I guess that was a good chunk of hiatus right there... completely unintentional, I assure you. But, life being what it is, my reading dipped a bit and my blogging dipped a lot. Oh well... time to catch up I guess.
Planet Dog; A Doglopedia - Sandra and Harry Choron
Not a whole lot about one thing but little bits of everything, Planet Dog covers just about any dog topic you can think of. Information on different breeds, differences in breed groups, dog sports, all about the conformation world, tidbits of training, books to read, and lists lists lists! Top 20 breeds for apartment living, outdoor life, barkers, biters, ones who like kids, ones who hate kids, names of Presidential dogs, movies about dogs, dogs who have won awards for acting or civil service... you name it. The real winner in this book for me was the information about obtaining a dog. Not only do they tell you what to look for in a breeder, but what not to look for, why not to buy at a pet store, reasons to consider adopting an older dog, and reasons why people who love dogs don't always get them. All good stuff to consider! They also cover important things like why you shouldn't breed your dog, and they pick apart all the stupid reasons people give for not neutering them.
This is a book that everyone from the interested dog owner to the seasoned dog professional can enjoy. It's very readable and nicely designed with lots of images and quotes scattered around. My only big problem was two improper breed identifications. A picture of a Long Haired Chihuahua was labeled a Papillion and a drawing that was supposed to be a Bearded Collie looked much more like an Otterhound. But I find that often happens in dog books that aren't specifically breed books. So no biggie. Still a good library addition for dog owners!
The Bridges of Madison County - Robert James Waller
Everyone knows some stupid hardcore Twilight loving dorkface. Maybe you are that dorkface. And that's fine, I guess, everyone has their guilty pleasures. But, I don't want to hear a single thing, ever again, about how "romantic" Twilight/Edward/whatever is. Because if you want a true, heartbreaking, soul destroying love story to make you feel like every relationship you'll ever have is less than amazing, this is the book. Because it is just so beautiful.
It starts simply enough. Lone-wolf photographer, Robert Kincaid, stops at a farmhouse in dusty Iowa to ask for directions to a local covered bridge as he's doing a piece on covered bridges in the area for National Geographic. He is met by under-appreciated housewife Francesca Johnson who is alone for the week while her family is at the Illinois State Fair. What comes of their meeting is... well... you really need to read the book. It's not a great american novel by any means, and I can see why some people have said in reviews that the dialogue is unrealistic ("No real people talk that way"). But what it boiled down to, for me, is that it's a wonderful little story, and if you don't like it, the book is really short and you didn't waste weeks on it if you didn't like it.
The Egyptian - Mika Waltari
This book is a hefty read, I'll start by saying that. It follows the life of Sinuhe the Egyptian, and wow, what a life he leads. In this book you are completely transported to the ancient world. Sinuhe travels from Egypt, to Babylon, to Crete and everywhere in between.One of the things I really liked was that, as I read, I remembered lots of stuff from my 10th grade Ancient History classes.. I felt very in the know! But, you certainly don't need any particular knowledge of ancient history to appreciate Mika Waltari's writing. It probably helps to be interested in the origins of mankind, but all that really matters is that you're interested in mankind, period. The atrocities that take place because of religion are terrifying, and the love lost for the favour of gods is crushing. It is not a lighthearted read, in the least, but absolutely worth giving some time to. I'll be looking for more of his books in the future.
****
Book Count: 12/50
