June's Top Three Reads - Perfect Pups, Prison Laughs, and Plays Gone Wrong

Hello Book Lovers!

June, wow, you were an absolutely fabulous month of reading (and listening), with only one BIG dud and plenty of terrific reads.

Okay, granted those stats may be skewed a bit since I've been re-reading (re-listening to?) a favorite series (the Charles Lennox mysteries by Charles Finch).

But, cheating aside, June really did outdo herself by delivering a treasure trove of great books.

So what made the three that earned their Top Three status stand out? They were wholly original, they hit all the right "funny" notes (while also quite touching in the case of two of them), and they simply managed to be downright great reads.

So, if your to-read list can handle the added weight, keep on scrolling to discover a trio of terrific stories....

Note: If you're interested in grabbing any of these books for yourself, a tap on that title link or the cover will take you to the book's page on Amazon, or you can always look for the book at your local library.

First up, some Very Good Dogs and a Status-Seeking Cat!

The Book of Dog

by D.J. Molles

This book somehow pulled off being laugh-out-loud funny, achingly touching, and very thought-provoking all in one go, and it pulled it off pretty darn well.

The basic premise is that humans (the peoples) have disappeared from earth, leaving behind their cats and dogs who are at a loss as to why their peoples would abandon them. What follows is an all-too-human attempt by the dogs to be Very Good Dogs when they basically create a religion (with the cat Sweetpea putting himself as His Masterfulness, of course), and then go overboard with the religion with factions and fighting and, well, definitely, not being Very Good Dogs.

I mostly loved this book. The cat Sweetpea is a foul-mouthed feline who really sets the tone for the whole book, and his change over the course of the story was may favorite part. The book is also told through the POV of Mash, a goofy hound-type dog, and Banger, an older mutt who has had a really tough life. Through them and the village's other pets, Molles makes some terrific points about human "beliefs" and where those beliefs and certainties can lead if we don't step back and think about what life is really all about. Not rules and rigidity, but being excellent to each other (thank you "Bill & Ted").

That all makes this sound like it's a preachy book about religion. It's not really. It's laugh-out-loud funny at times, and it's a tear-jerker at times, and its overall message is simply about getting along.

That said, some of the scenes in the book do play out far too long, like the author was meandering his way through a few sections of the book without quite knowing where they were going. But these sections are limited and the story soon gets chugging along nicely again.

Overall, definitely recommended if you love pets, if you need a laugh (or a cry), and if you need reminded about all it would take to make humans better peoples.

Next, Irish humor in Ancient Greece...

Glorious Exploits

By Ferdia Lennon

I'm not quite sure how a book manages to be funny but tragic, lovely but brutal, and historically Greek but contemporarily Irish and still work, but work this does. And it does so brilliantly!

The basic premise is that it's 412 BC, and the Peloponnesian War is going strong. In Syracuse, Sicily, the captured Athenians are imprisoned in a quarry where Lampo and his friend Gelon like to go to taunt the prisoners. But when the story opens, the two friends decide they want to put on a play using the Athenians (and some local kids) as the actors. What follows is Lampo and Gelon (now "Directors") sorting out how to get a ragtag bunch of prisoners to perform, and how to finance the whole project.

Okay, first up, the author of the book is Irish and the book is narrated by Lampo in pure, gallows-humor-filled, Irish vernacular, which simply makes this book a delight of dark humor at times. Lampo is quite the character. He's not had as tough a life as Gelon (who is very broody), and at the start he's a complete fool who's able to cajole people into doing things, but also very good at screwing up. But as the play proceeds and he begins to fall for a slave girl who works at the bar he frequents, you get to see Lampo change into quite the hero... but still with plenty of wry Irish commentary and dark humor.

And besides the decent character development, it's just a great story. Although, as mentioned, it does get pretty brutal at one point.

This is definitely one of those books I recommend "reading" with your ears. The author himself narrates it, which I normally hate for fiction, but Lennon has some mad voice acting skills and, as the author, nails the exact tone required to hit both the humorous notes and the poignant ones.

Overall, an absolutely wonderful bit of fiction that I can see myself listening to again.

And finally, getting thrown into prison shouldn't be this funny...

The Quiet Man

by Caimh McDonnell

Psychotic prison guards. A band of nuns. And gangs of white supremacists. Hardly the stuff of laugh-out-loud comic fiction... unless that fiction's being cranked out by Caimh McDonnell.

The basic premise is that Bunny McGarry (former Garda) has gotten himself thrown in prison under a false identity in order. Why? So he can break out a fellow prisoner and help some rather unconventional nuns free a couple of their sisters from the hands of a gang who's taken them hostage. Meanwhile, you've got Bunny getting on the wrong side of prison guards and gang leaders, and the nuns having to figure out just exactly how you stage a jail break of the most high-security private prison in Nevada.

This might rank as one of my favorite Bunny books so far. It keeps you guessing what's going to happen next, it's never predictable, and it's got a ton of dark humor that hits the right note every time.

I don't think you need to have read every Bunny book to enjoy this one, but I do think reading the previous one, "I Have Sinned," would be a good idea just to get a handle on who the nuns are and what they're all about (good stuff, but with their own spin on what "good" means).

Overall, highly recommended if you're looking for a fast-paced bit of fiction that will keep you giggling. I also recommend the audiobook... I think it really helps get across the wonderfully wry humor!

Have you read any of these? What did you think? Did you anything great this past month, or anything horrible you might want to warn me away from? Be sure to drop a comment to let me know.