Our Dogs
Linguini
Find emotional teen Linguini strolling around a cemetary reading this new title from Cherie Dimaline. A hauntingly beautiful coming of age novel about a young woman finding out who she truly is and where she really belongs. Linguini highly recommends this book about growth, love and coming to terms with death. She also recommends taking a look into Cherie's other incredible novels!
Nani
In The Maybe-Bird, poet Foerster embodies spirals and constellations of climate grief and hauntings. Each poem, each line is hypnotic: One week away and the forest has changed / the last version of myself is dying, Foerster writes in one poem, then: There’s a canyon between this version of me / and the shadow on the stairs that is mine. / I became this canyon, its dreaming eye. I loved how poems, titles, selves, histories, and Mvskoke cosmologies expand and collapse upon one another with absolute lyric fervor. I could go on and on about this book!
Burger
Many years ago, after consuming The Marrow Thieves and Empire of Wild, I realized I would read anything and everything Cherie Dimaline wrote. She has my literary heart and doesn't have to do much to impress me. But then along comes VenCo, to further skyrocket her to the top of my favorites! It's impossible not to fall in love with Stella (truly one of the funniest characters ever written) and root for Lucky every step of the way. It is a grand, witchy, hilarious adventure that is near-impossible to put down.
Minn
Minn is a known menace to society, and he implores you to join him in taking critical action against the fossil fuel industry. Russian tortoises (who are actually from central Asia) are threatened with extinction due to climate change. He invites you to read this book because he can’t vote (which doesn’t seem to do much anyway), and he can’t really sabotage fossil fuel infrastructure on his own. Our destiny is in your hands, he says, how will you act?
Landback
My name is Landback and I was abandoned by the side of the road one day. A nice human took me in and has invited another human named Jack to come and see if he wants to give me a new home. This human would make a great friend, as we both seem to love the graphic novel series A Girl Called Echo by Katherena Vermette, which I spotted sticking out of his backpack.
Ollie
I entered this world from South Dakota, but traveled far to join forces with a girl who dreamed of me for what seemed to be an eternity. It was Make-A-Wish® that made our union possible. My love for my human mommy is boundless, for I am at her side through it all. My human loves humor, and my job is also to entertain her. Since I am a Pug, it comes easy for me to amuse. I am the Jester to my Queen. My Queen finds it difficult most times to pick up this thing that smells very similar to the tall living wood structures outside that she encourages me to pee on. Humans spend many hours looking at these objects, and it appears that it offers some enjoyment. Our palace has many of these items, and the Dowager Queen insists that they are coveted. It is my desire to comply, so we relished The Girl with the Louding Voice by Abi Daré. We were swooped through 14-year-old Adunni’s journey and could hardly step away from her story. Adunni is a strong, stubborn fighter who has the reader laugh during the most unexpected moments. Adunni’s experiences is a reminder of the injustices of this world, but provides hope that the human spirit can be victorious over malice. This novel would not be a waste of anyone’s time.
Strangely Feline
Strangely Feline recommends Klara and the Sun: "It's hard to say anything about this book without feeling like I might be giving something away. Every page feels utterly vital to the plat development. A literal page turner! This novel is an examination of many things: connection, desire, friendship, love, the energies that divide us and the environment that surrounds us...all revolving around an A.I. named Klara. An absolute must read for humans and cats, err...I mean dogs, alike. Woof."
Ryoga
The Marrow Thieves has the most evocative Indigenous speculative fiction premise—Caucasian people have stopped dreaming and are going mad. Indigenous people have dreams stored in their marrow, so they are being hunted down and harvested. Freaky and feels true. Dimaline's first book is a hurtling dystopian adventure, and her second book, Empire of Wild, is also a hunt, but a desperate romantic adventure. Dimaline is Métis, or Michif, and she writes about a traditional hybrid monster who may have stolen her husband's soul. Creepy and also feels true. Cherie Dimaline is an eerie storyteller with a gift for the propulsive narrative!
