Thursday, April 01, 2010

Happy April Fool's Day from Riley and Literary Feline

Happy April Fool's Day!

Riley asked me to extend his thanks to all of you who supported him in his first foray into blogging. He promises he'll be back once he figures out the new password.



© 2010, Wendy Runyon of Musings of a Bookish Kitty. All Rights Reserved.
If you're reading this on a site other than Musings of a Bookish Kitty or Wendy's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

Review by Riley: Dog On It by Spencer Quinn

"You know, is he safe, does he bite? I'm not that comfortable around dogs."

"He won't bite you."

Of course I wouldn't. But the idea was planted in my head, for sure. I could tell by all the saliva suddenly pooling in my mouth. [pg 3]


Dog On It by Spencer Quinn
Atria, 2009
Crime Fiction; 336 pgs

Dog On It is about Chet and Bernie. Chet is like me, a dog. He is a private detective. Bernie is his human partner. Together they make up the Little Detective Agency. They take a case to find a missing girl who turns out not to be missing but then is missing again. Chet is an ace detective when it comes to missing persons' cases. He's got the perfect nose for them. It's not as good as mine though, I bet. One time, I . . . How about I save that story for later? Back to the book review.

I'm pretty sure Spencer Quinn is a dog himself. If he isn't, then he must surely be a dog lover. Dog On It is spot on when it comes to dog behavior and thought. He knows us well. Bernie's pretty cool too. I wish my humans would take me to work with them. I could be a big help, especially to my female human. She's always telling me I could do her job better than she could. I'm not sure that's true. She's very smart and has a lot of patience. I'm not always so patient. I do have an important job at home though. I guard the house. No one does that better than me. Grrr! I also babysit the cats. They take a lot of watching, let me tell you! Chet doesn't like cats. I do. They do smell bad, I'll give Chet that. But they can be great playmates. I love chasing them around the house.

Where was I? Oh, yeah, the book. I liked it. There was suspense and scary stuff. Like when Chet was stuck in the animal shelter and dragged into that room with the metal table. Chet had no idea what a close call that was, but I know. Thank goodness my humans saved me from that god-awful place. My second favorite part was when Bernie kicked Chet's toy bone out the window and Chet leaped after it. Awesome! I want to try that. My first favorite part, however, was definitely the end. Chet's my new best friend.

The book is funny too. Well, I didn't think so. A missing girl is a serious matter. But my human seemed to find it funny. She laughed and laughed while reading the book to me. She kept reaching over to scratch my head, telling me, "Just like you, Riley!" I liked that.

Dog On It is a great introduction to a new series. I can't wait to see what other adventures are in store for Chet and me. I mean Chet and Bernie. But don't you think I would make a good private detective with my superb hearing and sense of smell? I just have to convince my humans to change their professions.

For more information about Chet, Bernie and the author visit the website, Chet the Dog.


© 2010, Wendy Runyon of Musings of a Bookish Kitty. All Rights Reserved.
If you're reading this on a site other than Musings of a Bookish Kitty or Wendy's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

A Page in the Life of Riley

I profusely apologize for the mess. My dog Riley somehow hacked into Musings of a Bookish Kitty Dog and has taken over. He asked (more like growled and threatened to nip me if I didn't agree) if I would spotlight him here on my Page in the Life feature, so here we are.

Despite his rather heavy handed way of entering the blogging world, Riley is a sweetheart in every sense of the word. He has a boundless energy, which he clearly did not inherit from me. He is a people person, loves to play, and is a faithful companion. He has brought much joy into my life and reminded me many times over that life cannot be all about work. There's always time for a game of fetch or a little tug-of-war. And next to my husband, he's the best hugger around.

Please welcome Riley to Musings of a Bookish Kitty Dog!

Literary Feline: So, Riley, how do you like to start off your morning?

Riley: I like to wake up very early in the morning, before anyone else, and patrol our home. Then I finish all of my food so that my humans will give me more. Then I go back to bed until my female human wakes up. I follow her around the house in case she wants to play fetch. If she doesn't get up early, then I get in bed with my pack and wait for everyone to wake up together.


Literary Feline: How did you get started blogging about books?

Riley: My humans have so much fun, I wanted to give it a try. I want to be a good dog and blog just like them. The hardest part was making the new pictures. Playing with a mouse is a cat's job, not for a dog like me. Computers would be so much better if they had balls that squeak when you bite them.


Literary Feline: That would be, um, interesting. Moving on, how has blogging impacted your reading? If so, how?

Riley: I just started blogging today, so I'll have to let you know later! Maybe after I run around the backyard first.


Literary Feline: I am sorry to drag you back in the house so soon after that little break to play ball, but my arm's tired. Let's get back to the interview, shall we? Besides reading and books, what are some of your other interests, hobbies or passions?

Riley: I like to run and chew things and sniff everything and bark at cats and dig and look at people outside and squeak my fuzzy bone. And ball! I like ball! We should play ball right now!


Literary Feline: We were just out playing ball. Maybe after I get home from work, okay? Back to the topic at hand . . . Do you have any reading routines, rituals or habits?

