Audiobook Review: Bark to the Future by Spencer Quinn + reminder of tonight's Just Desserts meeting

Bark to the Future
by Spencer Quinn (audiobook-on-cd ordered through InterLibrary Loan — libraries only own in physical book format)

 

This is the 13th entry in the Chet & Bernie mystery series, by Spencer Quinn, which are told from the point-of-view of Chet the dog, the canine partner of private detective Bernie Little. I particularly enjoy all entries in this series as audiobooks, read by James Frangione (which I have had to order through the libraries’ InterLibrary Loan service since the Lincoln City Libraries haven’t been buying the audiobook versions since the 7th in the series back in 2015).

 

In this latest installment (another is due in late 2023), an encounter with a homeless man panhandling at a highway off-ramp turns personal for Bernie, who recognizes the man as a former teammate on Bernie’s high school baseball team. “Rocket” has obviously fallen on some hard times, and may also be facing some mental and emotional challenges. But when the troubled man disappears, Bernie and Chet start digging into his background, as well as the history of some of Bernie’s other former classmates. Included in their investigation are several visits to the “slot canyons” in the desert outside the (unnamed) U.S. Southwestern city where Chet and Bernie live.

 

Frangione once again captures the overly-enthusiastic yet easily distracted voice of Chet’s story narration perfectly. And the unswerving love of Chet for his human “partner” is always appealing in these tales. The fact that this case is so close to Bernie’s own life adds a certain level of poignancy, and even if the ending is a tad bit predictable, the process of getting to that ending is the true joy in reading a Chet & Bernie story.

(If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try all of the Chet & Bernie novels and short stories, by Spencer Quinn, preferably as audiobooks if you can find them!)

 

( official Spencer Quinn (a.k.a. Peter Abrahams) web site )

 

Recommended by Scott C.
Bennett Martin Public Library — Public Service

 

Have you read or listened to this one? What did you think? Did you find this review helpful?

New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide website. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide Blog individually over the course of the entire month. Click the tag for the reviewer's name to see more of this reviewer’s recommendations!

 

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If you're a mystery fan, you're invited to join us for this month's Just Desserts meeting tonight, May 25th, at 6:30 p.m. in the 4th floor auditorium of the Bennett Martin Public Library downtown at 14th & "N" St. -- this mystery-themed discussion group meets on the last Thursday of each month, January through October. This month's is our annual "Series Share" meeting -- all participants are encouraged to read the first or second entry in any new mystery/suspense/thriller series that has started in the last two years (2021-2023), and report on your opinion about it to the group in a Round Robin discussion format.

 

Even if you haven't read anything for this specific discussion, you can still participate, and learn about great new mysteries to try! For more information, check out the Just Desserts schedule at https://lincolnlibraries.org/bookguide/book-groups/#justdesserts

Book Review: Sit, Stay, Heal: What Dogs Can Teach Us About Living Well by Renee Alsarraf

Sit, Stay, Heal: What Dogs Can Teach Us About Living Well
by Renee Alsarraf (Biography Alsarraf)

This book will take you on an emotional journey.

 

Dr. Alsarraf is a veterinary oncologist helping her clients to the best they can for their pets. When she gets diagnosed with cancer it changes her, and this is her story.

 

She not only discusses the good and bad outcomes for her clients as she deals with her own cancer treatment, she also has to deal with the diagnosis and treatment of her own beloved Boxer, Newton.

 

I loved and hated this book, I loved the inspiring stories, but I also cried several times as well. Dr. Alsarraf is an exceptional writer and a wonderful story teller. If you love animals, this book will be one to read.

 

(If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try The Education of Will: A Mutual Memoir of a Woman and Her Dog by Patricia McConnell or The Neuroscientist Who Lost Her Mind: My tale of Madness and Recovery by Barbara Lipska.)

 

( official Sit, Stay, Heal web site )

 

Recommended by Marcy G.
South and Gere Branch Libraries

 

Have you read or listened to this one? What did you think? Did you find this review helpful?

New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide website. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide Blog individually over the course of the entire month. Click the tag for the reviewer's name to see more of this reviewer’s recommendations!

