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Fifteen Dogs
Fifteen Dogs | Andre Alexis
Somewhere around midnight, Rosie, an Alsatian, stopped licking herself and wondered how long she would be in the place she found herself. She then wondered what had happened to the last litter she'd whelped. It suddenly seemed grossly unfair that one should go through the trouble of having pups only to lose track of them. One summer night in Toronto, Hermes and Apollo make a drunken bet about the possibility of human happiness. And so they grant human consciousness to a group of dogs overnighting at a veterinary clinic. Having suddenly been granted more complex thought, the pack is soon torn between those who resist language, preferring their old "dog" ways, and those who embrace it. The gods watch from above as some of the dogs turn violently on one another until only three are left: wily Benjy moves from home to home, intelligent Majnoun finds a surprisingly human relationship with a kind couple, and Prince becomes a poet. For Hermes to win, one of the dogs must be happy at his death. An utterly convincing and moving look at the beauty and perils of consciousness. Andr Alexis was born in Trinidad and grew up in Canada. His debut novel, Childhood, won the Books in Canada First Novel Award, the Trillium Book Award, and was shortlisted for the Giller Prize and the Writers' Trust Fiction Prize. His books include Pastoral, Asylum, and Ingrid & the Wolf.
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Robotswithpersonality
Fifteen Dogs | Andre Alexis
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Mehso-so

Honestly, should have known as soon as I realized the gods placing the bet were Olympians/of the Ancient Greek pantheon, that this would have a tragic tone. As much as one might expect introducing a human-analogue consciousness into the minds of dogs would at least make things complicated, I think this was the bleakest possible interpretation of the premise. 1/2

Robotswithpersonality 2/2 There is a quality to the writing that might lead me to consider picking up another work from this author, but I'd want to make sure it wasn't this dark.
⚠️animal cruelty/abuse, animal death, SA
7mo
6 likes1 comment
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Robotswithpersonality
Fifteen Dogs | Andre Alexis
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Those willows... suspicious. 🤨

RaeLovesToRead This book was good but made me so miserable! 7mo
Robotswithpersonality @RaeLovesToRead Miserable is the word! 7mo
5 likes2 comments
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Robotswithpersonality
Fifteen Dogs | Andre Alexis
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Part exculpation from world-building, part segue. Nicely done! 👍🏻

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Robotswithpersonality
Fifteen Dogs | Andre Alexis
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I wonder about that sometimes too, Benjy. 😏

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Robotswithpersonality
Fifteen Dogs | Andre Alexis
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Current reads colour way:
Something about the pairing of black and warm reddy-browns that adds a more solemn touch. Appropriate considering the tone of Fifteen Dogs and the subject matter of The Ghost Script.

7 likes1 stack add
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Shawna
Fifteen Dogs | Andre Alexis
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Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks 🧡🐾🐶🖤 7mo
Eggs Excellent 👌🏼 7mo
21 likes2 comments
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Twocougs
Fifteen Dogs | Andre Alexis
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Pickpick

What a deep and philosophical story. Dogs that think as humans🥰

26 likes1 stack add
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Shawna
Fifteen Dogs | Andre Alexis
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Eggs Love 🖤🦮🧡 2y
22 likes1 comment
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azulaco
Fifteen Dogs | Andre Alexis

That feeling when you get excited about a book review on a Facebook group, and go to add the book to your Want To Read list in Goodreads, only to find that you already added that book to your Want to Read list…in 2015. In my defense, I gave birth to my second child that year, so I was pretty busy.

Eyelit I‘ve done that so many times, and I don‘t have any good excuse 🤣 2y
8 likes1 stack add1 comment
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SistaPip
Fifteen Dogs | Andre Alexis
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Pickpick

This is a pretty quick read but there's a lot to think about in this book -- Apollo & Hermes grant human consciousness to a group of dogs and bet on whether they will be more or less happy than humans. It's told from the changing point of view of a few of the dogs and follows what happens from the time they are changed until each of their death.

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CuriousG
Fifteen Dogs | Andre Alexis
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I'm posting one book per day from the ever growing unread stacks in my personal library. No description or explanation, just books I own and plan to read. #tbr

Day 59 (Audible edition)

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RaeLovesToRead
Fifteen Dogs | Andre Alexis
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Mehso-so

This book was pretty devastating. It's profound and philosophical but also miserable. At the start it seemed like Battle Royale for Dogs. They might as well have called it 15 dogs die in horrible ways.

