Meant to Be Yours / Susan Mallery / 464 pages (see note)

Renee is a wedding planner who has given up on a future with marriage and children. Jasper is a handsome, quirky, intelligent writer who thinks he is too damaged for a lasting relationship. But doesn’t love always find a way.   At one point, I thought the story jumped the shark with Renee’s mom’s story and I put it down but I’m glad I picked it back up.  It totally worked.  Susan Mallery’s books are so fun and heartwarming and this one is no different.
Note: This book is about 75% of the 464 pages.  The remaining pages are a bonus previously published novella, A Very Merry Princess.

The Dogs of Christmas/W. Bruce Cameron/238 pgs

This is a very cute and short book.  It is written by the author of A Dog's Purpose and A Dog's Journey (both of which are on my to be read list).  Josh is a young man who has lives in the mountains and is pretty much a loner.  He has a broken heart and has issues with his family.  One day, a neighbor he hardly knows stops by and asks him to watch his dog for him.  He finally agrees but he finds out afterwards that the dog is pregnant - very pregnant.  He has no idea what to do with this dog and ends up calling the local shelter for help where he ends up talking to Kerri.  It doesn't all go as you might think but it is a very enjoyable read.

The Lucky Dog Matchmaking Service/Beth Kendrick/321 pgs

Lara Madigan can help you find your soulmate--your canine soul mate.  But unfortunately she doesn't seem to have the same ability for herself - her fiance just told her he is not a dog person.  So she finds herself homeless with her dogs and moves in with her mother.  Her mother is the total opposite of her - wealthy and lives in a home straight out of a design magazine.  Soon though Lara is getting demands for her services.  But will she find her own soul mate of the two legged variety??  Good romance.

How to Live with a Neurotic Cat / Stephen Baker 128 p.

"And then God created a furry lump which, for the lack of a better name, He called the Cat. He looked at His creation and shook His head. It wasn't exactly what He had in mind. "

Cat owners know every nuance Stephen Baker describes about life with a cat. Be prepared to LOL and the illustrations are delightful.

The More The Terrier/Linda O. Johnston/296 pgs

This is the second title in the Pet Rescue series and no one would ever say this is heavy reading but it is enjoyable, especially if you are a dog or cat lover. In this one, shelter manager Lauren Vancouver finds out that her old mentor, Mamie Spelling, is an animal hoarder. But that is the least of Mamie's problems. She's accused of murder when the CEO of a pet shelter network who was pressuring her to join is found dead. Lauren makes it her mission to clear her former friend of murder but that may put a killer on her tail.

Roam: a novel with music/Alan Lazar/306 pgs

Nelson is a bright-eyed, inquisitive half beagle, half poodle. He lives with Katey, his Great Love, and Don, newlyweds whose marriage is falling apart. One day Don leaves the gate open and Nelson follows his nose and gets lost. the Story is about what happens to Nelson as he tries to make it back home to his Great Love. The book also contains links/tags for music that was written just for the book. A very good story about how you can always go back home.

Love at First Bark: How Saving a Dog Can Somtimes Help You Save Yourself/Julie Klam/173 pgs

This title consists of 3 different stories regarding the author's experiences with dog rescue. One is about a pit bull they find tied to a street sign and what they go through in order to get a pit bull placed in a foster home or rescue shelter. The second story is about a special needs dog who is given up by its owner. The last story deals with the rescue effort in New Orleans after Katrina. The book also touches on how rescuing dogs can effect the rescuer and those around them. A very good book.

The Puppy That Came for Christmas/Megan Rix/246 pgs

Megan and her husband Ian are trying to have a baby without much success. They hear about the Helper Dogs who train dogs to work with disabled people in England and decide to become puppy raisers. This story is about the two puppies that they raised for Helper Dogs - Emma & Freddy and the puppy who comes to stay - Traffy. Was a good book - focuses a lot on what Megan went through with the fertility treatments and the loss of the puppies - they had to go back for advanced training after 6 months. Not Marley & Me but you may enjoy it if you liked Marley.

The Puppy Diaries/Jill Abramson/242 pgs

"The Puppy Diaries: Raising a Dog Named Scout" is a very enjoyable book. Jill Abramson is an editor at the New York Times. She had lost a very much loved dog 2 years earlier but her husband thinks it is time for a new dog. They decide on an English Golden Retriever, who they name Scout. The book is about their life with Scout until she turns 1. It will appeal to anyone who has ever had a puppy and knows the trials you must go thru.

