Dog Books and Giveaway - Holiday Gift Guide for Dogs and Dog Lovers

If you're like me, books are forever.  They remain in my mind, sometimes my heart, and I can re-visit them with a re-read any time I want.  This is why I think they make such wonderful gifts.  A voracious reader, this particular list could have been a whole longer.  However, I've narrowed it to just 6 of my favorites. Any would make a barking good gift for a dog lover!

Since we kicked off our Holiday Guide with a giveaway, we thought we should end it with one, too!  We teamed up with author Jackie Bouchard who has graciously agreed to let us give away a signed copy of her book Rescue Me, Maybe.  Be sure to enter the giveaway!


Dog, Inc.: How a Collection of Visionaries, Rebels, Eccentrics, and Their Pets Launched the Commercial Dog Cloning Industry by John Woestendiek

This is not just another dog book and it happens to be one of my favorites.  Dog, Inc is about cloning.  I used to make jokes about wanting to clone my heart dog, Lucy.  After reading Dog. Inc my jokes were no longer funny.  At all.

Woestendiek, a Pulitzer Prize winning investigative reporter, does an amazing job of explaining the ins and outs of cloning dogs.  From scientific facts and history of cloning dogs (and other mammals) in easy to understand language, along the way he gives us a healthy dose of the very human story. 

There's the woman who hoped to clone the pit bull who she believed saved her life and eventually purchased what would be the first commercially produced dog clones, to a billionaire who decides to make a profit from cloning his family dog, to the scientists who made dog cloning a reality.

Truth is stranger than science fiction. Read an excerpt.  Buy the book.  Dog, Inc is available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Books A Million, Indiebound, and iTunes.  Amazon's retail price $15.20 for paperback edition.

Rescue Me, Maybe by Jackie Bouchard 

Rescue Me, Maybe is a warm, dog friendly tale that makes real that saying: Life is what happens while you're busy making plans.

A fictional story about loss and new beginnings, Rescue Me, Maybe is a barking good read about a woman who has lost both her spouse and her dog to cancer within weeks of each other, but she was more sad about the dog.  

As she re-groups, she rescues a dog that, in fact, rescues her.  Bouchard writes with great compassion combined with humor.  She deals with issues like death and loss with an attention for the very human, irontic details that made me sigh, made me cry and, yes, made me laugh out loud.  Along the way, we meet a cast of characters that remain with me even though I long ago finished reading the book.

Rescue Me, Maybe is available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, iTunes and from the author.  The Amazon Kindle edition is $5.99; paperback $11.63.

Scroll down to enter to win a paperback edition of Rescue Me, Maybe signed by the author!


It's Just A Dog by Russ Ryan

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?

It's Just A Dog begins with the death of Charlie's beloved dog, Pete.  As Charlie deals - or rather does not deal well - with his grief, he travels the bittersweet road of loving another dog, numerous encounters with the ghost of his dead dog, and becomes involved with one of the local crazy dog ladies.  Along the way, Ryan skillfully harmonizes humor with pathos.

A fun read from a man who is an authentic dog lover and truly understands that a dog is never, ever "just a dog." 

It's Just A Dog is available for purchase on Amazon Kindle and paperback.  Amazon Kindle edition 99 cents; paperback $9.99

 

Travels with Casey: My Journey Through Our Dog-Crazy Country by Benoit Danizet-Lewis

New York Times Magazine writer Benoit Denizet-Lewis worried that his dog, Casey, didn't like him very much.  So Benoit rented an RV, lured Casey inside with treats, and embarked on a 13,000 mile road trip designed to help them bond.  

Along the way they spent time with wolf-dogs in Appalachia, dedicated stray dog rescuer Randy Grim, got pulled over by a K9 cop in Missouri,  visited Cesar Millan and so much more.  The result is this book.

Part travelogue, part memoir and part informational, Travels with Casey made me laugh.  It made me cry.  It made me think a lot about dogs in general, but especially about my own dogs and my relationships with them.

Travels with Casey is available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, IndieBound and iTunes.   Amazon Kindle edition $11.89; hardcover $19.71
 


Gracie, An English Bull Terrier: A Handbook for Being Dog's Best Friend by Dr. Chris M. Oslund

Gracie, An English Bull Terrier is part memoir, part a guide to choosing and living with dogs.  Billed as a handbook, the author not only talks the talk, but as she illustrates with personal stories, she walks the walk.  

Living with an English Bull Terrier can be entertaining, a little chaotic - and it actually isn't for everyone. Gracie's story not only shares the ins and outs of the breed, it also offers tips so that readers can find the breed of dog that will be just-right for their situation.
 

Oslund has been assisting people in connecting with the "right" canine companion for over 30 years. In that time she's also rescued, rehabilitated, and placed formerly unadoptable dogs.

Of course, a few of the more challenging dogs found that their forever home was with Oslund. Gracie was one of those dogs who wouldn't fit in just anywhere; fortunately, it turned out they could work and live together just fine.

Gracie, An English Bull Terrier is available on Amazon.  Amazon Kindle edition $2.99; $8.50 for the paperback edition


Reprinted - Book 4 from The Shapeshifters' Library by Amber Polo

Love dogs? Love books? Love libraries?  Hate book-burning werewolves?  Fetch The Shapeshifters' Library book series.

If you're a dog lover that also loves the Harry Potter series, you will thoroughly enjoy this series.  Bibliophiles will be charmed by the "Dewey-speak."  Dog lovers will discover new beloved canine characters.