So, I would give this one a miss if you love dogs. It's still a 4 star read, full of existential commentary.

Don't let the cute cover fool you though... it hurts more than that episode of Futurama.

paulfrankspencer That's a lot of hurt. 4y
RaeLovesToRead @paulfrankspencer it's like someone made a 160 page book of that episode!!!! I really need to read something cheerful now 4y
18 likes2 comments
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RaeLovesToRead
Fifteen Dogs | Andre Alexis
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I'm about half way through (just under) and so far this is shaping up to be a bit like Battle Royale for dogs!
Would NOT recommend to animal lovers, but is certainly a philosophical work.
I'm determined to finish it even though I'm finding it difficult.

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RaeLovesToRead
Fifteen Dogs | Andre Alexis
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#popsugarreadingchallenge - a book set in a country beginning with C (Canada)
Also #readaroundtheworld for Canada

Not sure what to expect here - the concept is that Apollo and Hermes have a bet on whether a bunch of dogs could be happy after being given human intelligence for a year. Should be interesting, but I am anticipating emotions / existential questions...

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Read-y_Picker
Fifteen Dogs | Andre Alexis
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#Two4Tuesday
1. Not having any books out on display in your home. I don't know, I just don't get it. How can anyone have NO BOOKS lying around?!
2. The only one I can remember reading is Fifteen Dogs, which I reflect on often. It was brilliantly written and had good, plausible perspective. Anyone with Recs?

Let's get @speljamr @jovy @brittanythebookdragon to join in the game!

@TheSpineView

TheSpineView Thanks for playing! 👍 4y
KVanRead I love that book! 4y
14 likes2 comments
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Soubhiville
Fifteen Dogs | Andre Alexis
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Pickpick

Fifteen dogs are given human level awareness and intelligence when 2 gods bet on whether animals could live happily with that level of knowledge.

I found this profound in many ways, and thought provoking. The book follows all 15 through their lives and deaths. I was fond of some of the dogs, others were mean spirited.

An unusual perspective of human nature from the minds of canines.

I love that one of the dogs was a poet.

Hooked_on_books I have this one but haven‘t read it yet. I like your cover much more than the one I have! 5y
BookNAround @Hooked_on_books This is way better looking than the cover I had too. Mine was downright awful looking but I did like the novel. 4y
71 likes2 stack adds2 comments
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BookNAround
Fifteen Dogs | Andre Alexis
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Pickpick

Hermes and Apollo grant human consciousness to 15 dogs in this curious and philosophical apologue. It is brutal, with a feel of Lord of the Flies but was certainly an interesting look at the importance of language and awareness. Note there are gruesome dog deaths depicted within. Full review at https://booknaround.blogspot.com/2020/04/review-fifteen-dogs-by-andre-alexis.htm...

Crazeedi Dont think this is for me, I turn the channel when the shelter commercials come on, too much heart pain💔 5y
51 likes1 stack add1 comment
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ClairesReads
Fifteen Dogs | Andre Alexis
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Finally back on track with reading this month. I was mostly concerned with some #readharder2019 catch up. Fifteen Dogs was easily the unexpected winner of my month, but I loved Invisible Women too. Closing the month with a great #indiebuddyreads is a delight as always.

Redheadrambles She‘s back ! Woohoo 🥳 5y
ClairesReads @Redheadrambles yassssssss so pumped. And work finishes next week! 5y
27 likes2 comments
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ClairesReads
Fifteen Dogs | Andre Alexis
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Pickpick

This book gave me Animal Farm, and Lord of the Flies vibes, while remaining something that felt original. the lives of these 15 dogs are brutal and harrowing in both human and animal ways. Alexis is unwavering in his exploration of the weight of human consciousness. This novel asks big questions about the impact of this consciousness on our interpersonal relationships, our notions of happiness and unhappiness, and the pursuit of meaning in life.

