All About Animals discussion

Jennifer wrote: "My name is Jennifer and it was a book with an animal in it that first got me interested in reading and ever since books about animals have been one of my favorite types of book, both fiction and no..."

That's quite an impressive list Jennifer - both of animals and books!

Mary-anne wrote: "My name is Mary-Anne and I have been passionate about animals since I was a little girl. The Black Stallion got me hooked on horses and reading a million years ago and have read a million books si..."

I thought the same thing about the Elephant Whisperer Mary Anne - I loved it! I would not even have heard of it if it weren't for this group. I saw Born Free when I was younger, and now that I can appreciate it more, I will be going back to read that soon.

Mary-anne wrote: "My name is Mary-Anne and I have been passionate about animals since I was a little girl. The Black Stallion got me hooked on horses and reading a million years ago and have read a million books si..."

P.S. - I feel the same way about Lawrence Anthony's books - I will be getting his Rhino book and his book about rescuing the animals at the Baghdad Zoo. Can't wait to read them!

Hi Mary Anne, My sister was hooked and obsessed with The Black Stallion. She dreamt of having horses when she was little and now has two. Not stallions.

You seem to be busy with shows and animals. I am starting the "Elephant Whisperer" next. Just got done with the other book we are reading in Jan.

Mary-anne wrote: "My name is Mary-Anne and I have been passionate about animals since I was a little girl. The Black Stallion got me hooked on horses and reading a million years ago and have read a million books si..."

Yay! Another vet tech...and I live in Paint Horse territory, too. *s* I think The Black Stallion hooked a lot of us on animal stories.

welcome Mary-Anne and Jennifer. It's nice to have more animal lovers along.

Hello to everyone in this wonderful group.I am new - just joined today. I am an avid reader of animal stories and I think that stories which are written from the point of view of an animal, can do so much to help Animal Welfare. Books like this include Black Beauty and Watership Down and the equally great but lesser-known Jennie, by Paul Gallico. Jennie is a deep favourite of mine.

Black Beauty is said to have made the world a better place for horses by letting humans see the world form the horse's point of view. Before that book, people viewed horses pretty much as we view our cars today - a kind of machine put there for human exploitation.

There are some great books on the Goodreads Animal Stories list here:
http://www.goodreads.com/list/show/19...

Sounds like your really busy Mary Anne. Welcome to the group. Feel free to jump in anytime.

I still have to read The Elephant Whisperer and can't wait to read it.

Tui wrote: "Hello to everyone in this wonderful group.I am new - just joined today. I am an avid reader of animal stories and I think that stories which are written from the point of view of an animal, can do ..."

Hi, and welcome to the group! You sound like a good one to ask for book reccomendations! Most of my favorite animal books are the ones told from the animals point of view. One of the books on my to read shelf is Fire Bringer by David Clement Davies which is supposed to be sort of like Watership Down but with deer. I really love reading from the animals point of view because depending on the story it can really change your viewpoint on things. Whenever I read stories like that it is so easy for me to feel like the animal and be able to put myself in its place. I believe stories like that have helped me to get along with all kinds of animals. I also now write a lot about animals and from their point of view because as much fun as it is to read about them and become the animal in this way, it's also fun to become them as a character in my own stories and explore animals lives and their world in this way.
I have read Black Beauty and Watership Down and liked them. Out of those two I like Watership Down best, possibly becasue I have rabbits and had rabbits when I read the book which helped me understand rabbit behavior a little better, although with the two I have now I am quickly discovering I still have a lot to learn! The book, Jennie seems familiar to me but I don't think I ever read it. Did they possibly make a movie out of it at some point? If they did I might have seen that.

