Maki (Ma'ingan -- Ojibwe for wolf): The Restless One
Owner of Louise
Having endured the ultimate sacrifice, Maki declines to wear booties. There are boundaries, after all, and being neutered doesn't mean you have to dress neutered. For subzero walks, Louise sprays his paws with Musher Paws, which keep those cold sidewalks from burning the old pads and the ice from between the toes. He also wears a red dog cape. The sort of outfit a Centurion Dog would wear on a march through Gaul.
Maki is ever eager to meet those two Champagne colored standard poodles with the baby blue boots, matching fuzzy sweaters, and floppy bows. Adorable. Twins. Maki's head spins. Maybe if Louise would only step along a bit faster he could ask about their reading habits. Closer, closer. Closing in. Maki's ears are fully erect. His tail is a killingly elegant plume. I wonder if either of the champagne poodles has read Drew Hayden Taylor?
Have you read Me Sexy, he asks the fluffier of the two. She gives him a wild roll of the eye. Their human jerks the two tantalizingly out of licking range. Maki spins Louise around and around and then tangles her ankles in his leash. But alas, the poodles have pranced off the other way. Maki will have to read long into the night.
Once Louise has passed into her usual stupor he knocks Me Funny, by Drew Hayden Taylor, off the shelf. Harph, harph, harph. Me Sexy, me funny, me lonesome. Those little booties were tied on with bows, weren't they? Too Much Happiness.
Rowdy: The Protector
Owner of PersiaRowdy is an emotional savant, a diligent reader of Persia's every feeling. She is so close to getting her doctorate in humanity that she's chosen How We Became Human by Joy Harjo, as her favorite read. Perhaps through reading and understanding Harjo's poetry, Rowdy will indeed become human. (Therefore able to decide WHEN she gets a dog treat.) Rowdy also recommends Harjo for humans who want to become Human.
Dharma: The Enlightened One
Owner of SusanAlways fully present. Always in the moment. Aware. You really can't get Dharma to think ahead or to remember the past because she understands that all we have is the NOW. In this now an occasional fantasy surfaces, a fleeting wish, but as soon as Dharma tries to sieze that thought it is gone. A Wolf. Twilight. The Wolf At Twilight by Kent Nerburn. The one who feeds Dharma is seen reading this book and loving it. There, now gone. But there is the lingering sense of self loping across the South Dakota prairie and seizing an occasional gopher in her jaws. Her jaws tighten. What was that thought? Gone. Back into the NOW.
Annabelle
Owner of EmilyAnnabelle's been on tour with Emily. And what to do with the long hours while Emily is dancing away in the theater? Sleep of course! But when Emily comes back and the romping reunion and the delicious dinner is done, Annabelle and Emily sprawl out to read. Tours are a great time to read! Finding Beauty in a Broken World by Terry Tempest Williams was in the suitcase this last time (along with some extra treats Annabelle packed). Annabelle appreciated the mix of ecosystem and community, beauty and violence and especially dug (ha ha!) the section on those Pleistocene mammals, prairie dogs; couldn't get enough of Madame Head Wide Apart, a prairie dog she'd like to meet (Annabelle is friend to all animals!).
And even though Emily is in the midst of a production, Annabelle can tell another dance is on its way...when Emily pulled The Way of the Human Being by Calvin Luther Martin out of her backpack, she knew the quiet hours of research and contemplation were beginning. This is a book of philosophy so pertinent to our every day. Annabelle does love the introspective time before starting a new dance and especially loves reading about Emily's ancestors but truly thinks someone should write a book called "The Way of the Corgi", afterall, we all have our histories!
And speaking of history, once Annabelle got to tour with Emily up to Alaska! Wow! What a dream! The mountains and rivers and the beach! Annabelle absolutly adores running on a wet, sandy beach which is maybe why, during the recent holiday Annabelle received Alego under her doggie bed. This bilingual book by Ningeokuluk Teevee is a rich story of Alego's first time clam digging and the wonders she finds in tide pools and under rocks. Personally, Annabelle prefers rolling in seaweed to harvesting it, but she understands...different people have different tastes.
The Raccoon and the Bee Tree
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Boozhoo (Boo)
Owner of HeidGenerally, I’m a quiet lap dog. But there’s one thing that really grrrs me. At night, in summer, IT wakes me. Then I cannot contain myself, but
startle the entire household: GUH-GUH-GRRRRR! My human family stumbles out to
flash their light on IT. Then they laugh at the staggering intruder, lolling on
the garage roof, stained with fermented mullberries. I am not amused.
Humans, however, will enjoy The Raccoon and the Bee Tree by Charles A. Eastman and Elaine Goodale Eastman. With lively illustrations by Susan Turnbull, the book is ideal for the beginning reader (or the read-to). Originally included in a 1909 book of Dakota tales, Wigwam Evenings, by Charles Eastman and Elaine Goodale Eastman, the story is reborn a hundred years later. A tale of tempting honey (I’d rather snap at bees myself) and the dangers of rowdy behavior (I am, as I’ve said, a restrained creature---except toward raccoons) this is a story as timeless as it is sweet.
Bailey
Owner of DianeBailey is discriminating and prefers eating hardcovers to paperbacks. Bailey seems for some reason to find the Erdrich title wherever Diane hides it. Is it something in the writing -- meatiness, juiciness, all of the sensory detail? Or is there cow hoof glue in the binding? (One is sad to think the latter, and everyone hopes that animal parts are NOT used in the binding of books.) But Bailey's distinct passion for the hardcover makes a person wonder. Bailey recently tore into The Painted Drum and suffered no ill effects -- a great review. The Painted Drum is apparently non toxic and easily digested.
Sylvie
Owner of PrudenceSylvie spends a lot of time in the store lately and she's noticed some intriguing titles: What the Dog Saw, Walter the Farting Dog (haha), Neither Wolf Nor Dog, Eating Animals (scary!). But based on the pure joy she experienced reading Kevin Kling's The Dog Says How, she has settled in with Kevin's new collection of stories, Kevin Kling's Holiday Inn. No mention of dogs in the title this time, but perfect for sending her off to dreamland with a smile on her face.
Frank - The Black Coyote
Owner of CarolynInside he is a mild-mannered, gentle creature. During his down time, his mind becomes still and meditative, and he is likely to become enchanted by the deep and profoundly beautiful words of Sufi poetry. Like Carolyn, one of his favorite books is The Gift by Hafiz.
Don't be fooled, Frank is no angel. As soon as he hears the word WALK, Frank begins to whine and occasionally he lets out a defiant and impatient bark. As soon as his paws hit the ground, he becomes exhilarated and cannot contain himself. He loves to bark, run, jump, and play with such energy and ferocity that Carolyn sometimes worries that he might hurt himself. After expending some of that extra energy, Frank likes to read something with equal intensity and fierceness, and Flight by Sherman Alexie is a whirl-wind of a book that leaves both Frank and Carolyn awestruck.
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