Task 24: Read a book featuring a beloved pet where the pet doesn’t die

[Blake]

I think i will read Arsenic and Adobo. The author says on her goodreads page that the dog does not, and will never die.

[Jess]

Bobby wrote: "Spoiler alert, but can anyone verify for me whether the dog lives in The Call of the Wild by Jack London and/or in Strider by Beverly Cleary? (A..."

The Call of the Wild, while an excellent book does NOT fit this prompt. (view spoiler)[The dog is only a pet for less than a chapter then is a working dog. There are lives lost (hide spoiler)]

[Ady]

I have had The Patron Saint of Lost Dogs on my radar for close to a decade now. I was gifted the book many years ago. Does anyone know if the pets in this survive through the whole story?

[Sean]

I'm going with Patricia Highsmith's The Animal-Lover's Book of Beastly Murder. I don't know that every short story in the collection doesn't feature an animal death, but I am familiar with one explicitly about a beloved cat who definitely doesn't die ("Ming's Biggest Prey").

[Kate]

The Dogs of Babel works for this one!

[Jordyn]

Elizabeth wrote: "I have a gigantic soft spot for romance novels that have some sort of beloved pet sidekick in them, and since romances have happy endings, it's pretty rare to see the pet die in them, unless you're..."

If you're looking for something specific, the main character's cat in Get a Life, Chloe Brown is a pretty big subplot, and the cat doesn't die at the end!

[Meghann]

Ahhh Tanvi thank you for suggesting “Baking Bad” — a cozy mystery with DRAGONS? I can’t wait!

[Graesyn]

Anyone know if Boswell survives The Infernals? If not, I'll re-read The Gates... haven't read that one in a while.

[Adrienne]

Jordyn wrote: "Elizabeth wrote: "I have a gigantic soft spot for romance novels that have some sort of beloved pet sidekick in them, and since romances have happy endings, it's pretty rare to see the pet die in t..."
The Happy Ever After Playlist would also fit this bill! It's such a fun read, too. The Happy Ever After Playlist

[Liza]

The lead characters in the Odelia Grey series have pets who live

Spoilers below:

(Later in the series one does pass from old age but you should be safe with the first several installments)

[Anne]

I've had Following Atticus: Forty-Eight High Peaks, One Little Dog, and an Extraordinary Friendship and A Street Cat Named Bob: How One Man and His Cat Found Hope on the Streets on my tbr for a loooong time. It doesn't seem like either pet dies in these books, but as I haven't read them I'm not sure. Hopefully not.

[Brittany]

I've been meaning to read Meddling Kids for a while now. Looks like this year is the year.

[Heather]

Re The Traveling Cat Chronicles: it’s fantastic, but, spoiler alert, it doesn’t fit the criteria.

[Jenna]

I loved the humorous (but also moving) memoir Lessons From Lucy: The Simple Joys of an Old, Happy Dog, by Dave Barry! I don’t usually like animal books - especially because the dogs and other animals don’t usually make it through very well! - but this one was great, and the fact that Barry is a humorist helped keep this book from being too sentimental, which is another pet peeve of mine about many animal books. It’s a lovely collection of observations about how we humans can learn from dogs’ ways of coping with the world (and the book is especially moving when you know that Barry himself has experienced a lot of loss in his life). But Lucy herself does NOT die in this book! I would say that you have to like dogs, probably, in order to enjoy this book. I read this on audio, narrated by Barry, and that was a great choice.

[Nancy]

If you like urban fantasy, The Iron Druid series is fun and one of the main characters is his dog, who is definitely beloved and does not die (and is hilarious). The first book in the series is Hounded.

[Pia]

Grace wrote: "I loved Hollow Kingdom and highly recommend it for this task."

I read this for the 2019 Reading Challenge. It's really a heartwarming book.

[[deleted user]]

Can anyone tell me if a book where the pet dies in some timelines but is alive at the end would work?

Also, anyone know if the pet dies in The Wall ?

[Donya]

I wonder if The Bright Side Sanctuary for Animals would work for this one. They aren't so much pets, they are rescues, but very beloved.

[Alex]

Not sure if this exactly fits, but Of Cats and Men: Stories is a collection of short stories featuring cats and their owners. I read it a couple years ago, and a cat may go missing, but most survive.

[Jenny]

I just read Why Shoot A Butler? By Georgette Heyer and turns out it fits! Actually, rather a lot of her books would work... The fog in question does get a bit scratched breaking through a window to try to save his human, but he's alive and well by the end of the book

[Katy]

I've just finished The Late Bloomers' Club, which works for this prompt.

[Natasha]

Any suggestions that meet the bonus challenge of a lgbtq author?

[Rachel]

Reading the comments here, the two books I'd planned for this prompt won't work: my book club has chosen The Friend this month, and I downloaded The Travelling Cat Chronicles, just because it sounds interesting: I'll still read it though, just not for the challenge!

I did find some more options: The Horse Dancer by Jojo Moyes should fit, based on a comment on the book's Goodreads page. However, I'm probably going to choose a book by P.G. Wodehouse from his Blandings Castle series. The Empress of Blandings is a key character: she's a prize-winning, and definitely beloved, pig.

[Katy]

Natasha wrote: "Any suggestions that meet the bonus challenge of a lgbtq author?"

