Giveaways

Review and Giveaway: Paw Prints at Owl Cottage by Denis O’Connor

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Paw Prints at Owl Cottage brings the reader back to the beautiful setting of a remote country cottage in Northumberland in England, home to the author, his wife, and their cats. This sequel to Paw Prints in the Moonlight is a heartwarming story about the power of cats, and the way they change lives.

From the publisher:

When Denis and his wife Catherine return to Owl Cottage, their former home, only to find it in a dilapidated state, they decide to restore this charming house. But the memory of Denis’s beloved cat, Toby Jug, still lingers on. Continue Reading

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Review and Giveaway: Pet Sounds by Quinn Cummings

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Pet_Sounds_Quinn_Cummings

I know, Allegra, I know. But despite the d-o-g on the cover of Quinn Cummings’ Pet Sounds: New and Improved Stories from the QC Report, this collection of stories, drawn from Cummings’ popular blog, The QC Report, features plenty of cats. Additionally, it’s such a funny and at the same time insightful book, I just had to share it with you.

The author writes about a lifetime of living with, and rescuing pets, ranging from Polly, the dog whose “dayplanner would have only three entries: Eat. Sleep. Excrete.” to bloodthirsty rabbits to lizards rescued from the dead. Of course, the cat stories were my favorites, especially those featuring Lulabelle, also known as Lupac, a portly middle-aged black cat with a relentless hunting drive. “Had she been human, she would have been a dour workaholic who spends her rare off-work hours flipping through feline trade magazines like Small Prey Monthly or Professional Dog Smacking.”Continue Reading

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A Street Cat Named Bob Makes US Debut

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James Bowen and his cat Bob have been capturing hearts since A Street Cat Named Bob: And How He Saved My Life was first published in the UK last spring. The book finally debuts in the United States today. Even though the US publisher changed the original subtitle to How One Man And His Cat Found Hope on the Streets, the story remains the same and is no less compelling with a new subtitle and cover.

I reviewed the UK edition last year, and have been following the unfolding story of James and Bob since then – I just can’t get enough of this modern day fairy tale. From book signings with lines snaking around the block to a movie deal, James’ life changed in ways he never could have imagined when he first found Bob on the doorstep of his apartment building. James was living hand to mouth on the streets of London and had just moved into subsidized housing as part of a drug recovery program after being homeless. The last thing he needed was a pet. But he just couldn’t turn his back on the injured cat, so he took him in and nursed him back to health. He never intended to keep him. Once Bob had recovered, James sent him on his way.

But Bob had other plans. Continue Reading

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Review and Giveaway: The Cat Sitter’s Cradle by Blaize and John Clement

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The Cat Sitter mystery series, featuring Dixie Hemingway, a pet sitter who lives on one of the Florida keys, has been a favorite of mine ever since the cover of the first book in the series, Curiosity Killed the Cat Sitter, caught my eye.  The series was authored by Blaize Clement, and after she passed away in 2011, her son, John Clement, continued the series. Blaize had been collaborating on plots and characters for future novels with John.

The Cat Sitter’s Cradle is the latest in the series. Do covers get any more adorable than this one?

From the publisher:

No mission is impawsible for pet sitter Dixie Hemingway (no relation to you-know-who). Continue Reading

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Review and Giveaway: Grey Dawn by Clea Simon

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I was thrilled when the sixth book in the Dulcie Schwartz mystery series, featuring the Harvard graduate student, along with her kitten Esme and the spirit of her departed cat, Mr. Grey, arrvied in my mailbox. I’m a huge fan of the series, and I’ve learned from reading the first five books that once I got started with Grey Dawn, I would have a hard time putting it down, so I planned accordingly.

In this book, we still find Dulcie working on her doctoral thesis about an incomplete gothic novel written by an unknown author in the 18th century. Dulcie is excited when she discovers what appear to be missing pages of what may have been the manuscript of the novel. She is deeply immersed in thoughts about the novel and its author on the way home one night, when she hears what sounds like a wolf howling, and catches a glimpse of her thesis advisor, looking strangely inhuman in the moonlight. She chalks it up to being so immersed in the dark tale of her gothic novel, and doesn’t give the odd occurrence any more thought until she finds out the next morning that a student was savagely attacked that very night. And the student looks very much like Dulcie.Continue Reading

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Review and giveaway: Simon’s Cat in Kitten Chaos by Simon Tofield

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You know Simon’s Cat from his YouTube videos. It all started with Cat Man Do, which I believe was the original Simon’s Cat video. The hand drawn animated video featuring black and white pencil drawings of a cat trying to wake his guardian has garnered more than 40 million views since it was posted five years ago.

Since then, Simon’s Cat has become an empire, featuring more videos, books, and merchandise ranging from t-shirts to cat beds to fine art prints.

Simon’s Cat in Kitten Chaos is the third installment in Simon Tofield’s book series based on his YouTube cartoon character. In this book, Simon’s Cat meets his match: a new kitten who is half the size of Simon’s Cat, with twice the attitude.

