Stepping in the Write Direction

The Best Dog in the World edited by Alice Hoffman is a series of essays by established authors writing about something they feel passionate about, speaking straight from their hearts about their dogs. There’s not a dud among these stories, and why should there be? Some of the greatest writing known to humanity comes at the hands of a subject an author is passionate about, writing from the very core of his or her being. Every one of these stories is different, each unique and so well told. If a reader has ever loved a dog, this book will resonate deeply with them; if a reader has never had that experience, they will be enlightened, perhaps even motivated to seek their own canine soulmate at some point.  One aspect I loved about this book was how much each author learned from their dog: about their dogs, themselves, love, and loss. There is also a great deal of humor in the book as well. One effect the essays had on me was to make me create a list of these authors to ensure if I’ve n...

  The Auction of Pierced Nostalgia by Sarah Mouffok is like a 50ish page short story that is definitely worth reading. It’s a wild, exciting ride into a future world where elites suck happy memories from the “have nots” who sell them for things they desperately need, while elites live in a pain free utopia created on the backs of those they dominate.   In this story when a memory is sold or removed, it is replaced by a temporary place holding filler. However in this instance the doctor performing the procedure knows this is not your usual garden variety filler, and it leads to a chase that will leave you breathless. I would definitely read anything else this author creates!   Run, do not walk, to get this in your favorite reading mode. If you love science fiction type stories, and even if you usually don’t, I can’t imagine anyone not being fully entertained by this storyline!!! I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

I really enjoyed This Book Made Me Think Of You by Libby Page, and I had actually bought it the day before it was recommended as a July reading choice for my Goodreads Kindle Book Club Forum group, since it sounded interesting, and now it is currently enshrined on Goodreads monthly list of Favorite Books of the Year (2026), occupying the March slot. I did feel it might have benefited from some editing (though some might disagree), as the last 20% of the book began to feel a bit repetitive, although still immersive. The book is about a young widow, Tilly, learning her husband Joe had set up a yearlong book of the month gift from a neighborhood bookseller to cheer her in the months after his death. Once it became clear to him his cancer diagnosis would not lead to recovery, he was concerned about doing something supportive to help his beloved during the initial year after his passing. Tilly had always loved reading and worked in the book industry coaching celebrities with memoirs her fir...