Book Winners:The Pharaoh’s Cat by Maria Luisa Lang

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Cat Books: Our Faves of 2015

Still trying to find the purrfect gift for the cat lovers in your life? You've come to the right place! Today we are proud to present to you:

Cat Books: Our Faves of 2015

There have been a large number of books that have made their way to our paws in 2015, today, we would like to share our faves, in no particular order!

Catsong 
by T.J. Banks

To me, Catsong is not only a compilation of Bank's best cat stories, it is much more than that. It is a songbook  of SERENADES. It, is a collection of essays that are in reality, SONGS.

The words written in Catsong are vehicles that convey love, a love of the purest and most genuine kind. The "serenades" in Catsong are essays dedicated to the many cats who have graced T.J. Bank's life. Catsong  was the winner of the 2007 Merial Human-Animal Bond Award.

The Case of the Jewel Covered Cat Statues:

A Buckley and Bogey Cat Detective Caper by Cindy Vincent

The Case of the Jewel Covered Cat Statues is full of fun, as well as suspense. Cindy Vincent has a flair for humor, dialogue, twists and turns. The majority of the book is dialogue between the cats and her take on the various feline personalities is just hilarious. In this book, there is Hector "a Siamese cat who is a really big blabbermouth", who "talks" non-stop in the car (and everywhere else), which reminded me of how cats meow and "sing the song of their people" when heading to the dreaded Vet. There is a strong  and heart-warming message of the importance of friendship that is the heart of this mystery. Friendship, overcoming greed, believing in yourself and teamwork. It shows us  that often we must look "deeper" into things, (even things that are outwardly full of glitter, sparkle and shine),  instead of just  taking them at face value.

Texts From Mittens 

by Angie Bailey

In a nutshell, Texts From Mittens is approximately 100'ish  "laugh out loud" pages printed on quality "alk" paper, that is about a self-absorbed cat named Mittens. Mittens bombards "Mom" with incessant texts which take the form of demands, requests and questions at any hour, day or night, (hence the "unlimited data plan"). "Mom" mostly responds as the "straight man" to Mittens constant texting.

  Simple concept + brilliant execution = a hit,

 Angie Bailey hit this one right outta the ballpark!
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Purr Prints OF THE HEART
 A Cat's Tale of Life, Death and Beyond, as told to author Deborah Barnes by Mr.Jazz the Cat

Cover Photo Courtesy of Deborah Barnes

I am honored to have been one of a lucky few who were sent the manuscript to Deb's latest book, and this time, my "mini review" is located smack dab on the first page of the Purrs of Praise section!

MY QUOTE READS AS FOLLOWS:Deborah Barnes exhibits her writing prowess as she bears her soul in the poignant memoir, Purr Prints of the Heart, brilliantly narrated by the book's muse, "Mr. Jazz." Reader's emotions will be stirred to their core as Barnes magnificently climbs into the mind, heart and soul of not only Mr.Jazz, but cats as a whole and the humans who devote their lives to them. Purr Prints takes the reader on a journey that is like a salve in book form that offers comfort to all who have had to deal with (or will have to deal with), the inevitable loss of a beloved pet. Written with eloquence, grace, humor and a love that transcends the pages, I defy any pet lover not to see themselves depicted in this literary treasure.

Avalon
by Vanessa Morgan

From the moment my eyes gazed upon the cover of Avalon by Vanessa Morgan, I knew that this was going to be a special book. Let me correct that. I had the pleasure of following Avalon's blog for a number of years before he crossed the bridge, and knew that one day, Vanessa would pour her heart and soul into a tribute that would not only be a cathartic experience for her, but it would be a cathartic experience for all of us who have been obsessed with (admit it, there has been at least one special pet in your life, where your love bordered on or plunged headfirst into obsession), our love of a pet.

When we have the deepest affection for an animal,

we do not possess that love

but are possessed by it.

