It's time again for the Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge hosted by Long and Short Reviews.…
Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge: Books that would make great gifts
It’s time again for the Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge hosted by Long and Short Reviews.
Today’s topic is: Books that would make great gifts
I know this is probably geared toward books you could get someone for the upcoming holiday, but there’s a book that’s going to be released next month that I plan on getting for all my pet parents any time they lose a pet. I’ve had the pleasure of reading this book ahead of time and I sobbed my way through, and loved pretty much every moment. I lost the dog of my heart nearly five years ago, and I swear my heart is just as broken today as it was when it happened. And the fact that I still mourn her loss, deeply, always feels a little disingenuous … I mean, she was a dog. I shouldn’t have felt her loss THIS much, right? She wasn’t a human, wasn’t my mother or my child or my husband. What right do I have to miss her this deeply?
This is her, by the way. The truly amazing Dakota:
I honestly died a little when she passed, very unexpectedly at a relatively young age from an aneurysm. One moment, she was perfectly fine and healthy, the next she was gone. In a matter of just a few hours we lost her and I lost a bit of myself. I’ve loved all my critters, but sometimes there is an extra special one, one you’ll never quite stop looking for around each corner or reaching down to pet. My heart hurts a little every day, missing her. Small things remind me of her, and they’re in every room, along every road I walk, and sometimes in the things my current dogs do.
The book I’m talking about today honors that. For the first time, I felt as if I could mourn her honestly and without guilt or recrimination. It validated everything I felt, and everything I still feel for her. And I think it should be handed out by every veterinarian when a pet passes.
That book is Griffin’s Heart by Reagan Pasternak
It’s not available yet. Originally, I thought it would be available this month, but her site now indicates January 1, 2021. Whatever the date, I have a couple folks in mind who need this book. I’ve signed up on her website to be notified when it’s available. I’m getting myself a print copy, too (I read it in digital format, and since it’s also a journal, it really needs to be print).
If you have any pet parents who have suffered a loss, you might consider it as a gift for them. I know I will.
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PS. I actually have a couple of Christmas themed short stories if you’re looking for some “happy”. They’re oldies but goodies (no cell phones included!).
The Christmas Curse
Now That We’ve Found You (this was the first story I ever had published, and I still adore it)
Griffin’s Heart sounds like an amazing book.
My condolences on the loss of Dakota. I still have dreams about my pet hamsters who died when I was a kid. Pets are important members of the family!
Pets can be close friends and a great comfort. When one of our cats died a few years ago, we had him buried at a local shrine & my husband would go and burn incense to him.
Considering what I’m going through right now, this is timely. I still look for Darlington and call her (every so often when I instead mean Peggy), even though she’s been gone for two years now. It confuses the heck out of Peggy when I call her by the wrong name. They are special critters and when they pick you, you’ve been given a gift. Let me know when this book comes out. I think I need it, too. Thanks ((((Hugs)))
Thank you for sharing. The loss of a fur-baby leaves a gaping hole in the heart and soul. I still mourn mine after fifteen years. When a certain song is played that reminds me of her, I start to cry. So sorry for your loss, Marianne. Dakota’s pictures made me smile. I’ll have to check out the book as well.
Oh, Dakota. My heart aches for you. Toby was very much like that for us.
Thank you for the reminder about Now That We’ve Found You. That’s one of *my* favorites, and I realized I don’t have it in a good ebook format. I just remedied that.
I remember feeling numb when I heard about Dakota. I had to read the post several times.
We’ve had many, many pets over the years. Their deaths, even when expected, is never easy.
For me, the hardest to accept was my Chelly. She lived a long, good life, and she died in my arms, but to this day I miss her beyond words.
I’m so glad to know about Griffin’s Heart! I need it for myself. Thank you for making me aware of it.