I typically like short story collections, and found this book enjoyable enough. Most stories begin with some actual news item involving a celebrity (either current, such as Madonna, or in the past, such as Thomas Edison) and an animal. Obviously I liked some stories more than others; some were sad and/or morbid, others fairly humorous. However, unlike a couple of people in my book group, I did not laugh out loud at any time during my reading. I can give this a "thumbs up," though, if you like short stories and, especially, animals. (I don't think you have to necessarily "like" celebrities to enjoy these stories.)