I’ve been a huge Dave Barry fan for years. I tend to like humor that is taken from real life and comes from experiences that humans share and can relate to. Like talking to the people from the cable company, for example (in his case, Comcast, in my case Charter/ATT/DirecTV). So I am happy to give an honest review of Barry’s latest book Lessons From Lucy in return for my honest review (thanks, Simon & Schuster and NetGalley). The book is categorized as “Humor-Self-help” which I found interesting. I sort of always thought of reading Dave Barry as being  a humorous experience, but in this case, I think the self-help label applies equally well.

The full title of the book is Lessons From Lucy: The Simple Joys of an Old, Happy Dog, and the Lucy of the title is  clearly one of the joys of Barry’s entire life. There are seven chapters, each one dealing with a specific situation or daily struggle that he has experienced, and which he relates to the way Lucy responds when she is faced with challenges.

I loved the chapter that looked at how dogs can be so completely routine-oriented, and was reminded that overall dogs live in the moment, and have ways of achieving happiness that are simple and profound (perhaps simply profound?) Some of the stories include friends of his, and I loved reading about Barry’s years with the band The Rock Bottom Remainders, a band that included other authors  (Amy Tan, Stephen King, Roy Blount, Jr. Robert Fulghum, Matt Groening, Ridley Pearson, Barbara Kingsolver, and others).  Originally intended to perform once then disband, it went on for years (and I was fortunate to see and hear them once — great fun!).

Like all Dave Barry books I have read, this is full of memories, life lessons, and laughs. Lessons From Lucy will be loved by all Dave Barry fans, and will likely garner some new ones as well. It will be a great gift for dog lovers and people who are perhaps a bit baffled by the whole getting older thing. And it’s PERFECT for the combo of aging dog lovers!

With gratitude for the laughs at a time when I really needed them, five stars.