Dogs and Cats in Photographs and Stories

The weekends can be crazy busy this time of year and the dark, cold evenings during the week can be invitations to stay inside and relax.  For dog and cat aficionados, here are three extraordinary new books you can check out for 21 days.  Keep them on your nightstand or someplace visible for friends and relatives to grab if the party conversation gets boring.

Puppyhood: life-size portraits of puppies at 6 weeks old

Here are large (life-size!) professionally photographed pictures of some of the cutest puppies you've ever seen, all set against a bright white background.  The dogs' names and breeds are included and text is minimal.  Arguably the best centerfold is Gage the Husky with eyes the perfect shade of blue.

The Big New Yorker Book of Dogs

This would be a great gift for dog lovers.  Or give yourself a treat and check this out for three weeks. Poetry, the famous New Yorker cartoons, and stories from authors such as Ian Frazier, Malcolm Gladwell, and Susan Orlean make this a book to treasure.

The Life and Love of Cats

"They are wild at heart, with a veneer of domestication that helps them live alongside us." -- from The Life and Love of Cats

Lewis Blackwell has compiled an extraordinary book of close-up images, profiles, and generally spectacular photographs of cats and kittens.  This oversized book is one to be displayed in a prominent position, with cover face-out, on your book shelf.  It's a unique collection of artistic photographs and not-to-be-missed macro photography.