Letter to Jeff Bezos

Recently I attended a reading by Martha White at Porter Square Books in Cambridge. Ms. White, as you may know, is the granddaughter of author E.B. White and the editor of a new collection of his writing, “E.B. White on Dogs.”

Martha White (R) with members of the audience
Martha White (R) with fans

Last week I went to a local bookstore for a reading by the granddaughter of my favorite author and the inspiration for my other blog, Salutations!. An audience of about thirty people and five dogs (a trio of retired greyhound racers, a three-legged shepherd mix who, according to her companion, enjoys hearing Beatrix Potter stories read aloud, and a boisterous dachshund named for a large biting fly native to Africa) crowded in the back of the small store for the reading and the Q&A that followed. At several points the audience applauded enthusiastically and the dachshund barked loudly. It seemed to me that the smallest member of the assembled book lovers had a great deal more to say, so in the epistolary spirit of several of the selected readings I am sharing a letter she might have penned afterward to Jeff Bezos, CEO of Amazon. Continue reading “Letter to Jeff Bezos”

What’s a Dog For?

Maurice Sendak drawing in "A Hole is to Dig"
Maurice Sendak drawing in “A Hole is to Dig”

A Hole is to Dig by Ruth Krauss (Harper & Brothers, 1952) was one of my favorite childhood books. I still have the well-worn copy I pored over as a child. Only a small child would wonder, “What’s a hole for?”—and only a small child would be completely satisfied with the tautology of the title’s answer. The book’s lasting appeal lies partly in the knowing innocence of its narrative structure (subtitled A First Book of First Definitions, the text dispenses entirely with the questions and jumps Jeopardy-style right to the answers), and more so in a young Maurice Sendak’s drawings of children and dogs cavorting. Krauss opines, “The world is so you have something to stand on.”; “A lap is so you don’t get crumbs n the floor.”; “Toes are to wiggle.”; and “Dogs are to kiss people.” Continue reading “What’s a Dog For?”

Sit. Stay… Read!

Mr. November 2013
Mr. November 2013

Independent bookstores are a dying breed, even in Cambridge, where I wouldn’t be surprised if some of the dogs have PhD’s or at least master’s. So I am pleased to see Porter Square Books thriving and paying it forward by supporting Last Hope K-9 Rescue with its “Sit. Stay… Read!” 2013 benefit calendar. I am also proud to see Eddie among the local dogs featured on the calendar; he’s Mr. November in honor of the Barack’s Best Friend leash he was wearing when he posed for his photo in front of a stack of political books. Let’s hope that in November of 2013, Bo still has the run of the White House lawn.

The “Sit. Stay… Read!” calendar sells for $15, and all proceeds will go to support Last Hope’s mission to keep dogs out of kill shelters through foster and rescue programs. Stop by Porter Square Books and get your calendar while the supply lasts.

Also check out their program of author talks and events. One that caught my eye: Cambridge author, Boston Globe columnist and friend Joan Wickersham will be discussing her forthcoming collection of stories, The News From Spain: Seven Variations on a Love Story (Knopf, 2012) on Thursday, October 18 at 7 PM.

 

Bon(e) Appetit!

Holiday Dinner with Apollo & Athena (photo by Marcy Maloy)
Holiday Dinner with Apollo & Athena (photo by Marcy Maloy)

“More and more dog owners are beginning to cook for their dogs, not only as a special treat, but also for everyday meals. It is a healthier, safer alternative to store-bought dog food.”
Promotional blurb for The Culinary Canine: Great Chefs Cook for Their Dogs – And So Can You! Continue reading “Bon(e) Appetit!”

Shaggy Muses: Book Review

"Keeper from Life" by Emily Bronte, 1838
"Keeper from Life" by Emily Bronte, 1838

As a dog blogger and an English major, how could I resist a book entitled, Shaggy Muses: The Dogs Who Inspired Virginia Woolf, Emily Dickinson, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Edith Wharton and Emily Brontë? I mean, this book has my name all over it, except, that is, where I was wish it was—on the title page! As much as I enjoyed reading it, I would have liked writing it even more. Continue reading “Shaggy Muses: Book Review”