Wednesday 19 October 2011

Book Review - Another Bad Dog Book

Title: Another Bad-Dog Book: Tales of Life, Love, and Neurotic Human Behavior
Author: Joni B. Cole
Publisher: PublishingWorks
Release Date: 29 Sep 2011
ISBN-13: 978-1935557166

Synopsis
In this collection of twenty-eight "riotously funny and outrageously honest" true-life tales, author Joni B. Cole manage to mingle low moments with high comedy; and social awkwardness with social observation.
The title essay was inspired when the author went to the bookstore and noticed all the bestsellers about adorably naughty dogs. At first resentful of these other writers' successes, Cole eventually realized she had her own bad-dog story to exploit--hers in the form of her adorable "Chihuahua Bat," who won't be contained by invisible fencing and won't let anyone pet the family cat in peace. Yet from this huffish beginning evolved a tale as heartwarming as it is hilarious.
Self-aware, edgy, and masterfully crafted, this charismatic collection (including some heartbreakers) is for anyone who has ever felt over-attached to a pet, stalked her high school crush, said long goodbyes to loved ones, or tried to talk (and talk and talk) her way through the ups and downs of life. A wonderful new addition to a genre best described as humor that matters.

My Review
I was sent a copy of this book by the author in exchange for an honest review.
I was sure what to expect from this book, but the blurb sounded funny and I agreed to read it. It's by no way my usual book, but I've found my tastes have been expanding lately and so I settled down to enjoy.
This book is 28 short essays about life experiences. From the adoption of a naughty puppy, to kids birthdays, to business talks. Cole has a great mix of humour and story telling. 
Each of the 28 essays are quite short so it is easy to dip in and out of, but I did read it in fairly large chunks. I had to read it mostly in my lunch breaks at work, but I found this worked really well with the style - the only problem was I kept laughing which would make me choke on my lunch or spit out my drink, it wasn't a pretty sight. lol
My favourite 'episodes' were the Birthday Party, the fake tan and the psycological debate of zodiac signs using word association. You're interested now, aren't you!
It's not all laughs though and there are some more sensitive issues that will make you think and want to hug the ones you love. This book offers a great mix and was a great way to spend my lunch time.
The dog Eli isn't as present as much as I thought he would be from the title, but when he did feature I wanted to hug him, he sounded so cute, I love dogs (although I have 4 cats!) and Eli was a great comfort to Joni - you could tell he was someone she could turn to.

My Rating
I would give this book 8/10. An unusual read, but full of laughter and will make you think. Just don't make the same mistake as I did and try to drink juice whilst reading it!  

1 comment:

Joni Cole said...

Hey Becky, thanks for such a thoughtful review. My favorite part was when you said the book makes you want to hug someone you love. I'd never thought of it that way, and you made my day writing that. Truly. Warmest wishes, Joni