Jennifer wrote: (the message above)"

Hi Jennifer. I have never heard of any movie being made of Paul Gallico's Jennie, and it would be hard to film using conventional methods. These days with such great advances in animation methods, it might be easier, if they went the animated way. I have an old beloved hardback copy of it but I'm going to see if it has been made into an e-book yet. If so I'll post the link. YES! It has been made into an e-book! WOOOHOOO! I reviewed it on the spot and I copy my review here:

"Jennie - A Beautiful Story about Courage
A beautiful story with a lot to say on the topic of courage. One of my all-time favourite animal stories and a must for any cat-lover or warrior. I hasten to add, I read it as a hardback book and I own that copy. I did not read it as a kindle book so hope this edition has been faithfully converted to e-book. However, I see it has been converted by HarperCollins so it will be done properly I'm sure. And OH! What a beautiful cover design. This book truly deserves such a magical quality of cover. Better than any of the designs I saw on print versions of this book. Paul Gallico would be proud to see this.
Every time I see a cat wash in moments of stress or confusion I think of a quote from this book, "When in doubt - wash." Paul Gallico must have deeply understood cats to write so perceptively from their point of view."

Here is the e-book link:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005...

Now I won't be able to decide between recommending Jennie or JL Seagull for the next round or recommendations.

Tui wrote: "Jennifer wrote: (the message above)"

Hi Jennifer. I have never heard of any movie being made of Paul Gallico's Jennie, and it would be hard to film using conventional methods. These days with such..."

Tui wrote: "Jennifer wrote: (the message above)"

Hi Jennifer. I have never heard of any movie being made of Paul Gallico's Jennie, and it would be hard to film using conventional methods. These days with such..."

Yeah, I just remembered why the name was familiar. It was a movie that I watched and was the name of the Chimp in the movie. The movie was an older Disney Channel Movie called The Jennie Project. That means I don't know the book and will be reading it at some point. If I remember next time I have the money I will buy the book. Otherwise hopefully it becomes a group read here so I will remember to get it.

I'll be doing my best to persuade us to have Jennie as a group read, specially now I know it is availble as an e-book.

I, Curmudgeon wrote: "Hello,

I'm Hugh... Of course when she complained about him, my mother would lean over and go, "does she know he's been here longer than she has?" i>

I must have missed this before. That was funny. I enjoy your mom's sense of humor.

~☆ Alice☆~ wrote: "I, Curmudgeon wrote: "Hi Alice, they sure do! When I was single... (I hope that was in this lifetime, it seems so long ago) an appartment just felt like a nice hotel room until I got a dog to keep..."

I have never had to feed a pet snake and nor would I want to. I think I would have drawn the line at that too. lol.

Elizabeth wrote: "My name is Elizabeth and I'm 24 years old. Anyway, I haven't read very many books centered around animal..."

I found that the books aren't always about just the animals, but about different adventures and stories behind them. I guess that's what makes them good books I suppose. Anyway, welcome to the group and hope you get to read more.

One thing I like about groups is that you read books you normally wouldn't have picked up. And, you can discover authors you've never read or possibly even heard of.

Jennifer wrote: "My name is Jennifer and it was a book with an animal in it that first got me interested in reading and ever since books about animals have been one of my favorite types of book, both fiction and no..."

Wow Jennifer, that's a good list. I haven't read alot of these ones on your list but hopefully I will. Thanks for letting us know some of your favorites.

Hi,

I'm Holly (28), and I've recently joined this group. I'm planning to make a start shortly on the March read 'Love saves the day' by Gwen Cooper. Can't wait!

I have one cat. My profile picture is of my gorgeous cat Yitzach who sadly died in October of last year due to renal failure. He was 17. I miss him so so much, but feel I'm ready to read animal themed books. Before this time they made me too despondent.

I have one other beautiful cat called Walter. He is a three year old silver tabby British short-hair. He is absolutely crazy!

I love sci-fi novels, crime and contemporary, and am looking forward to getting to know everyone here.

Thanks for reading!

Hi Holly and welcome to the group. Glad you are ready to read animal books with the group. Always feel free to jump in the conversations anytime or start a conversation.

Thanks for joining.

Hi Holly! I'm sorry about your cat..I also had a cat, Ricki, that I lost due to renal failure - she was one month shy of her 20th birthday! I know what you mean about being ready to read animal themed books - its hard to read them when you are experiencing a recent pet loss. I just finished Loves Saves the Day, and it will probably make you laugh and perhaps tear up....but its well worth the read!!! I can't wait to start discussing it!

Hi,

Thank you both for your replies.

Jami I am so sorry about Ricki. When did you lose her? Renal failure can be so cruel.

