Tag: Amazon book review

Doggie Haiku

This is a Leonberger blog, but I also post about other topics including book reviews for books that I love and want to promote. With this post I would like to promote Doggie Haiku: A Novella in Haiku for Dog-Lovers by Laura Stamps.

Below is an overview of the two formats of Doggie Haiku
  • Paperback –  Publisher : Prolific Pulse Press LLC (November 15, 2024), ASIN : 1962374327, ISBN-13 :  978-1962374323, 39 pages, Item Weight : 2.72 ounces, dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.83 x 0.1 x 8.27 inches, it cost $10.00 on US Amazon. Click here to order it from Amazon.com.
  • Kindle – Publisher : Prolific Pulse Press LLC (November 15, 2024), ASIN : B0DKYNN7MM, ISBN-13 :  978-1962374330, 44 pages. It is currently $4.99 on Amazon.com but free with Kindle unlimited. Click here to order it from Amazon.com.
The front cover features a beach with a woman in a chair and a chihuahua on the sand, as well as the title and name of author written.
Front cover of Doggie Haiku: A Novella in Haiku for Dog-Lovers by Laura Stamps. Click on the image to go to the Amazon page for the paperback version of the book.

Amazon’s Description of Doggie Haiku by Laura Stamps

Cindy is a shopaholic. She’s also the “Treat Lady.” There’s always a treat in her pocket for the neighborhood dogs. But what she really wants is a dog of her own. One day she sees Hazel at the local shelter. A tiny, frightened, senior Chihuahua. And she can’t resist. However, walking a dog in the snow is not her thing. So she applies for a transfer at her job. Soon Cindy and Hazel are on the road to the Florida office. To blue skies, sandy beaches, sunshine, and those Southern men. (Oh, my!) Let the adventures begin…!

What others say:

“In this charming novella, award-winning poet Laura Stamps gallops her way into our hearts one Haiku syllable and one cute doggie at a time. Her pace is fun and intentional. I read Doggie Haiku first thing this morning. It was a delightful way to start my day. Marvelous storytelling. Beautiful, fun, and very well done. You’ll laugh and smile!”

– Zaneta Johns, Author of Encore: A Collection of Poetry

“Absolutely LOVED it! This new novella by the super Laura Stamps is a delightful treat. Full of doggy fun and an owner’s adventures, it’s not to be missed. All the cute pictures will make you laugh out loud too. Don’t wait. Get it now!”

– Laura Besley, Author of 100neHundred

“This was such a fun read! If you want a dog (or to find true love), this charming and funny novel written in haiku is for you. You’ll smile through the adventures of Cindy (a certifiable shopaholic) and Hazel (her Chihuahua). Read it whenever your spirits need a lift!”

– Nolcha Fox, Author of Words into Elephants

This is my Amazon five-star Amazon review of Doggie Haiku

A Cute, Funny and Touching Adventure with a Dog

This poetry novelette takes the reader on an adventure with Cindy and her Chihuahua Hazel. Cindy loves dogs more than anything. One day she picks up a scared black and white chihuahua from the shelter. Poor Hazel had been abandoned. So, begin their adventure together. They move to Florida, where they meet people and dogs. Cindy goes on dates and takes Hazel with her, which ends in some accidents. Don’t worry, to Cindy dogs matter a lot more than men do.

It is a fun and lighthearted story full of humor and laughter, but also lots of doggy love. The story is told in the form of 123 Haiku poems, which adds to the fun. This short book is above all cute, funny and touching, and I highly recommend it to all dog lovers.

A picture of a beach and praise for the book.
Back cover of Doggie Haiku: A Novella in Haiku for Dog-Lovers by Laura Stamps. Click on the image to go to the Amazon page for the Kindle version of the book.

About the Author of Doggie Haiku

Laura Stamps is a poet and novelist who loves to create experimental forms for her poetry and fiction. Author of over 50 novels, novellas, and poetry books. Winner of the Muses Prize. Recipient of a Pulitzer Prize nomination and 7 Pushcart Prize nominations. Published in more than 2000 literary magazines and anthologies worldwide. Lover of Chihuahuas, Yorkies, and cats.

Click here to visit her website

Click here to visit the review for another one of her books :

Review of Badlands

This is a Leonberger blog, but I also post book reviews of books that are not about Leonbergers, non-Leonberger books I love and want to promote. With this post I would like to promote a truly great novel featuring Neanderthals and other archaic humans. The book is called Badlands and is the second book in the savage land trilogy by Jacqui Murray.

To visit my review for the first book in the series, Endangered Species – Click here. To visit my contribution to the book blast for Endangered Species, Click here. To see the Neanderthal super fact post (facts given to me by Jacqui Murray) – Click here.

