Book: "Allowed to Grow Old: Portraits of Elderly Animals on Farm Sanctuaries"

Through photographs and writings, Isa Leshko shares the stories of aging animals in her book Allowed to Grow Old: Portraits of Elderly Animals on Farm Sanctuaries, published by the University of Chicago Press in April 2019.

For more information about Isa Leshko and her book, listen to the interview with CBC.

Vegan Punk Cooking

Two big stand outs I got for Christmas are:

DNA Ancestry kit (which I asked for, and Ancestry sent me an email recently saying they got my saliva sample but it takes 6-8 weeks to get the test results; very long wait-list I guess).

And the other, which I didn't know existed, is the vegan cookbook, "Bake and Destroy", subtitled, "Good Food for Bad Vegans". The forward is by a pro-wrestler champ named CM Punk.

The back cover says (in quotes) the author of the cookbook, Natalie Slater (she has her own website of the same name, Bake and Destroy) is said to "have been described as Martha Stewart meets Iron Maiden". In making the book, Slater was "influenced by slasher films, pro-wrestling, punk rock and heavy metal." She has lots of delicious recipes but "along the way, her off-color humor, irreverent rants and density of pop-culture references will make you laugh out loud."

I haven't really delved into the book yet, but I love to bake (I make phenomenal vegan banana nut bread), so I'm looking forward to reading it and preparing some terrific vegan dishes.

So, Why Become Vegan?

Veganism is a combination of everything in coming to understand about life. To inspire others to commit to an eco-friendly and animal-friendly life, author Sandra Kimler has published a new book titled, “So, Why Become Vegan?: A. Nutritional Reasons B. Spiritual Reasons C. Environmental Reasons D. Ethical Reasons E. All of the Above” (published by Balboa Press).

Drawing upon years of study in nutrition and iridology, Kimler describes her motivations to live a vegan lifestyle in this new health guide. She begins by introducing the reader to tips on becoming more aware of one’s impact upon the earth and its animals. Continuing with chapters on nutrition and veganism recommendations for recipes, websites and books, and finishing with information about the ethical and environmental reasons for veganism, Kimler makes a case for the lifestyle choice.

What Kimler likes for people to take away is the confidence to change their eating habits, thinking patterns and behavior. Her message is: ‘Be kind to yourself. Never feel guilty--but always learn, change and be fiercely curious.’

How to Speak Dog: Mastering the Art of Dog-Human Communication

This PHENOMENAL book should have been on the best seller list when it came out in 2000!!

If you, like me, are tired of dog books simply telling people how to house train dogs, and not telling people how dog's REALLY feel and how to REALLY communicate with them in a respectful way then PLEASE READ THIS BOOK! I promise you, you will not regret it!

It not only talks about dog's relationship to humans, but also in how dogs relate to other dogs and cats as well. It discusses dogs historically and compares dog behaviors to human and cat behaviors. It's a MUST READ! An especially terrific chapter is on how to stop a dog from barking; this was my biggest mistake in I would say "No!" But the word "no" sounds like a bark to a dog; the word "quiet" and importantly HOW the word quiet is used, is the most effective and respectful way of silencing a dog in the way a dog would understand. Please read the book to find out more on this subject.

You can get this book probably almost anywhere books are sold, like here at Amazon.

If you have any dogs, it is indeed a must-read!

From Amazon:

"At long last, dogs will know just how smart their owners can be. By unlocking the secrets of the hidden language of dogs, psychologist Stanley Coren allows us into the doggy dialogue, or "Doggish," and makes effective communication a reality. Drawing on substantial research in animal behavior, evolutionary biology, and years of personal experience, Coren demonstrates that the average house dog can understand language at about the level of a two-year-old human. While actual conversation of the sort Lassie seemed capable of in Hollywood mythmaking remains forever out of reach, Coren shows us that a great deal of real communication is possible beyond the giving and obeying of commands. How to Speak Dog not only provides the sounds, words, actions, and move-ments with which we can effectively communicate with our dogs, but also deciphers the signs that our dogs give to us. With easy-to-follow tips on how humans can mimic the language dogs use to talk with one another, original drawings illustrating the subtleties of their body language, and a handy visual glossary and "Doggish" phrasebook, How to Speak Dog gives dog lovers the skills they need to improve their relationships with their pets."

Peace to All Beings: Veggie Soup for the Chicken's Soul

This award winning book, Peace to All Beings, is about working to protect the environment, to promote world peace, to end world hunger and human rights abuses, to liberate animals from suffering, and to raise planetary consciousness. They are all deeply interconnected, and none can go very far forward without the others. All find their common ground in the ethics of nonviolence, compassion, and reverence for all life. Peace to All Beings reveals the root cause behind the violence and war now being waged against the earth, the animals, and people. 

"Skinny Bitch" Vegan Chicklit Novels

This is one of the very few vegan novel for adults that I know about. I just got it from my library. It's a chicklit book so it's an easy read.

