Cat Lovers Book Club - January 2021

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Summer time is a great time to curl up with a good book. Check out these summer reading suggestions for cat lovers of all ages in our January 2021 Cat Lovers Book Club.

FELINE PHILOSOPHY
Cats and the Meaning of Life
by John Gray

The author of Straw Dogs, famous for his provocative critiques of scientific hubris and the delusions of progress and humanism, turns his attention to cats - and what they reveal about humans' torturous relationship to the world and to themselves.

Cats do not need to be instructed in the good life. Obeying their nature, they are content with the life that it gives them. In humans, on the other hand, discontent with our nature seems only natural. The human animal never ceases striving for higher meaning. Cats, however, make no such effort. They are just happy to be themselves. That is why cats have no need for philosophy. They already know how to live.

So writes John Gray in this incisive new book about the follies of human exceptionalism and what we can learn from the animals that have long captured our imaginations.

The history of philosophy has been a "predictably tragic" succession of palliatives for human disquiet. Thinkers from Spinoza to Berdyaev have pursued the perennial questions of how to be happy, how to be good, and how to be loved--all of which held no relevance to their feline companions. 

In Feline Philosophy, Gray introduces us to some of these unburdened counterparts, showing how they approached issues of love and attachment, mortality, morality, and the Self: Montaigne's house cat, whose un-examined life may have been the one worth living; Meo, the Vietnam War survivor with an unshakable capacity for "fearless joy"; and Colette's Saha, the feline heroine of her subversive short story "The Cat", a parable about the pitfalls of human jealousy.

The nature of cats, and what we can learn from it, is the subject of this book - and through it, Gray delivers a profound, thought-provoking meditation on just how vulnerable it is to be human.

Hardcover: 128 pages
Publisher: Allen Lane; 1st edition (3 November 2020)

Price: $29.59 at www.amazon.com.au 

TOO MANY TOM CATS
And Other Feline Tales of Suspense
by Barbara Collins, Max Allan Collins

A collection of eleven of Barbara Collins's best cat-themed stories, edited by Max Allan Collins.

In "A Proper Burial", a childless couple is driven to extremes to get back the remains of their beloved dead cat, held as evidence in a murder case. In a saloon brawl instigated by hatchet-wielding Carry Nation, the bartender kills "Carry's Cat" and Carry is later charged with the saloonkeeper's murder. When an actress leaves her fortune to her cat, a scheming daughter tries to rub out "The Ten Lives of Talbert".

Can an elderly woman beat a murder rap by claiming that her cat is her reincarnated husband? Find out in "Aunt Emma's Defense". And in "Cat Got Your Tongue", co-written with mystery-writer husband Max Allan Collins, a conniving young couple attempts to steal the cat of a taxidermy-loving old vaudevillian.

Paperback, 222 pages
Publisher: Wolfpack Publishing LLC, 23rd September 2020

Price: $20.25 from www.booktopia.com.au

CATS IN HATS
by Jo Clark

There’s nothing more adorable than a cat in a hat and, as this gorgeous full-colour book shows, nothing that can make you smile more readily. 

Full of perfect pusses sporting a wide selection of headgear, inside you’ll find everything from Carmen Miranda to Hiawatha, the beret to the fedora and the sombrero to the tiara.

Beautifully illustrated by Jo Clark, this book is bound to raise a laugh and is the ideal gift for all friends of our felines.

Hardcover, 96 pages
Publisher: Michael O'Mara Books, 12th November 2020

RRP: $16.99 at www.booktopia.com.au

THE LITTLE BOOK OF CATS
Purrs of Wisdom
by Orange Hippo! 

Packed full of wonderful quotes as well as fascinating snippets of information, this little book is the purr-fect gift for any cat lover.

Time spent with cats is never wasted.

Comforting, cuddly, cute... What could be better than the presence of a fabulous feline fur-ball? As well as being totally adorable, cats are fiercely independent, curious and mischievous - and they make wonderful, low-maintenance companions. 

