For a while I did a bimonthly newsletter for a volunteer group that saved lives at a local animal shelter. Every so often my dog Buster helped out with a book review. The following is from the August/September 2000 issue of Whiskerings.
Millie's Book, as dictated to Barbara Bush
Timbuktu, by Paul Auster
I thought it appropriate to read "Millie's Book" for this issue's review, what with the presidential election coming up and all, and the first thing I found is that it's out of print and hard to find. But Ms. Leslie found a used copy that looked like it had never been read. After reading it, I know why. Vapid. I toyed with the idea of a one-word review: Vapid. But my strong strain of terrierness forces me to speak until the rat is thoroughly flushed - and that's the most interesting thing in the book! George Bush (the elder) once scooped a rat out of the White House swimming pool! Oh yeah, and Millie kills squirrels. No account of the hunt and chase, just "I loved running on the grounds. I caught several squirrels, a possum, and chased a little red fox one night." She then proceeds to tell about some meeting of the National Arborist Association - now if she had given them a chase that might have been interesting!
I think the main problem with this book lies in its amended authorship, "as dictated to Barbara Bush." My guess is that Bar, as she is known, threw in all the boring stuff about the lovely former first ladies who did this or that to whichever White House room when, as well as all the high-falutin' name dropping. I mean, who cares? And if you've seen one photo of Millie, you've seen them all. She's got the same expression on her Springer Spaniel face whether she's sitting in the tulip garden or sitting in one of the hundreds of chairs she's pictured in.
As I said: Vapid.
Then Ms. Leslie came home with "Timbuktu" by Paul Auster. It is wonderful. Profound, touching, provocative. Although not written by a dog, it is told from a dog's perspective, and I lick Mr. Auster's hand for channeling canine so well. Mr. Bones lives a real dog's life with a real person and has real, compelling thoughts and dreams.
Oh my. I just realized a book of fiction seems more real to me than a book of non-fiction. But that's the kind of book "Timbuktu" is, and sometimes that's just the way life is.
Millie's Book, as dictated to Barbara Bush
Timbuktu, by Paul Auster
I thought it appropriate to read "Millie's Book" for this issue's review, what with the presidential election coming up and all, and the first thing I found is that it's out of print and hard to find. But Ms. Leslie found a used copy that looked like it had never been read. After reading it, I know why. Vapid. I toyed with the idea of a one-word review: Vapid. But my strong strain of terrierness forces me to speak until the rat is thoroughly flushed - and that's the most interesting thing in the book! George Bush (the elder) once scooped a rat out of the White House swimming pool! Oh yeah, and Millie kills squirrels. No account of the hunt and chase, just "I loved running on the grounds. I caught several squirrels, a possum, and chased a little red fox one night." She then proceeds to tell about some meeting of the National Arborist Association - now if she had given them a chase that might have been interesting!
I think the main problem with this book lies in its amended authorship, "as dictated to Barbara Bush." My guess is that Bar, as she is known, threw in all the boring stuff about the lovely former first ladies who did this or that to whichever White House room when, as well as all the high-falutin' name dropping. I mean, who cares? And if you've seen one photo of Millie, you've seen them all. She's got the same expression on her Springer Spaniel face whether she's sitting in the tulip garden or sitting in one of the hundreds of chairs she's pictured in.
As I said: Vapid.
Then Ms. Leslie came home with "Timbuktu" by Paul Auster. It is wonderful. Profound, touching, provocative. Although not written by a dog, it is told from a dog's perspective, and I lick Mr. Auster's hand for channeling canine so well. Mr. Bones lives a real dog's life with a real person and has real, compelling thoughts and dreams.
Oh my. I just realized a book of fiction seems more real to me than a book of non-fiction. But that's the kind of book "Timbuktu" is, and sometimes that's just the way life is.
