Pages & Paws

Writing, Reading, and Rural Life With a Border Collie

Category Archives: Book Reviews – Non-Fiction


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“All Sides Now” Falls Flat

“Well. That’s two hours out of my life I’ll never be able to get back” grumps Her Grumpiness. “What a hunka junk! And to think I coulda been playing Canasta! Or watching cheese grow mold!”

What?

Mom has just finished reading a real dud. It’s called All Sides Now. You might want to grab the nearest flak jacket. Cuz…. Incoming! I’ll let her explain:

Remember that iconic Joni Mitchell folk tune from yesteryear, Both Sides Now? Sung by Judy Collins, the song’s “bittersweet lyrics” portray “the duality of human experience.” Along the same lines, All Sides Now seeks to describe a life “steeped in duality and balance” via a mildly interesting collection of personal essays on a wide variety of topics.

What Mom Really Thinks

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

That’s what I said in my Reedsy/Discovery review. Here’s what I really think:

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Incredibull Stella’s Story Warms Hearts

Incredibull Stella: How the Love of a Pit Bull Rescued a Family

By Marika Meeks

Citadel Press – Kensington Publishing, 2019

Genre: Non-Fiction

Via: Publisher Request

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

Her Grumpiness speaketh:

I had two distinct reactions to this book. It’s the true story of a pit bull puppy left to die on the side of a road in winter and the woman who adopted the dog while recovering from stage three breast cancer.

On the one hand, Incredibull Stella is an uplifting, heartwarming read about the power of love and second chances. Robust and engaging, it’s told with great honesty and empathy.

On the other, it too often reads like an overlong soap opera, careening from one cataclysmic, heart-rending event to the next with nary a dog’s whisker in between. Think Lassie meets As The World Turns.

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How a Rescue Dog Saves Her Human Told in “Gabby”

Gabby: The Little Dog That Had to Learn to Bark

By Barby Keel

Citadel Press  – Kensington Publishing Corp., 2020

Genre: Biography/Autobiography/Animals

Summary:
The true story of the unbreakable bond of love and loyalty between a woman and the little rescue dog who rescued her.

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

“Sometimes, a human and a dog find each other and fit together like two jigsaw pieces…”

The founder and director of the Barby Keel Animal Sanctuary in Sussex, England, Barby Keel makes the observation when she finds a Yorkie terrier mix cowering on the floor of a car as Gabby’s dropped off at the sanctuary. Continue reading →


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Hop on The Road Less Travelled With “Wax & Gold”

Wax & Gold: Journeys in Ethiopia & Other Roads Less Travelled (‘M’ Publishing House, Ltd., 2021)

By Sam McManus

Genre: Non-Fiction

Via: Author Request

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

Summary:

A collection of first-person stories detailing “off-the-beaten-path” adventures in Ethiopa, Japan, Bolivia, Egypt, Kyrgyzstan, Iran, Mongolia, Lebanon, Oman, and Costa Rica.

Wax and Gold isn’t your average travel guide. If you’re looking for lists of “must see” sights at specific destinations, where to stay or shop or eat, this isn’t it. It’s seventeen chapters covers 2005 to 2019.

The title comes from a form of Ethiopian poetry. “Wax and gold” is “meticulously comprised with a focus on the duality of its meanings. The surface meaning, the wax must be stripped away to reveal the hidden core of gold underneath.” The author explains description of how wax must be stripped away to reveal the gold underneath.

In similar fashion, the author describes how “the allure of Ethiopia” encouraged him to look deeper within himself. Indeed, Wax and Gold combines colorful, detailed chronicles of the people, places, destinations, and cultures the author discovered in his many travels with a more subtle discoveries gained during his inner journey.

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‘Will You Love Me?’ Offers Powerful Story of Dual Healing & Hope

Will You Love Me?

The Rescue Dog That Rescued Me

By Barby Keel

Citadel Press Book – Kensington Publishing Corp, 2018

Via: Publisher Request

Genre: Non-Fiction/Inspirational

Book 2 in the Foster Tails Stories.

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

Summary:

The true story of a woman and a dog, both battling past demons and immense suffering, find comfort and solace in each other as they journey together toward healing, hope, and love.

