The best chapter was "Assassination-1", which I enjoyed immensely. Everything else was a little dull. ( )

I borrowed this from the library because I have really enjoyed Miles Kington's other book. But I wasn't optimistic that a book about dying from cancer could be funny. In fact though, I really enjoyed it - laugh-out-loud funny in places, genuinely moving in others. I may have to buy my own copy. ( )

The author was a humor writer in England for 50 years. He was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and decided to write this book describing his experiences during the part of his life. The book is written as a series of letters to his agent with ideas for a book on dying from cancer. It is quite funny, with that dry humor for which the British are known. He was clearly someone who understood and accepted his prognosis and wanted to spend his final months doing what he enjoyed the most.

I think this book might be very helpful and enjoyable to someone dealing with a similar situation. It shows that you don't have to give up your passion or lose you sense of worth during your last days.
( )

Intriguing idea: what book should I write now I now I know I'm dying? but, sad to say, the result is meandering and trivial. I gave up, as I did on his earlier autobiography. Random inner musings from a Montaigne or a Nietzsche might be worthwhile (though I find even that hard to stay with), but from a self-confessed minor sort of chap, it doesn't merit the time of reading. I enjoyed his Punch columns back in the day, so I'm a bit sad. ( )

I was scheduled to review "How Shall I Tell the Dog" early last year. My copy went missing so I am reviewing this book from the Kindle edition.
While it is true that there is nothing funny about having cancer and it is also true that pancreatic cancer is, indeed, "a nasty one" as Kington's oncologist points out, it is also, also true that Kington was a humorist. He did what many humorists do and gave us a funny, touching and real account of his life - knowing that he would die and knowing that his death would be soon, however unimaginable that image was.
If ever there was a time and place for black humor, this is it and Kington came through admirably. Kington skewers the "self-help" genre perfectly. He is not unkind -merely brilliantly on _target.
I wish he'd got to read Barbara Ehrenreich's new book, "Bright-Sided: How Positive Thinking is Undermining America". I wish he'd gotten to read a lot more things and had years to read them.
I recommend this book for many reasons. Obviously, its humor but also its serious look at how we look at (or don't) those who are very ill, how we talk with them - things we are afraid to say. He also does a take on our less deadly (sorry) cultural scene and
it is worth the price of the book - or Kindle edition - 9.99.
Now that I have finished my review I am going off to Yodel in memory of Miles Kington. ( )

Seeing that death can be humorous, Kington tries his best to let us see it as well. I did not love the book, but I appreciate what the author was trying to do.

I have been reluctant to post what I really thought of this book for many months. I received it through the Early Reviewer's program and was looking forward to a more heart warming memoir. I was raised to not say anything if I couldn't say anything nice and it is especially difficult to make uncomplimentray comments about this book since it is a memoir and the author is deceased. Let me add that I have not read any other books by this author. If I had I may have had a better appreciation for his sense of humour.

Obviously I did not like the book. I found the humour to be inappropriate as I find nothing funny about cancer or death. In my opinion the author is not so much describing the experience of dying of cancer as he seems to be cashing in on the C word in a last ditch effore tto provide income for his family while writing on a topic that is naturally dominating his thoughts.

I'm not sure whether I would recommend this book or to whom. I notice that many of the other reviewers found the book humourous and gave it a high rating. Perhaps I will read another of his books and reread this one to see if my opinion changes. ( )

I must admit that I began reading this book with a bit of reluctance. Knowing little to nothing of the author, I anticipated it to be a tear-jerker, but was I wrong! As Michael Palin of Monty Python said, "What a wonderful legacy this is. A book to make the Grim Reaper laugh and even, one hopes, encourage Him to give up the job altogether." It is by turns bittersweet, thoughtful, deeply moving, and most of all, hilarious. Not at all what you'd expect on such a subject, but after reading about the life and works of Kington, it seems just what he would write! I highly recommend it to anyone willing to give it a try. ( )

Miles Kington's book How Shall I Tell the Dog is a writer's way of telling the world that yes, I know I am dying but I don't know any other thing to do but to write about it.

That's what writers do. We write about what happens.

Kington is an English humorist, or perhaps that should be 'humourist.' At 66, he learned he had pancreatic cancer, or as one of his doctors explained, "This is one of the nasty ones." With a low-to-no chance of delaying the effects, Kington sets out to write one final thing before he dies, if only he can figure out what to write.

