One of the book series that makes me the happiest to read is the Chet and Bernie book series by Spencer Quinn. There are 15 books in the series published, with a 16th being released in April. They can be read in any order. The books are written from the point of view of Chet the dog, also known as Chet the Jet. Bernie is his human owner and the two of them together make up the Little Detective Agency. It’s a mystery series full of adventure and suspense, but also full of fun and a lot of humor. What makes this series one of my all time favorites is the positive and light-hearted way that Chet sees the world, no matter the situation. Below are a few quotes from the Chet and Bernie series that always make me smile:

“I curled up on the shotgun seat and thought about biscuits. Another one would have been nice. But you can’t let little disappointments bring you down in this life. Forget all about them and get on with something else. For example, a nap.”

“Had something just been bothering me? Whatever it was: poof!”

“I thought that over from several angles, which took practically no time, and settled on thinking about it from no angle at all, my usual MO.”

“I gave myself a good shake. Always a nice way of making a fresh start.”

“I pushed all of this out of my mind – whoosh, just like that, a nice feeling.”

“My mind shrank away from the thought. Always a surprisingly nice feeling when my mind did that: I had one of those minds that was on my side, if you know what I mean, which I actually don’t.”

“I tried to forget it, couldn’t, then tried again, and succeeded with whatever it was.”

“…proving there’s good in everything; one of my core beliefs.”

“That was a worrisome thought. I tend to stay away from worrisome thoughts, like to spend my time in the here and now.”

“So I had no more thoughts about it – I can shut down my thinking just like that! Sometimes it doesn’t even wait and shuts down all by itself. Who has it better than me?”

“ Life is full of nice moments. You just have to be there.”

“A rooftop chase? Who’s got it better than me ?
Chasing down perps is what we do, me and Bernie. We’re partners in the Little Detective Agency, Little being Bernie’s last name. I’m Chet, pure and simple. When it comes to chasing down perps, rooftop chasing is what you might call a specialty within a specialty, if you see what I mean. And if you don’t then … then actually I’m right there with you. The point is that rooftop chases don’t happen often, so when they do you’ve got to enjoy them with all your heart. No problem. Enjoying with all my heart is one of my best things, right up there with leaping and grabbing perps by the pant leg.”

“The Porsche roared its lovely roar. I howled my lovely howl. Bernie laughed his lovely laugh. Life gets no better!”

“‘Is forgiving possible without forgetting?’ Bernie went on. He smiled at me, a pinkish smile that was a bit scary. ‘You’re the expert on forgiving, fill me in.’ Forgiving? A new one on me. I was very familiar with forgetting, of course. Could forget like you wouldn’t believe. My take away? I was a good, good boy.”

“Sometimes, not nearly enough in my opinion, humans go out of their minds with joy. Hard to think of a better sight, especially when the human involved is still a kid.”

” Moments later, I was in the corner, enjoying a Slim Jim. In fact, we were all enjoying Slim Jim’s. The world shrank down to this little kitchen, and us dudes chowing down. Life’s full of nice moments. You just have to be there.”

These are just some of the quotes that fans of the series adoringly call “Chet-isms”. His line of thinking is both humorous and inspiring, allowing the series to flow seemlessly without a single dull moment. He reminds us to focus on the little joys of life and not hold on to the hurt or disappointments. His hopeful perspective is practically contagious to the fans of the series. Chet’s outlook on life is so uplifting and optimistic. His point of view has been inspiring my own perspective on life since I stumbled across the first Chet and Bernie book in my high school library. We should all strive to think more like Chet. Worry less and enjoy more! If you want a book series with plenty of humor, warmth, and heart that never has a dull moment, I highly recommend the Chet and Bernie series by Spencer Quinn.