I've enjoyed several of Doty's previous works, including Firebird and Heaven's Coast, so when I saw that he had a new book out I dashed off to Borders and bought a copy. [Given that his memoirs tend to include some pretty wrenching passages about trying to cope with grief, I expect I should lay in a box or two of tissues before starting this one!]

Later: Yep, tissues definitely needed, in a sweet-sad kind of way... but in among considerable humor as well. The book covers the period of Doty's longtime partner Wally's slow dying, through the grieving that followed, and into a new relationship - interspersed with the doings of two well-beloved dogs. Doty compares his real-life dogs to fictional, hyper-sentimental ones (noting how much he detests sentimental, anthropomorphic depictions of animals - even though he found himself weeping at the climactic scene of "The Incredible Journey"); and he illustrates how the dogs' presence can keep him going when his spirits are lowest: "It isn't that one wants to live for the sake of a dog, exactly, but that dogs show you why you might want to."

Doty's prose is poetic (not surprising; he's a poet, after all) yet often very blunt, whether for humor or grim depression. And he describes feelings and thoughts so personal that it's surprising to read them - and even more surprising to recognize them... Recommended!

WILD RELEASE NOTES:

I plan to take this book and others to the debut Saturday-afternoon Boston BookCrossing Meetup (March 28, 2pm to ??) at Panera Bread in Brookline. My books will be up for grabs by whoever wanders by, whether they're attending the meetup or not, and if some of them go unclaimed I'll either leave them somewhere in Panera or, if there isn't a good spot for that, will take them away to release elsewhere.

Hope the finder enjoys the book!

Picked up at the Saturday Boston Bookcrossing meeting held at Panera Bread in Brookline. I liked "Marly and Me" and thought this might be along the same lines.

This book of mine was among the generous boxes-o-books that BCer tobysrus brought me on this very hot day, as part of her downsizing/decluttering efforts. Will move it along soon!

Guidelines for safely visiting and stocking Little Free Libraries during the COVID-19 pandemic, from the LFL site here.

I left this book in the Little Free Library in front of the Revive center; hope someone enjoys it!

[See other recent releases in NH here.]

*** Released for the 2020 Tick Tock challenge. ***

*** Released for the 2020 October LGBTQ challenge. ***

*** Released for the 2020 You're Such an Animal challenge. ***