As a humorist, his attention span is short, his wife notes in the afterword, and by telling the story in bits of imagined letters to Kington's literary agent Giles Coleridge, he attempts to sum his life's unanswered questions with a shot of whisky (I suppose that should be whiskey) and a joke. While not all of the jokes are funny, some are painfully sad, as in changing Patricia Schultz' 1,000 Places to See Before You Die to 100 Things to Do Before I Die. Kington notes to his agent, this may be blackmail, but he hopes readers see his point.

What is his point? He had always planned to outlive his springer spaniel, Berry. Now he knows he won't. (As for his cat, well, she is old....)

How Shall I Tell the Dog (and other final musings) is less memoir and more musing. The book is incomplete. Unfinished. And exactly like its author, Miles Kington, a humorist, literary editor for Punch, and a jazz reviewer for the London Times. He died of pancreatic cancer on January 30, 2008. He will be remembered for many things, one of them being his social wit in the series Let's Parler Frangelais!

3 stars ( )

A cute little read, though not what I was expecting. I had anticipated the author's thoughts and fears on his impending death. Unfamiliarity with the author did not help in this matter. ( )

"How Shall I Tell the Dog" is brilliantly funny and laced with a subtle sadness. Not a page went by--indeed, not a paragraph--that I didn't smile, if not laugh aloud. But having reached the back cover, I'm left only with a frown.

This book compares favorably with "The Last Lecture" and "Tuesdays with Morrie." While all three concern the final days of learned men, "How Shall I Tell the Dog?" is in its own way more accessible, more believable, more relatable. There is little chance that by death, most readers will become wise professors, Disney Imagineers, or NASA scientists. There is, however, a good chance that he or she will face the inevitable with a stiff upper lip and good spirits. And Miles Kington shows us how. ( )

Dear Miles,

I've just finished reading the book. It's tricky, you know, reviewing something like this. One wants to be as objective as possible; and yet, at the same time — well, it's *cancer*, isn't it? Handing a bad review to an author who died before his book about his impending death was published would seem somehow callous or coldhearted.

Fortunately, this isn't a bad review. It was a good read and, overall, I think the approach worked. I have to admit that I didn't know you before this. I haven't read any of your other books, so I came into this one without any expectations. And, honestly, I wasn't sure at first: your approach seemed perhaps too lighthearted, too obviously ducking the real issues. Not honest. But I changed my mind along the way. Maybe this was the real you and really how you handled your illness. I admire that. It's not a bad way: writing to an old friend, remembering the good times, admitting to the occasional moments of fear and doubt, saying a gentle goodbye ... and spreading plenty of lunacy along the way. I hope that I'll be able to do the same if I ever find myself in your position.

Thanks for the thoughts and laughs. Best of luck to you.

Matt ( )

It's really hard to fault a dead author but to be honest, I found this just so sad. Yes, there is a humour to it, definitely, but ultimately we know what happens in the end and that casts a dark shadow. ( )

A different way of looking at the prospect of ones death in the near future. There is a lot of humor to cover up the sadness. Not quite what I expected when I got the book. ( )

I did not enjoy reading this book, not because such a serious topic is treated so lightly, but because, honestly, it was a bore to read. I did not find it funny or interesting (perhaps it's a cultural difference?), and actually ended up skimming large chunks. I am grateful to have received it through the Early Reviewer program, but, for me, it was a dud. ( )

Kington, who is dying from cancer while writing this book, frames his story as a series of letters to his editor. The letters vary in tone from funny to serious. Fans of his Punch columns and other publications would find this book interesting reading. ( )

Accomplished writer Miles Kington learns he's dying of pancreatic cancer. Not only does he keep working, but he constructs for himself the challenge of writing a book of humor during his final days. The book takes the form of a series of letters to his longtime friend and literary agent, proposing fictitious outlines for books he would write, most of which would use his cancer as the central focus. This should be gallows humor at its finest, but I could never quite overcome feeling sad about the author's impending death, so although I laughed a little, I was mostly dragged down by the bleak reality. I also had to overcome my disappointment that this was not a book about a dying man waxing maudlin over saying goodbye to his dog. I was up for an extra box of tissues and in the mood for a good cry, but alas, there is only a brief mention of the author's pets, and although my heart went out to the author in his predicament, I couldn't work up a good cry…nor, unfortunately, a good laugh.