Riley: My favorite place to read is on my pack's bed. When my female human is reading, I like to lean up against her and look at the words. Sometimes she reads to me and I like that very much. It is very comfortable. It must be comfortable for her too because she usually puts her book down and naps with me. That's the best kind of reading.


Literary Feline: I could use a nap right about now, actually.

How do you pull yourself out of a reading or blogging slump or what steps do you take to avoid that from happening?

Riley: I haven't had a reading or blogging slump because I'm a good dog. But if I did, I would give my fuzzy bone to a human and let them throw it for me. You should try it some time. It's so much fun!

Literary Feline: I think I'll stick to being the one to throw the bone to you. Okay, now for the quick round. Are you ready? On the spot (You have only 20 seconds to answer each of these questions):

Book you'd most like to be trapped with in a broken elevator for several hours: I don't know what an elevator is, but trapped doesn't sound fun at all. Maybe a book that would help me dig myself out of the elevator.

It's storming outside, you're alone in the house, and the electricity has gone out; what book do you turn to pass the time? When I was younger, I really enjoyed Home Remedies For Dogs And Cats because the pages were soft and chewy. My humans told me I was a bad dog for eating books, so I stay away from them when I'm alone. Also, it's too much fun chasing the cats around the house during a storm. Cats are so silly.

The storm has passed and it's a beautiful day outside. The temperature is just right. Will you read outside or inside? Outside, outside, outside, outside! Outside is the best ever. Also, I like inside.

You're picnicking by the lake and have an hour to yourself while the family is off exploring. What book did you bring with you to read? There is a picnic and a lake and exploring and you want to read a book? I can't think of any books that are better than all that.

Name one book I absolutely must read at some point in my life: Because all of the books that I have read are the books that you read to me, I had to ask my pack leader. He said to tell you The Name Of The Wind by Patrick Rothfuss. I like wind so that sounds good to me too.


Literary Feline: Thank you, Riley, for making letting me interview you today!

Riley: Thanks so much for asking me questions! That was as much fun as playing fetch. I have a fuzzy bone right here if you want to play fetch now. Here, I'll put it in your lap.


© 2010, Wendy Runyon of Musings of a Bookish Kitty. All Rights Reserved.
If you're reading this on a site other than Musings of a Bookish Kitty or Wendy's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

One Night Stand: Dog Book Challenge (formerly known as the Cat Book Challenge)


Beth of Beth's Book Reviews thought up the idea for a great reading challenge. The only problem is it's about cats. I like cats and all, but they aren't very interesting. Besides, they smell bad. I thought I'd put my own spin to the Cat Book Challenge and make it all about dogs. Dogs are the best!

The object is to read 12 books featuring cats or at least mentioning cats in the title during the year. Only, like I said, I don't want to read about cats. I live with two cats and I get plenty of them as it is. And since I don't actually read, I figure I'll follow in my human's footsteps and make this a One Night Stand. I'm not actually joining the challenge, you see. I just want to see if this list making business is as fun as my human seems to think it is.

I was very disappointed to discover that my humans do not have many books featuring dogs around the house. Sure, they have training manuals, pet health care and books about understanding dog behavior (why don't they just ask me?). I'm more interested in the juicy stories. Speaking of juice, have you ever tried orange juice? Yuck!

Here's a list of twelve books related to dogs that I wish my humans would read to me:
  • Pedigree to Die For by Laurien Berenson
  • A New Leash on Death by Susan Conant
  • Marley and Me: Life and Love with the World's Worst Dog by John Grogan (my human volunteered Florinda to read it to me since she says it will make her too sad)
  • Delilah Doolittle & the Purloined Pooch by Patricia Guiver
  • White Fang by Jack London
  • Play Dead by Lesley O'Kane
  • Dog On It by Spencer Quinn
  • Thereby Hangs a Tail by Spencer Quinn
  • Harry Cat's Pet Puppy by George Selden (one of my human's favorite childhood books)
  • Dog Man: An Uncommon Life on a Faraway Mountain by Martha Sherrill
  • The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein
  • Saving Cinnamon: The Amazing True Story of a Missing Military Puppy and the Desperate Mission to Bring Her Home by Christine Sullivan
Have you read any of these books?

What books have you read or want to read that might fit into this challenge?


Just for fun, I made a list of ten movies I especially like.
  • Air Bud (I can jump even higher!)
  • For the Love of Benji
  • The Adventures of Milo and Otis (Parker and I should star in the remake!)
  • Homeward Bound
  • Hotel for Dogs (Why doesn't my bathroom look like theirs?)
  • Cowboy Bebop: The Movie
  • Beethoven
  • Lady and the Tramp (Best romance movie ever!)
  • Balto
  • Lassie (It's so obvious Lassie is a boy. How can people not tell?!)
Have you seen any of these movies?
What's your favorite dog movie?

© 2010, Wendy Runyon of Musings of a Bookish Kitty. All Rights Reserved.
If you're reading this on a site other than Musings of a Bookish Kitty or Wendy's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.