Book Review: A Deadly Bone to Pick by Peggy Rothschild

A Deadly Bone to Pick
by Peggy Rothschild (Rothschild)

Molly Madison moved from Massachusetts to California to get away from the gossip and bad memories. After she quit the police force she became a PI, while investigating a woman accused of cheating, her husband Stefan, ends up dead. Though the police looked at her very carefully, they finally discovered her client killed Stefan because he was the man his wife was involved with. Now in California she ready for a fresh start.

 

The very first day while moving in she meets a lovely neighbor named Seville and another neighbor’s dog Noodle, nicknamed Frankendoodle and Sir Drools a Lot. Since Molly is at loose ends, she volunteers to help Noodle’s owner and train him to be a better canine companion. Seville finds Molly charming and as a house warming gift gives her business cards claiming she’s a “Dog Wrangler” and thanks to the cards and flyers Seville posts around the neighborhood Molly becomes the local dog trainer.

 

When Noodle finds a dismembered hand on the beach and then Seville is murdered, the local police focus on Molly. She’s always been curious and can’t help but begin to ask questions.

 

Throughout the book we find out the Molly was a K9 officer, but wasn’t allowed to keep her partner. She owns a Golden Retriever who she competes in Agility with, I loved the fact she had training equipment and practiced in the back yard. I’m always cautious about books with dog trainers, often the information is quite unrealistic, but mostly it was well done.

 

The mystery was good and the characters interesting. I really liked this book, up to the point that the main character does some insta-training with the dog. Two weeks is not enough time to reliably train a dog.

 

If she writes more books, I’ll probably continue to read the series, but that one small error made me keep from giving it a higher rating.

 

(If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try The Wedding Plot by Paula Munier or Smile Beach Murder by Alicia Bassette.)

 

( official A Deadly Bone to Pick and Peggy Rothschild web site )

 

Recommended by Marcy G.
South and Gere Branch Libraries

 

Have you read or listened to this one? What did you think? Did you find this review helpful?

New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide website. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide Blog individually over the course of the entire month. Click the tag for the reviewer's name to see more of this reviewer’s recommendations!

Audiobook Review: Bailey's Story: A Puppy Tale by W. Bruce Cameron

Bailey’s Story: A Puppy Tale

by W. Bruce Cameron (Compact Disc Cameron)

 

A sweet, engaging story of a puppy born in a puppy mill, who eventually finds his way to a loving family.

Told from the pup’s point of view, the reader, Kirby Heyborne, does an excellent job of sounding like an enthusiastic puppy learning his way around the world. You’ll laugh out loud at the puppy’s astonishment at the result when he encounters a skunk, or his confusion about being in the garage during the day when everyone is at school or work, and his excitement at figuring out the door handle.

 

Bailey’s love for “his boy” Ethan is constant and his driving force as we see when the two of them become lost in the countryside for four days or when the house catches fire.

 

To date, there are eight stories in the “A Puppy Tale” series that fall under “A Dog’s Purpose” universe all written by W. Bruce Cameron (1. “Ellie’s Story,” 2. “Bailey’s Story,” 3. “Molly’s Story,” 4. “Max’s Story,” 5. “Toby’s Story,” 6. “Lily’s Story,” 7. “Bella’s Story,” 8. “Cooper’s Story”) with a ninth story being released in August, 2022 (“Lacey’s Story”). Only “Ellie’s Story” has a copy at Lincoln City Libraries as a paperback in the juvenile section, and “Bailey’s Story” has a CD available in the adult section. All of the titles are accessible as downloadable audio books.

 

There is also a movie, “A Dog’s Purpose,” that incorporates all the books into one storyline with the dog dying and being reincarnated as a new puppy. The library owns several DVD copies.

 

Each of the “A Puppy Tale” stories can be heard in four hours. These are wonderful stories of a child and their puppy growing up together.

 

(If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try the All Creatures Great and Small series by James Herriot, the books and both TV series.)

 

( official W. Bruce Cameron web site )

 

Recommended by Charlotte M.
Bennett Martin Public Library — Public Service

 

Have you read or listened to this one? What did you think? Did you find this review helpful?