Yitzach developed a tumor on his liver, which was the final cause of death. This is the first time I've actually spoken about him online, I just found it too hard before.

Love Saves the Day sounds great, and I'll start it over the weekend. I have a kindle, but I'm thinking of just getting the hardback version to have, as the e-book version is £11.11! Would you recommend I buy the actual book?

Holly wrote: "Hi,

Thank you both for your replies.

Jami I am so sorry about Ricki. When did you lose her? Renal failure can be so cruel.

Yitzach developed a tumor on his liver, which was the final cause of de..."

I lost Ricki on 8/31/2004...at the same time my sister was diagnosed with an aggressive form of brain cancer (wow, I'm full of cheerful news, aren't I!?!?!). Ricki was diagnosed with kidney issues when she was 15 and there were times I thought it was it...but she bounced back until almost 20; tests showed that her liver also failed. She couldn't fight both organs failing on her.

As for Loves Saves the Day, I read the book format. I'm one of the few people who don't have an ereader - I'm still fighting that trend, but I'm leaning towards getting an ipad - I haven't made the switch yet! I found myself going back and reading some of Prudence's observations over again, as I enjoyed them so much, so I was glad to have that version. So, yes, I would recommend the book, but if you have the e-book version and enjoy that format, I'm sure it would be fine as well. They certainly are cheaper! I got mine from the library - I was first in line to read that copy!!!!

Jami wrote: "Holly wrote: "Hi,

Thank you both for your replies.

Jami I am so sorry about Ricki. When did you lose her? Renal failure can be so cruel.

Yitzach developed a tumor on his liver, which was the fin..."

Oh no, your cat and your sister?!? That must have been hard. What happened in relation to your sister? I hope she recovered okay. If you would rather not discuss it here I completely understand, so don't feel you have to reply.

About the Kindle...I know exactly what you mean about fighting trends! I don't like to give in to the latest 'must have' if I can help it! It was my dad that actually bought it for me. I have multiple sclerosis you see, and he thought the enlarged text would help with my poor eyesight, which it has I'm happy to say.

Hope you like the i pad if you get it. Let us know if you do.

Holly wrote: "Jami wrote: "Holly wrote: "Hi,

Thank you both for your replies.

Jami I am so sorry about Ricki. When did you lose her? Renal failure can be so cruel.

Yitzach developed a tumor on his liver, whic..."

That's the best feature about the e-readers in my opinion, is the option to enlarge the text! I'm glad it worked for you. Unfortunately, my sister did not recover. The form of brain cancer that she had is 100% fatal. I learned a lot about this disease during the 8 months she had it; I was between jobs at that time, so we were able to spend a lot of time together during her illness. I'm actually in the process of writing a memoir about some aspects of my life with her. I can talk about it now - it took awhile to get to that point, but I'm finally there!

Jami wrote: "Holly wrote: "Jami wrote: "Holly wrote: "Hi,

Thank you both for your replies.

Jami I am so sorry about Ricki. When did you lose her? Renal failure can be so cruel.

Yitzach developed a tumor on h..."

I'm so sorry about your sister.

That's a great idea to write a memoir though. I would love to read it.

Jami,

So sorry for the loss of your sister. But writing about the two of you will be healing; while at the same time, you can remember all the good times you must have had together.

It's always heartbreaking when we lose our best people (and animals).

Inge

Inge wrote: "Jami,

So sorry for the loss of your sister. But writing about the two of you will be healing; while at the same time, you can remember all the good times you must have had together.

It's always h..."

Thank you, Inge.

I have 2 cat children and live in Ct. I'm currently a volunteer EMT, work for a hospital and am going to school for Respiratory Therapy. I was an Animal Control Officer for 9 years and did some volunteer work in a Spay / Neuter Clinic at Orange County Animal Services in Orlando, Fl. I will never, ever forget my work with animals and I'm
hoping I will have time to do it again in the future.

My name is Julie and I'm so glad to meet you all. I've been an animal lover all my life and currently share my home with one dog and one cat.

I'm also a writer and used to volunteer as a writer for Best Friends Animal Society. I met so many wonderful people that way and it really inspired me to be more of an advocate for animal rescues and organizations through my writing. I now write a column about the local rescues in my area to try to give them as much publicity as possible.

