Those who have dogs as pets – or should we say "live-in companions"? – know about the special bonds that can form between people and their canine friends.

Which brings us to a trio of books on that topic:

• "Bliss to You: Trixie's Guide to a Happy Life" by Trixie Koontz (as told to Dean Koontz; Hyperion, $16.95, 160 pages): Master of suspense Dean Koontz is passionate to the bone about dogs. Consider just two of his titles in which dogs figure largely: last year's "The Darkest Evening of the Year" and 1987's "Watchers," made into a film in 1988.

The content of "Bliss" was "told" to Koontz by golden retriever Trixie (his "furry daughter") from "the other side," after she had "passed from this world three months before her 12th birthday."

It's segmented into 10 chapters ("Calm," "Beauty," "Fun," etc.), cumulatively designed to guide people to a state of bliss. Much like the bliss dogs enjoy. As in zenlike bliss.

This is an entertaining, insightful book from which we can all take inspiration and encouragement. As Trixie says, "Happiness is a choice. Must make happy yourself."

• "Izzy & Lenore: Two Dogs, an Unexpected Journey and Me" by Jon Katz (Villard, $24, 224 pages): Best-seller Katz has written about dogs in several books, in national magazines and online. He and border collie Izzy volunteer in a hospice program, visiting with the terminally ill. When Katz himself becomes depressed, he turns to Izzy and a new dog in his life, black Lab puppy Lenore, to regain his balance.

• "Dog Talk: Lessons Learned From a Life With Dogs" by Harrison Forbes (St. Martin's, $24.95, 304 pages): Veteran dog trainer-behaviorist Forbes recalls his involvement in the lives of dogs and offers readers solutions to a host of canine behavior problems – and the bad habits of their owners.

OK, some books aren't on dogs

Here's a trio worth a look:

• "The Shadow of Reichenbach Falls" by John R. King (Forge, $26.95, 352 pages): When Sir Arthur Conan Doyle tired of writing about Sherlock Holmes, he let his famous detective drop into Switzerland's Reichenbach Falls at the end of "The Adventure of the Final Problem."

Though reader demand forced Doyle to bring Holmes back, numerous writers have imagined what happened to Holmes from the time of his plunge to his "resurrection." This tale takes a most unusual and lively try at that, with good – though surprisingly tragic – results.

• "Fabulous Fun With Puzzles" by Joseph Leeming (Time, $13.95, 224 pages): What's so special about this compilation of "mental gymnastics of every kind" (including matchstick games)? Just that it was first published in 1947, and it's interesting to see what was considered tricky and clever 61 years ago.

Try this quaint classic, "The Lying Archaeologist": "An archaeologist said he had found a bronze coin marked '649 B.C.' People believed him at first, but soon discovered he must have been telling a falsehood. How did they know?"

Answer: "The maker of the coin would never have known that it was B.C. This symbol did not come into use until later."

• "Ghost Radio" by Leopoldo Gout (William Morrow, $25.95, 368 pages): Deejay Joaquin, his girlfriend and his engineer run a late-night call-in radio show called "Ghost Radio." It's based in a small studio in Mexico, and broadcasts spooky stories phoned in from listeners. When it's picked up by a media conglomerate, syndicated and broadcast to an audience of millions, things get out of control – as in, the horror stories begin to take on lives of their own.

Here come the writers

Upcoming author appearances include:

• Michael Connelly for "The Brass Verdict" (Little, Brown, $26.99, 432 pages): The excellent sequel to the thriller writer's Macavity Award-winning "The Lincoln Lawyer" (2005) has it all – twists, tension and an exceptionally captivating protagonist.

L.A. attorney Mickey Haller "inherits" a lucrative defense case from a colleague who is shot to death. As the big trial progresses, though, things turn out to be not what they seem. Adding interest is Haller's dealings with the LAPD detective working the murder – none other than Connelly's longtime cop character, Harry Bosch. Connelly appeared for The Bee Book Club in 1998.

Event: 7 p.m. Oct. 16 at Borders, 2339 Fair Oaks Blvd., Sacramento, (916) 564-0168.

• Bret Hart for "Hitman: My Real Life in the Cartoon World of Wrestling" (Grand Central, $26.99, 592 pages): This "celebration and exposé" takes fans behind the scenes for some eye-opening truths that may be shocking to some. Hart is a surprisingly solid and candid storyteller whose injuries put him on the sidelines before he could reach the pinnacle of his career.

Event: 7 p.m. Oct. 16 at Borders, 2030 Douglas Blvd., Roseville, (916) 784-1088.

• Annie Barrows for "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society" (co-written with Mary Ann Shaffer; Dial, $22, 288 pages): This was a surprise hit of the summer. It's 1946 when London-based writer Juliet Ashton gets a letter from a stranger living on the isle of Guernsey.

Through a series of correspondence, he introduces her to life on the island and how the hangover of the Nazi occupation during World War II still affects the villagers. Intrigued, she travels to there and finds a world of enchantment.

Event: 4 p.m. Oct. 18 at Borders, 120 Crescent Drive, Pleasant Hill, (925) 686-4835.

• Alan Jacobson for "The 7th Victim" (Vanguard, $25.95, 352 pages): FBI agent and profiler Karen Vail is tracking the Dead Eyes Killer, but walls of secrets and betrayal are obstacles in her way. Jacobson spent years of study with the FBI's profiling unit, and the research shows.

Event: 7 p.m. Oct. 21 at Borders, 2339 Fair Oaks Blvd., Sacramento, (916) 564-0168.

• Nick Popaditch for "Once a Marine" (Savas Beatie, $25, 336 ): The former Marine gunnery sergeant (a Silver Star awardee) led the tanks that captured Firdos Square in Baghdad in April 2003. There, Marines toppled the statue of Saddam Hussein. A battle-related injury led to a long road of recovery and a victory against government bureaucracy.

Event: 7 p.m. Oct. 14 at Borders, 2765 E. Bidwell St., Folsom, (916) 984-5900.

The Bee's Allen Pierleoni can be reached at (916) 321-1128 or apierleoni@sacbee.com. Contact him with news of coming literary events that are open to the public.