Dave Barry's humor sneaks up on you—hidden, for example, in an otherwise nondescript list, or at the end of a serious sentence, or as a hilarious stand-alone comment. Most important, I appreciate how he mirrors my own thoughts as a person of the same age and level of grumpiness:

"I have a black belt in hating complete strangers."
"[S]cientific tests show that, in general, people are attracted to people who probably don't look like you."
"I don't want you to think I'm a sniveling whiner. (I am a sniveling whiner; I just don't want you to think so.)"

Lessons From Lucy is the first of Barry's books I have read, and I soon realized it is best approached as a series of essays, digesting one at a time, to savor Barry's wit and charming curmugeonry. More than one at once is too much to process comfortably.

So, as the reading of this book revealed, it’s been way too long since I’ve read some meaningful Dave Barry. When I lived in South Florida I saw his columns in the papers. I moved to the west coast of Florida, raised some boys, and stopped seeking out his observations. It’s obvious I’ve missed him. As a dog lover, this book is right on point. If you’ve had dogs, you know that they give way more than they get. Truly. Being a Florida resident, well, yes, the idiosyncrasies of the weather, geography, ebb and flow of red tide and people, it’s all so familiar. Laugh out loud is correct. Throw aging into the mix, and that it sucks, well, you’ve hit the trifecta. This was truly enjoyable, a reminder to enjoy more before we become the “get off my lawn” old man we always sneered at in our youth, and by youth I mean, up until last year! Enjoy!

Lessons From Lucy is a book about Dave Barry's dog. Not exactly - but Lucy is the star of the book. In his usual quirky, humorous, tongue in cheek manner, Barry brings us a sort of story, sort of memoir, sort of lessons in life book. He does an excellent job of taking the characteristics/traits of his beloved dog Lucy and turning them into self help bullet points. He continues by letting the reader in on the "secret" of whether or not he is himself successful at following Lucy's lead. The book is filled with some very funny anecdotes as well as some truly sweet moments. Truly and enjoyable read that will leave you smiling long after the final page has been read.

Lessons from Lucy was a lighthearted, cute, and amusing read. I am happy to report that this is not a sad book (looking at you, The Art of Racing in the Rain), but a touching one any dog lover will love.

Dave Barry details seven lessons that his happy dog, Lucy, already embodies and that we all can learn to incorporate into our daily lives a bit better. I love that Lucy is part boxer as her personality reminded me of our late boxer, Leila. These pups tend to have such a great attitude toward people, places, and things in their lives, I can see why Dave wrote this book. I enjoyed some of Dave’s stories more than others, and really identified with a few like the internet provider customer service frustrations. He was spot on in several of his examples nailing home the themes behind the lessons. Definitely worth a read!

Overall, this was a joy to read and many thanks to NetGalley for an advance copy.

If you are on my book receiving Christmas list, get ready...you're getting a copy of this wonderful book.

From the book's blurb:
"Faced with the obstacles and challenges of life after middle age, Dave Barry turns to his best dog, Lucy, to learn how to live his best life. From “Make New Friends” (an unfortunate fail when he can’t overcome his dislike for mankind) to “Don’t Stop Having Fun” (validating his longtime membership in a marching unit that performs in parades—and even Obama’s inauguration), Dave navigates his later years with good humor and grace.
Lucy teaches Dave how to live in the present, how to let go of daily grievances, and how to feel good in your own skin. The lessons are drawn from Dave’s routine humiliations and stream-of-consciousness accounts of the absurdities of daily life, which will leave you heaving with laughter and recognition."

Steven King said, "I laughted until I fell off my chair." My reaction was, 'yeah, sure, Steve.' But now I believe him. I laughed so hard, I almost choked to death, several times. I think Dave Barry has been stalking me and then writing about this old lady. It was all so honest and spot on for those of us in Dave's age group.

If you love dogs, you'll love this book. I can just see all the dog lovers in my family smiling and thinking 'yep, that's my dog.'

If you have trouble with today's technology, you'll you love this book. I truly believe Dave watched me trying to take photos with my phone and then rushed home and wrote about it. My grandchildren are going to roll their eyes and think, 'that's Mimi' when reading this chapter.

If you've lost touch with so many old friends and don't care to make the extra effort to make new ones, you'll nod with understanding and some nostalgia as you read about Dave's friendships.

