John is also not a runner, but he ran a half-marathon once. He would really like to fight in the octagon, but settles for watching UFC on TV. He jumped out of a plane for his 40th birthday but would never do it again. He’s pretty good at ping pong and racquet ball but is lousy at basketball. He loves hiking at Vedauwoo and has hiked the Subway and Arches National Park but he detests camping. He likes amusement parks but gets sick on the spinning rides. Loves Church, hates meetings.
About the only thing for which there are no buts is his family—John loves his family, no buts about it. He currently resides with his beautiful wife, Ruth and their six children in Laramie, Wyoming. John loves the Laramie summers…but hates the winters. About the only thing to do during a Laramie winter is, well, write. Hence, John is, but not by choice, a writer
About the Book: When I first met Ruth, a British bombshell with a borderline-psychotic penchant for pets, I could not imagine the beautiful disaster that would follow. My wife has subjected me to more ridiculous pet palaver than any man should have to endure. Ruth rescues feeder mice from pet stores, spends 500 dollars on tadpoles and believes the best way to honor a dead pet is to bring home a live one. From Hedgehogs to horses, or polliwogs to parakeets, or even ducks to demon dogs, we’ve had nearly every kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus and species of “pet” imaginable.
Watch me struggle mightily to control the chaos as I juggle my love for Ruth, my disdain for
pets and the responsibilities of fatherhood in this bizarre story that is my life. Along the way I’ll make up songs, poems and folktales; “Stella the one-eyed hamster” is a personal favorite, though I’m particularly fond of the nursery rhymes surrounding the gerbil genocide. My co-author, William Shakespeare, helps introduce each chapter and his words are often used to summarize my angst. In the end, there's a lesson for all--probably one you will never guess…
My Review:
I read this book with an open mind, because I LOVE pets, although with all seven of my children, I have never had as many as John and Ruth have had. This book was hilarious, one of the funniest books I've read with animals involved. If you love or hate pets, you'll love this book. It opens the world of those that enjoy pets "less" than the rest of the family. I laughed so hard with John and Ruth's story, each child, and pet. I highly recommend this book for anyone wanting to have a fun read that will make you laugh!