A Dog's Way Home by W. Bruce Cameron

 A Dog's Way Home by W. Bruce Cameron-327 pages

Bella is a loving stray dog found living in a den with cats under a condemned house by Lucas. He lives in an apartment across the street from the condemned house and feeds the cats frequently. Bella immediately takes to Lucas and he takes her in even though it's against his lease agreement. Lucas lives with his mom, who is an Army veteran who struggles with depression and seizures. Bella twice recognizes oncoming seizures from Mom and saves her. Bella and Lucas build a strong bond and Bella views him as her person. However, Lucas runs afoul of the mean man building new housing across the street by continuing to feed and advocate for the cats still living in the den under the house. This man, Gunter, recruits an Animal Control Officer (ACO) to certify Bella as a pit bull. Pit bulls are banned in Denver, where Lucas lives. Soon, Bella is captured by the ACO and separated from Lucas. They're reunited only to be separated again. Bella is determined to get home to Lucas. Will she be able to survive the nearly 400 mile trek back to Lucas? I would rate this one 3 out of 5 stars.

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer, 544 pages

When Twilight first came out years ago and my teens were going nuts over it (and parents were asking multiple questions about it), I decided to pick it up and read it. I'm glad I did -- It was an enjoyable read. 8 years later, I read it again and still like it. There was so much that I had forgotten about, it was like reading a new book. The love story of Bella and Edward, while at times borderline unhealthy, is at the same time innocent and sweet. There is a mutual respect for each other that I find lacking in teen romance novels of today.  The second read, after reading all the other books in the series, seems to give more nuggets of information ... little subtle hints here and there that you missed the first time.  If you've never given Twilight a chance, I'd recommend picking it up this time. Told in first person, the story is well-written and the characters nicely fleshed out. They are also believable despite some being the stuff of fantasies. Bella seems old for her age and very protective of her family, yet she falls in love with someone who could easily take her life. She's very trusting, very loyal and humble ... a good combo for a main character.