In Reprinted Chihuahua shifter Pacifico Lopez chases the love of his life.  He and werewolf book editor Landy Romero track down and battle ebook pirates in the Caribbean and find an ancient Egyptian secret.

Read the first chapter.  Reprinted is available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble.  Amazon Kindle edition $4.99;  paperback edition $14.65. 

You could be the lucky winner 

of a paperback edition of Rescue Me, Maybe
signed by the author, Jackie Bouchard.  

You can't win if you don't enter, so enter now!

Giveaway Rules:

1. There will be one winner (chosen at random by Rafflecopter) and they will receive one (1) paperback edition of Rescue Me, Maybe signed by the author, Jackie Bouchard. 
2. This giveaway is open residents of the US and Canada only.
4. The winner will be announced here on this blog on December 8, plus the winner will receive an email from me that morning.   If I do not receive a response to that email within 48 hours, an alternate winner will be chosen.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Rafflecopter misbehaving?  Sorry about that.  It happens sometimes.  Make sure you're looking at this individual blog post and then try refreshing the page.  OR click on the linked phrase "a Rafflecopter giveaway" (just above this paragraph) and you'll be taken to the entry form.

Remember to enter our Holiday Gift Guide Giveaway!

Talking Dogs has reviewed many different dog books and you can find our recommendations in our Good reading book reviews.

* Though we may have received review copies from these authors, only Amber Polo sent us a copy of her book for this article.   Talking Dogs only shares information we feel is relevant to our readers and the companies mentioned here are not responsible for the content of this article.  Please also note that Talking Dogs is the official blog of For Love of a Dog Jewelry.

New Dog Lover Book Recovered by Amber Polo | Book Review

Recovered (Book #3 in The Shapeshifters' Library) by Amber Polo.  

Do you love the Harry Potter series?  

Enjoy a bit of fantasy?  Love dogs?  

Then fetch a Recovered by Amber Polo.  

You're in for a real treat!

Recovered is the third book in Polo's Shapeshifters' Library, a delightful new dog adventure series.  Bibliophiles will be charmed by the "Dewey-speak."  Dog lovers will find new beloved canine characters.

Here's the official book description:

Recovered" is a cross country canine cozy adventure from Ohio to New Mexico, filled with ancient mounds, dog-catchers, rescue groups, and wolfdog issues. Come along with Bliss, children’s librarian and white greyhound shifter, and reformed werewolf Harry as they search for the most valuable library on the planet, chased by Sybilla and Blaze,
werewolves crazed to stop them.

Dog-shifting librarians vs book-burning werewolves!
Bliss D. Light was just an ordinary children’s librarian until one day she discovered she could grow a tail. Now her life is filled with more magic than any of the fairy tales she tells the children who gather at her feet at the Shipsfeather library. Like many of the other residents of Shipsfeather, Ohio, Bliss is a dog-shifter, and her newly discovered ability to change from human form into that of a sleek white greyhound has left her yearning to know more about her true heritage. The answer to all her questions, she is certain, lies with the dog-shifters’ long lost Library of the Ancients and, undeterred by the fact that thousands before her have searched, she sets out to find it.

Accompanied by her best friend Harry, a disgraced werewolf/dog-shifter mix, and hotly pursued by the evil werewolf team of Sybilla and Blaze, Bliss’s quest takes her across the sacred sites and ancient mounds of the American Southwest. Though kidnapped by dogcatchers, sold into racetrack slavery and forced to fight wolf dogs to survive, Harry and Bliss never lose sight of their goal—or each other. Because the only thing more important than finding the ancient lost treasure might just be preserving what they already have found: an unlikely love that could be the first step toward bringing two ancient enemy races together.

I laughed, as well as trembled with fear for Bliss and Harry.  I also marveled at the imagination of Polo.  It didn't take me long to be fully immersed in her world.  

Shapeshifting  was new to me and, I confess, I thoroughly enjoyed this fantastic romp.  My curiosity led me to Polo's quiz:  How to Tell if Your Dog is a Shapeshifter.   Oh, oh.  Dogs who are unusually smart or good looking may be dog-shifters.  Definitely need to keep an eye on Jeffie and give him some high quality reading material.  Hmmm...  like Polo's Recovered!

Truly, I can't say much more without giving away the plot and I know you don't want me to do that.  Don't delay.  Begin this magical quest now!

Recovered by Amber Polo is available on Amazon via Kindle $3.86, Paperback $15.26,  Barnes and Noble  ISBN/EAN13:0985774827 / 9780985774820

A love of books drew Amber Polo into a career as a librarian. A greater love turned her into a writer. The Shapeshifters’ Library series is an urban fantasy filled with books, librarians and dogs and a library everyone will love.

The mystical side of Sedona, AZ became the paranormal setting for her first novel Romancing Rebecca. One day a plane flew past her office window and she turned her pen to her own airpark backyard and Flying Free was the result.

In addition to her two award-winning romance novels, she self-published Relaxing the Writer: Guidebook to the Writer’s High which offers hundreds of tips to help writers and readers relax and is proud of her self-produced , Relaxation One Breath at a Time a CD that uses her voice to teach relaxation to calm your body and mind and/or help you fall asleep.

After living in seven states, she happily calls a small town in Arizona home.  You can follow her on Facebook, Goodreads, Twitter , Pinterest and Google+..

* I received one paperback copy of Recovered from the author, Amber Polo, in exchange for my honest review.  My opinion was not affected by the sweet little package of dog treats Polo sent along for Jeffie, Rudy and Rosie.  However, they confess they do like bribes!

Talking Dogs is the official blog of For Love of a Dog Jewelry.

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