For My Cookie

As many of you know, my kitty Cookie has been sick for the past month or so.  Unfortunately, she took a turn for the worse and we lost her this morning.  We are heartbroken.  It was only 7 months  ago that we lost our Trudy.  It's a hard time right now.  I'll be taking a few days away from the blog.  I just need a break.  I do have tours and posts that have been pre-scheduled so you will see those for now.  I'll be back.

Cookie and Trudy together

Review: Copycat: and a Litter of Other Cats by David Yow (Artist)

Genre:

Non-Fiction

Publisher:

Akashic Books

Format:

E-book (available as a hardcover)

Release Date:

August 2014

About the Book

The Tygrine Cat by Inbali Iserles

Genre: Fantasy

The Queen of the Tygrine Cats makes the difficult decision to send her young cat, Mati, away from the only home he knows. It’s for his own safety. Mati takes the long journey by ship to an unknown land where he runs into a group of feral cats, the Cressida clan. They want nothing to do with Mati as he is looked at as an outsider. He finds friendship with three other cats, Domino, Sparrow and the beautiful Jess, but the rest of the clan look at him with suspicion.

Unbeknownst to Mati, he is being chased by an evil assassin, Mithos. Mati must use the ancient feline powers he inherited from his mother to defeat Mithos or cats all over the world could be in danger. There is a huge battle in the last chapter that will keep readers glued to each word.

This story is perfect for cat lovers. I read it in one day. Adults and children alike will adore this book and find themselves falling in love with the young, innocent Mati. I could feel all the emotions he was experiencing. When he was turned away by the Cressida cats, I just wanted to grab Mati and hug him. The author mixes mythology and fantasy together to get this amazing tale.

I’m giving this book the Socrates’ Great Book Alert medal.



For Reading Challenge: Read Your Own Book

Familiar Double by Caroline Burnes

Harlequin Intrigue #729, October 2003
Genre: Romantic suspense

Fear Familiar is back for another fun adventure! I so love this sleek, black cat and his crazy antics. Most of the time he knows so much more than the humans in the book. LOL

This story finds Familiar in the role of a “stunt cat” on a movie set. When the beautiful stuntwoman, Nicole Paul, is accused of stealing an expensive piece of jewelry, Familiar is on the case. No way does he believe this sweet woman could do something so awful. He’s convinced she’s been framed and he intends to prove it. He lets Nicole’s boss, Jax McClure, share in the investigation. It doesn’t hurt to have a human involved, too.

Jealousies and old hatreds are flying high on this movie set. The last straw is when Nicole’s father is released from prison after serving a 20 year sentence for stealing an expensive and cursed diamond. When he hears that his daughter is now being accused of a similar crime, he’s sure it has to do with the false accusations that left him in a jail cell for all these years.

Nicole, her father, Jax and Familiar set out to find who is behind framing them. The stakes get higher when Nicole’s father is kidnapped. If they don’t crack this case, time could run out on her father’s life. With Familiar playing detective, and a bit of a matchmaker too, things are bound to work out.

This is a quick read that had my hysterical – especially when Familiar gets insulted at his treatment at a local restaurant. Familiar may not actually speak, but he gets his thoughts across  I love this series so much. I only have two books and a novella left in my TBR. I hope Burnes never stops writing these delightful books.

For reading challenges: What an animal reading challenge, a to z reading challenge

I'm also giving it the Socrates' Book Reviews Great Book Alert

Choosing to Be by Kat Tansey

Choosing to Be, Lessons in Living from a Feline Zen Master

Genre: Fiction

Kat Tansey is looking for a way to overcome her severe bouts of depression. After suffering from a long term illness, she loses her job and is faced with financial difficulties. She looks for help through Buddhist meditation. A topic that happens to be the expertise of her Maine Coon cat, Poohbear. He’s more than willing to be her teacher and help her seek answers she needs so desperately.

This is a fictionalized account of the authors’ tortured journey. She has marvelous talks with Poohbear, who convinces her to acquire a Maine Coon kitty, Catzenbear. Together, they show Ms. Tansey the way. The reader lives through Kat’s experiences and feel both her pain and joy. There are several cute cat antics that will leave a smile on all cat lovers’ faces.

As a cat lover myself, I often have full fledged conversations with my cats and I’m not the least bit embarrassed to admit it. I know from my own experiences, they do help keep the stress levels down and they are a sounding board that doesn’t judge.

I found this book to be one of the most enjoyable I’ve read in a long time. I practically devoured it in one day. The writing flows well, it’s fast-paced and I hated to see it come to an end. It’s one of the few books I’m passing along to my husband. He’s going to love it as well.


