Animal Book Club discussion
WELCOME
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WELCOME : Please Introduce Yourself!
Hi there! I'm Claire, from London, UK. I love reading so many different kinds of books. I am a proper book junkie! I love horrors, Stephan King especially. And also fantasy. And being a HUGE animal lover I read a lot of books about animals. I've read some of the books by Peter Singer and Ingrid Newkirk. I'm always very interested in the ethics of eating meat and how we exploit animals. I really aspire to be vegan. But aside from those kinds of books I love fantasy and children's books as well. Just finished War Horse. Loved it.
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Hi, Robin Lamont here. I am an animal advocate and author of suspense novels, particularly a new series featuring an animal rights investigator. I'm so pleased to see an animal book club where we can share some of the great books we've read about animals and books that help us understand about animal sentience. One of my most favorite books is "Dog Boy" by Eva Hornung - the story of a young boy raised by dogs in Russia. Powerful!Beautifully written (and loosely based on a true story!)
Mod
Hi there! My name is Brittney and I write a tween/YA series called "Red Rock Ranch" which features strong equine characters. I love reading books with animals featured as characters and looking forward to seeing what this group has to recommend!My series: Red Rock Ranch by Brittney Joy
Happy Trails,
Brittney
Hello all. My name is Joanne Lowery and I live to read books featuring animals with brains, emotions, attitude and a sense of humor. I read a lot of animal behavior (Natural Horsemanship, Temple Grandin, Clicker Training) but for pure entertainment I prefer cozy mysteries with dogs, cats and horses. "Horse Play", "Horse Heaven", "Riding Lessons", "Flying Changes", "Seabiscuit" and the Chet and Bernie series are among my favorites. I am the author of "Horse Town", a cozy featuring a Saddlebred who is addicted to Sonic Peach Tea and the giveaway starts today. Thank you.
Brittney wrote: "Hi there! My name is Brittney and I write a tween/YA series called "Red Rock Ranch" which features strong equine characters. I love reading books with animals featured as characters and looking for..."Very exciting series, never a dull moment.
Hi there! I am Katrina Fillo and have always been an animal lover! I do have pets as well as a large menagerie of wildlife living in the woods around me (including coyote, fox, deer, turkey, and a large black bear). Spend a lot of time and money devoted to animal welfare auctions on Facebook. Too much sadness in the world surrounding animal welfare so look to enjoyable reads that tend to be cozies... mystery genre is my favorite.
Mod
My name is Sue and I live in Central Florida. I retired a couple of years ago and purchased a couple acres. I now have two senior (over 22 years) rescued horses.One of my favorite fiction books is "Traveler" (with one "L"), written by Richard Adams (everyone knows "Watership Down") about Robert E. Lee's horse. I love it.
I don't read much fiction since there are so many non-fiction horse books still to read. Right now, reading "Secretariat's Meadow."
Brittney, Be sure to read "Traveler" by Richard Adams. You will love it.
Jennifer wrote: "Welcome!Please introduce yourself to the group here, so we can welcome you. Tell us a little bit about yourself, the country you are from, what kinds of books you like to read, what draws you to ..."
Thanks Jennifer!
Well I guess I should tell you about the books I have coming out shortly? In about 3 months one isn't called plants potions oils for horses & more (non fiction) the other titled the beginning a fantasy. Hope you'll all take a look when they come out. Thanks Chris
Hi! My name is Lara and I'm from the U.S. I would think its age to say my two biggest passions in life are books and animals- dogs especially. Hehe. I have a black Pomeranian who just loves to be my reading/writing buddy when he isn't running around the backyard chasing birds and squirrels like the big scary guard dog he thinks he is. Lol. His name is Leonidas and he's... Oh my gosh, he's going to be 4 this year. How time flies! Anyway! As for books, I tend to stick pretty closely to the epic fantasy/scifi genres. I've also been reading those genres in YA quite a bit lately. And every now and then, I take a break from the intensity of it all with a cute, lighthearted contemporary. I'm actually reading this one right now:
It is so good! I definitely recommend it to all the dog lovers out there. Anyway, I gotta get going to work but I can't wait to start joining in on discussions here! Happy reading, everyone!
Mod
Thanks for the recommendations and keep them coming! Feel free to add a discussion topic to our list of threads! Lara wrote: "Hi! My name is Lara and I'm from the U.S. I would think its age to say my two biggest passions in life are books and animals- dogs especially. Hehe. I have a black Pomeranian who just loves to be m..."
Hi all. I'm J.T. Tavares living in the U.S.I'm a cat guy and as a writer and photographer for newspapers for more than 30 years, I've had the opportunity and pleasure to photograph hundreds of cats and dogs needing adoption and telling the stories of no-kill shelters.
I have written my first novel about animals and it was a joy.
I enjoy reading everything from The Cat in the Hat to Les Miserables.
