Saving Gracie

I read a book I could not put down! It contained suspense, horror, murder, retribution and joy. What is this must read book? The title is Saving Gracie: How One dog Escaped the Shadowy World of American Puppy Mills by Carol Bradley. The world of puppy mills is frankly awful. The statistics listed in the book are horrifying. Dogs are bred over and over again in cages with not enough room to stand up in and are confined there with their own excrement. If injuries occur, including broken bones or the loss of a limb, they must endure with no medical help. They are useful until they can no longer breed and then they are shot, poisoned, drowned, etc. as one of the many methods used to end their lives. By 2007 the Humane Society of the United States estimated from two to four million puppy mill dogs were sold in the United States and the number of puppy mills had risen to 10,000. In some areas they are regarded as a cash crop. Gracie, a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel was rescued from a breeder with 337 other dogs. She was so matted that she had to be completely shaved. Along with the skin infections, her ears were infected and filled with mucus. She had a case of dry eye so advanced that it had left her half blind and her teeth were almost completely decayed. She was eventually adopted but showed severe emotional problems that her owner had to work hard to overcome. Today she is a beloved pet that will always have some issues but now she is a member of a family and just not a puppy producer.

Gourmet Game Night

While many types of entertainment have suffered during the recession, the popularity of board games is on the rise. And with more game nights at home, there of course is the need for more hours d'oeuvres. Gourmet Game Night by Cynthia Nims comes to the rescue and applies several different snack strategies in an effort to eliminate such social dilemmas as sticky playing cards, greasy dice, and stained Monopoly money. Skewers make for a perfect hands-off approach to treats like lamb and olive kebabs and herb-marinated shrimp. Sandwiches are a time-honored way to stay dainty. Among the ten offered are chicken salad with orange and walnuts and petits croque monsiers with Gruyere and plum tomatoes. And if it is a food that cannot be stabbed or placed between slices of bread, it can probably be miniaturized and self-contained. Witness the baby baja tacos, where seafood, cilantro, and sour cream are wrapped tight in a six-inch tortilla, or the stuffed large pasta shells with kale-rocotta filling. Nims also includes tiny desserts such as mocha cheesecake bars and large drinks like lava lounge punch, with rum and Chambord, to help placate sore losers.

Bite Me! A Love Story...

Christopher Moore is the master of black comedy and his books are always a treat to read! Bite Me is his latest novel, and is the last installment in a trilogy (Bloodsucking Fiends is the first book, and You Suck is the second). Bite Me stars San Franciscan goth girl Abby Normal and her brainiac boyfriend, Stephen "Foo Dog" Wong. They are chasing a huge vampire cat and his vampire kitty minions, but life becomes more complicated when three ancient vampires intent on revenge arrive in the city. The "old ones" want payback for a few deeds Abby and Foo Dog committed in the earlier books, and Abby and Foo are forced into many different actions in order to save their friends, themselves, and ensure the safety of San Franciso. I really enjoyed the appearance of characters from the first two books, especially the Animals (the night stock crew at the Safeway supermarket) and the self-proclaimed "Emperor of San Franciso" and his "men" (a Boston Terrier and a Labrador Retriever). the book is peppered with contemporary slang and some rough language, but it accurately reflects the life of a twenty-something-year-old today, albeit with a lot of vampirism thrown in! Christopher invites all his readers to visit his website at http://www.chrismoore.com/ and e-mail him at BSFiends@aol.com.

House Rules

Every time I read a Jodi Picoult novel, I think to myself, "I'm not reading any more gut wrenching books"....but somehow...I always succomb to reading the next book she publishes. Picoult's latest, House Rules, is another example of fine writing by this author. I truly enjoy how she tackles huge issues (such as leukemia, school shootings, missing children) in such a way that the issue becomes deeply personal for the reader. House Rules focuses on one family, single mom Emma and her two sons Jacob and Theo. Jacob has been diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome (it's related to autism and basically means that Jacob is a brilliant kid who has crippling social and communication skills, who can barely function in the world, and is extremely sensitive to external stimuli such as light and sound), and Emma's whole world is focused on Jacob's daily life. Jacob is eighteen, attends regular high school and has a "social skills coach," Jess, who helps teach him how to act in social situations. Jacob mostly functions okay, except when his carefully structured day is interrupted and he is thrown into super meltdown mode. Emma, Jacob and Theo exist as well as they can until Jess mysteriously dies one day and suspicion falls on Jacob. The exploration of the family dynamics is the best part of this book--I learned a lot of information I didn't know about Asperger's disease and now appreciate the intricacies of life of those who have been diagnosed. If you are a fan of Jodi Picoult try also reading The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver.