl XLVIII - getting the game started right I’d say.  And the rest is history, including the first Super Bowl Championship team that included a deaf player.

All Twelves, and football fans will enjoy his new memoir book.  It’s so interesting to read about his childhood and his progression from Pop Warner, to High School football, and then trying to get into the NFL, and then the story about what it was like to be in that Super Bowl!  But that is just the icing on the cake, because this book brings to life so much more than just football.

I had the privilege to meet Derrick Coleman Jr. at his recent book signing at Third Place Books.  His memoir is written is such a conversational and personal way, that when I met him I felt an instant connection through what I’d read.  Mixed into the life stories are life lessons that feel so sincere and embraceable.  This isn’t a book that preaches at you what you should do; it takes your hand and shows you what works.  He shows you the importance of having goals, and of pursuing them.

This book is about a man who persevered to overcome in a big way his obstacle of being deaf.  That has been an incredible inspiration for so many in the deaf community – kids and adults.  I would never discount that.  Standing in line at the book signing I was surrounded by so many people who told me how inspired they are by him for exactly that hope that he’s showed them.  Yet, as he says himself, we all have obstacles that we have to overcome to achieve our goals.  He has written a book of sincere and plain spoken inspiration for anyone who has ever dreamed and been told they couldn’t do that.

 

I can tell you that in person Derrick Coleman Jr. is a humble, caring, and compelling man.  His whole face and demeanor lights up around kids, and he’s given back to kids in many ways.  In a recent interview this UCLA graduate told kids, “The sky’s the limit for you; I’m nobody special. If I can make it to college, y’all can too. Don’t have any excuse. Whatever it is you want to do, do it.  Have fun and don’t worry about other people.”  Derrick Coleman has confronted even more than the one obstacle in his life, and he’s learned many things from his struggles, that he’s now sharing.  His sense of humor has softened life’s blows, and adds to this engaging read.

For you football fans and Twelves, yes there are some tantalizing stories you’ll enjoy.  His memoir is about such recent history, you’ll recognize many of the people included.  Thankfully Coleman has recovered from his foot injury, says he’s feeling good, and participated in all of Seattle’s Organized Team Activities, which are now done.  All indications are that he’s preparing for his second season as the Seahawks’ likely starter at fullback.  As always, Derrick Coleman takes nothing for granted.

If Derrick Coleman Jr. was signing off from this recommendation, he’d say to you - Be Great!!

I’ll add, Go Hawks!

Thereby hangs a tale . . . .

Who Could Resist Wesley the Owl

Wesley the Owl

By Stacey O’Brien

Spoiler alert – before you start this novel make room in your heart for an adorable little barn owl named Wesley.  You won’t be able to resist this smart, fluffy bundle of energy.  On Valentine’s Day biologist Stacey O’Brien adopted a baby barn owl with an injured wing who couldn’t survive in the wild.  Talk about a life changing decision!  For almost twenty years Wesley and Stacey shared a life.  As she says, “he was my teacher, my companion, my child, my playmate, my reminder of God.”

What a treat that the author decided to share this love story with us.  Life with a wild barn owl is not for everyone.  I stand in deep admiration of the author’s infinite level of patience.  Her devotion certainly pays off in a deeply empathetic, emotional communion with this beautiful creature.

A wonderful gift in this book is the large number of photos of Wesley in his everyday glory.  The photos alone will melt your heart.  But then to read the stories behind this cutie, you’ll be delighted.  As the author says, “he joyfully poured out his love in loud exclamations and had boisterous opinions about everything.  He kept a running commentary on all that happened in our lives, in his owl language . . . we were happy together.”

But don’t get the idea that raising an owl, and living with one is an endeavor for those faint of heart.  The description of daily life and required routines make me realize that the model owl adoptive parent is a trained biologist specializing in wild animal behavior, working at Caltech (California Institute of Technology) where scientists from all over the world were on the barn owl research team.

Wesley’s story is so humorous, I often found myself laughing out loud.  The author really captures the humor in everyday activities.  I had so much fun reading the story and looking at the many photos that I was surprised to find how much I’d learned about barn owls, and also about animal behavior in general.  Some of these lessons are couched in the theme throughout that is “the Way of the Owl”.  I’m excited that I’ve learned so much in such an enjoyable way.  It’s amazing how well Wesley communicated with his beloved human family.  The author notes that “we are on the cusp of a new understanding of animal communication.”  Thank you Wesley, for teaching me too.

For anyone who believes in the emotions, and soul, and intelligence of animals – you will be captivated by the exploits of Wesley the Owl.

