Kate’s 2¢: “Saving Sadie: how a dog that no one wanted inspired the world” by Joal Derse Dauer with Elizabeth Ridley

“Saving Sadie: how a dog that no one wanted inspired the world” by Joal Derse Dauer with Elizabeth Ridley

Kate’s 2¢: There is a plethora of in-depth biographies of authors and reviews of their books, that state the title, author, published date, and genre; as well as,     describing what the book is about, setting, and character(s), so, Kate’s 2¢ merely shares my thoughts about what I read.  I’m just saying…

Okay, I admit I cried hot tears of frustration, out-rage, and astonishment at the cruelty of some people as I listened to Janet Zoltan read “Saving Sadie: how a dog that no one wanted inspired the world”. I also cry every time I listen to the classic movie “Old Yeller”, with and without DVS, when the ravages of rabies decimate the beloved family pet, necessitating his euthanasia.

Being a guide dog handler, I know how attached we get to our pets. Imagine, how attached one gets when you trust your life to that dog.  Sadie and Joal develop a mutual physical and emotional bond that enables both to Transend the daily issues and reach out to the world.

Throughout most of the story, it bothered me that Joal kept promising Sadie she’d walk again. I understood her goal and desire to get Sadie walking, but I didn’t understand why Joal couldn’t accept Sadie as a disabled dog and recognize her abilities over her disabilities. Toward the end of the book, Joal saw the light and even greater things began to happen.

I was dismayed to read how Joal faked her need for an emotional support animal, namely Sadie. This kind of ruse makes it very difficult for those of us humans who actually do need a trained therapy animal, usually a dog, to access various modes of transportation.

This book was published in October, 2017 (read in October, 2018), so I hope their mission of encouraging others to live to their fullest is still flourishing. At least, the book is getting a lot of publicity.

Somewhere out there, I hope the bully who shot Sadie is squirming under the scrutiny of what he/she did.

From https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/saving-sadie-joal-derse-dauer/

Saving Sadie, Inc. – Muskego, WI

JOAL DERSE DAUER has had a lifelong passion for animals and has worked as a Transitional Organization Specialist for more than twenty-five years. In addition to Sadie, she is a “mom” to a Border collie mix named Sparky and two cats, Miss Kitty and Kit Kat.

From NLS/BARD/LOC:

Saving Sadie: how a dog that no one wanted inspired the world DBC08315

Dauer, Joal Derse; Ridley, Elizabeth. Reading time: 6 hours, 55 minutes.

Read by Janet Zoltan. A production of Wisconsin Talking Book and Braille Library.

Biography; Animals and Wildlife

Shot in the spine and head, Sadie was left for dead on a cold Kentucky mountainside. That could have been the last of Sadie, but this dog’s story has a happy ending. Some violence.

Kate’s 2¢: “The Nickel Boys” by Colson Whitehead

“The Nickel Boys” by Colson Whitehead

Kate’s 2¢: There is a plethora of in-depth biographies of authors and reviews of their books, that state the title, author, published date, and genre; as well as,     describing what the book is about, setting, and character(s), so, Kate’s 2¢ merely shares my thoughts about what I read.  I’m just saying…

“The Nickel Boys”, written and read by Colson Whitehead is an impelling condemnation of our judicial system. Although, this is a work of fiction, it is based on researched facts, so, it could be classified as Creative Non-Fiction.

I remember a unit we did in high school called: Man’s Inhumanity To Man. “The Nickel Boys” fits into  that category and should be read and discussed with racial sensitivity, comparative perspective, and analysis of progress (if any) since 1962.

Whitehead read the version I listened to, which added to its authenticity.

From time to time, NLS/LOC sends me random cartridges and I’m glad to have received and read “The Nickel Boys”. The way the plot twisted at the end, I’m wondering if there won’t be a sequel.

From his website:

Colson Whitehead was born in 1969, and was raised in Manhattan.

After graduating from Harvard College, he started working at the Village Voice, where he wrote reviews of television, books, and music.

He has received a MacArthur Fellowship, A Guggenheim Fellowship, a Whiting Writers Award, the Dos Passos Prize, and a fellowship at the Cullman Center for Scholars and Writers.

He has taught at the University of Houston, Columbia University, Brooklyn College, Hunter College, New York University, Princeton University, Wesleyan University, and been a Writer-in-Residence at Vassar College, the University of Richmond, and the University of Wyoming.

