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Infinite Country by Patricia Engel | Thoughts

   Published : 2021   ||    Format : print   ||    Location : Colombia ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆   What was it about the country that kept everyone hostage to its fantasy? The previous month, on its own soil, an American man went to his job at a plant and gunned down fourteen coworkers, and last spring alone there were four different school shootings. A nation at war with itself, yet people still spoke of it as some kind of paradise.. Thoughts : Infinite Country follows two characters - young Talia, who at the beginning of this book, escapes a girl’s reform school in North Colombia so that she can make her previously booked flight to the US. Before she can do that, she needs to travel many miles to reach her father and get her ticket to the rest of her family. As we follow Talia’s treacherous journey south, we learn about how she ended up in the reform school in the first place and why half her family resides in the US. Infinite Country tells the story of her family through the other protagonist, El

Things your Dog Doesn't Want you to Know by Hy Conrad and Jeff Johnson


Things Your Dog Doesn't Want You to Know
More than once, and for no reason, you push back my breakfast and dinnertime by one hour. This goes on for months and months. All the meals are exactly one hour late, until you finally realize your mistake and get my feeding schedule back on track. This is very annoying. Please stop.

This has never happened before. Me forgetting a review date. Sure, I've not met them countless times. Trish is quite used to receiving my last minute emails requesting a review date postponement, and because she is awesome, she has always been nice about it. But this time, I'm super embarrassed. Because I opened my review deadline sheet only to find that this review was due two weeks ago. Yikes!

Things your Dog Doesn't Want you to Know is a collection of short anecdotes narrated by dogs. The stories are just two-page long and many of them are hilarious. The husband and I always loved dogs but had never had one until the May of this year. Until then, all we knew about dogs is that they are super-cute. In the five months since (What? Has it only been five months since we brought Rue home?), we have gone through a roller coaster of emotions - happiness, excitement, frustration (mostly me), patience (mostly the husband), and more happiness. Through all this time, there have been many times when we would stare at our dog (when she's not looking at us, lest she thinks it is playtime) and wonder what she's thinking. I begged Trish to let me read and review this book just so that I can understand Rue better.

Rachel Joyce
This book is not an encyclopedia or a book of facts. So the stories in them are not meant to be a guidance to dog behavior. Some of the stories are probably way off the actual dog psychology charts, but that didn't stop me from laughing and blushing through many of them. Some of them gave me a sense of deja vu (the story where a dog said its owner kept staring at its butt hole, when out for a walk, as if the owner is praying that the pooping happened soon - totally guilty of this!)

Some of the stories are a little sad. For instance, one of the dog-narrators, Sarge, is a former police dog who sniffed pot and helped the cops locate it. Unfortunately, Sarge began to like the stuff too much and would taste a pinch before alerting any cop. Despite how very dog-like behavior that is, it made me a little sad. Of course, Sarge got fired from that job, so all's well that ends well (even though Sarge was upset at having lost it).

One of my favorite stories from this book revolved around advice given by a dog to a dogwalker. The dogwalker in question usually walked around seven dogs at a time. One of the dogs he walked, Charlie, explains who should and should not walk with each other. For instance, one of Charlie's advice is walking Chloe first or else she won't pee, but Chloe should not be walked alone because Snowball will get jealous. And so on he goes to give ideas for how to mix and match the other dogs.

Overall, Things your Dog Doesn't Want you to Know was a really fun book! It's the best book for a little bit of nighttime or grocery-lane reading.


I received this book for free for review from the publisher via TLC Book Tours.


Comments

rhapsodyinbooks said…
I don't know if I could read this because it does include sad anecdotes! There is something about a sad dog story that just kills me!!! But I do love dog stories!
Tina Reed said…
Poor Sarge! He left the force hooked on pot! That is so sad.


I had a hard time keeping my tours straight this month. I mixed up two of them but noticed it two days before the one was supposed to happen. That only left me one day to read the book. I don't know what is wrong with me. I had it in my calendar in THREE different calendars and I still messed up.
bermudaonion(Kathy) said…
This book sounds really cute but I think I'll have to wait a while to read it.
Fun! They are a ride aren't they?
zibilee said…
My husband so wants to read this book after seeing the cover, and hearing what it was all about. I think he will be pleased to find it in his stocking this year. Excellent review today!!
Helen Murdoch said…
This sounds like such a fun book.
Athira / Aths said…
Actually, that is the only sad anecdote I read. And it was not meant to be sad - it was written in a humorous tone, but I just found it sad. :) You should read it - I don't read Marley & Me kind of books, but this one I heartily recommend.
Athira / Aths said…
I remember that happened to me once - the two tours were on adjacent dates even, so it was crazy! I think I will have to stay clear of the tours for a while now.
Athira / Aths said…
They sure are! Mine was just jumping and high-five-ing me now and that gave me a new round of giggles!
Athira / Aths said…
Yay! I hope he really will love it! This book is a delight.
Athira / Aths said…
Ii was a really fun book! I'm glad I read it.
Delia (Postcards from Asia) said…
This sounds like a light, fun book. Have you read The Art of Racing in the Rain?
Athira / Aths said…
Not yet. But I've heard quite a bit about it. I hope to read it sometime. Did you like it?
veens said…
I would love to read this one. I love books about Dogs, with Dogs, having dogs... :D

http://givingreadingachance.wordpress.com
Athira / Aths said…
It is certainly worth the time!