I managed to do one lesson a day here, even with worse wi-fi than home.
I’m trying to revive my poor Wi-Fi posts. It’s not easy! Sorry.
Tag Archive: animals
My Beloved Monster: Masha, the Half-wild Rescue Cat Who Rescued Me by Caleb Carr
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
COVID may have flavored how much I loved this book. We are at a stage without pets. It is killing us not to have a furry buddy around all the time, so we take our pets in virtually for now.
I knew the job was dangerous when I took on the reading of this book about a sweet cat. They have short lifespans. It’s the reason we are catless and dogless right now. So, I knew the book would not leave me laughing. Yes. My Kleenex were close at hand.
Meanwhile, going into the book, I enjoyed every moment of the author’s journey with his new cat. James Lurie I loved how the author and cat bonded. I loved how honest he was about his life before and after Masha.
A warning, if you are feeling the slightest bit vulnerable, you might want to wait. Because I have no self-control regarding books or pets, I went ahead. I was still feverish. So that ending had me ugly crying. My husband was worried for me, But I told him what it was about. He is well now and still can bring himself to read this. Even though a lot of the story Caleb Carr relates sounds like my husband’s relationship with his bonded friend, Rosey. It’s all too raw.
But love is like that. It hurts because of how close we get to the loved one, but it is well worth it every time. So I suggest, if you feel you can handle it, this is one of the best books I’ve read recently. I was lucky to find it on Libby, but I may buy it sometime just to enjoy that love again.
Piglet: The Unexpected Story of a Deaf, Blind, Pink Puppy and His Family by Melissa Shapiro
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Oh, my goodness! This book was fun from the very beginning. My eyes have difficulties tracking to read; even since cataract surgery fixed a lot of my issues, tracking remains nearly impossible. I have been an avid reader since I was little. Reading was slow going, but I got through the ten books allotted by the library every three weeks. The heft of the books was unwieldy, but I didn’t ask for help.
So, I began reading this book on my old phone using the Kindle app. It took me quite a while to get through even half the book. Finally, I caught up with the Libby audiobooks I had checked out, and Piglet became my bedtime book. Now, I could use text-to-speech and speed up the reading quite a bit. And give my eyes a rest.
Another reason I got into this book is my own dog, Kali, passed last spring after being nearly blind and having doggy dementia and bad hearing. It was so hard at the end of her life, but we had such a hard time from the beginning trying to learn from each other that the bond for her was strong in the end. I miss her so much and feel the need to help another dog as soon as I can. Meanwhile, Piglet helped me. Now I feel even stronger about getting another dog. I know there is one out there that needs me as much as I need him or her.
I think this book has a couple of other inspirational stories within. Melissa Shapiro is a veterinarian who tells her story of how she and her husband got together. Then, she shares her children’s aspirations with music. She tells of their college experiences.
By the way, one of her daughters and her husband have honest and raving reviews on the Piglet GoodReads page. I was delighted to read these as I felt I knew them from the book.
This book is full of the good feels a person needs these days. I look forward to looking all over the internet to find videos and follow the dogs, Melissa, and her family, and all the good they are doing for disabled people and animals.
When I feel I am floundering, I need to remember the floundering Ms. Shapiro and her husband went through with that one-pound blind, deaf puppy screaming his needs to them. Floundering is how one finds one’s balance. That is what February gives me. Meanwhile, today my turtles got a little more colorful.
Good Old Dog: Expert Advice for Keeping Your Aging Dog Happy, Healthy, and Comfortable by Nicholas Dodman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
My dog, Kali, is getting quite old. Her back legs don’t work very well anymore. She can’t get up on furniture or up or down stairs to go outside. She has cataracts, so she can’t see very well. Because of the leg issue, she is incontinent. She was urinating everywhere, even in my bed. She can’t control her bowels well. As much as we love her, this part of her life is difficult for all of us. We finally have a little bed at the end of my bed, so she doesn’t fall. We have wall-to-wall piddle-pads to catch her boo-boos. She gets baths nearly daily as she walks through her boo-boos and gets pooh all over herself and the floor.
I am lucky that there are four of us in this house to watch and care for her and the problems that come up. But we all know what is next in this flow of life. I needed someone to help me know what to do. I’m finding old age is a series of milestones like infancy. Watching the achievements fade is as painful as seeing the accomplishments in the beginning.
