This is a thoughtful, if a little slow paced book, that reads more like a series of vignettes and ruminations on life. I enjoyed it!

A book that made smile and think. I loved the reflections and I liked the style of writing.
It's an interesting read.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

Walks with Sam covers the first four months the author and his two year old golden doodle, Sam spent together. David is a newly-wed 60 year old taking a sabbatical from his job at a college and it coincides with him getting Sam, a boisterous and loving dog.
This book initially started as a blog, and in my view that shows. It is a series of disjointed posts, which are musings on the time spent together over four months. I had expected each one to detail a specific walk, but they are more about things they encounter on their walks such as neighbours, skunks, or lost dogs rather than nature or scenery. David is clearly a lover of travel literature and this shines through in quotes, but not so much in his own words.
This was not a book for me, but I hope that Sam and David have many more happy years together.
Thanks to NetGalley for a Kindle copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I received a free electronic ARC of this self-help/memoir from Netgalley, David W. Berner, and John Hunt Publishing - Roundfire Books. Thank you all for sharing your hard work with me. I have read Walks with Sam of my own volition, and this review reflects my honest opinion of this work. I enjoy anything written by David W. Berner. He is an author I am pleased to recommend to friends and family. His works are always food for thought.

Walks with Sam is a series of life lessons shared with us by David Berner - thoughts and patterns noticed by 60-year-old Berner as he walks his young dog, Sam, through his neighborhood and beyond. No preaching here, just casual bits of human interest and life lessons pointed out by the reactions of Sam or David's reaction to Sam's reactions. A quick, enlightening read.

An easy read, a man, his dog, walks and what he notices and learns on his way. The story is endearing and makes for lovely easy reading but the writing style holds it back and there was nothing particularly revolutionary or moving

Engaging, endearing, humorous and wise, Walks with Sam is full of musings and observations on life as the author takes his beloved dog on daily neighborhood walks and wanderings.

On sabbatical from being a professor, Berner reconnects with the meditative and therapeutic benefits of walking, and finds that walking with Sam, his dog, slows him down enough to be more mindful of the world around him. Some of the observations are poignant, some pensive, some laugh out loud funny. I loved the "conversations" between the two! Perfect for anyone who has ever loved a dog and understands that they help us see all things through new, curious eyes and a larger, more open and loving heart!

My thanks to NetGalley and John Hunt Publishing - Roundfire Books for allowing me to read a copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review. All opinions expressed here are my own.

I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. The story of a dog and his owner and what they learn together.

What a sweet book!

I requested this book because I’m a dog-lover and I was keen to get a little bit of insight into a fellow dog-lovers musings... the fact that a dog was featured so prominently was an added bonus.

I found the author’s thoughts and the conversations with Sam to be endearing and sometimes even thought-provoking.

I enjoyed the details of the walks and Sam’s encounters with other dogs as well as her carefree attitude to life and everything she finds along the way.

The everyday occurrences of life and the everyday observations - made infinitely better with a walk and dog for company. David W. Berner decides to use four months of his walks with his 2-year old dog Sam and simply look at what is. The outside world becomes a great way to introspect into his own life, value systems and belief. With Sam tagging along, it also is a journey to understanding the bond we share with other living species, especially our lovely dogs. The very fears and joys of being a pet parent is a part of this journey. Changes we go through because of our external environment, even in that short a time, is also a part of this journey.

Overall, a quick and simple read, one that makes you smile throughout as you contemplate your own relationship with your pets and the therapeutic joys of walking.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

Thanks to John Hunt Publishing for the DRC!

Nice book to dog lovers. In each chapter, the author reflects upon a different situation, analyzing his life and enjoying some great moments with his beloved dog, Sam. He wonders what life means to her and how much we're alike, despite the obvious differences.

He and his wife had other dogs before, but still, he learns something new with Sam every day. I know how that feels and it's beautiful. Even when we're doing the most ordinary things, they can still surprise us.

It's a short book, but very inspiring. I really liked it. :)

I thoroughly enjoyed this lovely, light hearted book about the author's daily walks with his dog, Sam. Each chapter is about a different walk, and the people and situations they come across each day. I loved the way David communicates with Sam. He is a real dog lover and that comes across so well. He does a brilliant job of interpreting Sam's behaviour, and trying to put into words what she could be thinking and feeling. It's a short book too, just perfect for dipping in and out of as there's no complicated plot to have to keep up with. A very refreshing read.

When David C Berner gets a new dog from the shelter, then it is axiomatic that said dog will need to go for walkies.

The narrator is 61 and has lived with dogs all his life. Sam, despite the name, is a bitch and so-called doodle - half poodle. She seems to be a very athletic, personable dog that likes to roll in mud, sniff a great deal, and indulge in most doggy pleasures..

