We're pretty sure the shelter who named her Dahlia named her that because she was black. So yep, our dog is named after a murdered actress. Go Dahlia. LOL

Thanks for the book suggestions! I found the first one on ABE Books for fairly cheap (a great site to find used books all over the internet is bookfinder.com -- they'll tell you where it's available and how much it costs with the shipping on that site). I'm going to order it! I can't wait to read it.