From the scatological to the sublime, Dave Barry delights with an amusing and heartwarming self-help book. Informed by a sense of his own mortality and inspired by his wise dog Lucy, the author shares simple lessons on how to increase your capacity for happiness, be mindful, love better, and have fun in your life. He does all of this while still being hilarious. Doggone funny!

Let me first confess that I love Dave Barry and have for years. He’s always made me laugh, sometimes out loud, sometimes quietly.
Lessons from Lucy is pure joy. Anyone who has ever been owned by an animal will understand all the lessons and love the way Dave presents them.
Thank you, Dave Barry. And tank Lucy for me.

Really, really liked this book. I am a dog lover and was interested to see what the book would be like. I can totally relate to the lessons learned from "Lucy". This is a good read for dog lovers everywhere and even non-dog people. Would highly recommend.

I received an advance reader copy of this book which in no way influenced my review of this book.

This is a hilarious book, well worth reading. It is an excellent addition to the literature about happiness, but illustrated using stories about Dave Barry's dog, Lucy, along with the always hilarious comedy of Dave Barry, comedy which is silly and juvenile and ridiculous and snot spewing (which is not a bad thing). The book is a real fun read, and is also insightful. A real pleasure and, I think, the funniest book of the year (and I read a lot of funny books). If you want to laugh, if you like psychology, if you are somewhere in mid life (I am 66), if you enjoy a book that will make you laugh out loud, this is for you. Really terrific.

Thank you Netgalley for allowing me to review this book. I went into it thinking it was all about Lucy the dog but got so much ,ore out of it. The book is funny, relatable & thought provoking. I related to the stories Dave told. We ALL can learn so much from animals especially our pets. Thanks for the reminder in this book. I will be telling my book club about this book.

I've always enjoyed reading Dave Barry's work and this is no exception. I'l admit, I requested the book based on the cover - who could resist Lucy's beautiful face. While the 7 lessons are obvious, they are told with love and humor and are a good reminder for all of us to find our inner "happy dog".

I have always enjoyed Dave Barry and this new book does not disappoint!! It is insightful, wise, and HILARIOUS. Dave captures the essence of "growing older" and gives some well worked suggestions for the "journey"!! I am so looking forward to this book being published......I have a long list of friends and relatives who will be receiving a copy from me. My only criticism is that some of the chapters seem a bit short.....I would have liked more examples. Also there needs to be a warning label about the amount of laughing the reader will do.....it can lead to sore tummy muscles and significant others wondering if you are having a fit!!

Cute, funny "self help" book that doesn't take itself too seriously. Fun, quick read. I enjoyed the comparisons between Lucy's world and our own and I believe Lucy has a lot of knowledge to share.

Lessons From Lucy: The Simple Joys of an Old, Happy Dog by Dave Barry is a book I requested from NetGalley and the review is voluntary.
This book is so full of warmth, love, tenderness, humor, insight, and just good old common sense! His writing flows with wit and wisdom, love and memories, hope and a canine spirit. He gives lessons he has, and is learning from his elderly dog Lucy. Each lesson is something we all could work on. They each are heavily sprinkled with humor and common sense. Some are more emotional than others. This is a must buy book for yourself, for dog lovers, for those getting older, for those that think they have everything! Terrific book!

Any new Dave Barry book is a treat. This one was, as usual, very funny, but also touching. He did a clever job of interweaving attributes of his dog with attributes he'd like to have. The great thing is, the dog is winning! Immediately after I read this book, the murders at the newspaper in Annapolis happened, and Dave Barry's column was a tribute to the reporters who died. It is a testament to his skill as a writer that he is able to be screamingly funny in his books and columns, and sober and grieving in the proper context. I also was delighted to learn that he considers himself an introvert. I suspect that's true of a good number of comedians and humor writers. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who loves a good laugh.

I've always enjoyed Dave Barry's humor, but he seems a little grumpier than usual in this one. But I'm a dog person so it still kept me reading. Barry recounts 11 "life lessons" that he's learned from his older dog, Lucy, which he mixes in with anecdotes from his life and career. Barry's struggles (dealing with Comcast, relating to his wife, diversity training at work) are all very relatable. My only disappointment about the book is that the stories revolve around too much about the author and I would have prefered much more about Lucy herself.

Thanks to Netgalley for an ARC copy of this book in exchange for a review.

What happens when a cynical, retired Pulitzer-prize winning journalist who hates self-help books writes about life lessons from his elderly dog, and realizes he's written a self-help book? He taps into the wry and intelligent sense of humor that launched his career in the first place, and we get to enjoy Dave Barry’s “Lessons from Lucy: The Simple Joys of an Old, Happy Dog.”

This is not a memoir, God forbid ("memoir" is a more off-putting word than "succubus" for me). And it really is not a self-help book, but it could be if you let it. Barry observed his happy, carefree dog Lucy, asked himself why he can't be more like her, and came up Seven Lessons to convey in this book. Because we know headlines with numbered lists attract more reader attention, and "Secrets" - to happiness, to success, to skeletons in the closet - also lure us in. "The Dog's Seven Secrets to Happiness In Our Old Age." You know it will be comical, with Dave Barry writing it, but what you don't know are Dave's own secrets. Like, shy? For reals? I'm not saying any more on that, because you need to buy this book yourself. Rave about it to friends.