If you've ever tried to order refills of your medications, or unsubscribe to something, or get help from a cable company, you will be shouting your agreement with Dave when he tells of his experiences along that line.

You get my drift. This is a book we can ALL relate to. And I'm not exaggerating, all my families with get a copy of this book for Christmas. Even the 'non'readers.

Thank's for the laughs, Dave. Sometimes we all need to laugh at ourselves and know that we are not alone in our misery.

I received my copy of Lessons From Lucy through Net Galley. Thank you so much. Book is not available until late October but you can preorder as I am. Now if only I can catch up with Dave when I get my box full and have him autograph them for me. But no one comes to Tally for book signings. Not even Dave!

Like many of us, Dave Barry has begun aging, to the point that it has begun to affect daily lives in many and substantial ways. To get through this aging, Dave Barry has penned a book filled with the wisdom and insight she has learned over the years from his faithful dog Lucy. In addition to discussing and listing the many lessons and ideas Lucy has taught him, he has interspersed many humorous and interesting anecdotes about his life and work in the book. The results give the reader a book filled with laughter, reflections on life’s ups and downs, insights about life and how to live it (especially according to Lucy), while, at the same time, prompting one to ponder what has gone right and wrong in his/her own life as well as what he/she might do to change things. This is a good book for the current aging population, for dog lovers, for anyone else who is a fan of Dave Barry or for anyone looking for a quick delightful read about life and aging. It is obvious, from the book, that Dave can write—he won a Pulitzer Prize in 1988. I myself read the book with no small amount of laughter and introspection, all the while wondering what I could have done and can do better based on what Lucy’s unique perspective on life can teach about life. I recommend this book to anyone looking for something to break up his/her day or for something a bit different from the usual mysteries, romances, sci-fi, westerns, etc. readers normally find out there on book shelves or in stores. I received this from NetGalley to read and review.

Lessons From Lucy is a joy to read. Dave Barry is both funny and witty. As a dog owner (2 currently and several that have crossed the Rainbow Bridge) I could relate to Lucy and Mr Barry. Mr. Barry does a good job at keeping his self-help book from becoming too preachy. As he says, most is just common sense, but common sense that we need to be reminded of as we go through our lives day to day. Lucy, as dogs do, has a way of reinforcing how humans should be living their lives....in the moment and not worrying so much about *stuff*. Thank you for inspiring me to shut off the electronic devices and be more aware of the people around me.

I will most definitely be rereading this one and keeping it close by. This book has also peaked my interest in reading other books by Dave Barry so I am off to search for those....

This is classic Dave Barry. I found myself laughing out loud while on a flight and had to stop reading for awhile in order to not disturb the other passengers. His experience with “Bomcast” is especially funny and oh so relatable. Even though the book was humorous there was a theme of looking at your life past and future in order to make your days count which was the real point of the book. I would definitely recommend this book - it makes you look at your life, encourages you to change and makes you laugh all at the same time.

Love love love. First, its about dogs, so right off the bat I am a fan.
Second, its by Dave Barry, a truly gifted writer, funny guy and most excellent chronicler of absurdity.
Third, its both of them together. Jut great.

If you love dogs more than most humans, you will love this book.
There are so many parallels. so many opportunities for laugh out loud (none of this LOL nonsense) that this book will make you happy, make you love and appreciate your dog- if you don't massively already- and get a better perspective on the dumb shit we have to address every day.
Recommend, without reservation.

Lots of Barry's trademark humor here, with a warm underlayer about his love for his dog and the lessons he's learned from her. The book's organized by each lesson, supported by things his dog does, and interactions Barry has with her and with humans. A follow-up section reports on his progress in improving on these lessons. A great read for dog lovers.

This book is so full of love, tenderness and humor. Been a dog person all my life this was a learning experience for me wherein Mr. Barry proves that you learn things from the people places animals around you.

I have always been a fan of Dave Barry and his latest book “Lessons From Lucy” did not disappoint. His book is entertaining , funny and an easy read. He parallels seven lessons we can all learn from his dog Lucy, He reminds us to take a fresh look at the way we interact with our family, friends and the world around us to be able to truly “let go” and embrace a fuller, yet simpler quality of life. “Lessons From Lucy” is a must read for all Dave Barry fans.