Still, how could I give a low rating to a book written by a guy on his deathbed? Although this book didn't strike the right chord with me, I could never be mean enough to give it a low rating, so I'll give it one star for Creativity, one for Humor, one for the Benefit of the Doubt, and one for sheer Bravery. The Creativity is there, and probably even more enjoyable if you are either a writer or an agent yourself, as there are dozens of subtle jokes about both. One of the best is when the author's oncologist wants advice on getting an agent for his own book.

The Humor is dry and well contained (maybe too well contained) and …quite "British" to my American sensibilities, but I've heard that the audio book is read by Michael Palin of Monty Python fame, so it might be worth a listen. The Benefit of the Doubt is because I doubt my own ability to appreciate this book simply because my reaction to cancer is fairly one-dimensional (fear/sadness) and doesn't embrace the humor that must be there if only one looks for it (really?). The element of Bravery I believe speaks for itself: here was a man courageous enough to keep doing his life-work despite knowing that his end was very near.

The author, Miles Kington, was literary editor at Punch, a writer and jazz reviewer for the London Times, and a columnist for The Independent for 22 years. He was also known for "Let's Parler Franglais!" series which was reportedly wildly popular in the U.K. He must have been a nice, funny guy, and I believe if I had read his other works, I would have felt a stronger affinity for How Shall I Tell the dog? And other Final Musings. However, since this is the first time I'd heard of Kington, this book seems too much like an inside joke between him and his agent.

I will still have to look elsewhere for the quintessential "loyal dog/dying master" novel, maybe "Hachiko"? ( )

This was entertaining, but really didn't discuss the subject matter at all. It can be read in about half an hour, so maybe a good read if you have to wait for something, though the cancer part is of course a downer. ( )

this is wry, heartrending, silly, moving -- everything one might expect from Miles Kington, but layered with the knowledge that he is no longer with us; he tells us important, wrenching things about the progression of the disease and his friends' reactions and his observations about the sappiness of other books on the subject: excellent. ( )

http://tinyurl.com/m6u2bu

Two-thirds of the way through this book, Kington notes that a book that has only "the best bits" would be considered boring, supposedly because it would be exhausting to read. Unfortunately, I disagree because his book does not have only the best bits and is boring nonetheless.

Kington wrote this book as a series of humorous tales related to his growing pancreatic cancer. I applaud the effort of writing about this life event comically, since it can't have been easy or fun at times. But, there is, at its essence, nothing funny about cancer. So reading it you are wincing nearly the entire time, even when you're laughing.

The hardest laughs are at his description of his father-in-law, the yodeling bits, and the cards he wrote up to describe his cancer, in case people were looking leery. He clearly had a gift since there are laugh-out-loud parts, and maybe it's just that nothing is consistently humorous even to one individual. But... does he want to remembered by this (albeit lightweight) tome? I'm fairly sure I wouldn't. ( )

A wonderful collection of letters written from Miles Kington to his friend and agent Gill about different ideas for a book. Kington had a very strong wit, a hilarious sense of humor and an easy going writing style. Its a shame he passed on from cancer, and I will immediately be going out to look for his other written works. ( )

English humorist, Miles Kington writes about getting cancer, facing death and comes up with a quirky list of things a dying person might want to try, like yodeling, before they kick off. A light, quick read that has way too many English references in it for me to relate to or completely enjoy. Kington mentions English newspaper and magazine writers that I've never heard of. A book like this should have the reader laughing and agreeing most of the way through. Too many references to those things English or British will not resonant with many American readers, unless they're an Anglophile. ( )

A very difficult topic to tackle and face headlong. Sharing these thoughts must have been a challenge for him and I appreciate that effort at a time when everything in his life is crashing around him. I was a bit fascinated with which aspects of life struck him as amusing to include. Telling of the tales as bittersweet as the ebb of life. Still greatly funny in some places. Very mixed...my interpretation as well as the flow of the letters. ( )

This is the best 'cancer book' I have ever read. Kington, who had a long career as a humorist, makes the most of having cancer by making it funny. Okay, he doesn't make cancer itself funny, but he's very funny with respect to the great ideas for books, TV programs, and funeral videos that come to him after he is diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Laugh-out-loud funny I only wish I could do him justice. Read the book. It's well worth your time. ( )

I find it such a true oxymoron to say that a book written by someone diagnosed with cancer and about their experiences with cancer is funny, I mean laugh out loud funny! I love this book because it grappled with real issues in a witty way. How does one prioritize when they find they have 20 years less to live than they thought? Well learn how to Yodel of coarse! I loved this book. I work with cancer patients everyday, they are brave and wonderful and this book shows that cancer does not change who you are! ( )