Connie’s Book Club – Summer 10
Marcus of Umbria: What an Italian Dog Taught an American Girl about Love
Fans of books like Eat, Pray, Love will enjoy Marcus of Umbria, a story of self-discovery rooted in travel, romance, friendship, and adventure. Fed up with her fast-paced life in New York City, Justine van der Leun leaves her job, sublets her apartment, and moves to a small historic Umbrian farming village, population: 200. In pursuit of a new love and a new life, she sets up in this tiny town, beginning a romance with the local farmer she met on vacation. Through this relationship, she learns about the deep and rich traditions of the Italian townspeople, but finds the cultural adjustment more difficult than she has imagined. When the love affair sours, Justine finds a new love in an unexpected place—a rusty, tick-infested pen. Marcus, the hunting dog she rescues from this pit, becomes her longed-for companion and it’s through their exploration of the picturesque countryside that Justine discovers an existence deeply connected with the earth and develops a clearer understanding of herself and ideals, the intersection of culture and character, and the intricacies and joys of Italian small-town life. A perfect book to bring on vacation.
Dogplay: The Canine Guide to Being Happy
Each page of this charming coffee-table book pairs captivating photos of adorable dogs with meaningful captions that provide us with excellent life lessons. As we dog folk know, who better than dogs to remind us of what’s truly important in life? These dogs certainly dish out wisdom; with no-nonsense everyday advice on subjects such as taking time to enjoy life (“Remember life isn’t a busy contest”), maintaining a youthful exuberance (“Relive the best parts of your childhood”), being positive (“Become a pathological optimist”) and being a faithful friend, (“Put loyalty up there with ice cream”), this book will put a smile on your face and serve as a daily reminder to take pleasure in the little things and look for the silver lining.
The Exile Book of Canadian Dog Stories
Twenty-eight exceptional dog tales by some of Canada’s most notable fiction writers have been compiled in this feast of short stories. As Teleky, the editor of the collection, states, it’s “not a collection of sentimental tales about noble dogs doing heroic deeds but rather stories that portray the rich and complex and mysterious bonds between dogs and humans.” The roles the dogs play in the stories, whether small or large, are those of an essential counterpart to the human characters, revealing truths through the way the dogs are regarded. With works from earlier storytellers the likes of Ernest Thompson Seton (a founding pioneer of Boys Scouts of America) to contemporary writers such as Lynn Cody, the stories run the breadth of adventure, drama, satire, and even fantasy, and will appeal to dog lovers on both sides of the border.
Energy Healing for Dogs: Using Hands-On Healing to Improve Canine Health and Behavior
If you’re interested in learning about hands-on energy healing such as Reiki, Healing Touch, Therapeutic Touch, and Quantum Touch, Energy Healing for Dogs is for you. Author Nicole Wilde asserts that all of us are able to do energy work, and outlines how in the straightforward, easy-to-understand steps in her book. She teaches how to develop a sensitivity to energy and instructs on how to gather it and use it to help our dogs recover faster from surgery, ease arthritic joints, help wounds and joints recover faster, and calm nervous animals, even those with physical, emotional,
and mental issues. Best of all, Wilde’s approach provides a loving, calm, painless approach that allows you to spend quality one-on-one time with your pooch while easing her pain and promoting
healing.
Animals Make Us Human: Creating the Best Life for Animals
Accomplished scientist, professor, author, and animal advocate, the remarkable Temple Grandin uses her personal experience with autism and “thinking in pictures” to explain how animals perceive their environment. In Animals Make Us Human, she offers eye-opening, fascinating insight into how the animals in our care feel and why they behave the ways they do. Grandin says that determining an animal’s physical pain is easy, but recognizing emotional distress is much harder. By identifying and understanding animals’ core emotion systems we can stimulate positive emotions like seeking and playing while ensuring they’re free from negative ones like fear, panic, and rage. If you’d like to become a better advocate for our fellow creatures or would simply like to learn how to create the best possible physical and emotional environment for your own dogs, Animals Make Us Human is a must-read, forever changing your idea of what animals want and need.
Last Dog On The Hill: The Extraordinary Life of Lou
When Steve Duno rescued an ailing, tick- and flea-infested Rottweiler/Shepherd mix, little did he know just how much that malnourished feral pup would change his life and those of countless others. The moving story that unfolds allows us to witness the powerful emotional bond that develops between an exceptionally intelligent dog and the man with whom he shared his life. You’ll marvel at the antics and escapades of heroic Lou, the dog who not only acts as a teacher’s aide in Duno’s tutoring job, but wins the respect of neighbourhood gang members, assists in the capture of armed robbers, and even catches a rapist. Eventually, he sparks Duno’s transition to a career in dog training and assists with the rehabilitation of aggressive dogs, thereby saving them from euthanasia. It’s difficult not to be charmed by this unique dog’s ability to understand (his vocabulary tops 200 words), or his uncanny knack to quickly learn and remember tricks. Memorable from beginning to end, this tribute to a truly great dog will make you laugh, cry, and recall your own memories
of special dogs.
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