I love reading about animals and look forward to learning about some great books through this group.

Welcome to Melissa and Julie. Glad you both could join us.

I see both of you have animals at home and have both worked around animals. That's great to see so many volunteers with our fury friends.

My name is Christine Starnes. I live in Caldwell, Idaho and am an animal lover and activist. I am an active member of both the ASPCA and Humane Society. We have a 4 yr old male Chihuahua-Terrier mix named Ringo. He adds so much to our lives. I love to read animal books. Other hobbies include cooking, listening to classical music, and walking Ringo.

Wow, lots of new members and all of 'em great pet advocates. Loving this!

Welcome Christine.

And, Amy, I'm loving it too about the new members and all the animal lovers here.

I wanted to thank all of you who read and commented on the February Group Read: "Pasha, From Animal Shelter to a Sheltered Life." (Although new members might not know that I provided a free PDF file for that read/discussion.)

Now, I am asking for your "vote" one more time...I have designed a new cover and would love to have your opinion...see my blog:
http://ingehborg.blogspot.com/

Inge wrote: "I wanted to thank all of you who read and commented on the February Group Read: "Pasha, From Animal Shelter to a Sheltered Life." (Although new members might not know that I provided a free PDF fil..."

I hope you don't mind me giving my honest opinion. And, this is just my opinion. I'm no expert.

I think the words all around the the picture is a bit distracting. My eyes seem to want to go all over the place.

I love Pasha picture on that one. I think the other cover seems to attact me cause I would pick it up cause I notice the cat right away. I like where the words are. But, I love the other picture on the new cover better.

"I hope you don't mind me giving my honest opinion."

That's what I asked for...Thanks, Barbara--you were quite right--the surrounding writing detracts. I added another two versions...any reaction to those?

Inge wrote: ""I hope you don't mind me giving my honest opinion."

That's what I asked for...Thanks, Barbara--you were quite right--the surrounding writing detracts. I added another two versions...any reaction..."

I love C. You can see Pasha, the wording seems just right and where it needs to be. I love that one.

I like "C" as well--but a couple of comments from a marketing standpoint.

When selling this book on Amazon or other online stores the book cover image must be recognizable in "thumbnail" size. The subtitle currently is barely readable at the displayed size and when shrunk down, may as well not be there. So I wonder if you could move the title PASHA up somewhat so the subtitle could be a larger font and included (maybe in black?) against the kitty's paws?

You guys are making me work hard redesigning everything! I'm liking it!!! Changed "C" as per suggestions -- although I had to sacrifice the paws and my best ergonomic pillow! (The cats love it, fighting for the indent in the middle.)

Really appreciate the input!

Hi, I'm Jennifer and have a lovely Maine Coon mix and a little frog.
I read many genres ranging from historical fiction, Erik Larson and Tracy Chevalier are two of my favorite authors, to cozy mysteries, to biographies, and so many other genres. I greatly enjoy books that feature animals and have a very active life in protecting wildlife and the environment.

A Main Coon mix...and a little frog? Do tell us about the frog! (well, the kitty, too).

The frog caught my attention too! I think she's the first one in the group with a frog!!!!!

I've noticed the newest members of our group. Just want to say Welcome to all of you! Please feel free to jump in anytime.

I don't know much about my frog, he's strictly (assuming my frog is a he) aquatic. I have small cube aquarium for him. He eats twice a week and swims a lot. When I come near his aquarium he swims over towards me. He's a real cutie. I was told they live usually 7 years, I've had him for 5. :)

Neat! What's your frog's name? Is he a special species? I once attended a herp show in Chicago and they even had the exotic tree frogs that are used to make the poison for poison darts.

He's an African Dwarf Frog and his name is (unoriginal as it seems) Frogger. :)

Love it!

Me too! That is really cool!

Thanks ladies :)

Hi, just stopping by to say hello. My name is Pippa and dogs are my thing :) Always looking for more books to read and re-read. This thread has already sent me looking for my copy of Paul Galico's Jennie, it must be thirty years since I last read it!!
Pippa