THE BOOK OF BARKLEY REVIEW

Recently, I've been immersed in gardening books and bee books and flower books...to be honest I was getting homestead overload and it was time for something different.  So I had the pleasure of getting a book that has been a very moving read.  

The Book of Barkley: Love and Life Through the Eyes of a Labrador Retriever

This is the book (click link below to be taken to the book purchasing options).  

It's called The Book of Barkley: Love and Life Through the Eyes of a Labrador Retriever.  The author is L. B. Johnson and I believe this is her first published book.  And wow, what a read it is.

One thing I was immediately struck by is her beautiful writing style.  I love reading authors that have such a way of using words to so vividly describe moments in life.  Her style takes my mind to a different place when I'm reading.  As a lover of the written word, this book made me very happy and I often found myself rereading a paragraph, not to understand, but to just see again the lyrical way with words.  If I ever ventured into writing a book, I'd love to have just half of that ability.

Here is a sample I transcribed for you: 
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"It is a bond between him and me.  For me, it is not a substitute for something lacking in my life, but an outlet for the warmth I harbor in my soul, seeking a place for the waters of my emotion to go when all else is damned up.  He's my confidante; he's my fashion critic (jeans and t-shirt again? Well, if you insist), he's a soft-hearted Kleenex if I cry.  

Now, he was getting older, grey abundantly showing up in that black hair.  Yet still, when woken by my soft snore from the office bed he'll move away from the heater, to my side as swift, as strong as ever, even as he slows.  He looks at me with brown eyes more humorous and honest than anyone I know, soft paw on my arm, content simply to be by my side because I'm there.  Like the rest of my friends, his needs are simple, his demands of me only warmth, faithfulness and time to go out and play."
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It is truly the rare author that can write, in just a few short paragraphs, words that will have you laughing, crying, laughing again and then thinking to yourself "wow, that was profound".  L.B. is that kind of author.  The book chronicles the life of her beloved black lab, Barkley.  From rambunctious puppy to wise and gentle old man, L.B. writes through the eyes of Barkley and along the way, teaches us the meaning of living...indeed the meaning of loving.

Barkley...star of The Book of Barkley

They always say the love of a pet is unconditional and this book follows that in every colorful, wonderful and yes, sometimes painful, detail.  You don't have to be a dog person to enjoy this read though.  When we lost our cat Sydney at the end of last year, after almost 20 years, we struggled to put into words what he meant to us.  Dog...cat...the love of a pet is universal.  Thank you L.B. for helping us hear the words we longed to put down in print.

Barkley

Get this book for yourself, or with the holidays coming, it would truly make a great gift for that animal lover in your life.  

Click the links below to pick up a copy via Amazon.

The Book of Barkley, print edition   or  The Book of Barkley, digital edition