Lessons from Lucy is my first Dave Barry book and it will not be my last. Using his humor and his love for Lucy. Dave takes you on a trip of advice and rules for living when you get older using humor and a little sarcasm. This fun quick read will make you laugh out loud and make you reflect on how to live your life better as you get older. It was a very good book.

If I’m going to read a self-help book, then it must have humor and dogs in it. I am also a sucker for a book with a dog on the cover. I’m so happy I had the chance to read this book- I laughed and also reflected on my own life and what I should be doing. What all of us should be doing. We should all stop and take lessons from our dogs and Lucy. We should stop being so angry, put our phones down, and learn to have fun. Bottom line: I know I need to act more like my dog and just enjoy the one life I am given. Everyone should read this book and take notes!

Many thanks to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for providing this eARC!

Long time Dave Barry fans will find a pleasant read and a return to Barry's former nonfiction nonsense in Lessons from Lucy, The style is more reminiscent over his older works (think Dave Barry Slept Here: A Sort of History of the United States or Dave Barry Turns Fifty) with a nostalgic twist as Barry, now in his 70s (when did that happen?!), reflects on life lessons taught to him by his aging dog. It's a very fast and cozy read with plenty of laugh out loud moments in between the more tender ones.

This was such of a worth while and fun read, Dave Berry provides a great collection of funny tales that will pull at your heart strings and teach you a few things if you let it.

When I need a good dose of humor, I turn to authors like Erma Bombeck or Davy Barry. They both have a way of finding comedy in the everyday situations that are so relatable to me. My favorite story in this newest book from Dave was his experience dealing with his cable company's customer service department. I could so relate to his frustration trying to communicate with someone on the other side of the world following a script. In Lessons From Lucy, Dave contemplates how to face the aging process as gracefully as his faithful dog Lucy. We can all learn a lesson or two about mindfulness and living in the present moment. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to preview this book.

Such a great outlook on life. Thoroughly enjoyed this book not only was it heartwarming but laugh out loud funny.
Entertaining. Highly Recommended.

I've read many books by Dave Barry over the years. Some I liked, some were so-so to me. But this book, for me, is by far his best. I laughed out loud so many times!! I admit I was shocked that Dave is 70; for some reason, he's always seemed eternally 40-something. I love it that he can make fun of his age without it being a mean caricature like I often see in authors trying to be funny.

Lucy is wise indeed; we could all benefit by following her lessons. I thank Dave Barry for sharing them with us - - and for writing a hilarious book. I'm already looking forward to his next one.

I laughed out loud while reading this book, which was embarrassing as I was reading it while at work!

Once I got over the shock that Dave Berry is 70, I thoroughly enjoyed this book! Perhaps one of the most encouraging books I have read lately. Berry is as funny as ever, with a sharp outlook on life. I would highly recommend this book to all who think aging is something to dread. Who knew a dog could be so smart!

As always, Dave Berry shares with us the laments of humanity with enough laughter to ease the pain. I love Lessons From Lucy - as only another old dog can. Lucy is everyman. And mostly we are all as shy as Dave.

"Lessons From Lucy" by Dave Barry
This was one fun read. Yup there is a lot to learn from Lucy.. and Dave makes it FUN !! I laughed and chuckled... and said... you got that right... Hope you will find this as true and entertaining as I have.

Huge fan of Dave’s fiction so thought I’d give this a try.... not bad but afraid I prefer the fiction. I know, I know - I’m sure it’s just me. Thanks to netgalley for the opportunity.

I loved the lessons! I am not a dog lover but I may want a dog now. I could feel Mr. Barry’s love for Lucy with his usual humor.
This is a sweet, enjoyable read.

3.5 stars

Humorist Dave Barry wrote a syndicated humor column for the Miami Herald for more than two decades and is the author of many amusing memoirs. In this book, Barry relates seven life lessons he learned from his beloved dog Lucy. The lessons are largely common sense, but the anecdotes from Barry's life provide a nice personal touch.

The book is uneven, with some stories that are laugh out loud funny and some that are rather mundane.