Lindy Have you read Sean Michaels? I found his latest gave me Andre Alexis vibes while at the same time being totally original: 5y
ClairesReads @Lindy oh that looks great! Thanks for letting me know 😊 5y
34 likes3 comments
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ClairesReads
Fifteen Dogs | Andre Alexis
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Love this

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ClairesReads
Fifteen Dogs | Andre Alexis
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ClairesReads
Fifteen Dogs | Andre Alexis
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A book in which an inanimate object or animal is a point of view character #readharder2019

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Creadnorthey
Fifteen Dogs | Andre Alexis
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Pickpick

This is a terrific meditation on being. Alexis does a fantastic job navigating some heady ground yet never straying too far from the canine headspace- or at least the human imaginings of what that headspace might be. Don‘t need to be a dog lover for this one, but it would sure help if you‘re picking it up.

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Vulpixen
Fifteen Dogs | Andre Alexis
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Mehso-so

I was lukewarm on this book until about 4/5 of the way in, when I got so touching I actually cried, which doesn‘t happen often for me! It was a slow-burn, but also a fairly short read. It was also quite different from anything I‘ve read before.

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ulrichyumiodd
Fifteen Dogs | Andre Alexis
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Pickpick

What if fifteen dogs were given human intelligence by the Greek gods Hermes and Apollo?

Interesting idea, though the book contains a lot of vulgarity, meant to replicate the usual concerns of dogs; I don‘t think it was necessary to mention those things so often. Nonetheless, I enjoyed the story. It is a short read that leaves you with reflections that last much longer.

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ulrichyumiodd
Fifteen Dogs | Andre Alexis
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Fifteen Dogs... and a cat! #catsoflitsy

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Whitwhit
Fifteen Dogs | Andre Alexis
Pickpick

Awesome

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Tanner
Fifteen Dogs | Andre Alexis
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Holy crow, I had no idea that this book I picked up at a library book sale was actually a signed copy.

BookishTrish 😮 6y
Texreader That‘s so cool!! 6y
24 likes2 comments
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Tanner
Fifteen Dogs | Andre Alexis
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Up next on deck, book 4 of the year. Mikey-Cat wouldn‘t be sleeping so peacefully if he knew what was beside him!

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TheKidUpstairs
Fifteen Dogs | Andre Alexis
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A hot cuppa tea and a good book are #GoodTogether 😁 What's your favourite Sunday morning pairing?

#SeptemberDanes @Cinfhen @Kalalalatja

Cinfhen More of a coffee girl ☕️😉 6y
RealLifeReading I always start my mornings with a tea! Then an espresso! 6y
Kalalalatja I‘m a coffee drinker in the morning and tea in the afternoon, but reader always! 😄 6y
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Augustdana Earl Grey and honey are my favourite pairing along with rain so I don‘t feel bad for either sleeping in or reading until lunch time 6y
CatGV Oh, you are from Canada like me! I see your Tim Hortons cup ;). My favorite pairing is a nice iced coffee OR iced chai latte with a good book, preferably fantasy or historical. :D 6y
TheKidUpstairs @CatGV i am! There's a number of Canadian Littens on here 🇨🇦😁 What part of the country are you from? I'm in small town Ontario, about an hour NE of Toronto. 6y
TheKidUpstairs @Augustdana that sounds pretty perfect to me! Something about Earl Grey on a rainy day 👍 6y
99 likes7 comments
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TheKidUpstairs
Fifteen Dogs | Andre Alexis
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1. My boys 😁
2. Two at the moment! Tagged, and Heir of Fire.
3. Candy Cupboard, Pick of the Crop, and the Green Bean. None of them exist anymore, but @Melissa_J might know what I'm talking about!
4. Nope. I'm just trying not to buy so many books! Working at the library helps with that 😁
5. Give me all the books!!! What's the use of winning $1M if you can't spend at least some of it on books?

#HumpDayPost @MinDea

RealLifeReading That playground looks fabulous! 6y
Cinfhen 💙💚 6y
TheKidUpstairs @RealLifeReading it's awesome! It's the splash pad at the Toronto Zoo. We're members, and my boys loooove it! 6y
RealLifeReading Cool! The Singapore zoo has a fun splash pad area too. Sadly the zoos in the SF Bay Area don‘t seem to have caught on yet 6y
83 likes4 comments
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Soubhiville
Fifteen Dogs | Andre Alexis
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My mini bookmail happy Birthday to me arrived while I was out of town for the weekend 😊. I‘m looking forward to all of these. Welcome to my TBR new books 📚😜

