Breathe To Read

Breathe To Read

Friday, September 23, 2022

Book: The Long Walk

 Book: The Long Walk

Author: Stephen King

Pages: 319



This is my 80th read for the year

This is the story of Ray Garraty.  He and 99 other young men are about to start an annual stamina test called "The Long Walk".  The boys cannot go slower than 4 miles and hour and cannot stop for any reason - not even to sleep.  If they stop, they get a warning.  3 warnings and they are shot on the spot.  The winner - and there can only be one - gets whatever he wants for the rest of his life.  There is no finish line - it is whomever is the last one standing.  

This book was just okay.  I honestly do not understand the 5 star reviews, but to each their own.  I am a huge King fan, but this one was a miss for me.  It was a lot of rambling and then it just.....ended.  All this build up - 300 pages of these young men walking and nothing really getting explained as to WHY they chose to participate - just so I could see who the winner was AND what he was going to claim for his prize.  Maybe see into the future a bit on how the walk affected our main character, etc.  Kind of like Hunger Games.  Where the games was just the beginning.  That was not true in this book.  The last page was such a let down.  

This is a King I would skip.

Stars: 3


Tuesday, September 6, 2022

Book: Zak George's Dog Training Revolution

 Book: Zak George's Dog Training Revolution

Author: Zak George

Pages: 240


This is my 79th read for the year

Zak George is a dog trainer with a newer approach to a happy dog.  His book covers the basics of dog training from the time you bring home your puppy - and even before as you decide what breed might be the best fit for your family.  His technique of positive reinforcement and training your dog from the inside out is a newer approach to the training world.  

This was a great book.  We have had a dog before, but it has been 11 years since we had a puppy.  My husband always had dogs growing up, and the techniques that he used and we used with our first dog are different than the newer approaches.  Science and research is starting to show that positive based training from the inside out to get the behaviors out of your dog is a much more effective, long term way to train your dog to fit your family.  I learned a lot in this book and from watching many of his videos that made me decide this was the approach we wanted to take with our new puppy.  Great advice in this book.

Stars: 4.5




Book: Bernedoodle: A Head To Tail Guide

 Book: Bernedoodle: A Head To Tail Guide

Author: Sherry Rupke

Pages: 192


This is my6 78th read for the year

A Bernedoodle guide written by the person who started the breed in the United States.  Sherry gives an indepth look on the history of the combination of this breed, what it means to have a doodle, and how to care for them successfully.  She talks you through deciding if this breed is right for you through picking your breeder, your vet, your puppy, your trainer, and beyond.  

This is a well written book.  Of the two I read about Bernedoodles, this was my favorite.  She has clear language and I learned a lot about the breed and what it is going to mean to care for a Bernedoodle.  It gave me some good insight while we wait for our puppy.

Stars: 4.5


Book: The Complete Guide To Bernedoodles

 Book: The Complete Guide To Bernedoodles

Author: David Anderson

Pages: 140


This is my 77th read of the year

This is a guide book for the care of Bernedoodle dogs.  The author interviewed the top Bernedoodle breeders to give the reader tips and tricks to raising these dogs.

As you can imagine - we picked this one up because we are getting a Bernedoodle puppy.  I thought this books was pretty great.  It has a wealth of information about the breed, training, grooming, and what it means to have this breed of dog.  We are not new to Doodle dogs, but this is our first doodle mixed with a Bernese Mountain Dog, so we were grateful for some tip and tricks.

Stars: 4.5


Friday, September 2, 2022

Book: Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow

 Book: Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow

Author: Gabrielle Zevin

Pages: 416


This is my 76th read of the year

This is the story of Sam and Sadie.  Two friends that met by accident when they were kids - Sam was in the hospital recovering from a horrible car accident and Sadie was visiting her sister who had cancer.  Their love of video games sparked a lifelong friendship that ended in them working together in the world of game making.  They develop a game that is an overnight sensation, and it sets them on a whirlwind life changing path.  It is a story that spans 30 years filled with friendship, love, tragedy, and redemption.

First - I want to say - I loved Zevin's book "The Storied Life of AJ Fikry".  Loved it.  When I saw that she had another book out, I went on the long wait list at the library to read it.  And.....I was disappointed.  I think part of the problem is that the story itself just wasn't for me.  It is a gamer's dream, this book.  It is almost all about them making different video games and running a video game company and I just was bored with that story line.  I really didn't like Sadie at all.  Sam, and his roommate Marx are great characters so that helped redeem the story and keep me reading.  I felt myself skimming quite a bit which I hate to do in books.  But it just didn't hold my interest.

Stars: 3