Review of Book One: The First Four Dog Vacations

[AvidBibliophile]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Book One: The First Four Dog Vacations" by Carolyn West Meyer.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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Book One: The First Four Dog Vacations is a non-fiction memoir that contains a collection of road trips that author Carolyn West Meyer and her husband Kel took with their two adopted shelter dogs. “Baby Cakes” Bea and B.B. are a pair of Shar-Pei/German Shepherd mixes that Meyer and her husband refer to as “Shep-Peis.” Each of the four included vacations takes place over several chapters, and the trips include a wide range of unique destinations across the United States. The family takes a trip to Vermont to admire the fall foliage and fresh air. They gaze into the Grand Canyon, hop aboard trains, frolic across sandy beaches, stroll through cemeteries, and thoroughly enjoy the picturesque offerings of Sedona.

There are many sweet and tender moments described by Meyer that involve deserts, forests, snow-capped peaks, rest areas, simple picnics, bike rides, dog parks, traffic jams, historic cottages, curious cows, and endless snuggles of contentment. Several personal family photographs appear throughout the book, and I greatly enjoyed the extra sentimentality that they added to the story. There are also several watercolor depictions included that give the pups a whimsical quality, so this one has a nostalgic and artistic feel throughout.

This book is 316 pages long, and it includes an introduction and preface that both aid in preparing the reader for the tail-wagging content that follows. These adventurous dogs survive stinky skunk mishaps, some impromptu encounters with livestock, and many other memorably unpredictable snafus. Meyer perfectly captures the allure of the canine spirit in several poignantly descriptive quotes: “Dogs never fake enjoyment – they wear their emotions right out on their darling faces for the whole world to see, making it quite easy to tell if they’re truly having fun.”

Due to a few scattered words of profanity and a mention of torture from the 1690s, I feel this book would be appropriate for ages 12 and up. Readers who have shared an everlasting bond with a dog will appreciate the gift of unconditional love that often exists between a human and their pup. I was touched by the charismatic candor and comical scenes I found within these pages, and despite encountering some grammatical, typographical, spacing, and punctuation errors while reading, there were no other aspects of the book or story that I disliked. My final rating has been based solely upon the editorial quality of the version I reviewed.

Since this book could benefit from another round of thorough editing, I award this publication a rating of 3 out of 4 stars, and I would happily recommend it to any reader who finds the idea of vacationing with pets worthwhile and intriguing. I look forward to reading the second book in the series soon, and I bet The Next Six Dog Vacations will be just as humorous and entertaining as the first!

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Book One: The First Four Dog Vacations
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[Lucy Vera]

Excited to read this one! Thanks for the review.

[Raluca_Mihaila]

This is the kind of memoir I would love to read! I am anxious to discover how Bea and B.B. behave on vacations. Thank you for this wonderful review!

[AvidBibliophile]

Excited to read this one! Thanks for the review.

I hope you get a chance to! Thank you for checking it out. I do love animal stories!

[AvidBibliophile]

This is the kind of memoir I would love to read! I am anxious to discover how Bea and B.B. behave on vacations. Thank you for this wonderful review!

Canine memoirs might just be my most favorite kind of all! Vacationing with pets can be a true joy, and these pups certainly got to see and experience a wealth of locales.

[RetiredOBNurse]

This sounds like a life full of fun adventures and memories with your best friends! Animal stories are the best! Thanks for the wonderful review you have written, it was interesting to read.

[AvidBibliophile]

This sounds like a life full of fun adventures and memories with your best friends! Animal stories are the best! Thanks for the wonderful review you have written, it was interesting to read.

Everyone deserves a vacation, even dogs! It’s nice that this family was able to travel together and make so many memories along their various stops! The sweet photos and illustrations were also a nice touch. Thank you for the kind words!

[NancyDrew12]

Vacations and dogs are both very lovely. Id like to see how their vacations go and what happens. Wonderful review!

[AvidBibliophile]

Vacations and dogs are both very lovely. Id like to see how their vacations go and what happens. Wonderful review!

I completely agree with you on that!! There are so many places to see, visit, photograph, and experience, and sharing all those same travel memories with four-legged family members makes them that much more special!

[Hana_Fabro]

I liked the book cover. It features their two adopted dogs. Thanks for your lovely review.

[AvidBibliophile]

I liked the book cover. It features their two adopted dogs. Thanks for your lovely review.

Two very sweet and charismatic dogs for sure! Thank you for the kind words of support.

[Ellylion]

As a dog lover I would absolutely love to read this book Also, I love road trip stories very much! Thanks for this amazing review!

[AvidBibliophile]

As a dog lover I would absolutely love to read this book Also, I love road trip stories very much! Thanks for this amazing review!

Aww, well thank you for the sweet and enthusiastic words of support! As a dog lover myself, I definitely enjoyed all of their wild and crazy beach, inn, and car antics! Pets often bless our lives in the most priceless and meaningful of ways. This was a lovely collection of stories celebrating that.

[Immaculate06]

The book tells the tale of what happened during the vacation of the dogs owned by the author. I think it would be worth reading. Good review.

[AvidBibliophile]

The book tells the tale of what happened during the vacation of the dogs owned by the author. I think it would be worth reading. Good review.

I found it to be a very worthwhile and engaging publication! Thank you for your expressed interest and comment.