How many of us remember a favorite pet from our childhood? Or have enjoyed visiting the zoo? Or relish in walking in the woods and hearing birdsong, or seeing a deer leap away through the brush? How many of us have been thrilled by a soaring eagle? How often have we sought the comfort of a dog or cat, or wept tears of loss when forced to say good-bye to a furred friend?
We are surrounded by our fellow creatures and often our lives are enriched by their presence, whether it be sharing our homes with them or simply being blessed to see them in passing.
This week you are asked to share books (fiction or nonfiction) and/or movies which center around an animal or animals.
- Which are your favorites?
- Which touched your heart the most?
- Which have found their way onto your wish lists or TBR stacks?
- Is there a childhood favorite?
- Have you ever named a pet after an animal from a book or movie?
You get the idea! Have fun with this; use your imagination. Share your thoughts!
As an adjunct to this post, consider sharing photos of animals (domestic or wild) which have inspired or thrilled you, or graced your life with their presence.
There were a few books that came to mind right away when I read todays theme. I’m sure we could all name several movies that have animals in theme, we watched those films over and over again growing up. So, I’m going to focus on a couple of books that I just adored and had an animal connection.
The first novel to come to mind was The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Hadden. Once I reflected a little more on the book I found I was a little surprised this would be the first one to come to mind. The dog we’re talking about in this novel is the poodle found murdered at the beginning of the book. It’s a fabulous book and made me laugh so much while reading it. The story of an autistic child searching for the murderer is one of those books that has the ability to change you when you read it.
The other book that came to mind right away was one of my favourite books that I first read in high school and I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve read it since. I’m talking about George Orwell’s Animal Farm. I think the reason this book stuck with me because I love history and the story of the Russian revolution is a great story. Orwell’s retelling of the revolution is fantastic and has everything in it. It’s amazing and if you haven’t read it forty times already you should pick it up and give it another go.
Those are just two great animal books that should be read by all. I’m looking forward to seeing what other books have been suggested from my fellow weekly geeks.
That's the Book! 
I loved The Curious Incident! I totally forgot about that.
I haven’t read The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time, and I forgot about Animal Farm.
Happy Weekly Geeks 🙂
I read part of Animal Farm but it is a little too much for me. I have heard good things about The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time though.
I enjoyed The Curious Incident, too – tho I am finding people who didn’t like it at all. Animal Farm is a great book to highlight this week.
2 books on my wish list, lovely post!
claire & Care: curious Incident is fantastic isn’t it? It was the first one to come to mind. Odd really.
Maree: It’s a good book, if you haven’t read it yet you should definitely read it. Animal Farm is one of my all time favourites.
Shannon: Animal Farm is one of my all time favourites. What was it you didn’t like about the book?
Kristen: I hope you enjoy them both.
Aaron: I find it interesting that my mind wandered to children’s books, but yours and some of the other participants’ minds wandered toward books for adults or at least teens. Obvious would be Animal Farm and I don’t know why I didn’t think of that. As for the Hadden book, I haven’t read it, but now that I hear it explained what it’s about, I might have to try it.
My post can be found here: http://justareadingfool.wordpress.com/2009/04/30/weekly-geeks-2009-15-big-red-and-other-great-dog-stories/
Completely forgot about The Curious Incident… that was a good book!