Hi all, I'm Kathleen, and my husband and I live near Eugene, OR (US), on 5 acres where we grow our own organic food. I come from a long line of dog lovers (grandparents toured the US in their Airstream with 7 dogs, fortunately 5 of them were poodles!). Currently, my husband and I have 3 dogs, all from the local shelter where I volunteer. Love cats too - and the two we have are fortunately in harmony with the pups.
My husband and I met when each of us joined an Italian traveling circus on a whim nearly 30 years ago, and we're both avid supporters of keeping elephants out of circuses and similar situations. One of our favorite travel experiences ever was volunteering at the Elephant Nature Park outside of Chiang Mai, Thailand, a sanctuary for rescued elephants. No painting, no riding allowed - just bathing the ellies in the river, mixing their food, bagging the poo for a local organic farm, and the like. Highly recommend it if anyone wants to have an up close and personal experience with elephants!
I'm also an author, and the memoir of my circus experiences was published last year. Love in the Elephant Tent is definitely more of a love story than a circus story, but it has plenty to do with the animals, and I do not skim over the harsh realities they face in that environment. If anyone's interested, it happens to be on a giveaway this week in honor of Valentine's Day.
Look forward to being a part of the discussions in this group!
HI - I write about true stories about animals and nature. My first book is a collection of stories based on my memoirs. I blend themes of animal protection, animals and spirituality, nature spirituality, animals and emotional healing. I live in Virginia. My professional background includes working and volunteering for animal protection and environmental causes. My book is Mystical Animals of Ancient Oak.
Hi all,I am from the US and joined because I am a major animal lover and love all books related to animals. I am a vet tech at a no kill rescue and get a lot of good books from our little library there. I'm always looking for new animal book suggestions. One of my favorite animal books is Watership Down and another is Dewey the library cat one. I have two cats and grew up with dogs and rabbits. Look forward to being part of this group!
Sarah wrote: "Hi all,I am from the US and joined because I am a major animal lover and love all books related to animals. I am a vet tech at a no kill rescue and get a lot of good books from our little library..."
Hi Sarah,
Welcome to Goodreads ... I'm fairly new too and still finding out how to navigate the site. There are some excellent Groups on the go, I know that.
Rather spookily, I have just finished completing my 'bloghop' entry for my Leading Petcare blog before quickly checking here to see what was happening. And EVEN MORE spookily, my own little book 'Damp Dogs & Rabbit Wee' might be of interest to you.
It's billed as a humorous but compassionate look at my job as a Pet Professional - ok, dog walker. It's done well in the Uk with sixteen five start reviews on Amazon (UK) though it's still to get moving in USA, with only three reviews to date.
Enjoy your time on Goodreads. :)
COLIN
(Cee Tee)
I am Dr. Peggy Rothbaum, co-author of a pet loss book, Taking Care of Little Snoogie. The more I learn, the more I become committed to animal rescue, advocacy, organizations, and causes. Through our Facebook page (same name), I have been learning how to connect with people all over the country. I only recently joined Goodreads, am having a bit of trouble figuring it out (It took me 3 days to figure out how to send a friend request to someone who wanted one.), and did not realize that it would be a good way to connect with others who have the same interests. I found this group by accident, the same way that I am doing everything else on Goodreads, and was very pleased to find it.
Hi! I am a children's book editor who works mostly on nonfiction, science/animal based stories! I love checking in on this group and its interesting discussions!
E wrote: "Hi! I am a children's book editor who works mostly on nonfiction, science/animal based stories! I love checking in on this group and its interesting discussions!"I agree, there are some interesting people and discussions in this group.
Hi there. My name is Debra Toor and I am the author of Survival Secrets of Turkey Vultures. I am primarily interested in ecoliteracy for kids. I love books that explore nature, animals, and raise awareness about animal welfare.
Hi folks. I'm Chris. I'm English but live in Spain. I came here for sunshine and to have the time to write. I've just published my first full length book. I live with my partner, my current two rescue dogs and a cat. I spend my time split between renovating my Spanish finca, working on my garden, and reading and writing. My favourite type of reading are either science fiction/fantasy (Tolkein, Asimov) travel (Bill Bryson, Chris Stewart) and animals (Gerald Durrell).Nice to meet you all. i'll look forward to chatting :-)
Birgit wrote: "Hello animal lovers! Of all things that make my heart sing, animals score at the top. I marvel at their purity. In a challenging childhood and adult life, diving into the world of animals was often..."If you haven't already, you will definitely want to read "Pound for Pound" by Shannon Kopp, newly published. My local library had a copy. Kopp is also on FB.
Please join my group, its all about horses! So for any of you horse lovers and animal lovers, feel free to join! https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/...