In “Lesson One: Make New Friends,” the dog can bound over to any stranger, sniff, and fall in love, while Dave “instantly hates” strangers. (We all do, really, but most of us don't allow our conscious selves in on THAT secret.) Barry's reasons for his varying levels of antipathy toward strangers are hilarious and familiar to us all. You will nod knowingly. Oh yes. You will.

Because this is Dave Barry, nothing about this book, not even "self help" and "lessons", will disappoint. I've missed his columns and only bought one of his books (I know, I should own every single one of them), and I'm a huge fan of dogs as well as cynical witty guys. And I'm a cynical gal, so I braced myself in case the 70-year-old Barry is as washed up as old rock stars like, uh, let's see... not Robert Plant, not Jagger, but.... well, I can't even think of rock legends who aren't cool any more.

I have just one complaint about this book. I found the Rock Bottom Remainders on you-tube, and this band of novelists (Stephen King, for one, and Dave Barry himself) are not even remotely as terrible as Barry tells us they are. Self-effacing humor can be misleading. These authors-turned-musicians may not have made the Top 40 or even #100 on the pop charts, but they're good. Maybe that's the way to promote: get everyone thinking "This sounds so awful, I've got to see for myself," than bowl them over with actual talent.

Dave Barry is still cool. He's still hilarious. There is hope for this world! He says he's a curmudgeon, annoyed by texting teenagers and Facebook, but he's forever in my mind that college guy who'd join friends and throw an old TV off a roof to shatter on the sidewalk below-and the moral of the story is that women hear this and say "Why?" while men hear this and say "Cool!"

I tried to find that column before writing this review, but it was in some newspaper when I was young and single, and now I'm a mother of three, a grandmother of two, and I'm getting phone calls from purveyors of those "Help! I've fallen and I can't get up!" gadgets. And I got distracted by a dozen new Talking Dogs and sad-cat videos before finding my way back to the writing of a book review about this author who wrote a hilarious column about men's idea of fun versus women's. Hence, the TV anecdote that so perfectly distills and displays the epitome of guy humor.

For more than two decades, Barry wrote a syndicated humor column for the Miami Herald. He's written more than 30 books, most of them humorous non-fiction works. I've always wondered if his fiction would be as funny as his columns. (I've met novelists who are hilarious on Twitter or in emails but in prose, dry as White Sands.) For now, a new book by Dave Barry (with dogs as a theme!) is just the ticket. I'd have given copies away for Father's Day to all the friends my age who've become grandparents, but the release date is.... 23 October 2018. Dang. Some of them may be dead by then. My peers are dwindling, not because I'm a peerless writer but because too many people my age are dying of something, and I need all the humor books and cat videos I can find to get going after reading Obits each morning.

So, three more months to buy the book I just read and loved. That's the downside of getting to be first to read an ARC: the long, long wait until you can buy copies for your friends!

Thank you to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. I will write a longer review with excerpts showing how funny this book really is, but I'm in a holding pattern wondering how many people ever read my longer reviews. How many people will pre-order this book, or even download a free sample chapter, based on Carol's word? Millions ought to, but the world is like my offspring: my words of wisdom roll like raindrops off a freshly waxed car. You wait. One day your car will be stalled and as you wait for a tow truck you'll WISH you had this book to amuse you! Ha! And I will say, "If only they'd listened to Carol, and bought the book, and kept a copy in their man purse or their car or their sled dog's packs."

My copy is in my Kindle, which would freeze if I ever make it to an Iditarod, but just because I'm a grandma now doesn't mean I'm getting sidetracked again about why this book matters and deserves to top the charts that The Rock Bottom Remainders aren't even trying for, because they're just having fun, and that's the whole point. HAVE FUN!! Your dog would. So should we all!

Like Dave Barry, I’m a dog person. I’ve had dogs for most of my life and cannot conceive of living without one. They are truly creatures of joy and are always a delight, except when they chew one of your prized books or pee in the house. But these are small prices to pay for such a happy, sweet and loving friend.

Dave takes us through seven lessons he has learned from his 11 year old dog Lucy. Interspersed throughout and between these lessons are related and unrelated observations on life plus some amusing anecdotes. You will get Dave’s thoughts on such diverse topics as diversity training, Comcast (which Dave lovingly calls Bomcast) customer service, hurricane preparedness, when lying is permissible, and more.

Dave Barry is funny — no question about it and you will chuckle, snicker and laugh out loud while reading this book. But hidden among the fun and hilarity are nuggets of wisdom that have the potential to improve our lives. Lessons from Lucy is a fun quick read that will make you laugh and then laugh some more plus learn some invaluable life advice from a mixed-breed dog.