Kimber the Magnificent here to tell you about a very special author. Barby Keel is my kinda lady. She founded and runs the Barby Keel Animal Sanctuary in Sussex, U.K. (No idea where that is. But it sounds nice.) 

Now. Why is Barby my kinda lady? Well. When it comes to loving, defending, protecting, and caring for abused, abandoned or unwanted animals, Barby Keel is a Force of Nature. You sooo Do Not want to mess with this woman. Especially if you dump a horrifically mistreated greyhound at the sanctuary’s gate on a cold, wet night.

Bailey’s Story

That’s where Bailey’s story begins. Merges with Barby’s. And something extraordinary, even miraculous, happens in the process.

Kimber the Amazing Rescue Dog!!

The Rest

I’ll let Mom tell you the rest. Cuz I gotta grab a nap and a tissue. (Fair warning, okay?)

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Breaths, Bear Hugs & Best of 2021

A Breath of Fresh God

Kha’ris Books, 2021

Via: Author request

“Sit down with me. We have much to say to each other.”

We’re closing out the year with one of the most unusual and uplifting reads of 2021.

We thought about including this title in a “Best Of” year-end post. Naw. We decided to give it a stand-alone post instead. Here’s why:

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Travel Memoir Offers Deep Dive Into West Africa

A New Day Dawns

By Terry Lister

Publisher: Brooklyn Knight Enterprises, 2021

Via: Author Request

Genre: Memoir/Travel

“This is Africa!”

Terry Lister is an experienced world traveler. He’s also a first class storyteller with a knack for drawing readers into his adventures. As in his first volume, Immersed in West Africa, Lister invites you to join him in traveling through four West African countries as he seeks to “learn what makes people tick.”

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How ‘I’m Supposed to Make a Difference’ DOES

I’m Supposed to Make a Difference:

A Memoir About Overcoming Trauma and Abuse

By Kevin Vought

Non-fiction/Memoir

Via: Author Request

Summary: The true story of one man’s quest to confront the inner demons of his horrible childhood and chart a course toward hope and healing.

“The events that unfolded over the next few hours would define who I was to become in life. These few hours spawned much of the hatred, loneliness, terror, pain, and dread that have plagued me for decades. I still have nightmares about that day. I would go years at a time without a good night’s sleep because of those nightmares.” – Kevin Vought, I’m Supposed to Make a Difference.

This is a story of childhood abuse and its lingering, lifelong effects. It’s also a story of transformation and hope. The author shares how he not only healed from horrific childhood trauma, but how his journey also transformed him into someone who wants others with similar experiences to be able to heal and become whole, too.

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Two Non-Fiction Books To Read If You Don’t Usually Read NF

Are you a non-fiction reader or a fiction reader? Or both?

We’re good either way. But if you fall into “fiction only,” we have a coupla recently read books you may want to consider. They’re both excellent reads, with superb writing and taut storylines that’ll keep you turning pages until the very end.

One is based on the real-life story of the hunt for the world’s most notorious Nazi. The other, told by former NFL star Kermit Alexander (L.A. Rams and San Francisco 49ers), is his personal story of tragedy and redemption.

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Powered By Hope: ‘Chasing Rainbows’ Refuses to Let Tragedy Have the Last Word

Chasing Rainbows: The Stolen Future of Caroline Ann Stuttle (Pegasus, 2021)

By Richard Stuttle

Non-Fiction/True crime/Self-help

“What continues to destroy me more than anything else is that she had the potential to achieve whatever she wanted in life. I truly thought we would have had a lifetime together.” – Richard Stuttle

An early morning phone call on April 10, 2002 crushed that assumption and changed Richard Stuttle’s life forever.

His younger sister, Caroline, age 19, had been “on the adventure of a lifetime,” backpacking around Australia with a friend. But on that terrible April evening, Caroline was thrown off a Bundaberg bridge and fell to her death.

Chasing Rainbows: The Stolen Future of Caroline Ann Stuttle is the raw, unfiltered story of Caroline’s life, the devastating impact of her murder, and how a “charity born out of tragedy”came to life to help young backpackers travel in a safer environment.

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