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Rating: 
Summary: A
Review: As a fellow reporter, I was pleased to hear about O'Donoghue's latest book, having read (and enjoyed) his first take on sled dog racing on the Iditarod trail. O'Donoghue's a quirky writer, and his uncomplicated narrative threads between both his experiences on the trail, and those of his competitors. At times cocky and arrogant (or maybe just a touch naive), the writer's fortunes take a dive along the 1,000 mile trail, as the weather and the strategies of the other racers grind his team down. It's an easy read, and the amusing dialogue helps quicken the pace.However, something about the book rubs me the wrong way - not in a painful way, but in a brow-wrinkling way. You feel like you've only gotten a small taste of the true story by the time the last page folds by. Something here is missing. Some added detail on preparing for his first foray into the so-called world's toughest sled dog race would have been a nice touch by the author. And O'Donoghue, while painting a crystal clear (and often touching) picture of his dogs, doesn't wax as eloquent when dealing with the human cast of characters in the book. Of course, he's titled the tome Honest Dogs, so I suppose that's a moot point. And what the heck, this is his story. All things considered, it is one of the better written and by far the most entertaining books produced about the Yukon Quest - and that's a rarity. (And those who understand the references to the 'LA reporter' will enjoy a wry chuckle every now and then. Here's hoping Honest Dogs outsells that other 'insider's view' on the Quest!)
Rating: 
Summary: "Honest Dogs" is easy to like.
Review: From Ellen Moore's book review in The Fairbanks News-Miner: "Although O'Donoghue doesn't have the mushing experience to be a leader of the Quest, he has followed the race often enough as a reporter to understand some things about the mind set of the leaders. His coverage of the complex strategies used by the two top teams adds an element of excitement to "Honest Dogs" that would be absent in a story centered around rookie frustration.The title of the book refers to O'Donoghue's own team, which naturally plays a key role in his coverage of the race. "Give me fourteen honest dogs," he quips, "and I figured the Quest would take care of itself." Honest dogs are "the sort that breathe, with each step offering all they have, offering too much if a musher recklessly allows it." By the end of the book and the end of the race I got the feeling that O'Donoghue might have wanted some fast dogs too. "Honest Dogs" is easy to like, partly because O'Donoghue's style is lighthearted and easy. He's the first to laugh at his own experiences. When he's passed on the trail by Brenda Mackey he describes his lead dog: "Khan, savage conqueror of the Klondike, couldn't get close enough to bite a Mackey team unless it was parked."
Rating:
Summary: A humorous and gripping "behind the scenes" account
Review: From John McWhorter's book review in Mushing magazine (March/April 2000): "While some mushers may dismiss O'Donoghue's dog driving mistakes as those of a near-rookie racer, the writer uses them to draw the rest of us in. He lets us inside his thoughts, and we feel his heartbreak when one of his dogs dies, then his elation when the same dog springs back to life. O'Donoghue earns his living as a journalist, and readers benefit from the reporting skills he has developed. In the months following the race, he gathered press accounts, interviewed other mushers, and then wove their tales in with his. He details specific conflicts that other writers with less backbone might shirk."
Rating:
Summary: "Honest Dogs": self-deprecating, reader-friendly race tale
Review: From Mark Kelsey's book review in the Kenai Clarion: "Perhaps the most striking and engaging aspect of "Honest Dogs" is the skillful way O'Donoghue interweaves his own, often self-deprecating race tale with the larger story going on around him. And with a cast of colorful characters, including a pair of Quest champions, he is never at a loss for rich material. His twin roles as reporter and musher serve him well in both the nature and detail of his observations. At its best when the author shares the delights and frustrations of his own rag-tag band of canine cohorts, "Honest Dogs" also serves up hefty doses of reader-friendly commentary on other racers. O'Donoghue's retelling of the racing chess match going on miles ahead of him between front-runners Bruce Lee, the eventual winner, and mysterious rookie Andre Nadeau, proves that long-distance mushing is about far more than a bunch of sourdoughs being dragged around by dogs."
Rating: 
Summary: Highly recommended for dog lovers & armchair adventurers.
Review: In Honest Dogs: A Story Of Triumph And Regret From The World's Toughest Sled Dog Race, journalist and family man Brian O'Donoghue shares the story of his experiences upon entering the Yukon Quest Sled Dog Race at the age of 41. Brian writes with wry humor of sharing the trail with his Alaskan huskies Khan, Hobbes, Scrimshaw, and Cyclone, as well as a diverse collection of rival racers and resident bush rats. Honest Dogs is a candid, vivid account of a punishing personal journey and relates the strategies, dreams, and disappoints of the contestants, the antics of the furry canine athletes, the sheer drama of the race, and the unworldly wilderness setting in which Brian and his dogs found themselves. Honest Dogs is highly recommended reading for armchair adventurers and dog lovers everywhere.
Rating: 
Summary: A must read for sled dog racing fans
Review: Once in a while you come across a book that you are sorry to see end.Honest dogs was one of those books for me.The chapter on going over american summit was very exciting.When I was in Anchorage for the start of this years Iditarod I got to see and pet O'donogue's lead dog "Khan". in person After reading this fine book I want to move to Two Rivers,Alaska and take up Mushing myself .
Rating: 
Summary: Honest Dogs; Harsh Words
Review: The real problem with this book lies not in his treatment of his dogs, but in his treatment of other mushers. It is odd that he could be so critical of so many of the other mushers from the back of the pack. While not quite an armchair quarterback, he was definitely throwing some cheap shots from the sled runners. I had a suspicion while reading this book that he was searching for a way to justify his utter lack of speed, instead of just reveling in the moment. While it is nice to hear about a musher that cares deeply about his dogs (as most do), I felt that he simply did not have the rapport with his dogs that most succesful mushers have.
Rating:
Summary: Truthful account of one man's Quest
Review: This book tells the story of one man's first experience of the Yukon Quest, and the problems and triumphs he encountered along the way. Very informative for some-one like myself (an armchair musher!)covering aspects which would never occur to me i.e. arranging food drops in advance! A real page turner, i finished reading the book in one day.
Rating:
Summary: I just loved it!
Review: This is an amazing book!--I had no idea what it takes to compete in a major sled dog race. All those pictures we see of the "romance" of sled dog competitions don't even begin to cover the fatigue (of dogs and people), the logistics and the problems. It must be an incredible experience to even finish in a race like this. I'm glad the author let me experience a little bit of it through his book.
Rating:
Summary: I just loved it!
Review: This is an amazing book!--I had no idea what it takes to compete in a major sled dog race. All those pictures we see of the "romance" of sled dog competitions don't even begin to cover the fatigue (of dogs and people), the logistics and the problems. It must be an incredible experience to even finish in a race like this. I'm glad the author let me experience a little bit of it through his book.
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