Hi! My name is Terry, and I am an animal lover - especially dogs. I feel a definite kinship with them and have two rescue dogs of my own, who have changed my life more than I could have imagined. I love to read good stories about animals, as well as mysteries, humor and fantasy novels. Pleasure to meet you all and happy to be part of the group!
Hello! My name is Mackenzie Whynott and I love horses. Ever since I was younger I have loved books and horses. Now I own my own horse. I love to read anything to do with horses and Mystery. I love suspenseful books as well. I read books about animals because I want to see what other people see in animals. My horse was a rescue and I want to figure out why anyone could abuse any animal
Mackenzie wrote: "Hello! My name is Mackenzie Whynott and I love horses. Ever since I was younger I have loved books and horses. Now I own my own horse. I love to read anything to do with horses and Mystery. I love ..."I too have two rescued horses. Where did you get yours? Tell us all more about him.
Hi-I'm Robert D. Calkins and I'm a search and rescue dog handler in Kitsap County, WA. I'm on my third search dog now, newly certified K9 Ruger. My favorite-dog related book is "What the Dog Knows" by Cat Warren.
Well, maybe my second-favorite dog book. For full disclosure, I'm also an author. I write both children's books and YA mysteries about Sierra the Search Dog.
Looking forward to the group.
Hi, I'm Diane Meier. I'm so happy to find this group! I was involved in animal rescue until I found myself with 5 dogs and realized that I couldn't continue to fill my house with dogs. So now I support animal rescue in different ways. Royalties from my new mystery book go to supporting animal rescue. My book is my way of getting closure on my experiences. It would have been too painful to write a memoir because there were some experiences that I didn't want to think about. There's a lot of sadness as well as joy in animal rescue.
I always loved dogs and cats but my life was changed when I read Redemption by Nathan Winograd about what happens in animal shelters. That's when I started with animal rescue. I read all of his books and every book has been a revelation.
Robert wrote: "Hi-I'm Robert D. Calkins and I'm a search and rescue dog handler in Kitsap County, WA. I'm on my third search dog now, newly certified K9 Ruger. My favorite-dog related book is "What the Dog Know..."
Terry wrote: "Hi! My name is Terry, and I am an animal lover - especially dogs. I feel a definite kinship with them and have two rescue dogs of my own, who have changed my life more than I could have imagined. I..."
Hi Terry. It's amazing how our rescue dogs change our lives. What kind of dogs do you have? Right now I have a beagle and two Pit Bulls.
Jennifer wrote: "Welcome!Please introduce yourself to the group here, so we can welcome you. Tell us a little bit about yourself, the country you are from, what kinds of books you like to read, what draws you to ..."
I notice some folks mention their books here. Is that allowed?
Hello Jennifer,Apologies for my late reply but I've been consumed with writing the 2nd novel in my series and haven't logged into Goodreads until today.
I live in Tennessee with my husband, two dogs and a cat, and when they're home from school, three college children.
I'm a former sales executive turned author. I love horses, and have ever since I can remember. After adopting a wild, blush-colored burro from the Bureau of Land Management, I was curious about the cross mark on his back and turned to the internet. I stumbled upon the legend of the Jerusalem donkey. My curiosity was peaked, so I opened a Bible (I was agnostic, and had never read it) to see what it said about donkeys (and horses). I read about donkey's and the people who rode them.
The more I read, the more I changed, and a year later, a book series bloomed in my mind. A historical fiction, action drama, thriller about a family of unique women, direct descendants of Achsah, the only daughter of the biblical spy, Caleb, who are the guardians of a diary (the Arimathea Codex), written by Joseph of Arimathea's wife, about Jesus of Nazareth. Included in the diary is a map to the burial location of the limestone box which contains the burial wrappings, the crown of thorns, and the blood encrusted nails from Jesus' crucifixion. And that's my story . . .