Below is an overview of the three formats of Badlands

  • Paperback –  Structured Learning LLC (April 15, 2025), ISBN-10 : 194210166X, ISBN-13 : 978-1942101666, 259 pages, Item Weight : 12.5 ounces, dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 0.59 x 9 inches, it cost $15.99 on US Amazon. Click here to order it from Amazon.com.
  • Kindle – Structured Learning LLC (January 2, 2025), ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0DFCV5YFT, ISBN-13 : 978-1942101673, 311 pages. It is currently $4.99 on Amazon.com and free with Kindle unlimited. Click here to order it from Amazon.com.
  • Audiobook – Structured Learning LLC (January 4, 2025), ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0F5NGVJ3H, Virtual Voice, listening length 8 hours and 22 minutes, it is currently $4.99 on Amazon.com.  Click here to order it from Amazon.com.
The front cover features the title and author, a neanderthal woman and three canines (wolves). There is an erupting volcano in the background.
Front cover of Badlands. Click on the image to go to the Amazon page for the paperback version of the book.

Amazon Description of Badlands

Savage Land is the third trilogy about prehistoric man in the series, Man. Vs. Nature.Written in the spirit of Jean Auel, Savage Land explores how two bands of humans survived one of the worst natural disasters in Earth’s history, when volcanic eruptions darkened the sky, massive tsunamis crossed the ocean in crushing waves, and raging fires burned the land. Each of the tribes considered themselves apex predators. Neither was. That crown belonged to Nature and she was intent on washing the blight of man from her face. Join me in this three-book fictional exploration of Neanderthals. Be ready for a world nothing like what you thought it would be, filled with clever minds, brilliant acts, and innovative solutions to life-ending problems, all based on real events. At the end of this trilogy, you’ll be proud to call Neanderthals family.

In Badlands, Book Two, the tribes must split up, each independently crossing what Nature has turned into a wasteland. They struggle against starvation, thirst, and desperate enemies more feral than human. If they quit or worse, lose, they will never reunite with their groups or escape the most deadly natural disaster ever faced by our kind.

My Amazon Review of Badlands

Once Upon a Time 75,000 Years Ago

The adventures of Yu’ung continue in this book. Yu’ung is a female Neanderthal and a healer and a leader of her tribe. The world she and her tribe inhabit is threatened by massive volcanic eruptions. The Neanderthals, referred to as The People, as well as the Tall Ones (the Homo Sapiens), and other Uprights (Home Erectus, Denisovans, etc.) are forced to relocate. Yu’ung’s tribe and many other tribes are migrating towards the shoreless sea. Unfortunately, Yu’ung has to leave her tribe as she accompanies an old member of her tribe to meet up with the mountain clan. Both groups are accompanied by smart and loyal canines. There are disasters, unexpected events as well as dangerous enemies along the way.

Like all Jacqui Murray’s novels this novel is very intense, captivating and realistic. Life was harsh back then and the author has a great way of depicting this vividly and realistically. You connect with the characters and their struggle for survival. There is kindness, generosity, heartbreak, cruelty, battles and betrayal. The importance of cooperation and belonging for survival becomes clear and you understand the advantage of everyone having a role and a purpose in the tribe. Jacqui imagines what pre-historic man must have felt and experienced and she does this very skillfully. She has also done her research regarding the way pre-historic man, including Neanderthals, lived and what they were capable of.

The novel features a number of pre-historic dogs or semi-domesticated wolves referred to as Canis, including Ocha, Ragged Ear, Blaze, White Streak and Ump. These Canis cooperate with the Neanderthals in various ways and together they are much stronger. Neanderthals may not have domesticated dogs, and the author admits to using a creative license or narrative license in this regard. However, the Canis adds a lot to the story. Her use of the loyal and smart Canis makes it easier to relate to the pre-historic tribes in the story and it allows her to add interesting plot twists. Somewhat ironically, the Canis adds humanity to the story.

At the end of the book is the first chapter of the next book in the trilogy, Balance of Nature, followed by information about Neanderthals. The beginning of the book features a helpful list and explanation of terms used in the book as well as an explanatory list of the characters in the book, including the Canis. It is a nice habit the author has, which makes it easier to follow along, especially if you forget a character, or you did not read the first book.

I loved this book just like I loved the other books written by Jacqui Murray. It is both captivating and interesting and it makes you think about all those millions of pre-historic humans who came before us long ago. Our modern civilization has existed for such a very short time, and it is easy to forget how privileged we are. I believe you can read this book standalone without getting confused, but it is better if you have already read the first book in the series (Endangered Species). I highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in adventure.

Photo of the author, an overview of the author, and a description of the book.
Back cover of Badlands. Click on the image to go to the Amazon page for the Kindle version of the book.

About the Author of Badlands

Jacqui Murray is the author of the popular prehistoric fiction saga, Man vs. Nature which explores seminal events in man’s evolution one trilogy at a time. She is also the author of the Rowe-Delamagente thrillers and Building a Midshipman, the story of her daughter’s journey from high school to United States Naval Academy. When not writing, she is grad school teacher, author of over a hundred tech ed resources including K-12 technology curricula, and an Amazon Vine Voice.

You can find her resources at her publisher, Structured Learning LLC. She lives in So. California with her husband of forty years, Labrador Casey, and lots of contact with her adult children, one a Cdr in the Navy, the other a SFC in the Army. Feel free to reach out to Jacqui at her blog, WordDreams, or her social media platforms.