About the Author

Jon Katz has written sixteen books–six novels and ten works of nonfiction–including A Dog Year, The Dogs of Bedlam Farm, The New Work of Dogs, Katz on Dogs, and A Good Dog. A two-time finalist for the National Magazine Award, he writes columns about dogs and rural life for the online magazine Slate, and has written for The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Rolling Stone, GQ, and the AKC Gazette. He co-hosts an award-winning show, Dog Talk, on Northeast Public Radio. Katz lives on Bedlam Farm in upstate New York with his wife, Paula Span, and his dogs, sheep, steers and cow, donkeys, barn cat, irritable rooster Winston, and three hens. Visit the author’s website at www.katz-dogs.com. He can be e-mailed at jdkat3@aol.com.

Reviews

Praise for Dog Days

“Anyone who loves animals or country life, but maybe can’t have a pet or actually live in the country, will find Katz a perfect armchair companion.”
–Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Despite the book’s title, there’s more here than dog stories. . . . An appealing text showing off an author who’s found his perfect genre. Readers can only hope these appealing and thoughtful dispatches will continue.”
–Kirkus Reviews

“A must-read for all animal lovers.”
–Booklist

Not only has Katz written 16 books, he cohosts Dog Talk on public radio, freelances for a variety of newspapers and magazines, and operates the eponymous Bedlam Farm in upstate New York--sometimes with his wife, but always with dogs and chickens and sheep and even a few donkeys and cows. Readers familiar only with Katz's suburban mystery novels will find that his farm memoirs set out to do basically the same thing, bring order to chaos. His goal in running Bedlam Farm is to find ways for his various animals and their humans to work together in harmonious synchronicity. Everything requires balance. He must be mindful of his own tendency to anthropomorphize, while remaining open to the emotional bonds his animals invite. He must remember that many awful things--flies, freezing weather, disease--are normal in the lives of animals, even as he struggles to give his animals the best life possible. He has to balance his focus on the farm with his relationship with his wife, who never particularly approved of the farm idea, even if she supported his need to do it. Anyone who loves animals or country life, but maybe can't have a pet or actually live in the country, will find Katz a perfect armchair companion. (June) Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information.

Praise for Dog Days

"Anyone who loves animals or country life, but maybe can't have a pet or actually live in the country, will find Katz a perfect armchair companion."
-Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"Despite the book's title, there's more here than dog stories. . . . An appealing text showing off an author who's found his perfect genre. Readers can only hope these appealing and thoughtful dispatches will continue."
-Kirkus Reviews

"A must-read for all animal lovers."
-Booklist