The Dog Days of Summer are those insufferably hot days of summer that can happen anytime between July and September.
The term originates with the ancient Greeks and Romans. Sirius, the "Dog Star," was the brightest star in the heavens besides the sun, and it rose and set with the sun in summer. The ancients believed that it generated the heat responsible for the hellish weather. The Dog Days were popularly believed to be an evil time "when the seas boiled, wine turned sour, dogs grew mad, and all creatures became languid, causing to man burning fevers, hysterics, and phrensies."
The Library will be hosting a series of delightful pet-oriented programs to counteract the otherwise unpleasant Dog Days in Westport, including sheltering your pets in an emergency on July 23rd, choosing the right pet on July 28th, and training your dog on July 30th.
Mystery fans looking for the perfect reading companion should try Spencer Quinn’s Dog on It. Meet Chet, the wise and lovable canine narrator, who works alongside Bernie, a down-on-his-luck private investigator. They are investigating the disappearance of a teenage girl who may or may not have been kidnapped, but who has definitely gotten mixed up with some very unsavory characters.
In one of its many starred reviews, Library Journal said "At last, a dog lover's mystery that portrays dogs as they really are....Quinn's characters are endearing, and his narrative is intriguing, fast-moving, and well written. Even cat lovers will find it entertaining.”
This cat lover did! I enjoyed it so much that I did a bit of research on the author in the hope of finding a sequel in the works, and much to my surprise found out that Spencer Quinn is a pseudonym of Peter Abrahams, one of my all-time favorite authors.
There is a sequel coming in January, 2010, called Thereby Hangs a Tail. And by the way, I highly recommend the Recorded Books version of Dog on It.
If you are into the retro hard-boiled style, perhaps The Unscratchables by Cornelius Kane is the book for you. It is a hard-biting mystery featuring San Bernado police dog detectives and FBI Siamese cat agents, in a world inhabited only by animals. Booklist raves “The Unscratchables is a perfect mix of wit, classic hard-boiled style, and perceptive commentary on modern society, all coming together to create one of the best mysteries of 2009.”
Check our catalog for the incredibly diverse selection of canine mysteries in the Library’s collection and join us in air-conditioned comfort for one of those Dog Days programs.
