Thoughts of A Dog by Matt Nelson and Peter Pan by JM Barrie

A grown up picture book and an audiobook of a children's classic have been on my reading agenda lately!

Based on the beloved Twitter sensation, Thoughts of Dog contains never-before-seen, sweet and funny reflections on life from the pup-spective of a gooooob dog, who, above all else, loves their human.

Join a dog and their stuffed “fren” sebastian as they navigate life’s adventures through the most wholesome lens imaginable.

The mastermind behind WeRateDogs, Matt Nelson, expands the Thoughts of Dog universe born on social media with his new book for anyone looking for a smile.

I was expecting a light-hearted book of little sketches featuring a human's interpretation on, well, the thoughts of a dog... And that is in a nutshell what this book is.

The only problem is that I was expecting them to be funny and they weren't all that funny. I was expecting them to be super sweet but they were a bit blah (except the one about the Mail Man. That almost had me in tears.) However, they were super relatable if you've lived with dogs even if the representation of all the doggy-isms was pretty basic.

The entire book read like a series of sketches that wouldn't be out of place in a kid's picture book only they occasionally use vocabulary that would be a little advanced for 3-5 year olds, like benevolently.

I guess you could call this a book for all ages of dog lovers... It just falls short in that the stories aren't all that entertaining for adults. *shrug*

Journey to Neverland in a new Audible Originals drama of J.M. Barrie’s magical masterpiece.

This enchanting adaptation of the enduring story of the boy who never grows up, produced in association with Great Ormond Street Hospital, stars Rupert Everett as the villainous Captain Hook and Adeel Akhtar as his right-hand man Smee. Beloved by both children and adults alike, the entire family will be transported to a world made of faith, trust, and pixie dust.

This Audible Original Drama of Peter Pan takes listeners on a magical adventure with Peter, Wendy, Michael and John as they arrive in Neverland and take on Captain Hook with the help of Tiger Lilly and Tinker Bell.

The story begins at home in London during The Blitz and Mary Darling is planning to evacuate her children to the countryside. However, her plans take an unexpected turn when a familiar face from her childhood returns...the one and only Peter Pan, the mysterious boy from Kensington Gardens. Intrigued by their mother’s friend, Wendy, Michael and John seek Peter Pan out, resulting in them being whisked off to Neverland and setting up home with Peter, Tinker Bell and The Lost Boys.

As Peter and his gang come up against the wickedly evil Captain Hook their friendships and relationships are put to the test - can Wendy be honest with Peter about how she really feels, and will Michael and John return home without their sister?

Audiobook Performed By: 

Adeel Akhtar, Mariska Ariya, Catherine Bailey, Rupert Everett, Neil Frost, William Harper, Gerran Howell, Simon Kane, Mack Keith Roach, Rocco Padden, Richard Reed, Maya Shepelev, Louis Suc, Harry Tuffin and Eleanor Worthington-Cox.

This was the first audiobook I've ever listened to that has a full cast and presents like a full stage production for the ears - music, sound effects, the works.

I wasn't sure I liked it but once I adjusted, I loved it!

It was delightfully charming and packed full of humour and wit. The voice actors did a marvellous job of bringing Peter Pan to life but Rupert Everett absolutely stole the show as Hook! He was definitely the bad guy who you can't help but love... He was my favourite character which is unsurprising really as I've always found Wendy and Peter to be insipid characters.

Now, for a confession... I've never read Peter Pan before but I've seen it many times on stage during Panto season, and in various movies, and the story doesn't vary much. Therefore, I had a vague expectation of what would be in the audiobook but I was thrown for a loop when this version was set during the Blitz rather than Victorian London! (The bits outside of Neverland, I mean.) I thought it was Victorian (maybe Edwardian) but apparently not... After listening, I dug into Peter Pan and it turns out that it was written for stage (Edwardian era!) and JM Barrie kept tweaking it over a great number of years so good luck finding a definitive version! And if you've seen it on stage, or in a movie, then I'm pretty sure that you'll have the full story of Peter Pan for that all there is to it... Although, I found the audiobook a little more sad, sinister and, well, mean, than the versions I'd seen elsewhere.

Regardless, the audiobook was fun and it'll be a story that will continue to entertain children (and adults) for many years yet to come.