There is no greater delight than reading the writings of Dave Barry! Well, possibly hearing him speak. I do miss his column which we used to have in our local paper.

Lessons from Lucy is not only delightful, but heart warming and poignant. Barry has taken the life of his dog to give us all serious life lessons. This is a far cry from his usual books that produce “rolling on the floor laughing” reactions. However, true to himself, this one has plenty of ROFL moments!

It’s easy to give this one 5 stars and to recommend to everyone. There’s definitely something here for every person, every age, every stage of life.

This advanced reader’s copy was provided by Simon and Schuster via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for this opportunity.

This review will be published immediately on GoodReads and at Amazon, Books a Million and my library’s website when the book is released.

Age has not diminished Dave Barry's humor in any way! I love his comments about AARP and the speen harvesters! This is a great read

Barry, Dave. Lessons from Lucy: The Simple Joys of an Old Happy Dog. New York: Simon and Schuster, 2018.

Marley and Me. The Art of Racing in the Rain. Old Yeller. I’ll begin by admitting I’ve learned to be a bit gun-shy when it comes to dog books. As a dog mom, cat mom, and guinea pig aunt, I love all things furry, fragile, and apparently, short-lived. I often judge movies and television shows based on how the directors and characters treat the non-two-legged life within. I’ve also driven by a car accident and hoped no pets were injured in the crash. (Don’t worry, I said a little prayer for the human occupants, albeit later down the road). It was not without some trepidation that I began reading Dave Barry’s Lessons from Lucy: The Simple Joys of an Old Happy Dog. My biggest fear was it would be yet another sweet book extolling canine love, trust, and fidelity, ending with a body count. A heartwarming romp that ends with me doing the full-body Oprah-Style ugly cry on my sofa, shredding tissues, and generally scaring the bejeezus out of anyone within a ten-mile radius.

Thank God this is not one of those books.

Barry does not shy away from bringing up the truth all pet owners know: whatever time we have with our adopted family members is never quite enough. The same goes for our non-adopted family members, however. Barry’s take is we should remember to enjoy life while we are living it and love others while they are alive to know and feel it. Comparing Lucy’s modus operandi with his own, Barry shows how his old, happy dog Lucy teaches him how to be a better human simply by being unapologetically and unashamedly a dog. Every living being, regardless of their number of legs, teaches you something: the best teach you how to be a better you. How wonderful to recognize the lessons before the teacher is gone; to have the chance to feel, love, see, treat, and do better now. My beagle, drowsily licking his leg beside me on the couch, agrees. At least, I think he does. He stopped licking between his toes long enough to lick my arm, fart, then turn over and go back to sleep, his short legs beating staccato on my hip as he chases puppy dreams in the afternoon sun. That’s good enough for me.

I’ve always loved Dave Barry. I bet Lucy’s a lovely dog. Great stories, and great tips. We should all be like Lucy.

Also, if Dave wants to unload some of those camera lenses, heyyyy! lol

Author Dave Barry wrote a nationally syndicated humor column for the Miami Herald from 1983 to 2005. I read most of them and especially enjoyed his year-in-review feature.

Dave has also written numerous books of humor and parody, and has won prestige awards and honors.

And now I’m going to review his latest book, Lessons from Lucy?

Why not? Just like him, I have a sweet dog, I get impatient standing behind clueless people in line and 70 is my next milestone birthday.

While we know more than our dogs, dogs can still teach us. And one thing they know more about is how to be happy. Dave shares his dog Lucy’s gems with us.

Dave’s quips and knack with words plus his soul-searching wisdom, such as learning about smelling the asparagus metabolite in urine did not distract me from the taking in the merits of Lucy’s seven Life Lessons. Lucy is right- Don’t Stop Having Fun and Pay Attention to the People You Love. Thanks, Lucy. (And another vegetable got a shout-out in the book, as Dave informed us that these veggies are actually the severed heads of Martian fetuses.)

Dave confesses that he is skeptical about self-help books and so he intended this book to be a funny book about dogs, people and life in general. It is.

I didn’t so much read the book- I laughed and gasped and then cornered the folks in my house and read them the latest funny bit.

Dave is a national treasure. So is Lucy. Thanks for a wonderful book.


