Two Books About Life

I just finished reading two bestsellers, Everyman by Philip Roth, and Marley & Me : Life and Love with the World's Worst Dog by John Grogan. Both tell the tales of a being's life from early years through death. Both were fabulous, easy reads. I recommend them both highly. But I recommend the dog's life most. Grogan had me laughing out loud, and I spent ten minutes in tears at Marley's death, even though there was no surprise in it at all. Maybe it's partly because I'm a dog person. We have a golden retriever and a border collie who bring us endless moments of joy and laughter and also drive us to tears.

But I think even more than that, Grogan's experience as a newspaper columnist gave him an easy and practiced voice. Perhaps Marley and Me was also a slightly happier book...Roth is a wonderful writer, but Everyman seemed to be largely a sad story.