All About Animals discussion

Suggestions are always welcome and apprieciated for this group. They will be taken in consideration and sometimes even voted on by the group.

Post suggestions for our group here...

I didn't notice an equine book on your book shelf...might I suggest my young adult fiction novel "Red Rock Ranch?"

http://www.amazon.com/Red-Rock-Ranch-...

I also was mesmerized by "God of Animals" and "Saved by a Horse"...two of my all-time favorites!

Brittney, does your book have any listopia listings? Do you want me to list it for you?

Tui wrote: "Brittney, does your book have any listopia listings? Do you want me to list it for you?"

Hi Tui- to be honest, I don't know what a listopia listing is. Can you explain? I'm thinking it is something I should look into...thanks for suggesting! :)

You see the button top of page called "Explore". If you click the little down arrow beside it you'll find a list with the word Listopia. That's where you can find a zillion listopia lists. You should probably list your book in all the animal books lists and perhaps the YA lists and The Romance lists. You should probably also make an author page also. Then if your book is well rated and gets some votes, it moves up the list. From what I've read of your book so far, I don't see why it shouldn't do well. This group might be good place to start too. We have lots of animal lovers here.

But the group bookshelf for this group is not one of the listopia lists. Here they only shelve books they've read as group reads so you have to be patient for that to happen. I'm hoping that one day they'll read my dolphin story Ripple, but I can't guarantee it. They vote each month on which books to read that month. I'm trying again for the July choice.
I've sent you a friend request.

Hi Tui,

I'm not an author but am new here and didn't know about Listopia either. Thanks for posting about this, I've been trying to see if there are any lists devoted just to dog training books and that might be a good place to start :)

I would love to hear what people think of "Crow Planet" by Lyanda Lynn Haupt, or her brand new one, "The Urban Beastiary". I'm going to look into these myself, as I've heard excellent things about Crow Planet already.

Please note that not everyone is fond of group-reads. I, for my part, hate them. I like to read whatever I have time and feel like reading it. There are times when I only feel like reading European 20th century history. There are times when I only feel like reading humor. And there are times when I only feel like reading animal stories. Etc., etc. ...

I always feel pressured by group reads. I would prefer them to be handled in a more casual way. They should not be an obligation.

I will soon have an author page on GR. Then I will write blogs. And while most will be on other subjects than animals (for instance Third Reich), some will be about animals.

Is there any place to post blogs on this group.

I noticed yesterday that our group member Elliot (a veterinarian) has written blogs about interesting veterinarian stories. Unfortunately, he has, so far, only mentioned them on his GR author page with a referral to his website. I am not too fond of going to websites (too time-taking). Elliot might also be interested to post his blogs in this group.

There is a thread on here to list your website and blogs.

Here it is...https://www.goodreads.com/topic/group...

Barbara, I think you are doing a great job! It is hard - I once led a professional dog trainers' list where we had a book to discuss each month. It was difficult - most people just wanted to read not reply which is fine. I took things chapter by chapter, summarized and questioned. After a few books it came to me that it was too much trouble!
I have been on the list for several months and just this month am reading one of the books on time. I will post!
My suggestion which I may have made before and probably will again, is that when you recommend a book to vote on to read, please tell us why. It saves us all time from looking it up and gives us more information to base a decision one. Thanks.

Skye wrote: "My suggestion which I may have made before and probably will again, is that when you recommend a book to vote on to read, please tell us why. It saves us all time from looking it up and gives us more information to base a decision one. ..."

Do you mean you want the description with the book? This would just be way too time consuming.

However, if you mean why we are voting on a book, it's the same reason every month. I ask for book suggestions from members that they'd like to read for the following month. I put them all in a poll and we vote on them. The top two books is what the group reads are then.

Sorry Barbara, the last paragraph was not directed to you but to everyone who suggests a book. No, I don't think it is necessary to include what someone else has written about what the book is about. And, yes, I understand why we are voting.

As it is now, as I recall, we get the title and author only and the book cover. I don't vote. I would like a few sentences as to why the poster is suggesting a particular book and what it is about. The way it is now, I really have to look up each book to find out what it is about, how long it is, how much it costs, when it was published, etc. I generally don't have that time so I don't do it (and I don't vote!).

Just trying to make it easier for us all so more will participate. Just a suggestion.

And it might help to mention if the book has been nominated in the past.

