Hi everyone! I hope you’re all well. Today is Wednesday, and it’s time for another post in the Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge hosted by Long and Short Reviews. If you’d like to participate in the challenge, you can find the list of topics for 2025 here. If you’re interested in reading other people’s responses to this week’s topic, you can do so here.
Books that Deal with Tough Topics
Reasons to Stay Alive by Matt Haig
Reasons to Stay Alive is a memoir which tells of Haig’s struggle with his mental health. It delves into his depression, his anxiety and his attempt at suicide at the age of 24. It’s a tough yet hopeful read, and I highly recommend it to anyone who has struggled—or is struggling with their mental health.
A Dog’s Purpose by W. Bruce Cameron
This book broke my heart into a million pieces when I read it. It’s about a dog who, at the end of its life, is reincarnated into the body of different dogs of various breeds and genders. With each reincarnation comes a renewed effort—a determination—to find the first human who ever showed him love, his best friend, Ethan.
It’s a sad, sweet and heartbreaking story that also left me with a sense of peace. It helped to repair the damage the grief of losing my own dogs left. There are two sequels that I very much want to read, though I’m not ready yet.
Maus by Art Spiegelman
Maus is a graphic memoir which recounts the atrocities of the holocaust told through the eyes of the author’s father, Vladek Spiegelman. It’s a compelling read, told with raw honesty, that really hits you in the gut. The best part about Maus is that—via the illustrations—the author uses cats vs. mice as a metaphor for the events of World War II.
Julián is a Mermaid by Jessica Love
This is a lovely picture book about a little boy named Julián who loves mermaids. One day, while out with his abuela, he bumps into some people dressed as mermaids on their way to a mermaid parade. He can’t stop thinking about them, and once home, while his abuela is in the shower, he dresses up as a mermaid himself.
When his abuela sees him, Julián thinks he will get into trouble, but instead, she smiles and takes him to the parade. It’s an uplifting little read and promotes outright acceptance and unconditional love. As a fellow mermaid fan, I was touched by this one.
Well, that’s me done for now! I wonder which books you’ll all choose.
As ever, thank you for stopping by to read my words. I appreciate it.
Until next time,
George
© 2025 GLT
Categories: life, Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge
GEORGE L THOMAS 
Julián is a Mermaid sounds like a cute read!
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A Dog’s Purpose sounds like a tear jerker! I find that sad animal novels are the hardest to read because they are innocent creatures. Great post introducing some new authors/ novels that I otherwise wouldn’t have known about.
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Thank you! Yes, A Dog’s Purpose is a sad but hopeful read. There are two sequels that I haven’t read yet, but I definitely will. 😊
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I remember reselling “Maus” and having people in the crowd give it condemning looks because of the format. Serious material CAN’T be communicated via cartoons–can it? I was like, this is the man’s parents he’s talking about, he has to deal with the material as best he can. Some people seemed to think that the only response to a cartoon is to laugh. I’ve seen sad and scary cartoons all my life. We’re all programmed!
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I agree, Priscilla. Sometimes graphic novels are more accessible than novels or regular biographies. And as for sad cartoons, The Snowman and The Snowdog has me bawling every Christmas. The medium is irrelevant. It’s the message that’s important. 😊
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Except for A Dog’s Purpose, I haven’t read any of these. Thanks for the suggestions.
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A Dog’s Purpose sounds like a wonderful, but tough read. Thanks for visiting my blog last week. Just catching up now.
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