*****

Barry has always been a 'dog person' and starts the book with amusing stories about his previous canines: Mistral, Earnest, and Zippy. About ten years ago, Barry's family adopted a new dog, Lucy, from a rescue agency, and Lucy proved to be beautiful inside and out. Lucy knows how to be happy, and that's the idea behind Barry's 'Lessons from Lucy.'

*****

Lesson 1: Make New Friends, And Keep The Ones You Have

Lucy greets almost everyone she meets, both people and dogs, with her tail wagging. Lucy loves everyone and therefore has loads of friends.

Barry on the other hand, has fallen out of touch with old friends and rarely makes new ones. So he's made a vow: "When I meet new people, I'm going to make an effort to not hide behind my humor barrier, not to use my age (70) as an excuse. I'm going to think about Lucy and be open to new friendships and stay in better touch with my old friends."

*****

Lesson 2: Have Some Fun

Lucy has fun all the time. She loves to play with her family, her toys, and other dogs.

Barry fears that he's stopped having fun now that he's older, and wants to remedy that by reviving his involvement with two organizations that he found enjoyable in the past: 'The World Famous Lawn Rangers' and the 'Rock Bottom Remainders.'

The World Famous Lawn Rangers are a marching unit that performs precision lawn mower-and-broom routines in parades (by precision, he means not even remotely precise). Each Ranger, wearing a cowboy hat, marches holding a broom in one hand and pushing a lawn mower with the other.

At the 'brooms up' command, the Rangers raise their brooms and either 'walk the dog' (run around in small circles turning the mowers 360 degrees) or 'cross and toss' (switch places with other Rangers and toss their brooms to each other).

The Lawn Rangers have marched in parades all over the country, including the Rose Bowl, the Fiesta Bowl, and President Obama's inauguration parade. Dave hasn't marched with the Rangers in a while, but hopes to rejoin them soon.

______

The Rock Bottom Remainders are a rock band composed of authors. Some of the original members were Amy Tan, Stephen King, Ridley Pearson, Roy Blount Jr., Barbara Kingsolver, and others.

The Rock Bottom Remainders - who perform at book-related or benefit events - were always terrible (musically speaking), and Roy Blount Jr. described their musical genre as 'hard listening.' However, the group developed a repertoire of onstage shtick and hijinks that was very entertaining. The band sometimes has 'guest musicians', and when Carl Hiaasen performed with the band he was so nervous that he brought his guitar teacher onstage with him. 😄

Dave hasn't played with the band recently, and is looking to remedy that.

*****

Lesson 3: Be Mindful: Pay AttentionTo The People You Love (Not Later, Right Now).

Lucy is always fully present in the moment. She doesn't second guess the past or fret about the future (she's a dog, after all). For instance, when the trash man comes to collect the garbage, Lucy strenuously objects (by barking).....but the instant the man is gone, Lucy forgets about him.

Barry, on the other hand, is often not 'in the moment.' Like many other people, Barry is constantly checking his phone or thinking about other things - even when he's with family and/or friends. He hopes to change that.

*****

Lesson 4: Let Go Of Your Anger, Unless It's About Something Really Important, Which It Almost Never Is.

Lucy doesn't hold on to anger. She gets mad sometimes: at the garbage man, the Goodyear blimp, and sometimes at dogs that (for some unknown reason) she decides are assholes. But as soon as the the cause of her anger is gone, Lucy is over it.

Barry gets angry much more often than Lucy, at lots of things, such as:
- People who sample too many flavors at the ice cream shop when there's a big line behind them. He sometimes thinks to himself: "If everyone else in line hated you as much as I do, your body would burst into flames from the hate rays being beamed at it."
- People who stop at a red light and immediately look down at their phone, not paying attention to when the light turns green again.
- People who repeatedly stand up at a sports event, so the spectators behind them can't see.
- People who litter.
- People who don't say thank you when you hold the door for them.
- And lots more.

Barry gets especially angry at Comcast customer service and tells a hilarious story about this. But, taking an example from Lucy, Barry is trying to let things go a little more.