Reviewsbylola Happy birthday!! What a nice birthday haul! 6y
mrozzz Happy birthday 🎈🎂🎉What a good way to celebrate 🤓📚 6y
BiblioLitten Happy happy birthday!!🎂🍰🎊🎁 6y
See All 9 Comments
BookMaven407 Happy Birthday! 🎂 6y
JessClark78 Happy Birthday!! 🎊🎂🎉🎈 6y
TrishB Happy birthday 🎉🎉 6y
Kalalalatja What a great way to celebrate your birthday! 🎉🎉 6y
BookishTrish Happy Birthday 🎂 6y
DivineDiana How did I miss your birthday?!? Wishing you a fantastic year!🎉📚🎉 6y
96 likes1 stack add9 comments
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Clwojick
Fifteen Dogs | Andre Alexis
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Next up! Who‘s read this one?

Amandajoy Just finished it this week! I really liked it! 6y
erzascarletbookgasm Yup. It‘s an interesting premise. I didn‘t think I‘d like it, but I did. Warning, though..savage animals some parts. 6y
Prairiegirl_reading Bought it because I thought premise sounded interesting and then the very next day I heard about the “savage animal” parts and now I can‘t do it. 6y
Clwojick @erzascarletbookgasm @Prairiegirl_reading yeah... I was a little surprised by some parts of it, and actually skipped through a few chapters because of the intensity of it at times.... but all in all I am enjoying it so far. I would say I‘m about 1/2 way thru already. 6y
72 likes1 stack add4 comments
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DennisJacobRosenfeld
Fifteen Dogs | Andre Alexis
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One of my local book pushers convinced me that my next read should be a book about a wager between Apollo and Hermes that leads to fifteen dogs being granted human intelligence. Wonderful cover design and the book is great so far.

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BookishTrish
Fifteen Dogs | Andre Alexis
This post contains spoilers
show me

@Blueberry I live-streamed Day Three before work. Holy cats this year is not going how I expected.

Blueberry Haha, agreed. 7y
13 likes1 comment
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TamarackTrail
Fifteen Dogs | Andre Alexis
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Pickpick

An unusual story of 15 dogs given human thinking abilities to evaluate their ultimate happiness or unhappiness. Taking place in Toronto, and knowing the city, it was nice to "follow" the dogs' travels. I listened to this in an audio book and it was narrated by the author which was delightful.

readordierachel Interesting premise! 7y
MinDea Hi @TamarackTrail @TricksyTails and I sent you an email in reference to #FeedAReader. Did you happen to send your first package and did you happen to receive yours? Can you please let us know? Thank you! 7y
69 likes2 stack adds2 comments
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Mskt6891
Fifteen Dogs | Andre Alexis
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erzascarletbookgasm
Fifteen Dogs | Andre Alexis
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In this novel that I‘ve recently read, the author explores what dogs would be like, if they had the power of human thoughts. And so, fifteen dogs were given human intelligence and consciousness, all started from a bet between two immortal gods, Apollo and Hermes.
#nuyear #calloutthedogs

BookMaven407 Sounds interesting. 7y
TrishB Sounds interesting 👍🏻 7y
Cinfhen Nice choice! Another new to me book💚 7y
Kalalalatja Stacked! 7y
74 likes5 stack adds4 comments
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erzascarletbookgasm
Fifteen Dogs | Andre Alexis
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Pickpick

Quite unlike any other I‘ve read. A bet made between two Greek gods on whether human intelligence being granted on animals leads to happiness or misery. Andre tells the story of fifteen dogs with this new-found gift. It‘s interesting to see how some struggle to suppress, others adapt to their newfound ability-communicative power and human consciousness. The story is interspersed with poems composed by one of the dogs! (Cont. ⬇️)

erzascarletbookgasm It‘s not a happy read, given that the dogs die during the course of the story, but it makes us think about nature of love, and sense of belonging. Ultimately it‘s not so much about canine behaviour but of human‘s. Cleverly crafted but a heartbreaking read. ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2 7y
Owlizabeth Have you read Mort(e)? It‘s a similar story in that pets gain human intelligence. 7y
erzascarletbookgasm @Owlizabeth I haven‘t, haven not heard of it. Have you? Did you like it? 7y
Owlizabeth I really liked it. It‘s a weird premise, but it works. 7y
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erzascarletbookgasm
Fifteen Dogs | Andre Alexis
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Found another quote for #wonder from my #currentread

