Saturday, April 8, 2017

Books Read - Week in Review - 4/8/2017

This has been an interesting week and although I did finish (2) books I've found myself wasting lots of time playing Scrabble and Yahtzee online (so addictive). The weather has been rainy and we still have a small mound of snow left but next week we are supposed to have a few 70 degree days so hopefully that will be the last of the snow.  

These are my (2) completed books for the week.



How to Be Human; Paula Cocozza
Metropolitan Books - Henry Holt - May, 2017

(My Thoughts) - Set in an urban area of London where fox sightings are common, Mary is a troubled young woman with a lot on her mind. She's recently broken off her engagement and is on leave from work over a disciplinary issue.  As the story opens she sees a baby on her doorstep and a beautiful fox in her garden.  The fox soon becomes a regular around her home, he brings her little gifts and the two seem to have a deep soulful connection.  Is Mary losing her grip on reality or is there something more here?  The story is told mostly from Mary's POV but, occasionally we hear from the fox as well. An odd, quirky different kind of love story which focuses on loneliness and obsession. 
 (3.5/5 stars)





Thomas McNamee - Hachette - March, 2017

(My Thoughts) - Being a cat lover all of my life, I really enjoyed the insight that this book provided.  This book is well written and I liked that much of it was a love letter to the author's cat, Augusta, who arrived as a kitten one cold day in winter when the author lived in Montana. The book also provides terrific information about the psychology and biology of cats both domestic and those in feral colonies.  He makes the reader think about the needs of a cat and what owners need to insure to make the cat's life a good one.  There was much in this book that made me smile like when he discussed how his cat and his wife "mastering the art of the slow turn in bed at night" so as not to disturb the cat sleeping in the fold of one's legs.  This is something that I grew to love and now miss that our Lily is gone. At times I found myself in tears as the author explained signs to look for when your cat be very sick since cats do an excellent job hiding illness (we missed many of the early signs ourselves). He describes the euthanasia process and his decision to have his 15 year old beloved cat, Augusta put to sleep. This part was tough to read about for me since it was just (7) weeks ago that we had our sweet Lily put to sleep but, I was also appreciated reading about how the grieving process for a beloved pet is very normal and that it takes months and sometimes longer to heal (I still feel our sweet girl's presence everywhere and hardly a day goes by when I don't tear up at some point thinking about her).  I really enjoyed this book overall, very readable, even the research and scientific material was interesting and not dry in the least.  
(4.5/5 stars)





24 comments:

  1. My mind has been distracted too - maybe it's the weird weather?

    People We Hate at Weddings sounds like fun!

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    1. I think the weather plays a big part in how I'm feeling for sure.

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  2. The Inner Lives of Cats looks tempting...and I'm also curious about White Fur, which I've been noticing lately.

    Thanks for sharing, and have a great week.

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    1. Thanks Laurel. I'm looking forward to White Fur - sounds a bit different.

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  3. I'm distracted quite often! The cat read does sound good!

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  5. I've had a cat(s) most of my life so The Inner Life of Cats caught my attention. Your 2 new books sound good!

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  6. Ha ha. I play Solitaire on line. A lot! I use it to clear my mind or let my higher mind figure stuff out. The fox book sounds intriguing.

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    1. On line games are fun but such time wasters -- double edged sword LOL

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  7. Snow! Yikes! I hope spring arrives at your doorstep soon. Have a great week!

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  8. Sounds like spring is finally coming your way! I hope your temperatures do warm up next week. Those online games can be so addictive, can't they?

    McNamee's book sounds like a good one. My senior cat has health problems and we're in the process of having him tested to see if we can help him any further. I sure hope we can. I'm so worried about him.

    I hope you have a great week, Diane.

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    1. Wendy, I'm thinking of you and hope you get some news about your cat that might be an easy fix --purrs going out to you.

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  9. I got The People We Hate at the Wedding too - mostly because the title made me laugh out loud! I'm hoping it will be a good addition to my Summer Reading Guide.

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  10. Online games are so addictive. I can lose hours to them. I would love to know more about my cat...and how he has me wrapped around his little paw.

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    1. Emma, yes - time wasters for sure. I hope you can try the Inner Life of Cats book.

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  11. I don't want to know more about the online games - I would go down that rabbit hole! Our temps are in the 70s today so it's heading your way. I found the first flower of spring in our yard this morning. That's encouraging! Enjoy your new books.

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    1. It's easy to become engrossed in those games Mary - so much fun though. It was 62 today and sunny so optimistic. Have a great week.

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  12. How to be Very Human sounds very fascinating! I haven't heard about it before though. Have a good week ahead! I hope it's getting warmer.

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  13. Hope you are enjoying nicer weather this week! I love the premise for How to Be Human. I admit though for those quirky books I do have to be in the right frame of mind or I may not be into the story as much.

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  14. I have to read the cat book. Even though it has been three years sine my cat died i still feel grief that I was to slow at making the decision to have her put to sleep and she suffered a great deal in her last few final days. I had finally got up the courage to take her to the vet then she died right in my arms. At least she is in peace now. I am thinking about getting another cat but it is hard.

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