I hadn’t seen any of the previous books before, and I wasn’t sure how the cartoons would translate to print. Turns out they translate well – I thoroughly enjoyed the book. It’s impossible to look through the book without winding up with a big smile on your face.Continue Reading

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Review and giveaway: Celebrity Cat Names by Christina Hamilton

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Let’s face it, we’re a celebrity obsessed culture, and that obsession extends to celebrity pets as well. If you enjoy following celebrities, and if you’ve ever wondered about famous cat lovers and their beloved cats, you’ll enjoy Celebrity Cat Names.

From the publisher:

Celebrity stories from Cleopatra to Beyoncé revealed through their cats. From the legend of Prophet Mhammed’s Muezza to the tragic story of Kim Kardashian’s Mercy; from Thomas Hardy’s Kiddleywinkempoops to Big Bang Theory Sheldon’s scientist cats. A diverse mixture of fun facts about historical and contemporary celebrities, chock full of gorgeous cat photos, quotes and tales, Celebrity Cat Names is purrfect for everyone who loves cats.Continue Reading

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Review and giveaway: It’s a Cat’s Life by Howie Bingham

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It's a Cat's Life

Scrapbooking has gone to the cats! It’s a Cat’s Life is an interactive book that chronicles the life of your cat, from personality to behavior, background to medical history, memories of special times, and everything in between.

This beautifully designed book is organized in a three-ring binder, which includes pages to write about your personal journey with your cat. There are places to insert photos of your cat, list favorite foods and activities, and more. There are sections for cat sitters and veterinarians. The cover features a slot to place a favorite photo of your special cat. Think baby book, but for cats.

It's a Cat's Life scrapbook

The book is narrated by Howie, The World’s Greatest Kitty (although I’m sure any of us would argue that our cats are the world’s greatest!), Continue Reading

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Review and giveaway: True Grey by Clea Simon

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I’m a huge fan of Clea Simon, and was eagerly awaiting this fifth book in the Dulcie Schwartz mystery series, featuring the Harvard graduate student, along with her kitten Esme and the spirit of her departed cat, Mr. Grey. I knew enough from reading the previous four books to set some nice chunks of reading time aside when I received my review copy of True Grey, because once you pick up one of Simon’s mysteries, you’re not going to want to put it down.

In this book, we find Dulcie finally making some real progress on her thesis about an incomplete gothic novel written by an unknown author in the 18th century. But just when things are going so well, Melanie Sloan Harquist, a visiting scholar, shows up and claims that not only has she found the incomplete novel, she is preparing to publish a biography of Dulcie’s author! Dulcie is devastated, because this would mean that years of research were wasted. Dulcie makes several thwarted attempts to contact Harquist. When she finally plans to pay a friendly visit, it’s too late: she finds the woman murdered, and ends up – literally – with blood on her hands. To make matters worse, Dulcie had threatened to kill Harquist just days before the murder when she was venting her frustration about the situation to friends.

Dulcie looks like the prime murder suspect,Continue Reading

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Review and giveaway: Cat in a White Tie and Tails by Carole Nelson Douglas

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Cat in a White Tie and Tails cover

Carole Nelson Douglas’ Midnight Louie series, featuring feline detective Louie and his human, public relations specialist Temple Barr, is probably one of the longest running and best known feline mystery series.

In Cat in a White Tie and Tails, the twenty-fourth book in the series, Louie accompanies Temple and her fiancé, rising media star and former priest Matt Devine, to Chicago so she can meet his family. Louie is catnapped right out of Matt’s mother’s living room. In a series of twists and turns, the kidnapping leads the reader back to Las Vegas. Meanwhile, Las Vegas homicide detective Molina has commissioned Temple’s former boyfriend, magician Max Kinsella, who suffers from amnesia following a recent attempt on his life, to help solve some old cold cases. In a series of wild twists and turns, involving Molina’s former boyfriend and father of her daughter as well as stonecold killer Kitty the Cutter who may have returned from the dead, Louie and his partner in crime and his daughter, Midnight Louise, have their paws full trying to tie up all the loose ends in a fast-paced, fun read that will leave the reader breathless.

If you’re a fan of the series, you will love Continue Reading

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Review and giveaway: Julia’s Cats: Julia Child’s Life in the Company of Cats

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A life without a cat is a life without sunshine. – Julia Child

I didn’t know Julia Child was a cat lover until I received Minette’s Feast: The Delicious Story of Julia Child and Her Cat from the publisher. I was utterly charmed by this beautifully illustrated book aimed at children ages 3 and up.

Julia’s Cats: Julia Child’s Life in the Company of Cats by Patricia Barey and Therese Burson brings this little known aspect of Julia Child’s life to light in an engaging and entertaining way. If you weren’t already a fan of Julia Child, you will be after reading this book.

From the book’s prologue: “A reporter once asked Julia Child what she might whip up for her creator when she got to heaven. Julia wasn’t a religious person – she believed heaven was right here on earth, in her own cozy kitchen, hovering over a skillet sizzling with shallots and butter, then sitting down to share a meal with people she loved, a cat wrapped around her ankles, meowing for treats.”

I was, of course, particularly delighted that Julia Child’s introduction to cats began with a tortoiseshell catContinue Reading

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