Thereby hangs a tale . . . .            

The Girl on the Train Takes You For a Ride

The Girl On The Train

By Paula Hawkins

As the girl rides the daily commuter train to London, she stares out her window at rows of houses lining the tracks.  She grabs little glimpses into other people’s lives.  The girl is Rachel.  Sometimes she takes what she sees at face value, and sometimes she makes up her own fantasies and stories about what she sees.   But then, on a day that seems so much like every other day, she suddenly glimpses something shocking out the window.  Now everything has changed.  Whether it’s Rachel’s curiosity or her heroics, something compels her to get off that train and climb aboard a very dangerous ride.  Rachel is carrying her own grim baggage, wrestling with her own personal problems as the book proceeds with her involvement in a dark, mystery along the train tracks.

The author has written this book with Rachel as the primary narrator, but interspersed are chapters written with different narrating characters.  As events transpire you’ll read from these different perspectives, and you’re subject to the different character’s motivations, personalities, manipulations and weaknesses.  Some of these characters drove me wild with frustration, others touched my heart, and others intrigued me.  With this powerfully descriptive writing, they each elicited a strong response in me.  It’s up to the reader to decide who is really what they seem, and who is not, and whether you’re seeing the events described accurately?  As a reader, who can you trust?

Paula Hawkins has written a slow-building suspense mystery.  It’s like a train that starts with a jolt, slowly builds up speed, and then in the end is propelled forward to its ultimate destination.  In this case, the rider/reader will find the novel’s final ending an unannounced surprise.  The author said in an interview, “I know people like to read about serial killers and spies, but most of us will never encounter these things.  Sadly, most of the threats we encounter are at home.”  This mystery features themes of domestic violence and alcohol and drug abuse.  It asks the slippery question of whether people can ever truly know their spouses or themselves.  The author describes what makes a psychological mystery more complex than the average thriller, “the atmosphere of menace that infects the everyday.”

Thereby hangs a tale . . . .

An Object of Beauty is a Joy to Read

An Object of Beauty

By Steve Martin

This smart novel is a look at the art world during the 1990’s and into the beginning of this century.  It’s a study of art collecting of that time, as well as a study of the personalities running that art world.  The narrator is a friend and admirer of the protagonist, Lacey Yeager.  She is an ambitious young woman unleashed upon the glamorous art world at the age of twenty-three with big dreams, and lots of energy.

She feels fortunate to land a behind-the-scenes job at Sotheby’s where she learns a lot.  She finds out that the employees don’t make much money, and she struggles.  She observes behind the scenes, and uses her growing knowledge to climb a social and career ladder within the art world.  Following her life choices, as described by the narrator, is intriguing.  Some choices are surprisingly ruthless and others are stunning.  Her adventures, investments, and self-made allure clearly make her an object of beauty for many who are smitten with her notorious charms.

The author’s writing is clever, at times elegant, and full of wit.  His novel is rich with descriptions that make you feel you know the people and the world they inhabit.  Both Lacey Yeager, and her narrator are unforgettable characters.  The action in the book often turns on the author’s well-chosen twist of a word or phrase.  Sprinkled throughout the book you’re treated to twenty-two color art reproductions of the art of the time that the characters refer to at auction or at sale.  As you read on you realize how very knowledgeable Steve Martin, a long time collector, is about the art world.

You’re pulled into the “market” yourself to think about - what is truly art and creativity?  What would you chase after to buy?  The 1990’s was an interesting time in the world of art.  Descriptions of the art objects were often in depth and contained interesting information about the artists and the pieces.  And then sometimes the characters reveal a very human, emotional connection to a piece that resounds as true – “I like it when the moonlight is reflected on the water.”

You’ll be fascinated by the intimate, insightful descriptions of the art, and the people handling it, and the buyers chasing it.  You’ll be surprised to find where Lacey’s career choices lead her, and her friend the narrator.  And in the end you’ll realize John Keats was right about a true thing of beauty -

“A thing of beauty is a joy for ever:
Its loveliness increases; it will never
Pass into nothingness; but still will keep
A bower quiet for us, and a sleep
Full of sweet dreams, and health, and quiet breathing.”              John Keats

Thereby hangs a tale . . . .

Hit the Road in Travels with Charlize

Travels with Charlize

By David R. Gross

You’ll enjoy traveling with Charlize around the western United States.  Charlize is a lovely German shepherd rescue dog who’s all personality from the tip of her tail to the tip of her wet nose.  The author adopts Charlize after he’s lost the love of his life to cancer, his wife of almost 53 years Rosalie.