*****

Lesson 5: Try Not To Judge People By Their Looks, And Don't Obsess Over Your Own.

Lucy doesn't judge other dogs by their appearance.

Unlike dogs, humans are obsessed with looks, a trait that's hard-wired into human biology. In prehistoric times - for reasons related to natural selection - women were attracted to men who could provide food and protection (that is, guys who were strong and aggressive) and men were attracted to women who were fertile (that is gals who looked attractive....which is indicative of good health).

In modern times, physical traits are less important for human survival but men and women are still attracted to a certain kind of look. Barry notes that he never resmembled the man who - in caveman days - would have helped with the mastodon hunt. Instead, Dave always looked like the guy who would have stayed a safe distance away and cracked jokes. As a result, teenage Dave had a hard time attracting girls....especially the pretty girls he liked.

When Barry got older, he learned to appreciate qualities other than looks, like intelligence, sense of humor, honesty, wisdom, courage, generosity, etc. The moral is, you shouldn't judge people by their appearance. There are exceptions of course.....and you can be legitimately put off by folks who have a swastika tattooed on their forehead.

*****

Lesson 6: Don't Let Your Happiness Depend On Things; They Don't Make You Truly Happy, And You'll Never Have Enough Anyway.

Lucy doesn't worry about hurricanes....which tend to mess with our things. She doesn't get nervous because she doesn't know a storm is coming. 🐶

Humans, however, become frantic when a hurricane is approaching, and Barry tells a long story about this. I'll cite some brief excerpts.

Barry's family, which lives in Florida, sees a lot of big storms. One thing Barry and his wife do when a storm approaches is buy supplies, like food....."sandwich makings, canned soup, Spam, candy, chips....and enough granola bars and peanut-butter crackers to supply a cruise ship for six months at sea."

After the hurricane, when there's no electricity - and people are left without internet/phone/cable - the restoration of power becomes an all-consuming obsession. People "would sacrifice a goat if they thought it would bring their power back, and they had a goat." In large part, this is because people can't tolerate the loss of technological conveniences and diversions: computers, internet, big screen TVs, etc.

Barry writes about how happy he was when, in 1955, his family got their first television - even though it was tiny and had horrible reception.

Now, like many people, Barry has a ton of 'stuff'.....and it's not enough. He's always buying more.

Having learned simplicity from Lucy, Barry plans to divest himself of superfluous belongings.

*****

Lesson 7: Don't Lie Unless You Have A Really Good Reason, Which You Probably Don't.

Lucy and other dogs are honest to a fault. You always know when dogs have done a bad thing because they 'confess' by whimpering and looking guilty. Cats on the other hand, have no remorse and have the morals of Hannibal Lecter. Barry writes: "If you come home and find your cat inside your parakeet's cage, holding your dead parakeet in its jaws, your cat will be like 'Obviously this parakeet committed suicide'."

People are more like cats than dogs. They lie all the time. Sometimes folks tell little white lies - like when a six-year-old, watching a commercial, asks 'What is Viagra'; or a friend texts something meant to be funny and you text back LOL when you're really OMA (Only Mildly Amused).

But often, people tell serious untruths - especially politicians.

Barry believes it's almost always better to be honest with people. Act like Lucy, "if you mess up, fess up."

*****

At the end of the book Dave assesses the changes he's been trying to make in his life and his (self-assessed) grades for the seven lessons are: C, A, C+, B-, B-, B+, B.

Not too bad.

This isn't one of Dave Barry's best books (IMO) but it's still worth reading if you need a smile.

Thanks to Netgalley, the author (Dave Barry), and the publisher (Simon & Schuster) for a copy of the book.

Really enjoyed this book. Thanks so much for letting me have an ebook copy to review. People will love this book and learn a lot.

The simple joys from an Old Happy Dog! Thanks to an Advanced Reader Copy from the publisher, I was able to enjoy the next book by Dave Barry. He is back and taking cues from his beloved and intelligent dog on how to age gracefully. Let’s just say this one hit a little close to home and I found myself laughing at things that are way too familiar!

