5 Best Selling Books on Dogs

Are you ready for some autumn reading? Here are five best selling books about dogs that are heartwarming and a joy to read. Feel free to post your comments if you have other recommended readings.

1. Red Dog

Already considered almost a classic, Red Dog is a collection of stories of Tally Ho, better known as “Red Dog” who charmed his way into the hearts of many “mates” in Western Australia. This book will make you laugh, cry and cheer for Red Dog as you read about his independence, adventures and loyalty to a man named John.  Red Dog was written by Louis de Bernieres, who wrote the award-winning novel Captain Corelli’s Mandolin. For this book, De Bernieres got his inspiration from a famous bronze dog statue in Western Australia during his visit to the country in 1998.

2. The Art of Racing in the Rain

Meet Enzo, a dog whose main obsession is to become human. On the eve of his death, Enzo recounts his life from a dog's perspective - his relationship with his owner who is an ambitious race car driver, his relationship with his owner's wife and daughter, and his lifelong dream of someday becoming one of us. Throughout the book, Enzo gives a very good analogy of life and car racing. Beautifully written by Garth Stein, The Art of Racing in the Rain will give you some ideas of what your dog might possibly be thinking in some familiar situations. Be prepared with a box of tissue as you read through the pages of this book.

3. Marley and Me

Would you love a stubborn, mischievous dog? For author Josh Grogan, the answer is yes, no matter how difficult it was to train their dog Marley. This “dramedy” of a book is told like a journal and takes us into the issues of marriage, raising a family and a misbehaving yellow Labrador. I wonder if the Grogans have ever heard of Cesar Millan during the time when they were raising Marley.

4. A Dog's Purpose 

We often read stories about man’s search for life’s meaning, but rarely do we read about dogs understanding their purpose on earth. This book shows a dog’s journey in four separate lives through reincarnation as he tries to see his purpose as a dog. Now I’m not a fan of reincarnation, but this book was wonderfully written with a lot of poignant and moving moments and laugh out loud scenarios.  A Dog’s Purpose was written by W. Bruce Cameron who authored humor books How to Remodel a Man and 8 Simple Rules for Marrying My Daughter. I've read that this book is going to be a movie soon.

5. Amazing Gracie: A Dog's Tale

I first saw this book on a Wal-Mart shelf along with dog treats in their pet section. Gracie is indeed amazing and an unlikely canine who launched a bakery! It’s the story about a deaf and partially blind albino Great Dane named Gracie and how her sensitive stomach forced her owners to create homemade food for her.  It’s an inspiring story of hope and salvation written by Three Dog Bakery co-founders Dan Dye and Mark Beckloff.