A bet between two Greek gods on whether #animals would be happier if given human consciousness. A book with a bold and unusual premise.
#reindeerreads

ErickaS_Flyleafunfurled I liked this one. Weird, creative, and interesting 7y
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TheKidUpstairs
Fifteen Dogs | Andre Alexis
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I went on a bit of a book buying binge this week ?
In my defense, the most expensive book I bought cost $8. And it's signed, and was part of my library's Snowflake Sale. AND some are gifts for fellow Littens.
And in case you're thinking "that's not too big of a pile" - not pictured is the Book Outlet order that is on its way to me. So you can double this stack. ?

? #Emojinov @RealLifeReading

LeahBergen Oops. 😉 7y
Tamra Works for me! 7y
AlaMich Litsy is a judgement-free zone, I'm pretty sure. 😉 7y
Jabberwocky LOVED fifteen dogs 7y
ApoptyGina69 I just bought Fifteen Dogs this week! Been on my TBR for ages. 7y
78 likes5 comments
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TheKidUpstairs
Fifteen Dogs | Andre Alexis
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Gods, dogs, and a Giller Prize win - how have I not bought/read this one yet?!?!?!

FIFTEEN
#NovemberbytheNumbers
@Tiffy_Reads @JoeStalksBeck

Oryx I've had this on my Kindle for ages. I think I need to finally read it! 7y
BookishTrish Read it! Read it! Read it! 7y
ApoptyGina69 This has been on my TBR for 7 years!!!! 7y
75 likes1 stack add3 comments
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Lcsmcat
Fifteen Dogs | Andre Alexis
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The premise fascinates me. Has anyone read this? #15 #novemberbythenumbers @JoeStalksBeck @Tiffy_Reads

Sydsavvy Looks good! 7y
DebbieGrillo I have. It was interesting but I can't go as far as recommending it. If you like mythology and talking dogs, give it a whirl. 7y
BookishTrish I loved it. It is brutal in parts though. 7y
See All 6 Comments
LeahBergen I have. It was between a pick and a so-so rating for me. 7y
Lcsmcat @DebbieGrillo @BookishTrish @LeahBergen Now I know I want to read it. With such different reviews it‘s bound to be worth discussing. 😀 7y
ErickaS_Flyleafunfurled I liked it. It was unusual! 7y
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Shawna
Fifteen Dogs | Andre Alexis
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Pickpick

This was such an interesting concept for a book. I've been meaning to read it ever since it won the Giller Prize in Canada. Darby approves too. #dogsoflitsy

Samwise_Gamgee 🐶👋 7y
Jaimelire Have to read this 7y
AmyG Darby lookikemy daughter's roommates dog, Lou. So cute! 7y
38 likes3 stack adds3 comments
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msc1977
Fifteen Dogs | Andre Alexis
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Sitting in a cafe where they have a little library to enjoy while you're having a coffee.
Has anyone read this book? It sounds quite clever.
#andrealexis #fifteendogs
#read #wordsarepowerful #imagine #escape #bibliophile #bookworm #books

7 likes1 stack add
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Timidmagick
Fifteen Dogs | Andre Alexis
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Mehso-so

Two gods are in a TO bar. They make a wager. Something about poems humans and intelligent canines could understand. Strange.

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Shawna
Fifteen Dogs | Andre Alexis
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My stack for #24in48! I had a late start this morning, but I'm up and ready to go #shelfie

janeycanuck Why Not Me? is a total delight! Enjoy 😊 7y
29 likes1 comment
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emilykatereads
Fifteen Dogs | Andre Alexis
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Pickpick

Absolutely loved this one!

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PeterCursonAuthor
Fifteen Dogs | Andre Alexis
Pickpick

Very interesting and often emotional read that answers a question we've all asked: what would happen if dogs had human intelligence?

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Augustdana
Fifteen Dogs | Andre Alexis
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Pickpick

It took a while to get into it, and it was a little violent at times, but I ended up crying about two dogs and well, here we are. Also I'm a day behind on #riotgrams so this is also how I read now that we're in the month of June. Ebook or paperback, I don't discriminate, I love them all.