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beastreader's review against another edition
3.0
I am a dog lover. Or course, though my love usually is for the bigger dogs like the Labrador, wolf hybrid, the mutt, and the pit bull. Not to say that I have some of the best smaller dogs have not graced my life as well like the mini daschund and toy poodle. This is why I wanted to check out this book by Alison.
This book was different in a good way. With this book, I was just expecting to read about Alison and her West Highland, Carlie. What I was not expecting was to get to a more intimate look into the author’s life through all the dogs that have come and gone in her life.
This book is something that I could see myself putting together like a dog journal. A book that remembers all my dogs and my favorite moments with them. So glad that Alison shared her moments with readers with this book. Dog fans will enjoy this book and Carlie.
This book was different in a good way. With this book, I was just expecting to read about Alison and her West Highland, Carlie. What I was not expecting was to get to a more intimate look into the author’s life through all the dogs that have come and gone in her life.
This book is something that I could see myself putting together like a dog journal. A book that remembers all my dogs and my favorite moments with them. So glad that Alison shared her moments with readers with this book. Dog fans will enjoy this book and Carlie.
beths0103's review against another edition
5.0
Alison Pace has made a name for herself in the literary world by writing novels that revolve around dogs (my favorites being [b:Pug Hill|367205|Pug Hill|Alison Pace|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1327992215s/367205.jpg|357210] and [b:A Pug's Tale|9694893|A Pug's Tale|Alison Pace|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1311703229s/9694893.jpg|14583031] for the obvious reason that I'm a pug owner). In You Tell Your Dog First, Pace takes her love for dogs and creates a personal series of essays that give her readers a better idea of why dogs are such an important part of her life and writing career.
With her trademark wit and humor, Pace not only shows that she gets dogs, but she gets dog-people too. In fact, I think I might be so bold as to call her the quintessential dog-person.
Despite her often self-deprecating humor and the assumption she makes that much of what she does for her dog would be considered loony to non-dog-people, Alison comes off as quite reasonable and charming. She is not the dog equivalent to the "crazy cat lady", but you get a small sense that she feels that way about herself . I, however, found her to be quite endearing and amiable, someone everyone would want to be friends with.
Read the rest of my review on my blog.
With her trademark wit and humor, Pace not only shows that she gets dogs, but she gets dog-people too. In fact, I think I might be so bold as to call her the quintessential dog-person.
Despite her often self-deprecating humor and the assumption she makes that much of what she does for her dog would be considered loony to non-dog-people, Alison comes off as quite reasonable and charming. She is not the dog equivalent to the "crazy cat lady", but you get a small sense that she feels that way about herself . I, however, found her to be quite endearing and amiable, someone everyone would want to be friends with.
Read the rest of my review on my blog.
dianevallere's review against another edition
5.0
Even though I'm already a fan of Alison Pace's novels (favorite being CITY DOG), I didn't think I was going to pick up this book. I'm more cat person than dog person (though I did adore the Shih Tzu I had shortly!). A chunk of spare time and a dead battery in my e-reader led me to a bookstore, and I took a chance. I wasn't disappointed. It's a quick read and encompasses so much more than a history of the dogs the author has known, or cute stories about her current canine, Carlie. It was part biography of a New Yorker and part journey of a woman getting to know herself. It's self-reflective in the best way because it made me self-reflective too. I loved it!
ledegennaro's review against another edition
3.0
This was a very cute compilation of stories about dogs. As a dog lover I related to a lot of Alison's experiences and feelings towards her animals. All of her animals came across as having awesome personalities that I really liked hearing about. It reminded me of what it would be like to just listen to a friend talk about her pets and I did like that.
My favorite chapters were the ones that dealt with her dating adventures. Pace dealt with each scenario with men and Carlie in a way that was relatable and funny. I laughed out loud at descriptions of the not quite hairless dogs Keith had, and felt for her when she lost what seemed like a great guy because he wasn't interested in her dog.
There were a few chapters that I felt were irrelevant. I didn't understand why the story about archeology was included and the one that was told entirely in second person seemed off to me. But overall most of the essays flowed together very well. I will definitely look into reading her novels.
My favorite chapters were the ones that dealt with her dating adventures. Pace dealt with each scenario with men and Carlie in a way that was relatable and funny. I laughed out loud at descriptions of the not quite hairless dogs Keith had, and felt for her when she lost what seemed like a great guy because he wasn't interested in her dog.
There were a few chapters that I felt were irrelevant. I didn't understand why the story about archeology was included and the one that was told entirely in second person seemed off to me. But overall most of the essays flowed together very well. I will definitely look into reading her novels.
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