Book Review: Not Your Mother’s Book . . . On Dogs

Watch out! The dogs are loose and in rare form in this very funny and endearing anthology about our canine friends. We are dog people. While some may think we’re a bit off our rockers—especially them cat people—we don’t give a hoot. Our fur kids are our babies, our children. They are our trusted companions. They ask for nothing in return. They shower us with their loyalty and love. Inside, you’ll read puppy-dog antics and silly-canine adventures, with a surprise or two thrown in, all of which will make you very happy the dogs are running free on the pages of this wonderful book. Not Your Mother’s Book (NYMB) is a new anthology for a new century. Series creators Dahlynn and Ken McKowen spent 10 years developing titles for the world’s bestselling anthology series prior to launching NYMB. But their series is very different; NYMB books are contemporary, fun and even daring! No sad, sappy or death and dying stories—EVER!

Let me start this with, “I’m a dog person.”  That’s right, my dogs are my kids. They live in my house, get comfy on my furniture, and take vacations with us.  My husband and I both grew up having dogs, and we have had dogs together for 16 years.  I can’t imagine life without having at least one.  While we usually have two dogs (our city’s limit for a single family dwelling), currently we have our sweet, goofy, and incredibly lazy 4 yr old Rottweiler, Lola.  My husband’s been eyeing rescues and breeders alike and dropping hints for a couple years now; I’m sure before too long we’ll have second dog again.  Earlier this year I thought we just might as we fostered a puppy for a few days.  From strays to family members’ dogs to our own dogs, somehow dogs find us when they need help.  I have a special relationship with dogs.  The dogs that normally dislike the majority of the human race befriend me.  And a very select few, can communicate with me on a level far beyond the norm.  As you can imagine, I have lots of dog stories.  LOTS.

Where to Buy

You can find  Not Your Mother’s Book . . . On Dogs in stores nationwide. Both ebook and print versions are also available online at Amazon.

Our Thoughts

So, I was excited about the opportunity to review “Not Your Mother’s Book . . . On Dogs, A Collection of Stories from People Like You”, created by Dahlynn McKowen, Ken McKowen, and Kathleene Baker.  It promises to be funny and endearing with silly canine adventures and puppy antics, with writers from all over the world submitting stories.  Fifty seven stories made the final cut.  I love dogs and dog stories, and was excited to get started.

After having read it, all I can say is, I REALLY wanted to love this book.  But I just  . . . don’t.  I ask the writers, with so many stories “from around the world” being submitted . . . these were the fifty seven that were selected for the final cut?  Really? Some of the contributors aren’t dog owners, and some of those particular stories are neither funny nor endearing.  The story that involved the military and the St. Bernard was downright offensive to me.  A lot of the stories are about the “spoiled rotten princess from hell” kind of dogs.  As a responsible dog owner, I do not find that type of dog behavior funny in the least.  But don’t get me wrong, there were plenty of wonderful stories in there as well, from the Grandma who was terrified of dogs to find one that protected her, to the stories of rescue dogs.

While I didn’t enjoy this book as much as I wanted to, you might
 Reviewed by Anne
 
***Please note that I received no form of monetary compensation for this post. I did receive a sample of the product to try in order to write a fair and honest review. The opinions expressed in this review are my own and were not influenced in any way. ***