Research has shown that a purring cat on your knee - or quite possibly lying across your computer keyboard! - is the perfect antidote to stress. It's no wonder these superior beings have inspired many a bon mot or wise insight over the decades. Packed full of wonderful quotes as well as fascinating snippets of information, this little book is the purr-fect gift for any cat lover.

Hardcover, 192 pages
Publisher: Welbeck, 3rd November 2020

RRP: $12.99 from www.booktopia.com.au

CREATIVE CATS
Creative Haven: Creative Cats Colouring Book
by Marjorie Sarnat

Cat fanciers and colouring enthusiasts will be enchanted with this gallery of original designs. 

More than 30 full page portraits of pretty pussycats form a rich tapestry of motifs that includes hearts, flowers, and paisleys in various patterns. Pages are perforated and printed on one side only for easy removal and display. 

Specially designed for experienced colourists, Creative Cats and other Creative Haven adult colouring books offer an escape to a world of inspiration and artistic fulfilment. Each title is also an effective and fun-filled way to relax and reduce stress.

Paperback, 64 pages
Publisher: Dover, 15th April 2015

Price: $11.75 from www.booktopia.com.au

BOOK CLUB – KIDS’ CORNER 

BLANCHE
A cat's tale of love, loyalty and betrayal
by Brenda Harrison

Blanche is a nine-year-old Siamese cat who has a loving home and leads a busy and contented life in Somerset. She is the Chaircat of the CAALE (Cats Association Against Land Enclosure) and feels secure in the knowledge that there is no reason why things should not go on as they are. 

But it soon becomes clear that something is not right. Blanche begins to sense that there is change in the air. A change that will plunge her life into unimaginable heartbreak and torment. In an attempt to understand and face the new challenges before her she turns to those around her. They come up with a solution to her dilemma. But the solution presents its own problems and the cats are not certain if they can pull off their plan.

This story is told in a humorous narrative style and can be enjoyed by a wide age range.

Paperback, 136 pages
Publisher: Brown Dog Books, 23rd December 2020

Price: $38.40 from www.booktopia.com.au

SPY CAT: SUMMER SHOCKER
by Andrew Cope

There's a new Secret Agent in town, and this one has whiskers! Shakespeare learned his survival skills on the streets. This stray has no interest in humans beyond the comfy bedroom into which he sneaks for a catnap and the treats he gets fed by the children who live there. 

But the world needs a hero and Lara (Spy Dog extraordinaire and protector to those very same children, the Cooks) is out of town. A mad, bad and dangerous criminal is on the loose and the Cook children, camping in the middle of nowhere, are in the way. Shakespeare knows that he is purr-fect spy material. It's clear only he can save the day. But will he?

Paperback, 160 pages
Publisher: Penguin UK, 4th July 2013
For Ages: 6 - 8 years old

Price: $19.25 at www.booktopia.com.au

 

MARIO AND THE CATS

by Miguel Antonio Ortiz

Mario goes for a walk with his father in their home city Bayamon, Puerto Rico. They run into a friend of his father's, who went fishing and offers them a fish. 

Mario's father asks him to take it home. 

Mario is pleased to carry home the fish and glad for the company of a cat, but soon one cat becomes twenty-five, noisy and hungry cats.

Publisher: Irene Weinberger Books, 15 December 2020
Paperback, 34 pages
For Ages: 1 - 6 years

Price: $21.91 from www.amazon.com.au

CURIOUS CATS 

500 Piece Puzzle
Created by Galison, Boyoun Kim (Artist)

Piece together the Curious Cats 500 Piece Family Puzzle from Galison to reveal an array of our favourite feline pranksters! This amusing illustration is a great family activity for adults and children to enjoy together. 

Puzzle pieces come packaged in a sturdy and easy-to-wrap box, perfect for gifting, reuse, and storage.

Featuring 500 pieces (some with gold foil accents), the puzzle size is 50.8cm x 50.8 cm (20" x  20").

Price: $26.95 from www.booktopia.com.au

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