NOVEMBER BOOK CLUB: Dog Days: A Year with Olive & Mabel

For the November 2021 book club, we are reading the new book by bestselling author and sports broadcaster, Andrew Cotter with his second book which chronicles a year in his life with his two faithful, hungry and often slightly bewildered friends alongside.

Olive and Mabel rose to fame when Cotter turned his trademark commentary from rugby, golf, tennis and athletics to the everyday activities of his two Labradors and his heart-warming bond with his dogs quickly went viral on social media. His videos have had over 90 million views across Twitter, Instagram and YouTube and Cotter’s debut book, Olive, Mabel and Me, was a UK bestseller in 2020 and has sales in excess of 125,000 copies worldwide.

In Dog Days: A Year with Olive & Mabel, Andrew takes the reader on a sharply-observed and often hilarious walk through their experience of all aspects of life – both during lockdown and then on a gradual release back into the world at large. He considers the curious things we do as humans as we make our way through life and reflects on how precious time really is, especially the time we have with our dogs. From the Cheltenham Literary Festival to BBC Breakfast, from the Virgin Radio studios with Chris Evans to an appearance on Good Morning America as well as a sell-out theatre tour and from canine obscurity to excited whispers of “Is that really Olive and Mabel?”, this witty and warm book is told in Andrew’s unique style and is a touching account of their year.

Speaking about the publication of his second book, Dog Days: A Year with Olive & Mabel, Cotter said, “It was lovely to see the reaction to my first book, and although Olive and Mabel have continued to offer very little practical help with the writing, they have helped as some sort of inspiration and I’m so glad that they have been by my side throughout this past year – quite often snoring. But it has been an extraordinary time for everyone and I hope that Dog Days might strike a chord with people, whether they are dog-lovers or not.”

We are so excited to get reading.