In the dog days of summer, it’s a perfect time to get a glass of lemonade, find yourself a hammock, and read. Speaking of dogs, try this feel-good title by Alexander McCall-Smith, The Good Pilot Peter Woodhouse. Set in World War II, a British farm girl, an American pilot, and a German soldier are brought together by a border collie. More of a fantasy fan? Try Tomorrow by Damian Dibben. It sounds like a combination of Benjamin Button and Lassie. In this loving story of loyalty, Tomorrow, a 217-year-old dog searches for his lost master throughout the ages from medieval times to nineteenth-century Venice.
Are you a nonfiction reader? Pick up this inspiring story called Finding Gobi : a little dog with a very big heart 
by Dion Leonard. While racing through the Gobi Desert in China and Mongolia, the author, a seasoned marathon runner, encounters a stray dog who, keeping pace with him for nearly 80 miles, gives him a new perspective on life, causing him to fight to bring her home with him. This title is complete with adorable photographs.
And, finally, here’s one for the more serious reader. Princeton University Press brings us, The Dog : a natural history. It’s 224 pages of all things dog. It details the evolution and interaction with humans of dogs as well as discusses the state of dogs today. Includes their behavior, dog breeds, and speculates on their future. The American Kennel Club says this title is ”scholarly, yet highly readable.”
Do you need a real dog fix? You can read to a dog during Paws to Read at the Bedford Branch Library all through the month of August. The program is on Monday nights at 7:00 pm at the Bedford Branch Library. Click here for more information.
Monroe County Library System patrons downloaded 68,805 eBooks and audiobooks in 2014. That's a 27% increase from 2013!