---Dean R. Koontz

Avalon is a memoir for anyone who has ever

been obsessively in love with a pet

Lola: Diary of a Rescued Cat 
by Lola and Dawn White

Cover photo Courtesy of Dawn White

The sweetness of Lola and her loving nature, as well as her impish side,  which is sometimes conveyed by a wicked sense of humor, is incredibly endearing. Each page reinforces the importance of and the unconditional love that is received when one adopts a rescue cat. 

" Plan Bea"

 by Hilary Grossman

(ok, so it's not a book about cats, I loved it and that is why it is here)

Hilary Grossman has a keen understanding of people and what makes them tick. She has a particularly good take on women. Her attention to detail in both the conversations that the characters have, and their nuances is superb. Even simple descriptions like someone twirling their hair around their finger while they are thinking, or clutching a pillow and blankets to their chest, or the annoyance that Annabel feels when she speaks to her mother,  are described in such a way that makes her characters leap from the pages, full of life.

 The characters that Hilary has so skillfully crafted are believable.

 They seem so real, so honest, so approachable.

 They are all characters that we can relate to.When I read Plan Bea I laughed, I cried, I was angry, I looked closer into myself and my relationship with my own mother, I ran the gamut of emotions. I did NOT want to put this book down, and I have a feeling that even if your own relationship with your mother is "perfect" (Newsflash, NO mother/daughter relationship is!!), you will be as immersed and in love with Plan Bea as I was.

RESCUED

BY JANISS GARZA

From Catster: Titled Rescued: The Story of 12 Cats Through Their Eyes,the project features different authors telling the tale of their adopted cats from the animals’ own perspective.

FROM CAT CHAT WITH CAREN AND CODY: Brilliant concept AND execution by Janiss. She  sent a shout out through social media for individuals to share their stories about their rescue cats, all told from the POV of the cats. .It was so captivating and moving, that  I read it in one sitting, It gripped my heart from the beginning to the end. There was careful thought put into the arrangement of the essays, the end result is superb!

FROM JANISS GARZA: most people have NO idea how hard it is to sequence stories in an anthology. Basically you are taking unrelated narratives and making a larger narrative with them, so the stories need to flow right. 

FROM CAT CHAT WITH CAREN AND CODY- The blog Melissa's Mocha's Mysteries and Meows did a superb job throughout 2015 of showcasing each of the cats  from RESCUED in a monthly feature. Be sure to visit her blog to read them!

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There you have it, our faves of 2015!!!

 (Children's books were omitted from this list)

Cat Book Review/Give-Away:Avalon by Vanessa Morgan

Some cats need nine lives to make a difference.

Avalon only needed one.

From the moment my eyes gazed upon the cover of Avalon by Vanessa Morgan, I knew that this was going to be a special book. Let me correct that. I had the pleasure of following Avalon's blog for a number of years before he crossed the bridge, and knew that one day, Vanessa would pour her heart and soul into a tribute that would not only be a cathartic experience for her, but it would be a cathartic experience for all of us who have been obsessed with (admit it, there has been at least one special pet in your life, where your love bordered on or plunged headfirst into obsession), our love of a pet.

When we have the deepest affection for an animal,

we do not possess that love

but are possessed by it.

---Dean R. Koontz

Avalon is a memoir for anyone who has ever

been obsessively in love with a pet

One of many things that I loved about reading Avalon, was, that this was the first memoir where the author ADMITTED having an obsessive love for their cat. For me, that love was with my Angel Bobo. Like Avalon, Bobo "appeared" one day as if he were sent to me by divine intervention. Like Vanessa, (and without boring you with the minute details), when Bobo entered my life I was scarred from the many years of physical and emotional abuse that I endured in our home, from my mother. (I don't believe that Vanessa was the victim of physical abuse, but she was definitely a victim of emotional abuse).  While I adore Cody, my love for Bobo was completely different. It WAS obsessive. He was my FIRST cat, he came to me. He was the first cat I had as an adult. He licked my hand when I cried, sat vigil when I was ill, slept with me every night, and never let me out of his sight, much like Avalon did with Vanessa. He gave me an unconditional love that I had never experienced before. We made it our mission to love each other. I remember my Vet mentioning many times when he witnessed us interacting, that we had a bond "unlike any other he had ever seen." My Vet hadn't met Vanessa and Avalon.