He lives in New York City.

From NLS/BARD/LOC:

The Nickel boys DB95925

Whitehead, Colson. Reading time: 6 hours, 48 minutes.

Read by Colson Whitehead; JD Jackson.

Historical Fiction

Bestsellers

1962. Elwood Curtis lives with his grandmother, works when not in school, and admires Dr. Martin Luther King. But one innocent mistake sees him sentenced to reform school–the Nickel Academy. There he meets Turner, whose skepticism challenges Elwood. Their friendship has repercussions in the sadistic school. Unrated. Commercial audiobook. Bestseller. 2019.

Kate’s 2¢: “Moll Flanders” by Daniel Defoe

“Moll Flanders” by Daniel Defoe

Kate’s 2¢: There is a plethora of in-depth biographies of authors and reviews of their books, that state the title, author, published date, and genre; as well as,     describing what the book is about, setting, and character(s), so, Kate’s 2¢ merely shares my thoughts about what I read.  I’m just saying…

“Moll Flanders” might be one of the first stories to explore the emerging roll of women in 1772, which is still a struggle today.

I enjoyed the antic and pace of this story. I suspect, if I’d had to read this in college (perish the thought of making high schools students read this) I would have found it boring. Now that I’m retired and have leisure time to read and thighk my own th0ughts about this or that, I am enjoying reading the classics.

From  “Meeting the Challenge of Great Literature” Taught by: Professor Arnold Weinstein, Brown University, 2018.

Defoe has long been considered the father of the English novel, though he inherited an established picaresque tradition.  We may also regard him as a great journalist, with a sharp eye for current events in early 18^th century London… Defoe’s signature appears to be his plain style and his prosaic, as opposed to poetic, view of life.

From NLS/BARD/LOC:

Moll Flanders DB51146

Defoe, Daniel. Reading time: 12 hours, 36 minutes.

Read by Barbara Caruso.

Classics

Moral tale set in seventeenth-century England and Virginia recounts the crimes and misfortunes of a lusty and strong-willed woman. Among Moll’s five marriages was one, unwitting, to her own brother. After years as a thief and a prostitute, she attains great wealth, and spends her old age comfortably repenting her youthful excesses. 1722.

Kate’s 2¢: “The Legacy” by Yrsa Sigurðardóttir

“The Legacy” by   Yrsa  Sigurðardóttir

Kate’s 2¢: There is a plethora of in-depth biographies of authors and reviews of their books, that state the title, author, published date, and genre; as well as,     describing what the book is about, setting, and character(s), so, Kate’s 2¢ merely shares my thoughts about what I read.  I’m just saying…

I am, somehow, drawn to stories that are written from a culturally different perspective than my own. This story, written by an Icelandic author, was translated into UK English by Victoria Cribb. While I’m not knowledgeable enough of Icelandic to know if the translation is precise, I’ve enjoyed the narrative, suspenseful  arc of this story.  A phrase, such as “take a leg” instead of “shake a leg” might be a cultural difference between British English and American English.

The narrator, Lucy Paterson, has done a good job in her lilting British, not cockney,  accent of reading the text and I’m glad she could pronounce the various Icelandic names, such as Yrsa Sigurðardóttir, Thóra Gudmundsdóttir, Freyja, & Huldar, as they are strange to my ear and took a while to figure out who was who.

I wouldn’t recommend reading this before bedtime or if you’re alone at night, but definitely a good book to read.

From Wikipedia:

This is an Icelandic name. The last name is patronymic, not a family name; this person is referred to by the given name Yrsa.

Vilborg Yrsa Sigurðardóttir (born in 1963) is an Icelandic writer of both crime novels and children’s fiction. She has been writing since 1998. Her début crime novel was translated into English by Bernard Scudder. The central character in her crime novels so far is Thóra Gudmundsdóttir (Þóra Guðmundsdóttir), a lawyer. Yrsa has also written for children, and won the 2003 Icelandic Children’s Book Prize with Biobörn.

Yrsa is married with two children, and she has a career as a civil engineer.

From NLS/BARD/LOC:

The legacy DB96756

Yrsa Sigurðardóttir; Cribb, Victoria. Reading time: 13 hours, 42 minutes.

