April to June were all average reading months for me, quantity-wise, but I read some fantastic books.
April
May
54. Henri, Le Chat Noir - William Braden
June
66. The Ocean at the End of the Lane - Neil Gaiman
67. We Need New Names - NoViolet Bulawayo
68. Astor Place Vintage - Stephanie Lehmann
69. To Be a Cat - Matt Haig
71. The Keeper of Secrets - Julie Thomas
Links lead to my reviews, except for The Illusion of Separateness by the ever-awesome Simon Van Booy, which I haven't yet given a full review (the link leads to my initial thoughts). I have just finished rereading The Illusion of Separateness. This time I took notes and drew arrows to show how the characters were connected -- not that I needed to, for the sake of reviewing, but I thought it would be fun to see the connections drawn out. A full review should appear, soon.
A winner:
Random.org chose Chris as the winner of the Dr. Who book Festival of Death. Congratulations, Chris! I've sent your address to Lisa at TLC Tours to forward to the publisher.
And, about that kitten:
I think everybody I know is going to be steamed if we're not able to keep this little gal, if only because they're enjoying the cute kitty photos. She is awfully cute and photogenic; I can't deny it.
However, so far introducing her to the other kitties is not going well at all. I'm keeping her in her own room, hoping that backing away from exposing cats to kitten for a bit will help. Prissy has a lot of room to play, plenty of toys, a West Elm sofa to sleep on and a window, along with her litterbox, water and food. But, she gets lonely, poor thing, and when I go to play with her or read near her to keep her company, the other cats wail outside the door. I'm going to buy some of the calming spray that I used when we introduced Isabel to Fiona to see if that will help with the spitting, hissing freakouts we're having when they're exposed. Wish me luck!
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Aw, Prissy just wants to be loved! She's adorable!
ReplyDeleteShe's a really sweet kitty, too, Kathy. She's an Eskimo-kissing, cuddly little furball of love. I really hope we get to keep her. I just spent some time with her and she was all curled up on my chest, happily purring.
DeleteThe little spitfire is extremely photogenic! And active, I assume.
ReplyDeleteShe's a pretty little thing, isn't she? And, yes, very active. When we first brought her home, I assume she'd been stuck in the cage for the better part of the 2 weeks since she was returned to the rescue. She was crazed. She's a bit calmer, now, but goes from full speed to 0 and back, sometimes with only a few seconds' break. Such fun to play with her.
DeleteOh my word, that kitten! I WANT HER. ;)
ReplyDeleteYes, of course you do. Everyone wants her. I may have to watch out for kitty thieves. ;)
DeletePrissy's acceptance into your existing cat family makes my Parker's initial shaky acceptance of Anya seem like a birthday party! I do hope they are able to co-exist so you can keep her!
ReplyDeleteI look forward to your thoughts on The Illusions of Separateness. I read it over the weekend and am trying to write my review (not going so well--review writing and I in general aren't getting along these days). Ho hum.
Have a Happy Fourth of July, Nancy!
Now I'm curious what happened between Parker and Anya. :) I think we made a big mistake letting Prissy out too soon. She ignored the big kitties until Isabel went ballistic and chased her under the couch. Now, she's terrified of Izzy, although she's okay with Fiona. Fi just hisses to remind her of her place and walks away. Isabel . . . I just don't know if we'll be able to calm her down, but I did get a calming pheromone diffuser to put in the hallway near Prissy's room. Fingers crossed that will help.
DeleteI loved The Illusion of Separateness, of course. Know what you mean. Some days I just can't write, no matter how hard I try. As to Simon's book, the first time I read it I was much more aware of Simon in the book. I had trouble separating myself from the friendship, allowing myself to read it with the distance of an everyday reader. The second time, I already knew what was coming and was able to set knowledge aside to become a more neutral reader, if that makes sense. And, I loved it every bit as much, but for different reasons. I'm quite bowled away by his writing.
Thanks, Happy Fourth to you and yours, too, Wendy!
Oh, good luck...hopefully time and patience will do the trick!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Melissa! I hope so, too! She's got a terrific personality.
DeleteI love your little kitty girl!! When we I traduced Minou to Sammy we kept the first in the bathroom with the door closed because she was terrified. They finally made friends by poking their paws under the door. Sounds like a method I should try myself when working with new people. ;)
ReplyDeleteYour stack of books, both photographed and read, is inspiring. I have yet to read Mansell and I keep being reminded when I see her name on your blog.
xo Good luck with the "baby".