More to the point, as with all animals, she lives totally in the present. It is perhaps this gift that she, along with all animals, she can bring to her human. The owner, too, gets to live in a kind of meditative present as he shares his observations on the neighbourhood, other dogs and their owners and their idiosyncrasies, aloud with his pooch.

Occasionally there are power struggles, Sam does not always want to do everything his owner asks. Any animal owner though will probably be able to relate to what this book has to say about walking an animal - any animal, actually - sometimes the creature walked may be a ferret, even a cat.

Glad to not to have to read of any subsequent tragedies regarding the pet! There is no need here for that kind of drama, though for some this might seem that much more literally pedestrian in the telling. Dog and owner are presumably still enjoying their daily excursions.

Living with an animal can bring so much more into an owner's life, and perhaps nothing penned here will be any greater a surprise.

A diversionary book that is exactly what it claims- about walks between a man and his dog. What he learns, thinks and feels about these long walks. What he thinks his dog might be thinking and feeling, and what she might do in situations as a human or if for example she was let off leash and allowed to do whatever she pleased. For anyone concerned, this is a young dog who does not die at the end!

As a dog owner myself I could relate to a lot in this book, I often talk to my dog as if she could understand each word, and other times stick to words I know she understands, I often wonder what she would do in certain situations. I try hard to be patient and slow and allow her to sniff to hearts content, I make an effort to make our walks as happy as her as possible (given time and weather constraints.) As suggested throughout the book we as humans undoubtedly get more out of our walks than our dogs. And I got a lot out of this book. A book suggestion I would like to look more into, and some music suggestions as well.

Great read for dog lovers!

I had really high hopes for this book (thank you NetGalley) because I love dogs and I love walking dogs and I love reflecting on life while outdoors and surrounded by nature...but this book really fell short. Maybe because it was a perspective that didn't engage or intrigue or connect with me (older white male). Or maybe because although the stories are told over the course of 31 walks from March to October, they lack a cohesiveness that could grip the reader's attention. Or maybe because the tales are all fairly mundane and the "awakening" not very woke at all (there were a few blatant attempts at trying to be woke, like the part about BLM signs). The bits about Sam the doodle as well as the bits about other dogs they meet on their walks are pretty charming, so that salvaged the book a bit, but overall, it wasn't for me.

A collection of thoughts and encounters that David and his dog Sam find on their daily walks. Interesting, and worth the read, but at times felt like skimming a bit. An easy read, and one that is easy to pick up and put down. Would recommend, and makes me want to get another dog.

I loved reading about the daily walks that the author took with Sam every day. The books was very relatable. I could see the encounters tgey had on walks as tge same my dog and I have had. I like how many of tge walks found a little lesson on life or insight.
I would definitely recommend the book to family and friends. It was a great light read that made me smile.

This book is a collection of thoughts and observations from a 60 year old man as he walks his dog Sam, a poodle/golden retriever mix. He talks about the people and other dogs they meet, along with the things he notices in his community during the changing seasons. It's a short pleasant read that would last about 2 hours but probably best enjoyed a few "walks" at a time, maybe during breakfast, or just before bed. The thing I most took away from this book was to take the time to be mindful as you walk, you may just notice more than you thought.

I loved this book, it is so gentle and charming. This book chronicles the thoughts and musings of David Berner as he takes a variety of walks with his loyal dog Sam. It was a delight to read, such a relief from all the pessimism in this Covid 19 world. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, such a relaxing read. It further increased the urge to get a dog even more! Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

When David Berner took a sabbatical from teaching, he decided it was a good opportunity to enjoy his daily walks with his dog, Sam. Walking a dog was not a new experience to him, but he decided to walk in a more mindful way. He noticed that in general he wanted to pace on vigorously whereas Sam wanted to nose around, smell things and take her time. So he decided to slow his pace and give Sam the time she needed. And as a result he started to notice little things around him.

‘Walks with Sam’ is a very gentle book. Each 'chapter' covers a day’s walk and the author’s ruminations for the day – maybe triggered by someone he met, something he saw or musings about what Sam is thinking. He finds inspiration on his doorstep. There are some lovely light-hearted moments and the bond between the author and Sam shines through.

I was surprised that I didn’t find myself wanting a dog having read the book. Maybe the sections about grooming and dogs splashing in the mud put me off! However I did find myself walking just a little slower when I went out and taking things in rather than rushing from A to B.

For me, the joy of the book wasn’t particularly in anything the author said, but that it is a good reminder to take time with the things we are doing and to be present in our lives.

My thanks to NetGalley and John Hunt Publishing for a review copy of this book.

What started off as a promising concept descended into the author's ramblings over his personal politics, with a dog shoe horned in to make the whole thing seem cute. It's a miss from me.