It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a weekly meme hosted by Sheila at Book Journey.

I haven't taken part so far this year, so I've included in my 'recently read' books the ones I've read over the past couple of weeks. I'll try and write up some longer reviews or thoughts on some of these if I can soon.

Recently read:

The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton

I found this a quite magical, wonderful read. I felt immersed in the world created in the novel and the characters were really memorable. One to treasure, it took me away from my troubles and I really enjoyed reading it. I'd heard so much about this novel and I think maybe I worried if I'd love it or not myself, and I'm so glad I've read it now. The cover has to be one of the most beautiful around, too. 

 

Chess by Stefan Zweig (translated by Anthea Bell)

This was a superb little read, another that I ought to have read ages ago that has been languishing on my tbr pile, it's only a short work of about eighty pages, and I thought it was a fascinating tale, brilliantly told. I loved The Post Office Girl by Stefan Zweig - link to my review, as well as a couple of other works by him (Journey into the Past and Fear - reviews linked); this one is equally impressive. It was also great to read something in translation after not having done so for a while. 

The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie 

I've been aiming to try and read some Agatha Christie novels for a while, at least the idea has been in my mind to get round to it, and I've finally made a start, with this, the first of her Poirot novels. It was a really good read and I look forward to reading more soon.

Reading now:

The Golem and the Djinni by Helene Wecker

This was a lovely gift to me from a very kind and thoughtful book loving friend last year (who also gave me Chess, above) and I am so glad to be reading it now, I am about a quarter of the way through so far, it's quite a long one, and it is captivating and magical, I will savour reading more of it this coming week. 

Plumdog by Emma Chichester Clark

This is a graphic novel I bought at the weekend, it is beautifully illustrated and is an absolutely wonderful thing for dog lovers, just a delight to read and to look at!

Reading next:

I'm not certain what I will read next, I want to try and read this one very soon though as it has been on my tbr pile too long, so it may well be my next book.

Precious Thing by Colette McBeth

Did you read any of these/do they grab your interest?

What are you reading? 

I hope you have a great week of wonderful reading!

A Place to Call Home: Toby's Tale - G. A. Whitmore - Guest Post

Today I'm pleased to share an author guest post with you by G. A. Whitmore, author of A Place to Call Home: Toby's Tale.

White German Shepherds: Defective or Just Different

by G. A. Whitmore

The main character in my new book A Place to Call Home: Toby’s Tale was inspired by an abused dog I adopted from the Connecticut Humane Society in 1989. Toby was a white German Shepherd/mix, who at the age of seven months, had already had three “homes” and was so scared and traumatized that he would not move around humans. He would not sit up, he would not walk.

Toby and his sister pup had been found in a box inside a dumpster in northern California. Somebody didn’t want them. Why? They were beautiful puppies, gorgeous white fur and chocolate brown eyes. My curiosity got the better of me, so I decided to research the history of white German Shepherds.

What I learned was that white German Shepherds have been living in the United States since the early 1900s after the first German Shepherd dogs were brought to the country from Germany.  Periodically white puppies were born as part of the litters, as they had been in Europe, and the white version of this traditionally black and tan dog soon developed its own following. As time went on the white German Shepherd became more and more popular as the dogs proved they could keep up in all respects with their black and tan brother and sisters.

In the middle of the 20^th century a shift occurred and many German Shepherd breeders began to think of the white version of the dog as defective, a mar on the breed. They believed the recessive gene that resulted in the white coloration of the fur was contributing to genetic defects and medical issues within the breed as a whole. Culling of the white puppies became a standard practice among those who adhered to this belief. Lovers of the white German Shepherd remained firm. There was no scientific evidence to support the claims being made against these beautiful white dogs, and over time, the prejudice and discrimination against them subsided. It did not go away, though. I learned there are still breeders today who continue to cull these wonderful dogs from their litters.

Were Toby and his sister the victims of prejudice and discrimination based on the color of their fur? Is that why they were “discarded”? I decided to go with this story line in my book, it made sense, and it felt right. So in the book, Toby and his sister are given a death sentence by Mr. Bailey, their breeder. He tells his wife he wants the farm hand Walt to dispose of them. But his plans are thwarted when Mrs. Bailey and Walt devise a plan to save the dogs’ lives.  

                                             

It should be noted that the man considered to be the founder of the German Shepherd breed Max von Stephanitz firmly believed that: The German Shepherd dog should be judged based upon its ability to work, its courage and its temperament. Never did he mention the color of the dog’s fur as a measure of the dog’s worth.

