Best Books of 2019 with Dog Companions

This year I wanted to make a special list featuring books I read and loved with dogs at the heart of the stories. These six books will all be on my ultimate Best Books of 2019 list next week, but I wanted to give them a special shout out today and recognize the wonderful dogs that graced their pages.  To be fair, I’m listing these in alphabetical order! You can click on the titles to read my reviews. Here are six dog-centric stories that are must-reads:

A Boy and His Dog at the End of the World by C.A. Fletcher. It’s right there in the title, although I have to say the title is slightly deceiving (but I won’t spoil things by telling you why!) This book gave me so many feels, I’m getting goosebumps just writing these words. Dog companions: Jip and Jess.

Deception Cove by Owen Laukkanen. I knew from the blurb that there was a service dog in this story, but I didn’t know she would grab my heart the way she did. This is a terrific start to a mystery series featuring a vet with PTSD who is given a service dog to help her cope. Dog companion: Lucy.

Hollow Kingdom by Kira Jane Buxton. There’s sweet Dennis right there on the cover! This book blew me away with its originality, heart and wisdom. I’m still shell shocked from the reading experience (in a good way) and I can’t wait to read more from Kira Jane Buxton. Zombies, crows, dogs, orangutans and much more, this was a special treat. Dog companions: Dennis and Cinnamon.

The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow. I had no idea a wonderful dog companion lurked in the pages of this book, until I started reading. I love happy surprises like that! This imaginative portal fantasy is about a girl named January who takes off on an adventure with her dog in order to find her missing father. Dog companion: Bad.

The Twisted Ones by T. Kingfisher. Here is another book with a surprise dog companion. A woman agrees to clean out the house of her recently deceased grandmother in backwoods North Carolina, but gets more than she bargained for when she arrives, trusty Redbone Coonhound at her side. Dog companion: Bongo.

The Witch’s Kind by Louisa Morgan. This book has so many wonderful layers and characters, and I’m happy to report that the main character Barrie and her dog have a special connection. Dog companion: Willow.


Have you read any of these books? Let me know if you have any recommendations for me, I’m always on the look-out for good stories with dogs:-D

Posted December 19, 2019 by Tammy in Best Books of the Year / 48 Comments

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48 responses to “Best Books of 2019 with Dog Companions

    • Tammy

      I just love Bad, and I didn’t have any idea there was such a great dog in that book until I started reading:-)

    • Tammy

      Me too, Nadine! These dogs are all OK at the end of the books. But if you’re really sensitive then you should probably avoid Hollow Kingdom:-(

  1. Haaa, you and I were on the same wavelength with dogs and books, this week Tammy! I think I might want to pick The Witch’s Kind and Deception Cove as the ones — and doggos — who stick out to me on this list

  2. Sarah

    You know- I only read The Ten Thousand Doors on this list (though a bunch of them are on the TBR) and I loved Bad. But I didn’t really read many other books with dogs in them. I think it’s a topic I avoid because I’m always worried something will happen to the dog. lol

    • Tammy

      I know what you mean, I only listed books where the dog is OK, except for Hollow Kingdom, but I had to list that because it’s just that good.

    • Tammy

      I was amazed how many great dog characters there are in SFF fiction, I guess I never realized until I thought about it.

  3. Ooh, now here’s a list I didn’t know I desperately needed! I loved Bad from The Ten Thousand Doors of January, and of course Jip and Jess are great! I totally forgot about the dog in The Witch’s Kind, but I loved Willow. 🙂 I’ve been wanting to check out The Twisted Ones, so now I’m even more motivated to.

  4. Laurie Harris

    More books for my list! These all sound great. I’ve been wanting to read Hollow Kingdom and A Boy and his Dog at the End of the World for some time now

    • Tammy

      I’m looking forward to doing better tagging next year so I can list even more dog books, because I think I forgot some:-)

  5. Well now do I even have to say how much I love this list. I have a similar list planned for favorite animals in books I’ve read this year. DENNIS! I want a Dennis 🙂 And a ST would be rather fun as well. WONDERFUL LIST!

    • Tammy

      And in all of them, you can rest assured that the dog is OK! (Except Hollow Kingdom, which broke my heart but it still was worth reading:-))

    • Tammy

      He is! Next year I’m going to keep better track of dog books because I feel like I forgot some important ones:-)

    • Tammy

      I did not even know about the dog before I started reading Ten Thousand Doors, so it was a happy surprise:-)

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