Following Atticus : forty-eight high peaks, one little dog, and an extraordinary friendship/Tom Ryan/276 pgs

I had heard about this story and wanted to read the book and am very glad I did. This is a very good book. It is the true story of an amazing dog and his owner. It takes place in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. Tom Ryan gets a puppy and they discover a love of the mountains and hiking. When a friend is diagnosed with cancer, Tom decides that they are going to hike all 48 4000 ft plus peaks twice during the winter. I have hiked some of those mountains in the summer and cannot imagine trying to do it in the winter forget about trying to do it twice.

The Dog Who Knew Too Much/Spencer Quinn/308 pgs

This is the fourth title in the Chet and Bernie mystery series. This series is unique as it is told by Chet, the dog. Bernie Little is a private detective and Chet is his sidekick - not always too smart but somehow always gets the job done. In this one, they are searching for a boy who has disappeared from a wilderness camp. Everyone says he is lost but Bernie and Chet think otherwise. Very good story - a light murder mystery - not much blood and guts. If you want to find out how a dog thinks, this is the series for you.

Racing in the Rain: my life as a dog/Garth Stein/278 pgs

This is a adaption of the title "The Art of Racing in the Rain" and is meant for younger readers. That being said I think that the subject matter - racing, illness, divorce and death may be a little too much for a young child (it is supposed to be for children 8 -12) but the story is very good. It is the story of Enzo the dog. It starts with him getting ready to die and he starts to tell his life story. He belongs to Denny a race car driver and Enzo loves racing - he also believes that when he dies he will return as a man - saw it in a documentary. He wants to model himself after Denny. The story is at times very funny and very sad. I did enjoy reading it and will probably now try the grownup version!

Chihuahua of the Baskervilles/Esri Allbriten/275 pgs

This is a silly little book. It is about a woman in Colorado who owns a dog clothing business. The business is named after her chihuahua, Petey who has died. One night she hears his very distinctive bark and sees his ghost or so she thinks. So she calls Tripping Magazine a magazine that covers travel destinations for believers in the paranormal. It contains the prerequisite murder, dog who speaks out warnings and writes them also in muddy paw prints. But it was an enjoyable light read with no real big surprises.

My Life in Dog Years/Gary Paulsen/137 pgs

This title is about the different dogs that Gary Paulsen has either owned or encountered in his life, except for his sled dogs. Each dog gets their own chapter and starts when he is 7 living in the Philippines with his first dog, Snowball. The dogs include Cookie, the only sled dog in the book, who saved his life and Dirk, a stray who protected him from bullies. It is a short story and the audio is narrated by the author.

The Fast and the Furriest/Andy Behrens/247 pgs

This is about a young boy, Kevin and his beagle, Cromwell. They are both serious couch potatoes until one day while watching the Animal Planet. The show that is on is the Purina Incredible Animal challenge and they are showing the Dog Agility. All of a sudden Cromwell is moving around and all excited. He is running around the basement and jumping thru tire swings in the yard. So Kevin decides to sign up for agility classes but his dad won't allow it - his dad is a former football star and the only real sports to him have a ball in them. So he makes Kevin go to football camp which Kevin hates. He gets thrown out of camp and starts taking agility classes behind his father's back with the financial help of his best friend. I listened to the audio version of this title and was laughing to myself throughout the book.

Dogs & the Women Who Love Them/Allen & Linda Anderson/233 pgs

This is a book of short stories about women and the dogs they love. It is much like a Chicken Soup for the Soul sort of book. Kind of uplifting though of course there are some sad stories. But all in all a very nice and easy read - especially if you love dogs - you don't necessarily have to be a woman to enjoy it though.

Flawed dogs : the shocking raid on Westminster : the novel /Berkeley Breathed/216 pgs

This is a very entertaining story written by the Bloom County cartoonist. It is about a very rare dachshund and what happens to him after he is cast out of his home because of a jealous poodle. When he discovers that the poodle is trying to be the champion at Westminster, he comes up with a plan to redeem himself and make the poodle pay with the help of some of his mutt friends.

All Things Bright and Beautiful / James Herriot 378 p.

Herriot continues the story of his day-to-day life as a small town veterinarian. We meet an unforgettable cast of characters including humans and animals: the brothers Siegfried and Tristan, Mrs. Donovan the local pet expert whom the townspeople consult, the widow Dalby who always gives Herriot special treatment even as she faces the loss of her herd and potentially her farm, and Granville Bennett, a small animal veterinarian who immobilizes Herriot with food and drink after a successful operation, and the goat has swallowed a pair of underwear belonging to the farmer. Herriot’s story of courting his wife warms the heart. And the story concludes with his call-up for WWII pilot training. One of my all-time favorites. Simple in story but deep in life's truths.