Marley and Me by John Grogan

I was in the mood for a light, fun memoir and this looked like it would fit the bill. It's the life story of Grogan's neurotic, hyperactive lab, Marley, who is advertised as "the world's worst dog". Marley gets kicked out of obedience school, wrecks and eats just about everything, and shows himself to be just about as stupid and bullheaded as any four-legged creature can be. And of course, Marley gets old, goes blind and deaf, has bad hips and eventually passes on to the big doggy meadow in the sky.

I'm the first to admit I am not a dog person; I doubt I will ever own one, and other people's dogs I usually just tolerate. The author's patience with his dog is not something I think I'd ever possess. That said, I did enjoy reading about Marley's rambunctious personality, and I have to admit I had tears in my eyes when the time finally came for Grogan and his family to say goodbye to Marley. If you're a dog lover, I think you'd like this a lot. Make sure you have a box of kleenex handy...