Synopsis from Amazon:

How bad could a little butter be? Bad enough to get rising culinary star Clementine Cooper blackballed from every vegan kitchen in Los Angeles after a backstabbing coworker sabotages the biggest night of her career. Fortunately, any vegan chef worth her salt knows how to turn lemons into delicious, cruelty-free lemonade cupcakes. Clem launches the Skinny Bitch Cooking School with dreams of opening her own neighborhood café. So she’s livid when sexy millionaire Zach Jeffries puts a fork in her plans with his new steakhouse.

When Zach signs up for her cooking class, however, she’s astonished. He’s far from the simple meathead Clem imagined him to be. In fact, he’s a very good kisser. Clem thought she was open-minded, but as she confronts the challenges of budding entrepreneurship, old rivals, ex-boyfriends, and two tempting suitors—a charming British vegan chef and a traitorously attractive carnivore—Clem wonders if she can ever say “I love you” to a man who hates tofu.

320 pages. Published: June 4, 2013

I just found out now, the author has recently written a second follow-up to that book called...

It comes out in May.

Synopsis from Amazon:

For the second time in just a few short months, Clementine Cooper’s professional reputation hinges on one restaurant review. Clementine’s No Crap Café is poised to score the Holy Grail of publicity—a mention in the New York Times Sunday travel section—if Clem’s veggietastic lasagna can bowl over the food critic.

Clem has no time for distractions. Or surprises. But when her meat-eating millionaire boyfriend Zach Jeffries shocks her with a sweet and romantic marriage proposal, of course she says yes! Now she has to plan the most important menu of her life while fending off her domineering future mother-in-law’s extravagant plans for the wedding.

As if there wasn’t enough on her plate, Clem decides to open a second restaurant on her parents’ farm—Clem’s No Crap Outpost— against Zach’s advice. Just when she needs his support the most, Zach grows distant. The only person who really seems to understand is Clem’s friend and biggest competition, the cute vegan chef Alexander Orr. Putting out fires in the kitchen is easy—but in her relationship? Suddenly, her time with Alexander feels . . . hotter . . . than usual, and Clem starts to wonder if the charming carnivore she’s engaged to is really the man she should spend her life with.

320 pages. Published May 6, 2014

Looks to be two cool light summer reads!

First Aid for ALL

First Aid for People




This is the AHA's official First Aid class book, which teaches you thoroughly on how to treat all kinds of injuries. Nice book to have around for emergencies regardless of whether you are a student or not. Easy to understand with lots of photos.




First Aid for Companion Animals






This book, in my opinion, is the best book on the market for giving first aid to dogs and cats. It covers everything you need to know, even serious injuries like gun shot wounds. It shows you how to give CPR to any size animal. Easy to understand with photos. No home with companion animals should be without this book.

Mind If I Order The Cheeseburger?

Great episode from podcast, ARZone:


Episode 75 features Professor of Law and author Sherry Colb.

Sherry Colb is professor of Law at Cornell University and is the author of the book, Mind If I Order the Cheeseburger? and Other Questions People Ask Vegans (2013). 

Sherry visits ARZone to talk about that book, in which she offers practical and well-reasoned advice to all of us who may encounter some of the most common questions put to vegans by non-vegans. She also talks with us about the importance of empathy and understanding in advocacy and how feminism intersects with animal rights.

http://www.arzonepodcasts.com/2013/12/arzone-podcast-75-sherry-colb-mind-if-i.html

The Chain

The Chain, by Robin Lamont, is a novel with a message on animal rights. Here is the synopsis of the book:

Jude Brannock, a seasoned and passionate animal rights investigator, is drawn into the lives of a damaged family in a small town that depends on a meat packing plant for its survival.

Jude has been summoned to Bragg Falls to meet with a whistle-blower who has documented the dangerous conditions for workers and the brutal treatment of pigs about to be slaughtered at D&M Processing. But when she arrives, she finds that her contact has committed suicide and the video he made is gone. The deeper she probes, the more the town’s residents turn against her – afraid that an exposé will shut down the plant. But beyond the local resistance, there is a more sinister force that will do anything to hide what is happening behind the secretive doors of the slaughterhouse.

China Study Cookbook Coming Soon!

I am looking to lose 30 pounds (or at least 20) to have the perfect weight for my height and frame (oh sweet memories!). Right now, I'm going by a Vegan Food Pyramid to help me to lose weight but I would like to have a guide where the process is discussed more--like preferably in book form.

So after searching online for a couple hours, I found out in May of this year, there will be a cookbook version of the best-selling vegan book, The China Study. I haven't read The China Study, but will take a brief look at it (surprisingly, my partner Jeffrey owns the book and he's far from being vegan). I say, I'll take a brief look at it, because it would be like "preaching to the converted" but I'm sure to find nutritional information I didn't realize. But the book, The China Study Cookbook, is what I really want! I've pre-ordered it now.

