Tag Archives: cats

Warriors: Into the Wild

Erin HunterSo… I’m officially a fan. I mean, cats, clans, intrigue and the ugly side of ambition, what’s not to love? If you haven’t guessed by now which cat series I’ve finally dipped my toes into, it’s the Warriors series by Erin Hunter. Into the Wild is fast-paced with a plot that thickens with each page you turn, pulling you deeper and deeper into feline territory.

While our own coming of ages might not (have) resemble(d) Firepaw’s too much* in terms of fighting for our lives amongst kitty clans’ claims for land and power, Into the Wild is certainly a novel that finely balances some of the injustices of life and how to remain true to yourself in spite of these moments.

So please don’t be surprised if/when you see me writing and/or singing eulogies dedicated to beloved fallen cats (as I’m sure will happen throughout the series). Think of it as a kitty Game of Thrones: just because a character is dear to the audience and to other characters within the novel, doesn’t mean it’s immune to being killed off by the author.

Continue reading

Of Cats and Mice

Jo Ellen Bogart, illustrated by Sydney SmithSo this is a roundup of various picture books featuring cats (and some mice) that I loved and therefore want to share with everyone because of the joy of reading children’s literature as an adult. (See LitHub for a review of Wild Things also.)

First on the list is The White Cat and the Monk, which has been on my to-read list for a while. It recently made its way back into my periphery and so I decided to finally scratch one title off that ever-growing list and bring it home.

The White Cat and the Monk is one of many retellings of a poem titled Pangur Bán, penned anonymously sometime in the 9th c. in Old Irish. It’s a meditation on the relationship between the white cat and the scholar monk and how their daily activities parallel each other despite being so disparate.

My first exposure to the book was through a review on BrainPickings, which made me want to pick it up immediately, what with the sumptuous illustrations and glowing review (and of course, let’s not kid ourselves: the cat), and it certainly didn’t disappoint. The pace is slow, but in a measured way, such that even though by the end of the poem we haven’t strayed far from the room in which the monk resides, the reader is still left with a sense of accomplishment. Not much that is tangible has been completed perhaps, but there is a sense that something has been accomplished, and that we now in a sense have a greater understanding of the world at large.

Continue reading

Pamela’s Picks: Cats

Cats by Bruce Fogle

 

As someone who recently got a new kitten, I’ve been rereading some of my favorite cat books, both fiction and non-fiction. One of the ones I really like is Cats by Dr. Bruce Fogle, an Eyewitness book. One of the things I like most about Eyewitness books is that they’re full of bright color photos and this one is no exception – it’s packed with photos of kittens and cats. It covers just about everything you could want to know about cats, their history, different breeds, behaviors, life stages from kittenhood to seniors, health, and much more. If you have a kitten or cat or just enjoy reading about them try this book.

Some other enjoyable books about cats:

Dewey The Library Cat  A True Story by Vicki Myron

Bad Kitty by Nick Bruel

Catification : designing a happy and stylish home for your cat (and you!) by Jackson Galaxy

Chi’s Sweet Home Volume 1 by Konami Kanata