Louise Miller, who wrote The Late Bloomers' Club fits that.

[Tammy]

Natasha wrote: "Any suggestions that meet the bonus challenge of a lgbtq author?"

Esther the Wonder Pig also works.

[Nancy]

I have several books on my TBR that will work for this--particularly about horses. I'll have to decide between Saddled: How a Spirited Horse Reined Me in and Set Me Free, The Faraway Horses: The Adventures and Wisdom of One of America's Most Renowned Horsemen, or Beyond the Homestretch: What I've Learned from Saving Racehorses. Some non-cat or dog books that I've previously read that might be of interest to others are My Gentle Barn: Creating a Sanctuary Where Animals Heal and Children Learn to Hope, Running with Sherman and Carrying Albert Home: The Somewhat True Story of A Man, His Wife, and Her Alligator

[Book Riot]

Hello, Riot fam! This task's topic is one we get asked about a lot when recommending content. So here it is! A list of books where the pets don't die. https://bookriot.com/read-harder-2021...

[Kristi]

Erika wrote: "I intend to read Nala's World: One Man, His Rescue Cat, and a Bike Ride around the Globe for this one."e

I just finished it. I didn't realize it would qualify. I guess I wasn't paying attention and of course, it would. The story is just wonderful. I loved it. Nala is amazing and their relationship is a great thing to behold. You will not be disappointed.

[Heather]

Highly recommend HOLLOW KINGDOM. It’s fantastic.

[Gw]

I chose The Ten Thousand Doors of January

[Sarah]

I read Lost Cat by Mary Gaitskill for this - it was recently published as a standalone book, but it's a (long) short story and is available for free on Granta's website.

[Sheri]

Jenna wrote: "I loved the humorous (but also moving) memoir Lessons From Lucy: The Simple Joys of an Old, Happy Dog, by Dave Barry! I don’t usually like animal books - especially because the dogs and other anima..."

Thank you for this! I was not loving this prompt either but I got this book from the library and read it. I forgot how much I enjoy Dave Barry. This was funny and moving. And, yes, the dog lives.

[Kitty]

I read Homer's Odyssey by Gwen Cooper Homer's Odysseyfor this one. Loved it.

[Malvina]

Olive, Mabel & Me by Andrew Cotter is a good one. Although previous pets die, Olive & Mabel don't. It's non-fiction.

[Georgiana]

Would it work if the book featured the pet as a main character (i.e the protagonist's faithful dog that is quite key to the story), but isn't the main character/the book isn't about them?

[Erika]

Georgiana wrote: "Would it work if the book featured the pet as a main character (i.e the protagonist's faithful dog that is quite key to the story), but isn't the main character/the book isn't about them?"

Absolutely!

[Yrinsyde]

I just finished Fly by Night, a YA fantasy by Francis Hardinge. It features a pet goose, called Saracen. Boy is he a character!

There are the Enid Blyton adventure series. Famous Five with Timmy the Dog, and another about four children who go on adventures with Kiki, their pet parrot.

[Dawn]

Natasha wrote: "Any suggestions that meet the bonus challenge of a lgbtq author?"

The House In The Cerulean Sea meets this prompt and is written by an LGBTQ+ author. It's such a good story too!

[Jason]

I read The Tea Dragon Society; such an adorable and sweet story.

[Rachel]

The day friendship followed me home can be used.

[Teresa]

I read Perestroika in Paris. Perestroika is a horse. Really enjoyable.

[Anna Lagos]

I am reading Hollow Kingdom for this task. I hope my funny bone receives a nice tickle. I need something lighthearted that makes me laugh right now.

[Bonnie G.]

I went with Butchers Hill. A fun mystery is what I was in the mood for. There is a lot of dated material here -- it is very early aughts -- but Tess and her beloved and personality filled greyhound, Esskay are fun to spend time with.

[Earlreeves]

I really love the book White Fang by Jack London. So far, this is the best book on the subject. I read it in full and wrote an essay review here I described the most important points that need to pay attention to. It was especially interesting for me to read about the childhood of the wolf, how he grew up and studied the world. I hope you like it too, the book is really good.

[Stina]

I read Hanging Falls, the most recent Timber Creek K-9 book. Robo is a working dog and not a pet, but beloved pets do feature throughout this series, and I don't think any of them have died yet. In case you're worried about Robo, Margaret has promised that she will end the series with his retirement, not his death.

[MaryAnn (EmilyD1037)]

Natasha wrote: "Any suggestions that meet the bonus challenge of a lgbtq author?"

Wish You Were Here by Rita Mae Brown fits perfectly, or any from that series.

I got it last year for another challenge, so I will use it this year.

[A]

Sleepless Volume 1 by Sarah Vaugh and illustrated by Leila Del Duca

[Tania]

Mr. Popper's Penguins by Richard and Florence Atwater

Savage Sam by Fred Gipson

[[deleted user]]

Dark Roads

[Jess]

I just finished Wizard for Hire which I did seek out for this prompt, but there is a pet, of sorts, and it is important to the story and does not die.

it's a middle grade fiction with a bit of sci-fi, but mostly just easy reading. (It's fun if you step beyond the premise, which, like most books with a young protagonist, involves missing parents.)