For Reading Challenge: What an animal reading challenge

The Bachelor’s Cat by L.F. Hoffman

The Bachelor’s Cat by L.F. Hoffman

Genre: Romance

This is a cute, short story about a man emotionally torn between two women and how the appearance of one small kitten changed everything.

The Bachelor is a struggling artist with a beautiful girlfriend. One day he finds a small abandoned kitten. He decides to take the kitten in until the rightful owner can be found. When nobody claims the kitten, the Bachelor keeps him and names him Frankie. The kitten is frightened of the outside and sticks closely by the Bachelor’s side.

Although his passion is ignited by his girlfriend, he meets a woman who gives him much more than passion. However, she’s overly beautiful or thin and not the usual type of woman he usually dates. He was torn between which woman to choose.

At first I was a bit put off by the Bachelor’s hang up over superficial qualities, but the kitten’s presence in his life truly helps him discover what is important in life. This was a quick, read – only 120 pages and I was touched how a non-cat person became a cat person. Cats can do that to you! LOL

Cries & Whiskers by Clea Simon

Genre: Mystery

Cries & Whiskers is the latest book in Clea Simon's Theda Krakow Mystery series. I fell in love with Theda and her beautiful kitty Musetta in the first book and I anxiously awaited her return in the third book of the series. I was not disappointed.

You would think a music critic wouldn't find herself being the center of murder mysteries, but that's exactly where Theda winds up. This latest book involves the world of animal activists. When an animal activist is killed in a hit-and-run accident, Theda begins to think there was more to this death than meets the eye.

The victim, Gail Womynfriend, was an extremist. She was not fond of domestic animals and let her feelings be known. Gail made many enemies along the way, so it wasn't out of the realm of possibilities that one of them wanted to do her in, but who?

When her own beloved Musetta is thrown into danger, Theda throws caution to the wind and conducts her own investigation. Nothing will stop her from saving Musetta's life, even if the investigation leads back to her friend Violet, owner of the local animal shelter.

I love this series. The characters are so well-developed and you find yourself caring about them. One of my favorites is Violet. She's a wonderful, quirky character with so much life in her. The story itself is well-plotted, fast-paced, and a great way to spend an afternoon whether you are sitting on the beach or cuddling by a fireplace. I can't wait to re-vist with Theda, Musetta, Violet and all the rest of their friends (and even their enemies!)

Cat Cross Their Graves by Shirley Rousseau Murphy

Genre: Mystery

Joe Grey is one of my favorite sleuths, ever! This series was my first introduction to mysteries years ago. I’ve had such a growing TBR that I kind of got away from reading this series. This week I went back to it and I’m glad I did.

When beloved movie star Patty Rose is murdered in Molena Point, Joe and his kitty friends Dulcie and Kit get right into the middle of things. Young Kit discovers the body and who the culprit is, but when the cat goes missing, the town of Molena Point goes into a tailspin.

Meanwhile, Dulcie finds a young girl hidden in the basement of the local library. Dulcie fears she might have something to do with Patty Rose’s slaying. Then, the young girl is kidnapped and the police discover hidden graves, which sends the community into shock. Dulcie’s fears continue to grow and the three cats find themselves working overtime to assist the police in this crime.

I know many have problems with stories about talking cats, but not me. I guess, as a cat lover, I see my own cats in these three especially Joe Grey. Joe’s rapport with his human Clyde always leaves me laughing, while Kit and Dulcie’s relationships with their humans are quite touching. Each cat has their own personality and they all drive the unsuspecting police crazy.

Escaping to Molena Point is one of my favorite things to do. The plot moves quickly and the characters are very well developed. The next three books are already in my TBR and I really need to move them up the pile. I let too much time go between books and I’ve missed Joe and his cohorts.

Catch as Cat Can by Rita Mae Brown

Genre: Mystery

First, let me start off with how much I love the Mrs. Murphy series. I just adore re-visiting the town of Crozet, Virginia and getting reacquainted with Mary Minor “Harry” Haristeen and her family of fur babies. I can’t get enough of this series.

Crozet’s annual Dogwood Festival is coming and as the citizens begin preparations, Mrs. Hogendobber discovers her hubcaps have been stolen – right off her car! Imagine that! As Harry helps her investigate the crime, they begin to stumble upon dead bodies. Obviously this is about more than stolen hubcaps.

Mrs. Murphy isn’t about to let Harry walk right into the middle of danger, at least not alone. She recruits the help of her buddies Tucker and Pewter to help assist in unraveling this mystery.

Mrs. Murphy, Tucker and Pewter are so much fun to read. Two cats and a dog solving mysteries…what could be better?