By Beth Goehring

I recently had to put my 15-year-old corgi Grace down. Without the click of her nails on our apartment floor and her snuffles around the kitchen floor as I prepare dinner, the place feels so empty. My deepest sympathy goes out to all of us who’ve lost a beloved companion. I’ve found that losing myself in a book about the ability of animals to improve our lives can help.

Ultra runner Dion Leonard was sweating in the intense heat of the Gobi Desert when a funny-looking mutt came out of nowhere to run beside him. After 77 miles together, sharing what provisions Dion was able to carry with him, they crossed the finish line together. Before Dion could get “Gobi” back home to Edinburgh, the dog went missing. How could Dion find one dog in that gigantic country? With the same persistence he’d used to become a super-athlete and the unbreakable connection he’d forged with his new friend.  Get the book.

Found as a stray kitten in the dead of a Montana winter by the author, Augusta is the central example of this fascinating look at domesticated felines. If you ever wondered what was really going on behind that inscrutable gaze, McNamee’s accessible, entertaining narrative reveals all. Get the book.

Helen Macdonald suffered a momentous loss when her father had a fatal heart attack on a London street. An avid falconer, she decided she needed a project that honored his life. She chronicles her relief from grief as she trains Mabel, a goshawk. This is an unforgettable blend of exquisite nature writing and a deep look at a daughter’s love. Get the book.

Finally, here’s a quick look at my love. Gracie was a character.

Beth Goehring believes, with apologies to Lorelei Lee, that rather than diamonds books are a girl’s best friend…and a boy’s, a man’s and a woman’s. For more than twenty-five years, through Book-of-the-Month Club and its related clubs, she’s sold popular fiction, mysteries, romances, cookbooks, children’s books, play scripts, behind-the-scenes tales of the movies and theatre, and lifestyle books. She lives with her husband in Manhattan.