Shouldn’t we all be judged by our character and actions, not by the color of our skin or fur?

~~~~~

About the book...

Every rescue dog has a tale to tell, a story uniquely their own.

A Place to Call Home is Toby’s tale.

Born on a small farm in northern California, Toby’s carefree days as a puppy are cut short when he narrowly escapes the death sentence imposed upon him by his breeder. Through a series of events driven by good intentions, he finds himself in a Connecticut suburb, where life with his new family soon collapses on him, and his newfound happiness is brutally destroyed.

On his quest to find a place to call home, Toby encounters and endures the best and worst of humanity, as he comes face to face with sorrow and joy, fear and courage, and ultimately, with the power of love.

Part of the proceeds of from the sale of each book will be donated to an organization of the author’s choice that promotes and advocates for the protection and welfare of dogs.

Amazon UK | Amazon UK | Goodreads

About the author...

Ms. Whitmore’s passion for writing and her love of dogs come together in her series The Rescue Dog Tales. The first book in the series, A Place to Call Home, was inspired by Toby, an abused dog she adopted from the Connecticut Humane Society. Ms. Whitmore currently lives in Connecticut with her two rescue dogs, Kadee and Zeus.

Website http://www.gawhitmore.com.

Author/community Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/authorgawhitmore

Through a Dog's Eyes - Jennifer Arnold

‘Our dogs never grow past the point of seeing us as their universe. Is it any wonder we adore them?’

We have had our dog for just about two years now, and she is our first dog. Although I write this review myself, I say ‘we’ because she is certainly a member of the family - she is my dog and my husband’s, (and also very fond of my in-laws too!) We have been through puppy training with her, and gone to a beginner’s training class too, and have learned many useful tips along the way. There are always challenges though; she is still quite young and is very exuberant and enthusiastic about just about everything! I was therefore really interested to read this book and discover the author’s theories about looking at the world through the eyes of our dogs.

The subtitle to this book is key to the approach taken inside it -'understanding our dogs by understanding how they see the world.'




Jennifer Arnold has been training service dogs for over twenty years. These dogs go on to assist people with physical disabilities and special needs. The things they achieve, the tasks they are able to accomplish, and the support they can offer, is truly awe-inspiring:

‘Working with children and adults who have mobility difficulties or seizure conditions, these incredible dogs learn to do a variety of tasks, such as turning lights on and off, opening and closing doors, pushing buttons, picking up dropped objects, and running for help in an emergency. They transform lives with their constant companionship and unconditional love in ways that no human can equal.’

This book is an inspirational read, both in terms of the stories Jennifer Arnold recounts about the dogs she has trained, and in terms of inspiring us as dog owners to rethink what we know about our dogs, and to reconsider how things might look to our dogs. It offers us a wealth of ideas, drawn from the author’s experience of working with dogs every day, that we can think about when spending time with our own dogs, and thereby improve our relationships with them. I thought the sections on body language were particularly interesting and enlightening. There are sections where the author considers the origins of dogs – including discussing wolves and dogs, their personalities, language and characters, discusses play and also her choice teaching methods.

Our dog, Daisy

The author looks at the world as she believes dogs see it and experience it. She has leant so much in terms of understanding dogs – their skills and intelligence, the things they are capable of doing. In this book Jennifer Arnold puts forward her approach to training, based not on the alpha dominance type theory of physical correction but instead on encouraging the dog to make the right choice, and by using positive reinforcement, treating the dog kindly. She advises us to ‘use only positive motivation to convince the dog that it is in his best interest to do as asked.’ She explains that she herself only developed and moved over to this method over time:

‘My approach to handling changed as my understanding of dogs grew, until one day I realized that it was morally wrong to treat dogs with anything other than patience, understanding, and kindness. I have come to appreciate that dogs are capable of deep feeling, that they have individual personalities and intellectual capacities, extraordinary at times. Most of all I have learned that, beyond all other species, dogs have evolved to be our partners, protectors and helpmates.’

I enjoyed reading about the dogs Jennifer has worked with and learned from; there are some heartwarming and very moving true stories contained here, and the dogs that go on to make a positive difference are evidence of the efficacy of her methods. She offers scientific support for her theories. I think there is a lot to be said for the philosophy that this author puts forward. If anything I would have liked to have read even more stories about the dogs she has trained.

This is an enlightening read, and after finishing this book, I felt I looked at my dog in a new way and I have definitely learned a lot about dog behaviour. Additionally, I’ve learned different techniques that I might use to communicate better with my dog, and I developed a greater understanding of dogs as a species. This book is a fascinating, informative and worthwhile read for any dog owner.

Published by Souvenir Press

Thanks very much to the publisher for kindly sending a copy of this book to read and review. 

Find out more about Canine Assistants, the non-profit organisation of which Jennifer Arnold is the founder. They train and provide service dogs for children and adults whose lives will benefit from having an assistance dog. 

Daisy

As for me, my dog Daisy is certainly my best friend. I had no idea what sort of special relationship an owner could have with a dog until she came into our lives. She is a constant companion, there for me as much as I am there for her. When I have been out and arrive home, it is so heartwarming to receive the enthusiastic welcome from her that awaits. I exercise more because of her, and it isn’t a chore because of the pleasure that I see she gets out of the walks. The other night, well, 2.30am in the morning to be precise, I was feeling ill, and she came and sat by the bathroom door with me and offered me her paw and looked at me with her caring concerned expression. Dogs are certainly amazing.