The author hit the road on a journey to find what there is left in life for him, seeking what to do with the rest of his years.  He was in search of living alone, supported by man’s best friend at his side.  It’s been said that “the world would be a nicer place if everyone had the ability to love as unconditionally as a dog.”  Charlize is an enthusiastic friend, an excellent listener, great at fetch, and has an innate sense to comfort when it’s needed most.  A reader is reminded of John Steinbeck’s book Travels With Charley.  As John Steinbeck said, “a sad soul can kill you quicker, far quicker, than a germ.”  Travels with Charlize is good medicine for a sad soul.

This book is a compilation of David Gross’ blogs, which makes it such a personal way to unfold his story.  The man and his dog began on their first of several journeys, from Washington State to California at the beginning of the book.  They’re off to visit family and friends towing a camping trailer nicknamed “Frog,” pulled by “Old Blue” a Dodge Ram truck.  That’s certainly a new life for a Veterinarian who also taught and did research in cardiovascular physiology for more than thirty years.

The author’s descriptive passages are entrancing and especially poignant when they include his nostalgic memories.  He compares today’s destinations with his memories of those places during boyhood and as a young man.  As a reader you’ll be surprised when the author reveals what big, visible changes time has brought.  Although their journeys are quite different, there are interesting parallels with John Steinbeck’s book, including each author’s insights into the America they see.  At one point John Steinbeck said, “I wonder why progress looks so much like destruction.”

 Like Steinbeck, our author also finds much beauty to marvel at along the way, and wonderful people.  Charlize turns out to be a natural friend maker and a magnet for attention.  Charlize is also a bit of a daredevil, at one point curiosity leading her onto the verge of unstable cliffs for a better look.  The book is dotted throughout with wonderful pictures of Charlize and of trip highlights.

None of us know what life holds around the corner.  When you have no map, and your GPS isn’t working, you’re fortunate in life if you have a loving, compassionate companion by your side.  This heartwarming tale shows one man’s search to find his way, with his tail wagging friend.

Thereby hangs a tail and a tale . . . .

The Whistling Season Tribute

The Whistling Season

By Ivan Doig

The first book I ever read by Ivan Doig was The Whistling Season.  This Big Sky author has left behind a lifetime’s work of compassionately written stories about the West and especially Montana for readers to continue to treasure.  A life well lived, and now the sorrow of his passing hits so many.

He’s an icon in the literature of the American West.  But, on his website Ivan Doig repudiated the regional inference: "I don't think of myself as a 'Western' writer. To me, language — the substance on the page, that poetry under the prose — is the ultimate 'region,' the true home, for a writer."  That poetry under prose is one of the unique aspects that frame his stories.  Rhythm, word choice, lyrical intent are the elements of his writing which comes across with a fresh, natural openness.

The Whistling Season is a charming tale of love and loss, truth and lies, and education—conventional and otherwise.  It is, like most of his books, set in rural Montana.  The narrator, Paul Milliron, is looking back almost 50 years, from the vista of 1957, back to when he was a boy.

From an interview with Ivan Doig on this novel he said, “My secret is out, sort of, kind of. Maybe more than any other character or, at least any other narrator who I have ever created, Paul has a few of my mental fingerprints. He loves language, even Latin—which I took in high school. He’s an inveterate reader of books. He eavesdrops with his eyes. He admits to a bit of a pedantic streak. He’s his own person, though.”

The Whistling Season presents Paul Milliron’s passion for isolated public schools that infuse vitality into their communities.  He narrates a loving portrait of this one-room schoolhouse.  In 1957 he’s a man at the end of a career as overseer of Montana schools.  In the era of Sputnik and modernization, he has been charged with announcing the mandated closing of the state's remaining one-room schoolhouses.

The novel’s main plot is straightforward and honest.  In 1909 Oliver Milliron, a recently widowed father of three boys, answers a newspaper ad from a widow in Minneapolis seeking employment: "Can't Cook But Doesn't Bite."   Oliver, a plain man with a love of language can't resist.  When Rose Llewellyn's train arrives, he discovers more than he bargained for; she’s brought her brother Morris.

Rose is feisty, willful and charming.  She takes over housekeeping duties, whistling all the while.  Morris, due to the sudden elopement of the one teacher, is appointed to the post.  Home life, and lessons in the classic one-room schoolhouse, continue but now changed by these spirited eccentrics.

Thereby hangs a tale . . . .