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Tag: audiobook

  • Dog and Cat Books for Holiday Gifts

    This has been a great year for new books about dogs. And, I have been reading and listening to some old favorite books and audiobooks starring cats.

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    Dog Books This Year

    Off the Leash: A Year at the Dog Park by Boston Globe TV critic Matthew Gilbert was a hit with me and with many of my dog loving friends. Matthew was not a dog person until his husband convinced him that they needed a dog in their life. And, he was not much of a people person until he became part of the community at a dog park. The book is a tale of the transition and what he describes as, “… the strange, wonderful, neurotic, and eccentric dog people who gather daily at Amory Park, overlooking Boston.”

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    Travels With Casey by Benoit Denizet-Lewis is a most enjoyable travelogue of the author’s four month trip across this country with his Labrador Retriever. 

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    On a more serious note, I learned much from Animal Madness: How Anxious Dogs, Compulsive Parrots, and Elephants in Recovery Help Us Understand Ourselves by science historian Laurel Braitman. 

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    Old Favorite Cat Tales

    Boston son Cleveland Amory became known as, ”… the founding father of the modern animal protection movement.” He chronicled his transition from social critic to a man who spent the rest of his life devoted to animals in a series of books about Snowball – the cat he rescued from a Manhattan street in 1977. 

    The books, beginning with The Cat Who Came for Christmas (most appropriate for this time of year), next the The Cat and the Curmudgeon, and then The Best Cat Ever.

    At the library and still in bookstores, you can find another cat biographical series by Peter Gethers. He tells the tale of Norton, the Scottish Fold, who traveled the world with him. That series begins with, The Cat Who Went to Paris.

    And, for those who love mysteries, eccentric people, and cats, there is "The Cat Who…" series from the late Massachusetts resident Lilian Jackson Braun. These books and some of the others mentioned here are available in various formats: hardcover, paperback, ebook, and audiobook.

    Here are direct links to the books on Amazon. 

      

     

    Details:

    Words: Penny Cherubino – previously published as one of her City Paws newspaper columns.

    Artwork: Courtesy of the publishers.

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  • “Reading” the Book, “Permanent Present Tense” Three Ways

    Cover art permanent Past Tense

    I always have a few books in my reading pile, on my Kindle, or in my "tonight" audiobook playlist on my iPod. Right now, I have Permanent Present Tense: The Unforgettable Life of the Amnesic Patient, H. M. by Susanne Corkin in all three places.

    I "read" books in different ways. We live in a tiny home with books shelved two deep in some case, and others in storage waiting for their turn to come live with us. New books must audition before they find a physical place in our home. 

    When I hear or read about a book that I want to read, I go directly to the Boston Public Library catalogue and see if they have a copy. If not and I think it has a wide interest, I'll suggest that they purchase it.

    In the case of Permanent Present Tense, I had to wait a bit before it was my turn to read a library copy. Since I have met the author and she played an important role in the life of a dear friend, I had every intention of buying the book. I just had to decide how to buy it – hardcover book, Kindle edition, or audiobook.

    In the end, I did all three. I'm reading the library's copy in hardcover. I added the Kindle edition to my library when I want to continue reading the book and forget to bring it with me. And, I purchased the audiobook so that Ed and I can listen to it in the car on our next road trip. 

    This doesn't happen often, but this is a fascinating book that I do recommend. Here is a great interview about the book from the radio show Fresh Air. 

    Update: July 5, 2013: Here is another great interview on WBUR's Radio Boston.

    What's your favorite way to consume new books? 

    Do you have an Amazon Gift Certificate to use? Or do you need to buy one for a Birthday or Wedding gift? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

     Details:

    Words: Penny Cherubino
    Photography: Cover art courtesy of Amazon  

  • “Reading” the Book, “Permanent Present Tense” Three Ways

    Cover art permanent Past Tense

    I always have a few books in my reading pile, on my Kindle, or in my "tonight" audiobook playlist on my iPod. Right now, I have Permanent Present Tense: The Unforgettable Life of the Amnesic Patient, H. M. by Susanne Corkin in all three places.

    I "read" books in different ways. We live in a tiny home with books shelved two deep in some case, and others in storage waiting for their turn to come live with us. New books must audition before they find a physical place in our home. 

    When I hear or read about a book that I want to read, I go directly to the Boston Public Library catalogue and see if they have a copy. If not and I think it has a wide interest, I'll suggest that they purchase it.

    In the case of Permanent Present Tense, I had to wait a bit before it was my turn to read a library copy. Since I have met the author and she played an important role in the life of a dear friend, I had every intention of buying the book. I just had to decide how to buy it – hardcover book, Kindle edition, or audiobook.

    In the end, I did all three. I'm reading the library's copy in hardcover. I added the Kindle edition to my library when I want to continue reading the book and forget to bring it with me. And, I purchased the audiobook so that Ed and I can listen to it in the car on our next road trip. 

    This doesn't happen often, but this is a fascinating book that I do recommend. Here is a great interview about the book from the radio show Fresh Air. 

    Update: July 5, 2013: Here is another great interview on WBUR's Radio Boston.

    What's your favorite way to consume new books? 

    Do you have an Amazon Gift Certificate to use? Or do you need to buy one for a Birthday or Wedding gift? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

     Details:

    Words: Penny Cherubino
    Photography: Cover art courtesy of Amazon  

  • “Reading” the Book, “Permanent Present Tense” Three Ways

    Cover art permanent Past Tense

    I always have a few books in my reading pile, on my Kindle, or in my "tonight" audiobook playlist on my iPod. Right now, I have Permanent Present Tense: The Unforgettable Life of the Amnesic Patient, H. M. by Susanne Corkin in all three places.

    I "read" books in different ways. We live in a tiny home with books shelved two deep in some case, and others in storage waiting for their turn to come live with us. New books must audition before they find a physical place in our home. 

    When I hear or read about a book that I want to read, I go directly to the Boston Public Library catalogue and see if they have a copy. If not and I think it has a wide interest, I'll suggest that they purchase it.

    In the case of Permanent Present Tense, I had to wait a bit before it was my turn to read a library copy. Since I have met the author and she played an important role in the life of a dear friend, I had every intention of buying the book. I just had to decide how to buy it – hardcover book, Kindle edition, or audiobook.

    In the end, I did all three. I'm reading the library's copy in hardcover. I added the Kindle edition to my library when I want to continue reading the book and forget to bring it with me. And, I purchased the audiobook so that Ed and I can listen to it in the car on our next road trip. 

    This doesn't happen often, but this is a fascinating book that I do recommend. Here is a great interview about the book from the radio show Fresh Air. 

    Update: July 5, 2013: Here is another great interview on WBUR's Radio Boston.

    What's your favorite way to consume new books? 

    Do you have an Amazon Gift Certificate to use? Or do you need to buy one for a Birthday or Wedding gift? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

     Details:

    Words: Penny Cherubino
    Photography: Cover art courtesy of Amazon