But here we are. So this book helped me. A veterinarian writes it, so the advice is given with experience and understanding of what the dog’s parents are going through. I wish we could put diapers on Kali, but she barely puts up with the baths. We need to be patient and give her love while we can. It breaks my heart. I remember when she was too much. Running, jumping, no keeping her quiet. Now it seems we have almost a different dog.
I plan to reread this book as she progresses. It is very useful. Our nearest vet is an hour and a half away, and she can’t handle the trip for little things. It will be the big issue that will take us all over that hill. It will be a very sad drive. Thank you for such a helpful book.
Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
OH, I needed that! What a fun little book!
A seventy-year-old main character? Finally!
A chance to see life from the octopus’s point of view? Yes!
I was lucky to listen to this book on a Libby audiobook. The voices are fantastic!
Especially octopus’s pompous voice.
I don’t want to give any of it away. Just dive in and enjoy!
Ape House by Sara Gruen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This was a fun book. I was able to pick it up on Libby as an audiobook. The story was great. Paul Boehmer (Narrator) was not the best. The only difference in characters was the Russian prostitute. The other women sounded foolish. All the men sounded the same. That caused me, the listener, to miss who was talking.
I enjoyed the bits about the monkeys and thinking about how much we could learn from other species if we could meet with some language. I thought the author showed the mentality of both humans and apes.
If you get the chance, I recommend this read. I think the psychology and philosophies brought up are interesting to ponder.
Why Fish Don’t Exist: A Story of Loss, Love, and the Hidden Order of Life by Lulu Miller
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This was a lot more fun than the last book I read. I really enjoyed hearing Lulu Miller tell her story and someone else’s while showing what had influenced her life.
I wanted to be a marine biologist in my way younger days. So this book was up my alley in many ways. Of course, that only lasted for ninth grade, and I learned that math was required for that and being an astronaut. Still, the love of the non-existent fish (and space travel) lingers in my life.
My friend recommended this, and I was able to find it on Libby. I didn’t want to do anything but listen to this story, so I got it done far quicker than most books. Lulu Miller did a great job weaving her life with one she admired. I felt like I was with her experiencing everything with her.
If you get the chance to read/listen to this book, I highly recommend it!
Antics! by Cathi Hepworth
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
A couple of friends recommended this fun little treat. After their great reviews knew I had to find a copy.
Okay, so it might be a little advanced compared to other alphabet books. Still, the pictures and one word per page make it a quick memorized book. It may be more fun for older siblings to read to younger ones with a more advanced vocabulary. And parents and teachers can find a lot of conversation starters on each page.
First of all, ANTS! Hey, you could obtain a good ant farm for the kids to watch or a walkout to see ants in their true habitats. Hopefully, you haven’t been inundated by the ones that love your kitchen. But, heck, there’s another educational moment for you and the students.
The illustrations are so much fun! Who knew ants could be so expressive? This brings me to the choose your favorite page. My friends chose Deviant and Chant. I do like both of those. But my favorite is a psychological thriller with personal history. Hesitant. I remember graduating to the level of the high dive. I remember the first time actually climbing back down the ladder to my shame and embarrassment. I gave myself speeches for days and was determined to do it the next time. I did get all the way out on the board—no diving for my first few times. Even the first jump, I felt hesitant. I don’t remember ever getting confident on that dive. I preferred the sturdy diving platform, and I could dive from and reach the other end of the pool in one breath.
I think I will donate this to our little library.
Guardians of the Trails: Secret Agents of the Wilderness Volume 1 by Ron Guiley
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I recently went to the eye doctor. Yes, the one that didn’t give me new glasses as he is setting up cataract-removal surgery for me. I can’t wait! It will be so nice when I can read all books again. Until that operation happens, I guess children’s books or Kindle and Audible are my only way to read. As the doctor and I discussed how I couldn’t even see the big E with my left eye, I told him how important it was that I be able to read. “I’m a writer!” I said as I pointed to my 2020 NaNoWriMo winner’s T-shirt. He pulled out his bookmark to prove he not only wrote but actually had published his masterpiece. I couldn’t wait to get it and read it.
Luckily, this book is a wonderful picture book. The poodles pictured in the book are the doctor’s own. He enjoyed taking them on hikes and snapped pictures. A story evolved with the pictures, as with children’s books, the writing is large enough for most of us to read. And the illustrations are adorable. Don’t think for a minute it is just a bunch of poodle pics. The story is fun. The poodles are secret agents solving nature puzzles. I can’t wait to see what they get up to in volume 2!
Darswords 
You must be logged in to post a comment.