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Oct
27
The Bare Necessities: Julie Klam’s “Desert Island” Dog Books
2010 at 5am Posted by Rebecca Joines Schinsky
The Bare Necessities is a series in which authors and book industry professionals share annotated reading lists of books they love.
Julie Klam is the author of Please Excuse My Daughter and the new “dogoir” You Had Me at Woof.
I’ve been asked a lot lately about the proverbial desert island picks: books, music, shoes (do you need Ann Demeulemeester lace up boots on a desert island? Because I’ve committed to mine.) Mostly the thought makes me very anxious. Really, I don’t want to be stranded, and if I was I think the only things I’d want were tools to get me off the island. But say I wasn’t stranded, maybe I was just visiting for a long weekend. Well, I’d want to have my dog books with me, but which ones?
I don’t like to read anything remotely like what I’m working on while I’m writing, because I’m afraid it will paralyze me either by saying something I had planned to say or being really good or just awful. But, sometime after I turned in the first draft of my dogoir, You Had Me At Woof, I thought it might be a good idea to see what else was out there. I knew I had some time before I got notes back, so I went to my bookstore and picked up a bunch. The ones I’d take with me to my desert island (let’s call it The Poconos) are below.
Dog Years by Mark Doty
Mark Doty is a National Book Award winner for his poetry, he is no slouch. I knew it wasn’t going to be a cash register dog book, but I had no idea how profound it would be. Doty writes about his dogs and his partner who is dying. It’s a beautifully written, heart breaking work with joyous surprises throughout.
Travels with Charley: In Search of America by John Steinbeck
I’m not sure if he ever wrote anything else, but this Steinbeck fellow is quite a scribbler! I kid, of course. Another literary titan, Steinbeck took a road trip with his canine companion, a standard poodle named Charley. When Steinbeck took the trip, he knew he was dying. He wanted to see America one last time, and who better to keep him company than this smart and charming poodle.
The Dogs Who Found Me by Ken Foster
Ken Foster reminds me so much of me, it’s scary. He didn’t start out as a dog rescuer, but he was chosen, by the dogs. Whether driving along a road, or eating at some particular restaurant, a needy dog comes into his path and he has no choice but to take them in and find them a home. Recently, my husband suggested to me that dogs have some kind of underground railroad and they know when they’re lost or abandoned to place themselves by my gym or the walk I take with my dogs. I love to read and re-read about Ken’s experience if only to make myself appear saner.
Good Dog, Stay. By Anna Quindlen
Pulitzer Prize winning journalist, Anna Quindlen’s book is like a long essay with wonderful pictures. She recounts the life and death of a beloved Labrador retriever, Beau, and the experience of having a dog for its whole life. She writes with such a strong and familiar voice, it is just such a loving and thoughtful tribute to woman’s best friend.
Go, Dog, Go! By P.D. Eastman
No desert island dog pile could be complete without the inimitable P.D. Easman’s Go, Dog, Go! At least once a day some words from this book travel through my brain. These dogs are masterful at going by any kind of transportation they can find! Bus, train, car, swimming, you name it. Nothing will stop them as they make their way to the place we all want to be. The Dog Party.
Learn more about Julie Klam and You Had Me at Woof at her website and blog.
Related Posts:
Just Read It: YOU HAD ME AT WOOF by Julie Klam
Other installments of The Bare Necessities
Related posts:
- Just Read It: YOU HAD ME AT WOOF by Julie Klam
- Books That Make Me Grunt Approvingly (The Bare Necessities—Gina Welch)
- Romance 101 [The Bare Necessities---Sarah Wendell of Smart Bitches, Trashy Books]
- The Bare Necessities—Geoffrey Jennings (Rainy Day Books)
- The Bare Necessities—Michele Filgate (River Run Bookstore)
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Josh Christie, Rebecca Schinsky. Rebecca Schinsky said: The Bare Necessities: Julie Klam’s “Desert Island” Dog Books http://goo.gl/fb/VGPfj [...]
I love Go, Dog, Go! I had that clumped in with all my Dr. Seuss books growing up. Great choice!
Ashley´s last [type] ..Top Ten Tuesday Scariest Books
Thanks so much for this list–I love “dogoir”!