There was a scene on smartphone usage that had me laughing out loud. However, when I read it to my teenage nephew, he did not get the humor – wonder why?

This book is divided into Lessons from Lucy – things such as Make New Friends and Pay Attention to the People You Love. Each is taken from Lucy’s point of view but easy transfers into ideas that humans can use to enhance their lives. Being a dog person – I know we have a lot we can learn from them. I am thankful that Lucy had Dave to do the typing!

I couldn’t get through it. I used to love Mr. Barry’s short pieces in the newspaper but reading extended versions were painful for me. Maybe one day I’ll finish it but I can’t recommend it.

Yesterday morning I began reading Dave Barry’s Lessons from Lucy: The Simple Joys of an Old, Happy Dog and laughed out loud and was glad that, for me, it was a dog-oriented day, and happy that these two coincided by happenstance.

With a few exceptions, I’ve had a dog (or two) most of the years of my life. When I was an infant, my mother used to put me down for my naps on our Irish Setter, and he would watch over me, like “Nana” in Peter Pan. When I began to try to walk, he would knock me back down on all fours, so certain was he that I belonged on all fours, as I belonged to him. As I write this, I have two dogs sleeping beside me.

Inside this collection of Barry’s musings are seven chapters, each one a “Lesson from Lucy,” all of which are based on struggles that Dave Barry might have, and the wisdom he gains, the perspective he receives when he sees how Lucy responds when faced with challenges.

From topics like the 1954-1973 TV show“Lassie,” to how routine oriented dogs can be, to some of the things they seem to have conquered – the state of being happy seems to be what dogs do best. And so he examines their methods of achieving happiness (or avoiding unhappiness), by observing how they deal with life, in general.

There are also stories that include friends of his, both here and gone, that are incredibly touching stories. His stories of his years with The Rock Bottom Remainders,a band comprised of Barry and other authors, including Amy Tan, Stephen King, Roy Blount, Jr. Robert Fulghum, Ridley Pearson, Barbara Kingsolver, Matt Groening and others, a band that was meant to disband after a single performance, but as time went by added more as others left, including occasionally actual “big-time”musicians such as Judy Collins, Springsteen and Warren Zevon.

Sweet and humorous, this made me (and Stephen King) laugh out loud. His observations on our need for such platforms as Facebook, the frustrations of dealing with Comcast, AARP, and preparing for a hurricane is not something I’d associate with humour, but even this one had me laughing.

While this may not have answers to the larger questions of life, and reading it will not cure any major health issues, it is full of the medicine of laughter, and as they say – laughter is the best medicine. I say, laughter - and a dog - are the best medicine.


Pub Date: 02 Apr 2019

Many thanks for the ARC provided by Simon & Schuster

It’s all in the delivery! If you shudder at the thought of another self-help book, relax, Dave Barry has made it fairly painless, thanks to Lucy, his life-lessons guru and aging dog.

LESSONS FROM LUCY is filled with humorous one-liners, chuckle-worthy scenarios and heart-felt reasons to embrace life just for the joy of it! If readers take nothing else away from this humorous look at life and its many foibles, it is the simple joy in living for the moment, loving with all you have, unconditionally and taking time for those around you without ulterior motives.

Fresh, fun reading with a ton of heart and beautiful lessons that are so often far easier to act on than holding a grudge or getting caught up in “society’s acceptables,” live, love and give of yourself! Dog lovers can relate to Lucy's attitude about life, maybe dogs are smarter than we give them credit for!

I received a complimentary ARC edition from Simon & Schuster!

Publisher: Simon & Schuster (April 2, 2019)
Publication Date: April 2, 2019
Genre: Humor | Self-help
Print Length: 208 pages
Available from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
For Reviews, Giveaways, Fabulous Book News, follow: http://tometender.blogspot.com

Lessons from Lucy is both a very different book than Dave Barry's usual fare and one that falls directly in line with it. I enjoyed it for being standard Barry - laugh-out-loud funny and at points truly ridiculous - as well as for its gentler moments of compassion and depth. Highly recommended!