Isn't she pretty, Bellezza? We did that, too -- kept Prissy in a cage, at first, then moved her to the utility room. But, my husband cannot stand the thought of a kitty being lonely so he let her out and I let her stay out since things seemed to be going well. It didn't last, unfortunately. Isabel tiptoed around her for a while but then eventually she worked up the courage to attack. Good thing Prissy is fast! Today, they're taking turns. The litter boxes for Izzy and Fi are in the master bathroom so I closed the two girls in the master bedroom/bath area and let Prissy run wild in the rest of the house for a while. She needed the running time and space.
DeleteThe photo is actually a picture taken at Off-Square Books in Oxford, MS. They were having a big sale and those are some of the books they hadn't yet put on the sale table. It was a pretty fun sale. Husband and Kiddo had a bet going about how many books I'd buy. LOL
Jill Mansell is great for when you need something light and upbeat. I do hope you'll give her a try, sometime. Her books have been my reliable uppers for over a decade.
Thanks! XO right back at ya!
I love that your husband hates it when she's lonely! Those husbands, all rough on the outside and jelly on the inside.
DeleteSo, how many books did you buy? (The only bookstore I found on vacation was closed.)
I'll read Jill Mansell when I start preparing for school as I'll surely need an upper then! This is the first year my son won't be helping me set it up cause he's with he Marines. Ooh-ra!
He surprises me with the cats. Fiona is his particular favorite because she very clearly chose us. He was in love from the moment he watched her snuggle up to my neck at Petsmart and she is equally crazy about him. So sweet. But, he loves them all. I was having second thoughts as we drove to the rescue and he said, "Stop second-guessing yourself. She needs a home and we have plenty of space." Oh. Okay. LOL
DeleteI bought 7 and Kiddo kind of cheated to win the bet. He came over to me to ask how many I had and 7 was the number he'd guessed I'd buy so he hustled me up to the cash register. Huz guessed "more than that". :)
Aw, I'll bet you'll really miss him when you're setting up your classroom. Yep, that should be about the perfect time to read a Jill Mansell book!
What a charmer!! It's making me 'baby hungry'!! Baby-kitty, that is....
ReplyDeleteI am duly impressed with your reading! You make me feel like a sloth, but then again that's all I aspire to be in the summer months away from my classroom.
Thanks for the updates on the kitties. It's interesting to read your ways of introducing the kitties to each other. You sound like Cesar Milan of the kitty-world! Awesome advice and anecdotes.
Happy 4th!!
LOL I know that feeling. I call it "kitten cravings". You'd love her. We just walked in the door and husband made a beeline for the kitten's room. He won't confess to enjoying her company but it's pretty clear that he does. :)
DeleteThanks! No, you're not a sloth. If anyone's guilty of that sin, it's me. I still can't decide what I want to do with my life, now that I'm an empty-nester. Hopefully, you'll get in some great reading time during the summer.
I've mostly learned how to introduce kitties from friends who have several cats or who have fostered (and therefore are often mixing animals, so they have to get along). It still remains to be seen if these 3 will get along but we're going to give Prissy plenty of time and if she and the big girls can't live together, we'll continue to foster her until a home is found. We love having her around, even if Isabel doesn't. :)
Look at all the books you've read so far - that's wonderful! I'm a bit jealous :)
ReplyDeleteHope you are enjoying the 4th and hope things are going better with the new kitty. She really is cute!
Thanks, Iliana! I've been having a great reading year. I just read another fabulous book, Is This Tomorrow by Caroline Leavitt. It was gripping and emotional. I didn't get much sleep.
DeleteOur 4th has been very quiet. We went to work on the old house a bit and did hear some firecracker noises, there. Here . . . nothing at all, so far. Maybe being in the city limits makes a difference. I'm enjoying the quiet. Hope you have a terrific holiday, too, thanks!
We'll see about the kitty, btw. We love having her around but Isabel still isn't adjusting. I'm hoping the pheromone plug-in that I put by the kitten's door will help her learn to associate calm with the kitten's presence. We'll give it some more time. :)
Believe me, if my mother's cats could accept Casey your cats will come along eventually.... (Did I tell you I don't have Casey any more? She went to live at my mother's because she really wants to go outside and she can't here.)
ReplyDeleteI haven't talked to you in quite a while, have I, Kelly? I thought you were still at your Mom's. If you've got any great suggestions for talking the cats into getting along, I'm willing to listen.
Delete