As Christmas draws near, it's good to have a few stocking stuffers on hand for the animal lover in your life, or even to read yourself. Here are a few of the page turners that caught our attention this year.
A Street Cat Named Bob: And How He Saved My Life by James Bowen (Thomas Dunne Books, 2013)
This charming true story shouldn't be dismissed as just another heart warmer about how the love of an animal changes someone's life, although it is that. It begins when London street musician James Bowen, struggling to change his life while overcoming drug addiction, finds an injured cat (he names Bob) in the hallway of his apartment building. Skeptical that the streetwise orange tabby would stay with him even if he could afford to feed it, Bowen takes in the cat and nurses it back to health. Then he begins taking Bob along with him while "busking" on London street corners, where he quickly learns that the cat is a bigger draw than his musical abilities. A quick read, the story is testament to how people and animals benefit from sharing their lives.
Good Dog: True Stories of Love, Loss and Loyalty (HarperCollins)
Each month, Garden & Gun magazine prints essays about man's best friend that are by turns quirky, inspirational and funny. Notable writers such as P.J. O'Rourke and Roy Blount Jr. are among the 51 whose tales of canine camaraderie have appeared in the magazine and are reprinted in this hardcover compendium. All dog lovers reading this will no doubt catch a glimpse of their special pooch in one or more essays. There's T. Edward Nickens' story of the sweet-but-destructive hound, Emma Pearl, who gobbled onions, bags of flour and even a frozen turkey breast. Anyone who has rescued a dog will identify with Allison Glock's tale of quirky Sadie, a rescued dog who freaks out at the sight of hats. Even people who profess to have no affection for dogs will enjoy the alternately hilarious and moving stories.
67 Reasons Why Cats Are Better Than Dogs by Jack Shepherd (National Geographic)
Jack Shepherd, editorial director of the website Buzzfeed, has brought together photos and text to make a case for feline superiority. Mostly, though, the book is a compilation of humorous photos of dogs as well as cats with commentary and "insight" into what might have been going through a cat's mind when he was doing something like walking across a basketball court, stretching after a nap or navigating a blocked pet door. Shepherd good-naturedly tries to make a case for the superiority of cats, but ends up revealing cats and dogs doing no more than simply being themselves. This is the kind of book you flip through, then leave on the coffee table as a possible conversation starter, for friends to peruse the book and begin sharing their animal tales.
Animal Architecture by Ingo Arndt, Jurgen Tautz (Harry N. Abrams)
This books falls under the heading of "animal kingdom," encompassing the world of animals beyond our beloved house pets to provide a glimpse into the types of homes all manner of wild creatures make for themselves. A coffee table-size tome, the book covers 120 of nature's denizens, providing stunning photos of dwellings created by birds, ants, mice, beavers, coral, bivalves and snails. Photographer Ingo Arndt's photos show the intricacy and detail of each animal's amazing architecture. Without a photo, for instance, it's hard to imagine fields of termite towers standing 8 or more feet tall, all oriented in one direction. More than a pictorial essay, the book also explores the technical aspects of the dwellings and explains how they give humans insight into the evolutionary and adaptive abilities of individual species.
Happy reading.
Family on 12/17/2014