Book of the Week: Hounded - Lowdown on Life

Being a Dachshund dad, when I saw this week's book come up in my feed, I thought I would give it a try. After all, it had three beautiful Dachshunds on the cover and it had a  4.5 star rating. But by Page 30, I gave up.  BTW, I don't say books are good or bad, just whether they appealed to me. Obviously many readers enjoyed this book more than I did, although I did like the Dachshund highlights on every chapter.  

MY TAKE - I enjoyed the first story where the author's dad brought home a stray dog they named King, which fostered his love for dogs. After that story, and a few mentions about breeders and one of their dachshunds, it focused much more on the author and his family and their travels. It didn't seem Dachshund focused, it seemed author focused.

The summary said it was about observations any dog lover would appreciate. I did find numbered "rules" at ends of  chapters with a picture of one of his adorable dachshunds, and a sentence with "Dachshund Life Lessons." Those I could relate to, and enjoyed reading. Perhaps I didn't give it enough time, but I wanted more of the dogs and less of family dynamics. - So, if you're looking for more dog-oriented stuff, I would pass - but the Dachshunds are adorable.

Hounded: The Lowdown on Life from Three Dachshunds by Matt Ziselman   

ABOUT THE BOOK: Living with three strong-willed, highly individual Dachshunds can be equal parts entertaining, frustrating and rewarding. Just ask Matt Ziselman.

Armed with a fresh, creative voice that is unabashedly cranky one moment and profoundly poignant the next, Ziselman mixes hilarious canine stories, with heartfelt reminiscences from his own life, the results of which is a memoir of illuminating life lessons, courtesy of the three thoroughly Teutonic Dachshunds that he shares his life (and couch) with: Baxter, Maya and Molly. Seemingly mundane moments, like Baxter's incessant, neuroses inducing staring, Maya's inexplicable refusal to walk through the front door and Molly's obsessive compulsive love for a torn and tattered blanket become, through Ziselman's insightful eyes, a treasure trove of observations that any dog-lover will appreciate. 

In a market where Americans spend more than $40 billion a year on their pets, this work of razor-sharp wit and quiet tenderness will reach out and grab readers everywhere by the heartstrings and-quite possibly-their leashes.

HOUNDED wraps universal insights in hot-dog-shaped packages, providing true dog lovers with many knowing nods, honest belly laughs and an accurate, warts-and-all reflection of the fascination, wonder and love that they have for their dogs. And that Matt Ziselman obviously has for his.