Read by Lucy Paterson.

Suspense Fiction

Mystery and Detective Stories

The only person who might have the answers to a baffling murder case is the victim’s seven-year-old daughter, found hiding in the room where her mother died. And she’s not talking. Detective Huldar turns to psychologist Freyja for her expertise with traumatized young people. Translated from the 2014 Icelandic. Unrated. Commercial audiobook. 2015.

Kate’s 2¢: “The Destroyers” by Christopher Bollen

“The Destroyers” by Christopher Bollen

Kate’s 2¢: There is a plethora of in-depth biographies of authors and reviews of their books, that state the title, author, published date, and genre; as well as,     describing what the book is about, setting, and character(s), so, Kate’s 2¢ merely shares my thoughts about what I read.  I’m just saying…

Graham Halstead did an excellent job of narrating this lengthy story. I’ll look for other stories he’s narrated.

The many individual mosaic tile Bollen crafted came to gether in an intriguing semi-conclusion. Did Charles end his life in the pit or will Bollen write a sequel?

I’m not against “some descriptions of sex”, however, the very graphic descriptions of LGBTQ sex is IYF and TMI. IMHO.

From Wikipedia:

Christopher Bollen (born November 26, 1975) is a novelist and magazine writer/editor who lives in New York City.

Describing his novels, The Daily Telegraph notes that “Bollen writes expansive, psychologically probing novels in the manner of Updike, Eugenides and Franzen, but he is also an avowed disciple of Agatha Christie.”

From NLS/BARD/LOc”

The destroyers DB96749

Bollen, Christopher. Reading time: 18 hours, 5 minutes.

Read by Graham Halstead.

Suspense Fiction

Psychological Fiction

Arriving on the Greek island of Patmos, Ian is fleeing the emotional and financial fallout from his father’s death, and his rich childhood friend Charlie could be his last hope. But when Charlie suddenly vanishes, Ian–caught up in deception after deception–is reminded of an imaginary game they played as children. Unrated. Commercial audiobook. 2017.

Kate’s 2¢: “Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

“Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

Kate’s 2¢:  There is a plethora of in-depth biographies of authors and reviews of their books, that state the title, author, published date, and genre; as well as,     describing what the book is about, setting, and character(s), so, Kate’s 2¢ merely shares my thoughts about what I read. I’m just saying…

I was rooting for the little marsh girl right from the git-go. I wanted to do more than just shake the heck out of the Barkley Cove dunderheads! I wish I could have praised and encouraged the bait store proprietor and his wife. I wanted to shout  at the brother’s friend to speak up and tell Kya Clark how he really felt.

You might say, I really got sucked into the heart of this story. The theme of child abuse, not with-standing, goodness does triumph over evil and I love the ending.

From the WEB:

DELIA OWENS is the co-author of three internationally bestselling nonfiction books about her life as a wildlife scientist in Africa—Cry of the Kalahari, The Eye of the Elephant, and Secrets of the Savanna.

Narrator Cassandra Campbell serves up a bushel of Carolina accents in this debut novel by nature writer Delia Owens. Campbell’s accents give the mix of classes and regions in the story the same realistic detail Owens provides for the marsh…Prepare to be enchanted and haunted.” (AudioFile)

Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens Audiobook Excerpt

From NLS/BARD/LOC:

Where the crawdads sing DB92245

Owens, Delia; Campbell, Cassandra. Reading time: 12 hours, 14 minutes.

Read by Cassandra Campbell.

Mystery and Detective Stories

In late 1969, when Chase Andrews is found dead, the locals of Barkley Cove, North Carolina, immediately suspect Kya Clark, the so-called Marsh Girl. But Kya is not what they say. Sensitive and intelligent, she has survived for years alone in the marsh that she calls home. Unrated. Commercial audiobook. 2018.

Kate’s 2¢: Stockwin Julian Kydd Sea Adventures

Stockwin Julian Kydd Sea Adventures

Kate’s 2¢: There is a plethora of in-depth biographies of authors and reviews of their books, that state the title, author, published date, and genre; as well as,     describing what the book is about, setting, and character(s), so, Kate’s 2¢ merely shares my thoughts about what I read.  I’m just saying…

I don’t remember the year I read my first Kydd sea adventure, but I’ve been an avid seafarer ever since. Stockwin’s words make me feel the sea breeze freshening, the briny foam spray in my face, and the fear of a broadside cannon barrage.