And I wonder if one of the two books gets a lot of votes but nobody posts on that book during the month - I wonder why.

Thanks!

Skye wrote: "Sorry Barbara, the last paragraph was not directed to you but to everyone who suggests a book. No, I don't think it is necessary to include what someone else has written about what the book is abou..."

All good points Skye.

Please consider my book, Sadie Sapiens, about a young Chihuahua puppy that becomes intelligent and learns to communicate secretly with her teenage owner. My themes are definitely pro-dog without being preachy - the horrors of dog fighting, fostering, the importance of animal shelters and how terrible puppy mills can be. It's not all that bad, though - plenty of heart and soft paw touches. Will send free review copies.

Jeff wrote: "Please consider my book, Sadie Sapiens, about a young Chihuahua puppy that becomes intelligent and learns to communicate secretly with her teenage owner. My themes are definitely p..."
You are welcome to suggest your book Jeff in the suggestion thread for us to read. Then we vote on it. But, unlike most groups I don't care if you put it up for vote every month till it gets picked. It eventually does when people suggest them again.

It would be nice if the book picks whoever suggests them would be more involved in asking questions and getting the group involved in the discussions, but I don't want to make it a requirement. I know some people just wouldn't want to do it.

It's great when an author will do that since you know the book inside and out.

Barbara wrote: "Jeff wrote: "Please consider my book, Sadie Sapiens, about a young Chihuahua puppy that becomes intelligent and learns to communicate secretly with her teenage owner. My themes are..."

That's crazy! That's exactly the suggestion I was thinking of making. I guess great minds think alike ;-)

In case it's unclear what I was talking about in my last post, I was referring to Barbara's suggestion for the group.

I'd like to suggest 2 books, anthologies of the Read for Animals project by authors and poets to help animal shelters

Read about the project here: http://www.authorerikamszabo.com/read...

Erika wrote: "I'd like to suggest 2 books, anthologies of the Read for Animals project by authors and poets to help animal shelters
[bookcover:R..."

You can suggest one of them for the group read for December in this thread: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Since you can suggest only one and both are worth adding as they are great reads for a great cause, I will head over there now and suggest Book #2 and let you suggest Book #1. If it doesn't get chosen for December you can always suggest it again when the thread for the next month comes up.

Erika, how many pages are these two books? If they are small, we might be able to do as a set.

Barb wrote: "Erika, how many pages are these two books? If they are small, we might be able to do ass a set."
Hi Barb, book 1 is: 139 pages and book 2: 160 pages

My daughter told me about a website where you can check before watching a film to see if there are any sad animal bits. I won't watch or read anything where animals die. I wonder if we could have something here that is similar? I love animal books but not if they are sad. I have suffered from depression and have to protect myself - prevention is half the battle! - and I just don't like sad stories anyway, especially where animals are involved.

I won't even read Marley & Me. I'd love to hear recommendations for happy books involving animals.

Here's the film site link if anyone is interested: http://doesthedogdie.com/

That's a good idea Michelle. We can make a thread for that.

Michelle-
Great Idea!

Hello. My name is Charles Blanchard. I would like to introduce my latest novel, Kingdom's End.

Kingdom’s End is a literary adventure story where the main characters are rodents. The setting is an abandoned motion picture palace from the 1920s that has been closed for thirty years and is set for demolition. It is here where the characters make their massive colony and fight to protect it.

The story deals with their struggle to survive in a dark urban landscape and the threats posed against them from both man and beast. It is exciting and complex and an easy read with strong characters and narrative that makes you feel their plight.

There are many conflicts. Among them, a plot within the colony to overthrow the aged blind leader by an ambitious ruthless soldier and a good deal of the story involves how he goes about it. Later, the plot is discovered as forces work against the perpetrator.

The rodent characters have names. The human characters interspersed in the story are nameless.

There is considerable adventure outside the colony as characters are introduced that play important roles such as the derelict rats that specialize in the placement of poison and even a fortune teller. The interaction with humans and other animals has an emotional pull that infuses the story to its conclusion as the blind leader of the entrapped colony facing the exterminators tells his subjects they must make their decision on life or death.

The book is dedicated to Richard Adams whose work has been an inspiration.

Here is the amazon link. I hope you check it out. Thank you.
https://www.amazon.com/Kingdoms-End-C...