"Marley and Me: Life and Love With the World's Worst Dog"

What a beautiful tribute to one of the purest forms of friendship of which a human being is capable; that with his/her beloved dog. Pennsylvania journalist John Grogan's memoir recounts with hilarity and heartbreak his family's life with their loveable, incorrigible yellow lab, Marley.

When they were newlyweds, John's wife Jenny convinced him that they needed a puppy. She had a need to nurture, and she had already proven her black thumb in killing their houseplants. She was already longing for a baby, and needed to know that she was capable of keeping something alive. John dotingly agreed, and after scouring the classifieds, they came across a litter of yellow lab puppies. They went to see them, bought a little boy on the spot, and spent the three weeks before their new puppy could be weaned waiting anxiously, preparing their home, and choosing the name Marley. When Marley came home, already doubled in size, he proved to be quite the adventure.

The book is filled with comic horror stories of things like Marley's fear of storms, which caused him to practically demolish the interior of their home over the years, his affinity for eating everything in sight (paychecks, solid gold jewelry, positive pregnancy tests intended for scrapbook posterity, etc. etc.) He was banned for life from a Florida dog beach, destroyed the set of a movie in which he was 'discovered' for a small role, and expelled from obedience school. (He returned a year later, after some home training, and finished seventh in his class of eight.) Yet through it all, he was the sweetest, happiest, most loyal, loving dog in the world. His family loved him dearly in spite of his destructive behavior.

If you're a dog owner, or just a dog lover, you must read this book. You'll laugh, you'll cry (or sob hysterically in my case); it's just a feel-good book. And John Grogan is an excellent writer. However, whatever you do, don't do the audio version. For one thing, this is just not an audio kind of book. It's a leisurely type of book that should be relished and read slowly and lazily. Audio books are so... fast paced. Also, John Grogan is the reader of the audio version. In the beginning, I didn't think I would be able to tolerate his voice, which was (how can I put this nicely?) not very, um, hetero sounding. At all. (That's it, I'm officially a terrible person.)

Be that as it may, I give this one three very enthusiastic thumbs up. And- wait for it- the movie comes out in December! ::excited face::