Thanks to NetGalley and publisher Simon & Schuster for an ARC.

All dog owners can relate to the descriptions of behavior and life lessons. Haven't we all wondered what our pet is thinking and how simple their lives are? How many times has someone told you they want to come back as your dog? Unconditional love and taken care of without fail! Simple,common sense musings that most of us over 50 have thought in passing. Don't wait until you are over 50 to read this book though, it's an easy read, thought provoking and laugh out loud funny.

This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.
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Before I say anything else, Barry has set up an Instagram page (well, probably not him, actually -- he states in the book he doesn't understand Instagram) for his dog, Lucy. You should absolutely check it out and then come back to read what I have to say about the book. Dog Pictures > my blog. Pretty near always.

With that out of the way . . . Dave Barry has been a dog person for most of his life, one of the many reasons I like him. I distinctly, and fondly, remember columns and/or references to Earnest and Zippy (the emergency backup dog) years ago. Those two make a brief appearance in this book, but they aren't the focus. The focus (if you can't tell from the title) is his dog, Lucy. At the time of writing, Barry and Lucy are the same age -- 70 (or 7 times 10 in her case), which means that both of them have many fewer days ahead of them than behind -- which sounds awfully morbid for Dave Barry to talk about, but he does so frequently and purposefully.

As they're at similar stages in life, Barry notices a huge difference between the two -- Lucy is far happier and seemingly better adjusted than he is. So he sets out to try to learn a few lessons about life from her, which he passes on to his readers. Things like Pay Attention to the People You Love; Don't Let Your Happiness Depend on Things; and Don't Stop Having Fun. None of these, Barry knows, are original or ground-breaking -- they're pretty much common sense. Yet, they're the kind of common sense things that he (like many/most humans) doesn't actually do a great job at.

The result is a mixture of a Self-Help book and a Humor book -- humor about himself, his life, as well as dogs. Sometimes the swing between the two genres can be jarring, but that's pretty rare. For the most part, he moves easily between the two, taking the readers along with him on this ride. I can't tell you how many times I went from grinning, chuckling or laughing out loud to getting misty-eyed within a couple of pages. It seems that Barry has learned a little bit about writing over the decades.

I've loved Barry's humor longer than either of us would probably care to admit. One of his strengths is finding a way to take an old joke, or at least a joke everyone's made before -- like, say, I dunno, dogs sniffing each other's hind-quarters -- and make it feel fresh and new. More importantly, funny. He's also able to make jumps from premise to punchline that no one expects. There is, for example, a Hugh Hefner joke where one doesn't even come close to belonging -- and it works perfectly. Even knowing that, you won't see it coming until you're snickering at it.

As for the heart-felt material? It works pretty well, too. I don't think anyone will walk away from this book thinking "Wow! That was insightful. I never would have thought of it on my own!" Nor do I think Barry was trying for it. But, readers will appreciate the reminders to live like Lucy (or their own dog), and the way Barry phrases things might add some freshness to the concept. Which is all anyone can really ask.

I really don't know if this is Barry's best -- but it's up there. The ratio of Attempted Joke to Funny Joke is pretty high, I'm not sure if I can think of a higher one in his ouvre. Lessons From Lucy is, without a doubt, his most mature, thoughtful and touching work (that's a pretty low bar, I realize -- a bar he's worked hard to keep low, too). Couple that with me being a sucker for a Dog Book -- even if it is a semi-Self Help book -- and I can't help but give it 5 Stars. This is a winner, no matter what.


Disclaimer: I received this eARC from Simon & Schuster via NetGalley in exchange for this post -- which is my honest opinion and pleasure to give -- thanks to both for this.

You should read this book if you're getting older, like sarcasm, didn't know that Dave Barry plays in a band with Stephen King, live or have lived in Florida (especially in Hurricane season), or even if you own a dog. Any of these are good enough reasons to read this book.

I have read a few books and countless articles from Dave Barry. While his humor is not always on mark, I do find him entertaining and sometimes I actually learn something. This book was no different. I found myself nodding and relating to him even though I am still a few decades younger than him. While his lessons are not amazing or even original, as he tells us several times, it is always good to have a gentle reminder of basically just be a good person and do the right thing. It seems there is a lot to learn about life from my dog.