From the WEB:

…Julian Stockwin is a renown author of fictions of historical adventure. Born in Basingstoke City in England in 1944 but has stayed in many parts of the world including the Far-East and Australia.

Stockwin has written 20 books to date in the Kydd series of historical adventure fiction, the story of one man’s journey from pressed man to admiral in the age of fighting sail, and a non-fiction book, ‘Stockwin’s Maritime Miscellany.’    Stockwin His latest Kydd series title is THE BALTIC PRIZE.

From NLS/BARD/LOC:

Betrayal: a Kydd sea adventure DB75795

Stockwin, Julian. Reading time: 13 hours, 43 minutes.

Read by Erik Sandvold. A production of the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, Library of Congress.

Adventure

1806. After the events in Conquest (DB 74664) Commodore Popham sends British naval captain Thomas Kydd to South America to foment revolt against the Spanish. Kydd’s force manages to capture Buenos Aires but the poorly supported, unauthorized scheme is thwarted by treachery. 2012.

Caribbee: a Kydd sea adventure DB78304

Stockwin, Julian. Reading time: 12 hours, 45 minutes.

Read by Erik Sandvold. A production of the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, Library of Congress.

Adventure

Following the disastrous events in Buenos Aires in Betrayal (DB 75795), Captain Thomas Kydd is sent to the Caribbean to guard against privateers. Once there he encounters an enemy from the past, learns of a secret French base, and is accused of murder. Some strong language. 2013.

Kate’s 2¢: “Beneath the Flames” by Gregory Lee Renz

“Beneath the Flames” by Gregory Lee Renz

Kate’s 2¢: There is a plethora of in-depth biographies of authors and reviews of their books, that state the title, author, published date, and genre; as well as,     describing what the book is about, setting, and character(s), so, Kate’s 2¢ merely shares my thoughts about what I read.  I’m just saying…

A writing colleague sent me “Beneath The Flames” by Gregory Lee Renz and I couldn’t stop reading it.  I cried and laughed and cheered and admired the characters.

This story demonstrates the power of writing what you know. Right off the bat, we’re fighting a fire, sorrowing with a grieving mother, wondering why Mitch’s mother wished he’d never been born, and bewildered by his father’s rejection, as well as, descriptions of sex  , race issues, and violence. There’s even a canine therapist!

The forward conveys the admiration Thomas M. Jones, Milwaukee Fire Department Battalion Chief, has for the author and his abilities as a fireman and writer.

Renz  published through https://henschelhausbooks.com, an independent and traditional publishing house that works closely with    authors to produce timely, high-quality paperback, hardcovers, e-books, and audiobooks.

You can hear Renz’s archived tele-conference presentation with a writer’s group on November 3, 2019 at www.BehindOurEyes.org

More information about the author can be found on his Website: www.glrenz.com.

After serving the citizens of Milwaukee for twenty-eight years as a firefighter, Gregory Renz retired to Lake Mills, Wisconsin. Over the years, he shared stories

of his experiences on the job with friends and family. People could not get enough of these stories, except perhaps his wife who heard them over and over

again. Gregory was involved in a dramatic rescue of two little boys from their burning basement. He received a series of awards for this rescue including

induction into the Wisconsin Fire and Police Hall of Fame in 2006. When he was asked to share the dramatic rescue at several awards banquets, he was moved

by the emotional responses he received and realized just how powerful storytelling can be. Gregory has always been an avid reader and thought maybe he

could craft a compelling novel if he could learn how to get these stories on the page. Numerous creative writing courses, workshops, and conferences later,

he typed

The End to his first novel, BENEATH THE FLAMES, which was inspired by two adorable little girls, around eight and five years of age, who lived across from

an inner-city firehouse he was stationed at for three years. Those two girls stayed in his thoughts over the years, demanding he tell their story. They

are two of the main characters in the novel. He hopes he did them justice.

Mr. Renz wrote  in a 2019October   e-mail to Behind Our Eyes Written Word Party Line:  “I’m looking forward to sharing my journey from retired fire captain to published author. And what a journey it’s

been. I should add that the book was recently awarded the Gold Medal in The Readers’ Favorite International Book Award competition. My head is still spinning

over this.

is.”