New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide website. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide Blog individually over the course of the entire month. Click the tag for the reviewer's name to see more of this reviewer’s recommendations!

Book Review: It's a Wonderful Woof! by Spencer Quinn

It’s a Wonderful Woof!

by Spencer Quinn (Quinn)

 

This is one of the few books that I have checked out based on the cover only. This book is a mystery featuring a wonderful dog, Chet, and his human partner, Bernie, who just happens to be the other half of this detective agency. The story is all told from the point of view of the dog, so as you can imagine, he does get distracted once in a while by squirrels, food, and other dogs. I enjoyed this book very much, mainly due to the point of view. Looking at situations from a dog’s perspective is a creative way to handle a story, even if it is difficult to follow at times. My only complaint with the book is that I felt the mystery was solved a little too quickly. I liked the fact that the book dealt with a missing painting by one of the Grand Masters — a little art history and archaeology thrown with murder and romance!

 

(Spencer Quinn has another series featuring Bowser and Birdie, written for middle-grade readers.)

 

( official Chet & Bernie page on the official Peter Abrahams / Spencer Quinn web site )

 

For more mysteries featuring dogs, check out our The Sleuth Said Woof! booklists here on BookGuide, recently updated and expanded!

 

Recommended by Kim J.
Bennett Martin Public Library — Public Service

 

Have you read or listened to this one? What did you think? Did you find this review helpful?

New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide website. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide Blog individually over the course of the entire month. Click the tag for the reviewer's name to see more of this reviewer’s recommendations!

If you're a mystery fan, join us for this month's Just Desserts meeting tonight,April 28th, at 6:30 p.m. in the 4th floor auditorium of the Bennett Martin Public Library downtown at 14th & "N" St. -- this mystery-themed discussion group meets on the last Thursday of each month, January through October. This month's book for discussion is "The Plot" by Jean Hanff Korelitz -- although if you haven't read this specific book, you can still participate! For more information, check out the Just Desserts schedule at https://lincolnlibraries.org/bookguide/book-groups/#justdesserts

DVD Review: The Christmas Doodle

The Christmas Doodle
(DVD j Christmas)

I love cute dog or puppy movies and the cover of this DVD was so appealing, I decided to check it out to watch with my family this holiday week. As the saying goes, “never judge a book by its cover.” The same can also be said for DVDs. This was the absolute worst movie I have ever seen in my life. The story starts out with a lonely woman who seems sad. She apparently doesn’t work and spends her time cooped up in her lovely home. Her only social interaction is with a neighbor who takes her garbage for her. Suddenly we see some cute puppies. One of these puppies is destined to become this woman’s next best friend! Unfortunately, the woman seems unable to walk her dog without it getting away from her. Does the woman go out and try to find the dog? No, she waits at home until a neighbor brings the dog to her. This is the beginning of the romance between the woman and the garbage bag man. Poor sound quality, poor writing, poor filming, poor editing … need I say more? Yes, there was a cute dog in this “film” but that couldn’t save this poorly-made movie. My daughter, who loves dogs, laughed and hooted at the TV for all 48 minutes of boredom that we were exposed to. I am writing this review to warn other people — don’t bother with this one.

 

(This is not a recommendation, so I am not going to compare this to anything else.)

 

( Internet Movie Database entry for this film )

 

Recommended by Kim J.
Bennett Martin Public Library — Public Service

 

Have you watched this one? What did you think? Did you find this review helpful?

New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide website. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide Blog individually over the course of the entire month. Click the tag for the reviewer's name to see more of this reviewer’s recommendations!

Book Review: Who Rescued Who? by Victoria Schade

Who Rescued Who?

by Victoria Schade (Schade)

 

I’ll have to admit — the main reason I picked up this contemporary romance novel was because of the adorable puppy on the cover. That dog, Georgina, does become one of the best characters is this light-weight piece of romantic fluff.

