From the story of a SEAL Team dog to "Cats for Dummies," this list can help you settle in for some great reading.

You've created a sourdough starter and baked bread until you don't have any more friends to give loaves to. You've planted a garden. You've learned how to knit. You've binged "Aggretsuko," "Bodyguard" and "Chef's Table." You've watched "Hamilton" three times. Isn't it time you settled down with a great book? Here's what to read, whether your jam is mysteries, cats, photography or dogs of war.

Most military working dogs, aka combat assault dogs, remain anonymous throughout their careers, but one broke out from the pack after participating in a high-level operation. Millions know the name of Cairo, the Belgian Malinois who took part in SEAL Team Operation Neptune Spear, which ended in the death of terrorist Osama bin Laden in 2011. In "No Ordinary Dog: My Partner From the SEAL Teams to the Bin Laden Raid" (St. Martin's Press), Cairo's handler Will Chesney and writer Joe Layden tell the story of Chesney and Cairo's training and careers as well as their love story. (Let's call it what it is.) The action-packed tale begins with Chesney's journey to become a SEAL, how his love of dogs led him to a role as a handler when dogs began to become valued SEAL Team members, their perilous work in Afghanistan, and how injuries separated them and brought them back together. No one should miss this story, so for kids there is "Warrior Dog: The True Story of a Navy SEAL and His Fearless Canine Partner," adapted for young readers.

Mystery writer Laurien Berenson continues her Melanie Travis series with "Game of Dog Bones" (Kensington Books), in which the standard poodle owner/schoolteacher and her family head to New York City to watch poodle maven Aunt Peg achieve the dream of a lifetime: judging the Non-Sporting Group at Westminster. But the occasion is marred afterward when Aunt Peg's nemesis, Victor Durbin, is found dead. Turns out he had a lot of enemies, for a number of good reasons. Travis seeks to nose out the killer before Aunt Peg is charged with Durbin's murder.

I've long thought of myself as a terrible photographer. I took an incomplete in the subject in my college journalism program, and only the advent of smartphones improved my ability to take good pictures I even won an award with one of them! But thanks to Andrew Marttila's new book "How to Take Awesome Photos of Cats" (Running Press Adult), I think I could finally advance from halfway decent snapshots of my pets with a phone camera to actually being able to operate a digital SLR and get great animal shots, both at home and on trips. Even if you're not that interested in photography, you'll enjoy the photos of adorable kittens and cats, but if you really want to take better pictures of your cats, this fun and practical guide will show you how.

Cat lovers will also want to check out three more books about their favorite four-footers. "Catlady: A Love Letter to Women and Their Cats" (Prestel), by Leah Reena Goren, features illustrated essays illuminating the ways cats have influenced the lives or careers of women, the friendships between women and cats, and how cats help make a home.

In "Decoding Your Cat" (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt), veterinary behaviorists have pulled together a guide to why cats do the things they do with information that may surprise and educate even those who consider themselves cat experts.

The third edition of "Cats for Dummies" (For Dummies) by Gina Spadafori, Dr. Lauren Demos and Dr. Paul Pion updates a classic with a new chapter on enrichment for indoor cats, including information on catios; a new chapter on helping community cats, including kitten fostering; and all new and updated medical material.

Finally, in "One Hundred Dogs and Counting: One Woman, Ten Thousand Miles and a Journey into the Heart of Shelters and Rescues" (Pegasus Books), Cara Sue Achterberg goes on an inspiring road trip to rural shelters and rescues seeking an answer to the unending stream of foster dogs that come to her door.

Pet Connection is produced by a team of pet-care experts headed by veterinarian Marty Becker and journalist Kim Campbell Thornton of Vetstreet.com. Joining them is dog trainer and behavior consultant Mikkel Becker.

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Dog and cat books to read this summer: Pet Connection - GoErie.com