Avalon didn't need language to make his demands clear. We were like an old couple living together for so long they finish each other's sentences and know what the other is thinking without uttering a word.

Caring for this cat, I had the feeling that this was the one thing I was meant to do in this life. The one thing I was so obviously created to do, that it simply felt like breathing. "Promise you'll stay with me for many more years," I said. I used to tell my Bobo, "Please stay with me until you are 24" (he did his best, but passed a day after his 18th birthday.)

Another passage from Avalon that deeply touched me was one that I could relate to my obsessive love for my beloved Bobo as well: My pets were the only ones who anesthetized that hopelessness. When I believed that nothing would ever work out for me, they still made me smile. When I thought that I was unworthy of being loved, they showed me they cared. And then there was Avalon, who, because of his own traumas and imperfections, made me feel understood. So when I lay awake at night, going over how unlucky I was, and Avalon slid next to me to fall asleep in my arms, I thought, "I am so lucky to have found you."

I knew that parts of Avalon were going to be difficult  emotionally for me to read, as, (I will be honest here), they will be for you as well. That being said, I don't for one minute regret reading Avalon, quite the contrary. I derived comfort from this beautifully written book, and felt that I just wanted to reach out and offer Vanessa the warmth of a comforting hug. I wanted to sit down with her and share a cup of coffee and discuss how our "one-of-a-kind" mancats, graced our lives and loved us with every inch of their being, as we loved them back.

Everything terrible is something that needs our love

----Rainer Maria Rilke

From Amazon bestselling author Vanessa Morgan, Avalon is the heartwarming and once-in-a-lifetime love story of a girl and her neurotic Turkish Van cat. With humor, the author details how Avalon made other creatures cringe in distress whenever he was around, how he threw her dates out by means of special techniques, and how he rendered it almost impossible for her to leave the house. Avalon was so incorrigible that even her landlord ordered her to get rid of him. But beneath Avalon's demonic boisterousness, Vanessa recognized her own flaws and insecurities, and she understood that abandoning Avalon would be the worst she could do to him. Thanks to her unswerving loyalty, Avalon transformed into a tender feline, and even landed a major role in a horror movie. In turn, Avalon made it his mission to be there for his human companion.

I know that if you are reading this review to the end, and I thank you for doing so, you have experienced the same type of love with your beloved pets. I urge you to purchase this book, (and to enter our give-away). Yes, you will probably cry, but that is ok. It is important to grieve and remember, to honor the memory of the soul kitties (and other pets), that are a once-in-a-lifetime kind of love. The tears will soothe your pain, for the time it takes you to read this marvelous book, you will be re-united once again.

From Avalon: I started this book with the hope that the more people would read his story, the more something of his spirit would linger on. Now that it's finished, I understand that what I truly wanted was to relive our life together through my writing. It doesn't matter if a million people fall in love with Avalon, because all their awe combined wouldn't even match mine. I wanted to eternalize Avalon, make him important to the world, but we were each other's world, and I am so incredibly grateful for the little eternity that was accorded to us.

I feel the same about my Bobo, as I am sure many of you do as well. Thank you Vanessa Morgan for baring your soul, thank you for sharing this most exquisite and special mancat with us.

 May we all be blessed to experience the same kind of love.

Purchase links for Avalon

Amazon.

Amazon.co.uk

Amazon.fr 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR 

Vanessa Morgan is an author, screenwriter, and blogger. Two of her works, The Strangers Outside and A Good Man, have been turned into films. Her short film scriptNext to Her is currently in pre-production. When she's not working on her latest book, you can find her reading, watching horror movies, digging through flea markets, or photographing felines for her blog Traveling Cats 

Social media links

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ENTER OUR GIVE-AWAY! Vanessa is offering ONE of our readers who RESIDES ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD the chance to win a copy of Avalon. Entering is easy, just enter on the Rafflecopter below. Good luck! a Rafflecopter giveaway

In full disclosure: I was not compensated for this review/give-away. I was sent a complimentary copy of Avalon in exchange for my ALWAYS honest review.