Robo is back, along with his handler, Deputy Mattie Cobb. Together they find a missing woman, weather a mountain snowstorm, take on a mountain lion, and help solve a murder mystery. They're a good team. I like Mattie, but Robo is my favorite. (He's such a smart dog!) In Killing Trail, the first book in this series, I felt the characters were a bit stilted, but in this one they felt much more natural and well-developed. And the mystery itself had a few added layers I did not anticipate. (Although I did guess right about who did it.) All in all, this was a fun read.
This is a mildly entertaining book about Dr. Cyrus Mills, a 40-year-old veterinary pathologist who inherits his estranged father's veterinary practice. There's just a few problems: the practice is in Vermont, it's deeply in debt, and Cyrus hasn't practiced on live animals since veterinary school. Which leads to some humorous situations. There's also the obligatory small-town quirkiness. But this book felt a little too predictable to me. (And a little long, too!) It's also written in present tense, which isn't my favorite thing. So while it's not a bad read, I didn't love it. Or even like it much. But you might!
Feeling nostalgic, I couldn't resist rereading one of my favorite children's books about dogs. I love this one! It's a charming and funny adventure involving two siblings, the mean boy next door, nine dogs, and an abandoned house at the end of the street. There's even a ghost dog! I'd forgotten how much I like this book; it made me smile all the way through it. I think it's the best read of the three...and a great way to start off the new lunar year.
What dog books would you recommend this year?
Happy Reading!
Happy New Year!!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Nadia! :)
DeleteAre you doing the dog challenge at Booker T's Farm? Looks like you have read a few books you could use for it if you read them this month!
ReplyDeleteWell, that's typical. The one year I don't sign up for any reading challenges and end up filling them accidentally anyway. ;D
DeleteI really like the Timber Creek K-9 series--Robo is a great character! The Hotel for Dogs really appeals to me, too! :)
ReplyDeleteIf you an find a copy of it, Hotel For Dogs is really cute and funny.
DeleteI’m glad you liked the second book in the Timber Creek K-9 series. I like when the books get better and better as the series progresses. Too bad The Patron Saint of Lost Dogs was too long. Yay for old favorites.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad the 2nd book read better, too! Here's hoping the 3rd book in the series is just as good. :)
DeleteGlad that you enjoyed the second K-9 Mystery even more than the first!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great idea as a theme. I love (and live with) dogs, but have never read any dog related fiction that I can recall.
I could try The Phantom Tollbooth, a book I never read as a kid (though I do remember its cover). I have long wanted to read it since it is so beloved. I think it features a dog!
Oops, just recalled The Call of the Wild that I read last year! But I didn't love it.
DeleteI never read The Phantom Tollbooth as a kid either. That's a great idea. (And I know what you mean about The Call of the Wild...it's well-written, but I didn't love it either.)
DeleteWhat a fun post. Isn't that cover for the Lois Duncan book great. Happy Year of the Dog!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Iliana! :)
DeleteI read Lad a Dog by Albert Terhune too many times to count growing up. I had a children's version with full color illustration, and then I had the novel as I grew older. Still one of my favorite dog books.
ReplyDeleteSometimes the old ones are the best. :)
DeleteI haven't read many dog books, but I did love MARLEY & ME. Made me laugh, made me cry ...
ReplyDeleteThat's the best kind of book!
DeleteGreat dog books! When I was a kid, I loved the Big Red dog series. As an adult, I'll admit to crying while reading A Dog's Purpose.
ReplyDeleteThere's something about dogs, isn't there? :D
DeleteThanks for the list. Hotel for Dogs sounds interesting and I have heard good thingscabout thevauthir Lois Duncan.
ReplyDeleteI love Lois Duncan. She wrote several kind of scary YA novels that I read over and over as a teen. Hotel For Dogs is more middle-grade fiction and not scary at all, but very charming and fun in my opinion. :)
DeleteI read the 2nd book in the Trout series, Dog Gone, Back Soon because I always seem to read things out of order ;) I gave it a three. I enjoyed it and despised it in equal measure.
ReplyDeleteHa! Well, the 1st book in the series isn't much better, so I wouldn't bother if I were you. :)
DeleteGreat books to kick off the Year of the Dog! I've heard lots of good things about Margaret Mizushima's books so I'll have to check them out. :)
ReplyDeleteGreat books to kick off the Year of the Dog! I've heard lots of good things about Margaret Mizushima's books so I'll have to check them out. :)
ReplyDeleteSo far the series has been pretty good. I'm looking forward to reading the third one. :)
Delete