Dog Days of Summer Mini-Challenge

The summer mini-challenge is almost over...one week left. Has anyone come close to completing it? What books have you read?

I finished Marley & Me, Amazing Gracie, and Tales from a Dog Catcher. Maybe choosing 3 books would have been better! I might finish The Art of Racing in the Rain before the 22nd.

Dog Days of Summer

How's the Dog Days of Summer Challenge going? 7 weeks left!

I've read Marley & Me and Amazing Gracie. I've started Dog Stories by James Herriot. Still a lot to go, but I think I'll finish just in time, as usual.

Update {Dog Days of Summer}

I'm changing one of the 10 books. After reading another synopsis and a few reviews, I realized that Secrets to Happiness isn't really about a dog or dogs. Since this book doesn't fit with the challenge theme, I'm picking a new one to replace it (I'm sure it's a good book; it just doesn't fit in for this challenge). The new book is:

Shelter Dogs: Amazing Stories of Adopted Strays by Peg Kehret


From award-wining author Peg Kehret comes a collection of true stories about the amazing lives of eight shelter dogs. Many of these dogs were unwanted because of their size, behavior, or medical condition. All of the dogs found owners who loved and cared for them and ultimately helped change their lives in tremendous ways, as the dogs have changed the lives of their new owners.

Dog Days of Summer {Details}

The Dog Days of Summer (original idea from The Literate Housewife, modified by me) mini-challenge will begin on the first day of Summer, June 21st, and run through the last day, September 22nd. The goal over the 3 months will be to read 10 books about dogs! That's a little less than 1 book per week...are you up to it? If that sounds like too much, you could just set your own goal (you could do the 3 from The Literate Housewife event). If that's too much reading about dogs, you could substitute other animals. Here are my 10 choices:

1. The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein
2. Amazing Gracie: A Dog's Tale by Dan Dye & Mark Beckloff
3. Merle's Door: Lessons from a Freethinking Dog by Ted Kerasote
4. Dog Stories by James Herriot
5. Tales from a Dog Catcher by Lisa Duffy-Korpics
6. My Name is Henley: My Life and Times as a Rescued Dog by Judith Kristen
7. Rescuing Sprite: A Dog Lover's Story of Joy and Anguish by Mark Levin
8. Marley & Me: Life and Love with the World's Worst Dog by John Grogan
9. What the Dog Did: Tales from a Formerly Reluctant Dog Owner by Emily Yoffe
10. Shelter Dogs: Amazing Stories of Adopted Strays by Peg Kehret

I already told you about the first 2 on the list (see previous post). What are the others about?

Merle's Door by Ted Kerasote


While on a camping trip, Ted Kerasote met a dog - a Labrador mix - who was living on his own in the wild. They became attached to each other, and Kerasote decided to name the dog Merle and bring him home. There, he realized that Merle's native intelligence would be diminished by living exclusively in the human world. He put a dog door in his house so Merle could live both outside and in.
A deeply touching portrait of a remarkable dog and his relationship with the author, Merle's Door explores the issues that all animals and their human companions face as their lives intertwine, bringing to bear the latest research into animal consciousness and behavior as well as insights into the origins and evolution of the human-dog partnership. Merle showed Kerasote how dogs might live if they were allowed to make more of their own decisions, and Kerasote suggests how these lessons can be applied universally.

Dog Stories by James Herriot


James Herriot is one of the most beloved storytellers of our time. The warm and joyful memoirs of his life as a country vet in Yorkshire have endeared him to countless readers around the world, and many of his most memorable tales featured man's best friend. Here are the complete dog stories from his much-beloved memoirs: a handsome collection of tales...that will warm the hearts of dog lovers around the world. Featuring a special introduction by the author and his own accompanying notes to each specially illustrated story, this tribute from man to dog is a volume no Herriot fan will want to be without.

Tales from a Dog Catcher by Lisa Duffy-Korpics


Lisa Duffy-Korpics’s Tales from a Dog Catcher is an unforgettable look at the lives of everyday people (and animals) who, whether by accident or design, come into contact with the sad, comical, and often profound world of an animal control officer.

My Name is Henley by Judith Kristen


An Old English Sheepdog starts out his life as the runt of the litter at a puppy mill in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Abused, neglected, and left to die, Henley is finally rescued by a shelter worker and then adopted into a loving home. Written in the dog's voice it brings you closer to the situation from a perspective that needs to be heard. Henley eventually relinquishes his title as top dog when he welcomes not one, but five rescued cats into his life. The interaction between canine and felines is touching, humorous, and captivating. This is a story of kindness, patience, love, respect, and understanding for lovers of all creatures great and small. Publishers note: Part of the proceeds from this book benefits three animal rescue organizations.

