day 3266

day 3266

I stepped ‘cross the stones,

looked on the grasses, water;

planted the tripod

===

inspiration

day 3265

day 3265
on Saturday night,

we watched two movies, texting

across the distance

day 3264

day 3264
a cascade of frogs,
as one after the other,
they took to the pond

Troy’s Book-Club: The Dog Year by Ann Garvin

How people come to read the books they do could be an interesting study (heck, I imagine many a market research firm has already done this work). For me, I usually hear about a book or author from a friend or associate, or maybe see an article about it online somewhere. In this nifty day and age though, social media has become another way to become aware of books and authors. Some time ago, I don’t even remember how, I heard of Ann Garvin on Twitter. I looked at her tweets, she seemed a nice sort, and WI-based, so I began following her. I wasn’t necessarily her target audience, as she’s maybe more a “women’s writer”, but still, her latest book was called “The Dog Year” and that appealed to me, as the woman I was dating at the time was a “dog person.” Then, some odd months later, I was in Boswell Books, and there by the check-out register was Ann’s book. I was no longer dating the aforementioned woman, but was still following Ann on Tw, and so impulse-bought the book. Now, I’ve just finished the book, and am quite glad I picked it up back then!

—

The Dog Year is the the story about a woman trying to move forward after a devastating loss in her life. There are (not quite legal) coping mechanisms acquired, repercussions tied to those actions, new relationships formed (friendly some, romantic (maybe) one). While the book is told from a woman’s perspective, I would hesitate to call this a “women’s book”. It’s a book filled with interesting characters, a compelling plot, dog rescues, people rescues, and story-turns I didn’t anticipate. Ultimately, I think it’s a book about coming to terms with loss, and how we try to move our lives forward without feeling guilty for doing so, as though we may be “cheating” on what we’d once had. Everyone, man or woman, suffers loss at some time. And, I think, many of us struggle with processing those losses. Having gone through a divorce in 2011, there were more than a few points in this book where I had some similar feelings to the main character, Lucy. As with many pains in life, it’s sometimes easier to handle when you realize you’re not the only one who’s felt that way. And that right there is a big lesson in this book – at least that’s the biggie I got from it –> let people in.

The Dog Year is a fun, sincere read. Heck, I bet it’d make a good film, too. Hopefully some savvy exec will option it and bring Lucy, Little Dog, and Co. to the big screen. Till then, go to your local, independent bookstore and buy it, or go to your library and check it out!

—

Again, a neat part of this book-experience was because of Twitter. Thanks to Tw, Ann and I were able to have a brief conversation about the book. It’s pretty darn neat getting to give your compliments directly to an author, and to know that they’ve “heard” them.

day 3263

day 3263
memento mori –

I didn’t know him well, but

seemed to live joyful

–

each day you wake up

you have an obligation –

make the most of it.

day 3262

day 3262

I listened to sounds –

far below, the waves; more near

the children’s laughter

day 3261

day 3261
beneath the tent’s mesh,

looked up to the stars, thinking

of great distances

+++

two evenings ago, I attempted to photograph the Perseids meteor shower. Didn’t have great success with the meteors, but made neat photos none-the-less. See some of them HERE. 🙂

day 3260

day 3260
after a snooze (two),
I got up – put on shorts, shirt, shoes,
and took to the trail

day 3259

day 3259
with cruise-control on,
and car pointed south, I drove
till I reached my home.