Pages & Paws

Writing, Reading, and Rural Life With a Border Collie

Author Archives: Eowyn


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Perspicacity Prevails in ‘The Perilous Voyage’

The Perilous Voyage

A Professor Goodsteam Adventure

By Michael Wegner (Indie author, 2023)

Genre: Fiction – Historical Fiction/Action & Adventure/Steampunk Fiction

Pageg: 331 + Epilogue (Paperback)

Via: Author request

Note: We received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

“But it’s only a two-day trip. What could possibly happen?”

The answer is plenty in this lithe and lively combination of travel, technology, geography, adventure, romance and levity by Michael Wegner.

Mom: With a little old driver so lively and quick, I knew in a moment it must be…

Kimber: Earth to Mom. Come in, Mom. Methinks you’re in the wrong season.

Mom: Well, let’s not get picky here, okay?

Kimber: Speaking of “picky” – sort of – The Perilous Voyage thingy reminded me of that story where Caractacus Potts rebuilds that old race car for his littleuns after buying it for thirty shillings to prevent the car from becoming scrap metal.

Mom: You mean the book by Ian Fleming?

Kimber: Naw. I was thinkin’ more the movie with that Dick van Dyke dude.

Mom: Funny you should mention that. I was thinking Jules Vernes’ Around the World in Eighty Days.

Kimber: With Phileas Fogg and Passepartout?

Mom: Exactamundo!

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Why a Good Book is Like Filet Mignon

“Eureka!” says Mom the other day, coming home from the library. With both arms full of books. And then some.

I have no idea why Mom says this. But she says it a lot. Especially when she’s lugging home another truck load of “books” from The Book Place.

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Books to Grow By

Books to Grow By:

Have you seen the list of Books Everyone Should Read that floated around Facebook awhile back? Her Momness and I read that list. Someone musta forgot to eat their Wheaties says The Old Curmudgeon after reading that list. (You know Mom, right?)

So we put paw and hand together and came up with our own list. We’re callin’ it Books to Grow By.

Classic, contemporary, and just for fun titles are included, plus some surprises.

Note: With apologies to high school English teachers everywhere, neither of us can abide ‘stream of consciousness’ prose a la Faulkner. That’s one reason The Sound and the Fury isn’t included. Ditto Wuthering Heights and The Great Gatsby. And no, you won’t find The Most Over-Rated Book in the English Language on our list either. Hint: Catcher in the Rye. Gag me with Meow Mix!

You will find evidence of our conviction that some of the finest literature ever written can be found in the Children’s Section. Selections appear in alpha order by title.

How many of these have you read? What are YOUR favorites?

Click here for the list. :)

One other thing: This list originally appeared in 2018. What would you add?


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GUEST POST! Not Just a Walk in the Woods: Animal Rescues

Well bow-wow and pass the bacon! Cuz we’ve got a real treat for your today! Yes siree, Lassie! Our favoritest park ranger, Ranger Rose the Pawsome, is bringing you a guest post about her experience with animal rescues. So I’d listen up ‘fize you.

Ready? Set? Take it away, Ranger Rose!

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NEW! DNF List 6.0

Long, log ago in a galaxy far, far away….

… One of us felt obliged to finish every book she started. Or accepted for review. (Hi, Mom.)

Not anymore.

Too Short

Life’s too short to waste valuable time on lousy books. Snoozefests. Garbage runs. Stuff you wouldn’t feed your pet rock. Especially when there are so many other worthy reads from which to choose. These days we’ll typically give a book three to five chapters to hook us and reel us in. Or about 50-60-ish pages. Kinda depends. But one thing we don’t have time for anymore is, “Wait till it gets better.” Like another 100-ish pages. 

Not playing that game anymore. We just don’t have that kind of time to burn.

So we Did Not Finish (DNF) at will these days.

You can play, too. In fact, here are a few titles we recently sampled and gagged on. So you won’t have to. Cuz your time’s valuable, too. You’re welcome:

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The BEST Book We’ve Read All Year?

Help Is Here

Finding Fresh Strength and Purpose in the Power of the Holy Spirit

By Max Lucado

Genre: Christian Non-Fiction

Pages: 216, including Notes

Via: Library

Stressed out? Worn out? Bummed out? Feeling fearful or frustrated? Uncertain or overcome? Helpless?

What if there’s help?

What’s if there’s someone to walk with you? Guide you. Shoulder the load. So you don’t have to go it alone. What if this help was sent from above? Not someone who, like us, is prone to getting worn out, stressed out or bummed out. But a “heavenly helper” who’s ever strong and powerful. Never tires. Is always near. Unhindered by what hinders us.

Interested?

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Tales From a Rogue Ranger Scores ‘Bow-Wow Boogie’

Tales From a Rogue Ranger

Rosanne S. McHenry (Indie author, 2024)

Genre: Non-Fiction/Memoir/Outdoors

Via: Blog Tour/Author Request

Pages: 236

Note: We received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

We didn’t think our favorite ranger, Ranger Rose the PAWsome, could top her last book, Trip Tales: From Family Camping to Life as a Ranger. Which we like, totally love-ified. (See our brilliant review: Outdoor Memoir Delights in Trip Tales.) 

Just shows you what we know.

She’s Baaaack!

Cuz Ranger Rose is back! With as much insight, info. and entertainment as ever! In fact, her latest book, Tales From a Rogue Ranger, Totally Rocks. In fact again, Her Momness almost dropped it in the sink. Reading while teeth-brushing. Cuz Mom couldn’t put it down!

Silly Mom. (Like that’s new. Insert Kimber eye roll here.)

Anyway, here’s the scoop on Ranger Roses’s latest magnum opus:

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‘Who Saved Who’ A Little Too Woo-Woo

Who Saved Who

By Roslyn Cohn

Tampico Press, 2023

Genre: Non-fiction

Pages: 150

Via: Blog Tour

Note: We received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

“We save dogs, Roz, that’s what we do.”

This is the story of a woman who loves dogs. So far, so good. Here’s the main book blurb:

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Heavenly or Homely? Albom’s ‘the five people you meet in heaven’

the five people you meet in heaven

By Mitch Albom (Hyperion, 2003)

Genre: Fiction

Pages: 196

Via: Library Book Sale!

You are about to enter another dimension. A dimension not only of sight and sound, but of mind. A journey into a wondrous land of imagination. Next stop, heaven – ?!

Okay, okay. So we stole that from Rod Serling. But it applies pretty well to this short little tome by Mitch Albom entitled the five people you meet in heaven.

Pop Quiz 

Q: What’s the first thing that jumps out at you from the title?

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Batter Up! With Delightful Baseball-ish Yarn

“Batter up!”

In case ya missed it the first 6,897 times, She Who Must Be Obeyed is what ya might call a Baseball Nut. Once the season starts, it’s Dodgers Girl from here to kingdom (or Series) come!  (Don’t tell her I said that, okay?).

Go Dodgers!

Wait. Where was I?

Oh yeah. Baseball book. Anyway, when we heard about this cute little book narrated by a talking baseball named Bennie – I’m not makin’ this up – one of us stepped right up to the batter’s box and started swingin’. Like this: 

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