Vegan Is Love: Having Heart and Taking Action

Author-illustrator Ruby Roth, introduces young readers to veganism as a lifestyle of compassion and action in her book, Vegan Is Love.

Roth illustrates how our daily choices ripple out locally and globally, conveying what we can do to protect animals, the environment, and people across the world. Roth explores the many opportunities we have to make ethical decisions: refusing products tested on or made from animals; avoiding sea parks, circuses, animal races, and zoos; choosing to buy organic food; and more. Roth’s message is direct but sensitive, bringing into sharp focus what it means to “put our love into action.”

The book also features back-of-the-book resources on action children can take themselves.

A Dog Named Leaf

In 2006, Allen and Linda Anderson adopted a cocker spaniel from an animal shelter and named him Leaf. Seven months later, the dog was turning the couple’s home into a war zone, and they were regretting their impulsive choice.


Then one day Allen, who had spent eight years as an active duty police officer and had survived so many close calls, received a phone call that made him think his luck had finally run out. Allen had an unruptured brain aneurysm that would be fatal if not operated on immediately. And the surgery might be fatal, or very debilitating. Having seen his father live for years with the effects of a massive stroke, Allen was thrown into a panic that the worst fate might not be death.

What Allen didn’t know is that what would save him was a miracle--their dog named Leaf...

 

Allen Anderson’s new book A Dog Named Leaf, shares life-changing events that confirm the reality of heaven and spiritual benefits of adopting a rescued dog who might be destined to rescue you!

 

Allen Anderson and his wife Linda founded the Angel Animals Network, which helps people discover the benefits of human-animal companionship.

A Child's Book of Animal Poems and Blessings

These poems, prayers and blessings about our animal brethren are drawn from around the world and throughout history. The book speaks to a child's sense of connection with the animal kingdom.

 

Amusing and reverential, Eliza Blanchard weaves together a collection that inspires gratitude and joy for a world rich in diversity and wonder. Sources include the Bible, African and Native American cultures, Lewis Carroll, William Wordsworth and Christina Rosetti. Full-color illustrations.

Goodbye, Friend

 

In the book, Goodbye, Friend, author Gary Kowalski takes you on a journey of healing, offering warmth and sound advice on how to cope with the death of your companion animal. Filled with heartwarming stories and practical guidance on such matters as taking care of yourself while mourning, creating rituals to honor your companion's memory, talking to children about death, and considering death and the continuum of life, Goodbye, Friend is a beautiful and comforting book for anyone grieving the loss of a beloved animal and is a much-needed resource for any grieving companion parent.

 



The author shows the need for the Church to recognize bereavement for companion animals in the same way it recognizes bereavement over human loss and the need to stop denying the fact that animals have souls and spirits, just as we do.

Through a series of short chapters, the author walks us through the mourning process of various individuals through whom we can relate our own losses and look forward with hope to seeing our lost companions again in heaven. Our feelings of loss are not unique, but universal among all people of compassion.

He concludes his book with ideas for creating a memorial service and inspirational readings from many faiths, past and present.

Pet Loss

 

The grief that follows the death of an animal companion  can be crippling emotionally, mentally, and even physically. This book can help anyone discover the many emotional reactions and responses to the loss of a pet, learn what happens at a pet cemetery burial, cremation, or home burial and help you to find out arrangements that are legally available.

Animals in Religion, Science, and Ethics

 

This is a fabulous book on animals and spirituality, and it covers other topics relating to animals as well. Leading animal experts "consider how major religious traditions have incorporated animals into their belief systems, myths, rituals, and art...Their findings offer profound insights into humans' relationships with animals and a deeper understanding of the social and ecological web in which we all live....They explore issues such as animal consciousness, suffering, sacrifice, and stewardship in innovative methodological ways. They also address contemporary challenges relating to law, biotechnology, social justice, and the environment."

For more information on this book, check it out here:

A Communion of Subjects: Animals in Religion, Science, and Ethics

Let Us Now Bark: Book teaches pet ministry

Marti Healy believes God gave man dominion over the creatures of the earth with strings attached: Rule with kindness, love unconditionally and listen for lessons of the heart.

A lifelong animal lover, Healy has discovered a deep spirituality in her relationships with dogs and cats, lessons she explores in her book, "The God-Dog Connection: Things I've Learned About God and Faith from the Dogs and Cats in My Life" (January 1, 2010 newer edition but reprint--same as the 2007 version book)

The Aiken, S.C., writer, who self-published the volume in 2003, is preparing a companion workbook that will help Christian churches develop small-group pet ministry programs.

Read more about Marti's ministry at: Book Teaches Pet Ministry

Companion books by Marti Healy:

The God Dog Connection Pet Ministry

The God Dog Connection Study Guide