Rescuing Sprite by Mark Levin


Although Mark Levin is known as a constitutional lawyer and a nationally syndicated broadcaster, he is, first and foremost, a dog lover. In 1998, he and his family welcomed a half-Border Collie/half-Cocker Spaniel they named Pepsi into their lives. Six years later, his wife and son persuaded him to adopt a dog from the local shelter, a Spaniel mix. It turned out he was older than originally thought, and he was the most beautiful dog they'd ever seen. They named him Sprite. Their lives would never be the same.

Marley & Me by John Grogan


The heartwarming and unforgettable story of a family in the making and the wondrously neurotic dog who taught them what really matters in life. John and Jenny were just beginning their life together. They were young and in love, with a perfect little house and not a care in the world. Then they brought home Marley, a wiggly yellow furball of a puppy. Life would never be the same.

What the Dog Did by Emily Yoffe


A funny and insightful look at all things canine. Filled with adventures of heroic dogs, lovable and lazy dogs, malodorous dogs, phlegmatic and incontinent dogs, What the Dog Did delivers some of the most outlandish and certainly the funniest dog stories on record.
Shelter Dogs: Amazing Stories of Adopted Strays by Peg Kehret


From award-wining author Peg Kehret comes a collection of true stories about the amazing lives of eight shelter dogs. Many of these dogs were unwanted because of their size, behavior, or medical condition. All of the dogs found owners who loved and cared for them and ultimately helped change their lives in tremendous ways, as the dogs have changed the lives of their new owners.
Let me know if you're going to participate in the mini-challenge!

One more thing...if you have cats, I've heard that Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World by Vicki Myron is really good.

Dog Days of Summer

The Literate Housewife is hosting The Dog Days of Summer during the week of August 24th. She says "There will be prizes like books, rub-ons, and limited edition bookmarks!" She will be reviewing/discussing 3 books that week: The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein, Secrets to Happiness by Sarah Dunn (for our challenge, this book was replaced by Shelter Dogs by Peg Kehret) and another one to be named later (after she chooses one submitted by her readers). I think I'm going to try to participate in the event since I've been wanting to read a good dog book. Here's the one I suggested for the third choice.

Amazing Gracie: A Dog's Tale by Dan Dye and Mark Beckloff


Gracie was a deaf and partially blind albino Great Dane with a delicate constitution and a penchant for small miracles. Dan is the man-sad over the loss of his last dog and trapped in a dead-end job-who adopted her. Three Dog Bakery is the burgeoning and much-publicized chain of canine bakeries that, inspired by Gracie, Dan and his friend Mark founded. A love story, Amazing Gracie describes how Dan saves Gracie, the loneliest pup in the litter, then how, over the next ten years, Gracie saves Dan and Mark, teaching them the real meaning of happiness. There's the moment of meeting, when Gracie gets to her feet like a clumsy foal and nuzzles Dan's nose. Gracie's romance with the pint-size Boston Terrier next door. And the eureka moment (born of Gracie's anorexia-inducing dislike for commercial dog food): Dan teaches himself to cook and within three days begins baking the dog cookies that will transform their lives. Amazing Gracie is a dog-lover's treat.

About the others:

The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein


Enzo knows he is different from other dogs: a philosopher with a nearly human soul (and an obsession with opposable thumbs), he has educated himself by watching television extensively, and by listening very closely to the words of his master, Denny Swift, an up-and-coming race car driver. Through Denny, Enzo has gained tremendous insight into the human condition, and he sees that life, like racing, isn't simply about going fast. Using the techniques needed on the race track, one can successfully navigate all of life's ordeals.

On the eve of his death, Enzo takes stock of his life, recalling all that he and his family have been through: the sacrifices Denny has made to succeed professionally; the unexpected loss of Eve, Denny's wife; the three-year battle over their daughter, Zoë, whose maternal grandparents pulled every string to gain custody. In the end, despite what he sees as his own limitations, Enzo comes through heroically to preserve the Swift family, holding in his heart the dream that Denny will become a racing champion with Zoë at his side.

A heart-wrenching but deeply funny and ultimately uplifting story of family, love, loyalty, and hope, The Art of Racing in the Rain is a beautifully crafted and captivating look at the wonders and absurdities of human life...as only a dog could tell it.

Secrets to Happiness by Sarah Dunn (no longer a part of our challenge)


Holly Frick just went through the worst kind of divorce: the kind where you're still in love with the person divorcing you. Alex had left her on January 3rd like a benevolent CEO who holds off the pink slips until after the holidays. Holly is left to wonder if she'll ever find happiness again. Like Jane Austen's Emma Woodhouse, Holly is intimately involved in the lives of those around her, and she's compelled to give advice with unwavering moral certainty. And, like Emma, she is often completely off the mark. Soon, her advice will get her in over her head, and she'll find herself playing therapist to her ex-boyfriend's new girlfriend while at the same time falling for her married friend's lover. Smart and touching, Secrets To Happiness is a hilarious look at the funny things people do to be happy.

There are so many books about dogs and they all look so good! I think I'm going to make her Dog Days of Summer into a mini-reading challenge for the whole summer (June 21st thru September 22nd). Details coming soon...