Labbie Book Choices

We have noticed that some of our friends have provided their readers with a special dog related summer reading list and We wanted to tell you all about ours:


In Seeing Eye by Jack Ellis, the main character, Campbell, is a blind guy who lost his eyes in an accident. He's not handling his blindness well, and is pretty upset at the world. His sister is dating a guy who is doing experimental research involving neural hookups between man and dog that allows a blind human to see through the dog's eyes. He finally consents to the experiment and travels overseas for the surgery. The process works remarkably well, and Campbell and Shadow(his black Lab!) start to bond tightly. But things start getting strange when he starts seeing visions involving kidnapped children. It appears that some psychic connection between Shadow and something else is bleeding through to Campbell, and he's the only person who can possibly track down a recently kidnapped child who is about to be murdered if the killer is not stopped.


The Labrador Retriever, The History... The People... Revisited is by Richard Wolters, author of many dog training books and a friend of my parents. This is a lavishly illustrated book that is just plain a treat for the eyes. It's also well written; slanted toward the working side of the breed, but my family used to field trial with Labs so it is a favorite. Some reviewers feel that the most controversial part of the book deals with Dick Wolter's theory of the history of the Labrador, but the theory is interesting whether or not you buy it, and the photographs and supporting documents of interest to any Lab lover. It's hard not to like a book by a friend of the family.




Zero at the Bone is by Mary Willis Walker. The story is about Texas dog trainer Katherine Driscoll embarks on a perilous quest to unravel family mysteries in Walker's gripping debut. Her mortgage in default, Katherine is devastated by the imminent loss of her house, kennel and beloved retriever. A startling solution presents itself when her father, whom she has not seen in 30 years, writes to say that her big loan will be paid in full in return for a small favor. A fun mystery!




Mad Dogs and Scotsmen by Gerald Hammond. The story starts with poor Cochrane has just retreived his pooch (a Lab named Jove) from quarantine only to have the poor doggie stolen along with his briefcase. Not only that, but the kennel owner's missing car and shotgun make the authorities jumpy. When the events lead to a murder case, as a woman's battered body is found near the burnt car, the kennel owner finds himself embroiled with trouble. Lovely outdoors adventure in Scotland with a clever mystery involving a dog... who could ask for more?



Marley & Me by John Grogan is an unvarnished look at the joys and tribulations of sharing your life with a dog. Grogan's account of his young family's first alfresco dining experience with Marley the yellow lab in tow had me laughing and I laughed and cried my way through the whole book!






Fear Nothing is by Dean Koontz. If you think you've got it tough, meet Christopher Snow, the hero of Dean Koontz's novel. Not only did his parents die under mysterious circumstances, but he's also being stalked by shadowy characters who want Snow to stop trying to find out how they died--or else they'll bump off his remaining loved ones (his supersmart, beer-lapping dog Orson,a goofy labrador retriever; his best surfing buddy Bobby; and his late-night deejay girlfriend Sasha).

Typical Koontz story - great for the beach or a slow snow day!



My final recommendation is for the younger set, readers grades 3-5.

Gooseberry Park is by Cynthia Rylant. When Kona, a Labrador retriever, meets Stumpy, a squirrel in Gooseberry Park, they're best friends at first sight. But after Stumpy’s babies are born, disaster strikes in the form of a violent ice storm. Kona is not a fair-weather friend; he’s worried sick! How will Stumpy and her babies survive? With the help of Murray, a hilarious bat, and Gwendolyn, a wise hermit crab, Kona shows just how true--and heroic--a friend can be.

Nice story for Lab loving kids!

HAPPY READING - Love Dory, Mac and Liza