From my book review blog Rundpinne...[return]...Sometimes I want to sit down and read a sweet book that makes me laugh, cry, and smile just for having read the book. I found such a book in the delightfully charming and heart-warming novel Katie Up and Down the Hall by Glenn Plaskin. Katie, a gorgeous cocker spaniel, not only works her way into the heart of author Glenn Plaskin, but also into the lives of inhabitants of a Battery Park High Rise where Katie and Glenn reside. Plaskin writes beautifully and with great emotion about Katie’s life as well as how the neighbours were brought together, courtesy of Katie. Katie successfully bonds this diverse group of people into a family of sorts and shows how one small dog can impact many lives. Plaskin writes in exquisite detail about the Battery Park City, Katie, and the lives of those living on the same floor as he and Katie. Katie is a force to be reckoned with, but Pearl is the one who I shall remember the most from Katie’s memoir. While I am most definitely not a dog person I found myself mesmerized by Katie and could tell through Plaskin’s writing just how deeply Katie was loved by those who had the great fortune to cross her path. Katie Up and Down the Hall is a beautiful memoir and an absolutely delightful story of love, loss and how family transcends genetics. I recommend this book to anyone looking for a wonderful and light memoir.