Dave Barry is a very talented writer, having won a Pulitzer Prize for Commentary in 1988. For twenty-two years, Barry wrote a nationally syndicated humor column for the Miami Herald. He is the author of more than 30 books with the bulk of them being humorous non-fiction works.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

My review copy of this enjoyable and quick read from Dave Berry says that I cannot quote it. If that is not bad enough apparently my review copy will magically disappear when the actual book gets published. How fun is that?

Regardless of the explosion to occur within my e-reader or the legalese I will add that the book's title says it all. Dave's dog Lucy has been around with his family for awhile, and traits he recognizes from her such as "staying in the moment," or "making friends" he shares as wisdom that he is also taking to heart, challenging as it may be.

So whether it is from the biographical elements (human and animal) that this book provides, or the typical Dave Berry life observations, or the wisdom, or just plain humor...this is a fun book to read. My favorite part, should the editors keep it in is a an observation on the difference between the guilty dog and guilty cat.

As I expected to do, I laughed out loud when I read this collection of lessons and recommend it for a much needed these days mood lifter.

This book is a two_fer. Dave Barry books are always a good read and I love reading how people relate with their pets. Makes me think I'm not the only one who has a very spoiled dog! Pets, especially dogs, make us feel like super heroes and everyday humans at the same time. I'm recommending this book to all my reading circle.

the book was very interesting. Plot was well developed. really enjoyed this book and the characters.

Dave Barry has always been a great writer and so completely relatable to most readers. I was thrilled to read this because I too have learned many lessons from my dog(s). Barry is so great about poking fun at himself-- even in the fact that this is, in a way, a self help book; written by someone who hates self help books. As he states, the lessons here are mostly common sense. Yet, the illustration of them is anything but common. Barry (and Lucy) team up to give us important reminders about living and appreciating a good life. My only 'complaint', as a passionate canine parent, would be that I would have loved to have had a little more about the bond between Barry and Lucy woven into his stories. I realize this wasn't the end goal of the book but it would have added a really nice ambiance to an already good book.

I was lucky to receive an ARC copy from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Why did I stop reading Dave Barry fifteen years ago? Lessons from Lucy is Barry perfection, written as a humorous self-help book of sorts, as lessons from his aging dog, Lucy. Mr. Barry discusses how to be better and fully acknowledges his shortcomings, and relates it all back to Lucy, his dog. I laughed out loud, read portions to my partner, and became a little melancholy while reading this lovely book. I recommend this for anyone who is aging, loves dog, had a dog, has a dog, likes to laugh or wants to laugh more. In other words, you should buy and read this book. As Mr. Barry would say, "Have more fun!"
Honestly, this book is going to make me go back and read those Dave Barry books I haven't read. Five stars!!
I want to thank the publisher and #NetGalley for the opportunity to receive a copy of this book prior to publication, in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for an advance read of this book in exchange for my honest opinion. This title comes at a time when we have an older small dog, nearing the end of her life, and a new Doberman puppy. And, I myself am not exactly as young as I used to be. Dave Barry never fails to entertain, and he hasn't lost his touch. If you're looking for a book of essays with humor and some wisdom, grab this book.

Dave Barry’s “Lessons from Lucy: The Simple Joys of an Old, Happy Dog” gives us a kinder, gentler Dave…no, scratch that…a grumpier, even more sarcastic – and hilarious – Dave Barry.

Offering his unique version of a self-help book, Barry looks to his happy, stress-free dog Lucy for hints about improving his quality of life. In fact, Lucy’s approach to life seems to be working better than her master’s – as he reports, Lucy knows how to be happy, while he doesn’t.

Barry organizes his insights into Lucy’s winning behaviors into seven “lessons” that form the basis of the book. For example, in the first chapter, “Lesson One: Make New Friends,” he talks about how much more easily Lucy finds friends than he does. Lucy can wander up to anyone, take a few sniffs, and make a friend, but Dave admits that he doesn’t even keep in touch with the friends he has (or even know if they’re still alive). It’s a problem for him, since he says, he “instantly hates” strangers.

But, Barry doesn’t leave it at that – he literally drills down to a genetic level to analyze his tendencies versus Lucy’s. After having her DNA tested, he finds that Lucy is a mix of several breeds that are extraverted and curious. When he has his own DNA tested, though, he finds out he is a “generic white guy” with lots of British reserve that keeps him from being as outgoing as his dog. (Fortunately, it doesn’t affect his ability to write humor.)

As always, his takes on the absurdity of everyday life are spot-on brilliant. His riffs about Facebook, for instance, which he uses to stay connected without having to actually talk to anyone about anything, will resonate with anyone on social media. From hurricanes to church plays to terrible cover bands, Dave takes readers on a fun ride.

Barry does let a little more sentiment and reflection creep in than he did in his earlier books, though. Now 70, he calls himself an “old” guy and portrays himself as a bit of curmudgeon, opening a whole new comedic vein for him to mine. But, he does seem genuinely determined to make the changes in his life that will lead him to a happier version of himself.

If he follows his own advice (or Lucy’s) he’ll make it happen, because despite the book being laugh-out-loud funny from start to finish, he has some profound insights to offer. Luckily for the reader, they’re all wrapped in classic Dave Barry humor.