20190518_163916.jpgToday I have a review of Drinking from the Trough by Mary Carlson, DVM, now available from She Writes Press! A big thanks to JKS Communications for my copy and invitation to review.

This was not my my favorite picture featuring the book, but it was definitely the cutest! ♥️

My Thoughts:

Mary Carlson was not one of those children who dreams of becoming a veterinarian (like I did!). She absolutely loved animals, but a certain kind of kismet fell into place when she found herself in love with a man in vet school. 

Mary found Earl’s work with animals inspiring, and she left her teaching position to attend veterinary school. She later opened her own cat clinic (I LOVE THOSE! I wish I had one closer to me.). 

Mary’s path in vet school is full of challenges, and so is her life afterwards. She is honest about it all. She finds love and experiences grief and loss. Through it all? The love for animals and by animals is steadfast. Those of us who have experienced that love know. 

Mary’s story is heartwarming. She loves animals the way I do. I loved her honesty. She shares about the animals who have been part of her family. I wished they were mine, too! 

Anyone who loves animals will find much to treasure in Mary’s story. Even if you aren’t a huge fan, her story is also about an inspired life well-lived. I’m so grateful to the Marys of the world who love our pets as much as we do when they care for them. I am fortunate to have a vet like this in my life, and she is as good with me as she is with my fur babies. Thank you for sharing your heart with us, Mary! 

I received a complimentary copy. All opinions are my own. 

About the Book:

Mary Carlson didn’t start out to become a veterinarian, let alone the owner and caretaker of cats (many), dogs (two, both huskies), and horses (some with manners, some without) in Colorado. She was a suburban Chicago girl; all she knew of the American West came from the stories her uncle, who had settled in northern Colorado, told her during his annual visits. But thanks to him, she ended up moving to Fort Collins, Colorado for college—and after falling in love with a man she’d become friends with in her final year of college, when he was a student at the CSU School of Veterinary Medicine, she remained there.

Watching the work Earl did as a veterinarian inspired Mary to eventually leave her tenured teaching position and enter vet school, after which she opened her own, feline-exclusive clinic. Along the way, there were numerous pets, grueling years of vet school, a shattered hip, an enduring love, illness, and death—and the rediscovery that life, especially a life full of delightful animals, is worth living.

Have you read Drinking from the Trough, or is it on your TBR? Happy Reading! ~ Jennifer THR