 

Elizabeth Barnes is a Silicon Valley software designer for an up-and-coming gaming company, who finds herself unceremoniously canned by her boss, over something that wasn’t really even her own fault. Reeling from that career/life setback, when Elizabeth receives word from Rowan, a man claiming to be her Uncle (though her late father never told her of any other family members). Rowan tells her she’s inherited a parcel of land in the English countryside that was supposed to have been her father's, but he refused to claim it. Now that he’s passed on, the land has become hers. Elizabeth decides a quick trip to England to meet relatives she never knew about -- and to sell land she doesn’t intend to keep -- will help her pass the time while she tries to figure out how to regain a foothold in the tech industry and reveal her former boss’s duplicitous nature.

 

But all good plans come to naught, as her new-found relatives, including a reclusive but famous painter, welcome her with open arms, and she quickly makes friends with several of her acquaintances in the village of Fargrove, making it more and more difficult for her to leave and exact her revenge on her former employer. And…most importantly…she rescues a little abandoned puppy, and is coerced into fostering it (after she names it Georgina) while she’s in England.

 

Who Rescued Who? was well-written and I fell for all of the characters, except for Elizabeth, who had such a tunnel-vision issue over her unjustified firing and how to fix that situation, that she was blind to all the interesting stuff surrounding her in her new locale, particularly her new beau, James. None-the-less, the relationship between Elizabeth (newly nicknamed Bess) and her uncle Rowan, and all the scenes with the dog(s) made up for Elizabeth’s own failings. A light, fun read…

 

(If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try the “Rescue Me” series by Debbie Burns.)

 

( publisher’s official Who Rescued Who? web page ) | ( author Victoria Schade‘s Twitter feed )

 

Recommended by Scott C.
Bennett Martin Public Library — Public Service

 

Have you read or listened to this one? What did you think? Did you find this review helpful?

New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide website. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide Blog individually over the course of the entire month. Click the tag for the reviewer's name to see more of this reviewer’s recommendations!

Book Review: Olive, Mabel & Me: Life and Adventures With Two Very Good Dogs by Andrew Cotter

Olive, Mabel & Me: Life and Adventures With Two Very Good Dogs

by Andrew Cotter (Biography Cotter)

 

Author Andrew Cotter is a sportscaster by trade. Starting in March 2020, he had very little to do because of the global COVID-19 pandemic. His first video snippet of his labrador retrievers, Olive and Mabel, went viral as people laughed about his commentary during their dinner. This is the book that describes the author’s love of his two dogs, his passion for hiking/climbing mountains with his dogs, and how his family made it through the year of shutdowns. His humor often made me laugh aloud.

[If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try Marley & Me by John Grogan, or How Dogs Love Us: A Neuroscientist and His Adopted Dog Decode the Canine Brain by Gregory Berns.]

[ official Olive, Mabel & Me web site ] | [ official Andrew Cotter web site ]

 

Recommended by Jodi R.
Anderson and Bethany Branch Libraries

 

Have you read or listened to this one? What did you think? Did you find this review helpful?

New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide website. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide Blog individually over the course of the entire month. Click the tag for the reviewer's name to see more of this reviewer’s recommendations!

Book Review: The Finders by Jeffrey Burton

The Finders
by Jeffrey Burton (Burton)

 

A little into the magical side of the genre, but a good mystery/thriller. Mason is a dog trainer, who trains Human Remains Detection dogs. When his Golden Retriever, Elvira is out on one of her first assignments, she finds the body and soon after viciously attacks a bystander.

 

Mason starts poking around pretty sure that there was a reason his dog went after the guy. As the story progresses a serial killer targets Mason. With the help of a police officer, who is fond of Vira, they try to track down the real killer. This is a good first novel, and the characters are believable, even if Vira’s behavior is not. I’m looking forward to reading the second novel. 

 

[If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try Breaking Creed by Alex Kava, The Darkest Thread by Jen Blood or The Scent of Murder by Kylie Logan.]

[ official Jeffrey Burton web site ]

 

Recommended by Marcy G.
South Branch Library

 

Have you read or listened to this one? What did you think? Did you find this review helpful?

New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide website. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide Blog individually over the course of the entire month. Click the tag for the reviewer's name to see more of this reviewer’s recommendations!