Hi! Glad to be here! My name is Bobby and I live in Kentucky, USA. I like to read many genres including, but not limited to, Fantasy (Terry Pratchett, Neil Gaiman), classics (Dostoyevsky, Camus), middle grade kids fiction (esp. Kate DiCamillo), science (esp. biology, evolutionary science), philosophy, poetry (esp. Mary Oliver), and spiritual books, frequently by practitioners of Eastern religions but occasionally by Westerners like Thomas Merton and C.S. Lewis. At the heart of most of what I've read the last handful of years though, regardless of genre, has been a fascination with animals, the natural world, and how humans relate to animals and the natural world. I feel like so much can be learned by coming at it from all angles so I try to stay open to reading types of books (esp. ones that focus on animals and nature) outside of my comfort zone. I just started reading poetry about a year ago, at the age of 50, for example.I guess that what drew me to animal issues began with a dog we added to our family (I admit, I hate the language of "owning" a dog!) about 11 years ago, our first since I was a little kid. When we first "got" Petey I did look at him, to some degree, as an acquisition. But slowly he taught me that dogs and other animals are so much more than a thing. So we added a pal for Petey named Ruby, then a pal for Ruby (Sadie) when we thought we were going to lose Petey (he stuck around another 2 years after that! Hooray!), then a fourth dog, Biko, born of a West African village dog mama. So make a short story long, as I'm prone to doing, I was exhausted and cranky at the end of Biko's puppyhood and around this time, as I was finally getting more than an hour or two of sleep at a time, the girls (Ruby and Sadie) had a knock down, drag out fight. I thought we might have to get rid of somebody but decided to try to actively project love and patience to make peace in the house. It worked, but not only that there came a time when I realized that the dogs (esp. Biko) could tell the difference between when I actually *felt* loving and patient and when I was just trying to pretend that I did. This was an eye opener for me which led me to try to be a person who didn't have to try to fake it and I wanted to learn and understand more about dogs and other creatures we share the planet with. Eventually my search led me to a book by Humane Society of the U.S. President Wayne Pacelle called The Bond: Our Kinship With Animals, Our Call to Defend Them. My eyes were opened further, to the intelligence and sentient nature of even animals like pigs and cows that we humans tend to bad mouth as stupid and valuable only as food. With that book I knew that I had to eliminate cruelty from my life and eventually go vegan, a process that took me a year or two. To say I have never regretted that move would be a major understatement.
I guess I joined up here hoping to be exposed to more books - and to find out the opinions on said books - by readers who are also dedicated to animals! Glad to be on board!
Great Post! Yes, once your eyes are opened, it's a pretty amazing experience, and difficult. The book that did it for me was Animal Theology by Andrew Linzey. And Animal Liberation by Pete Singer (as for so many people). For history of the Animal Welfare movement, "For the Love of Animals," which is written by a scholar but she is a lovely engaging writer. Kathryn Shevelow. She helps us see that there have always been people out there advocating for animals. It's not just a modern phenomenon.
Laura, I read Animal Theology and 3 other books by Andrew Linzey (my first was Why Animal Suffering Matters). He is inspiring! Also read Animal Liberation by Peter Singer. Have not even heard of For The Love of Animals until you mentioned it but I'll have a copy as soon as the one I just ordered arrives! Heve you ever read Dominion: The Power of Man, The Suffering of Animals, and The Call to Mercy by Matthew Scully? It's on one of my "to read" shelves and sounds like it might be of interest to you as well. Also on my "to read" shelves and of potential interest is Peter Singer's Ethics Into Action: Henry Spira and the Animal Rights Movement.
I Found the Scully book to be not for me but I respect his effort. Have not read Pete Singer's Ethics Into Action. And yes, to Mary Oliver by the way. :)
Hello, I am Nevaeh. Im from USA ( arizona/california) Im a HUGE animal lover. I love the animal fantasy books! Anyone have any recommendations? Thanks!
I had decided that Dominion was not for me either but then I ran across a quote from it in Project Animal Farm by Sonia Faruqi: "Maybe, in the grand scheme of things, the life of a pig or cow or fowl of the air isn't worth much. But if it's the Grand Scheme we are going by, just what is a plate of bacon or veal worth?...If animals are just commodities, then we are just consumers, with no greater good than material pleasure and no higher law than appetite." I let that one quote hook me and picked up a copy. Maybe one day I'll get around to reading it. So many books worth reading!
I like the Sonia Faruqi book too, though I didn't finish it :(
Richard Adams' books, in particular: Watership Down (rabbits), Plague Dogs (dogs) and Traveler (horse)
Hello! This is Anna and I am passionate about animal welfare and the environment. I'm also a voracious reader. I have a hard time with books about animals. I've been a volunteer foster coordinator and shelter volunteer for years and it's hard to read about animals when they suffer. However, I'm starting on this path by reading Saving Simon: How a Rescue Donkey Taught Me the Meaning of Compassion by Jon Katz. Great to meet you all!
Anna wrote: "Hello! This is Anna and I am passionate about animal welfare and the environment. I'm also a voracious reader. I have a hard time with books about animals. I've been a volunteer foster coordinator ..."Welcome! I recommend a wonderful book called "Traveler" by Richard Adams, the Watership Down writer. Its about Gen. Robert E. Lee's horse, his viewpoint of the war.
Hi everyone. I just wanted to mention a new book we've published that I hope will be of interest: Writing for Animals: New perspectives for writers and instructors to educate and inspire.
Please let me know if you have any questions. Thanks!
John, that book looks wonderful. As an editor of primarily books about animals for young readers, I can see a great value in a book like this. Thanks for sharing, I’ll have to try to get my hands on it!
Animal Book Club
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Please introduce yourself to the group here, so we can welcome you. Tell us a little bit about yourself, the country you are from, what kinds of books you like to read, what draws you to animal issues, or why you joined the group or anything else you would like to share.
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Jennifer