No, I didn't forget Caturdays

Understanding Your Cat ~ by Dan Harper, 2001, nonfiction, 176 pages

Designed for the cat enthusiast, this volume provides a photographic catalogue of over 100 different breeds and varieties. The book explores the distinctive characteristics of each breed and provides readers with information and advice on cat care, breeding, showing and behaviour.

The cover says this is "an illustrated guide to understanding your cat."  Yeah, I liked the pictures and found a few that looked like my own litter.  Those photos were fun to look at, so I was busy doing that and forgot to post anything last week.  Signed, Jackie

Be kind to others, always!

I just learned this is World Kindness Day, so I'm trying to get a post on my blog before this day is over.  It may be Friday the 13th, but it is also a day to be kind.  Actually, I think we should be kind EVERY day, don't you?

I also read that kindness spreads through social networks.  Hey, it's contagious!

Quite a bargain, huh?

Today's word is "bargain," but I think I'll skip this one.

Mogging?

Have you ever felt like everyone around you is just a little bit taller, shinier, and more impressive than you?  Congratulations, you’ve been mogged.  Mogging is Collins Dictionary’s Word of the Year for 2026.  It is defined as outperforming or outshining someone or something else, which might involve making them look inferior in terms of appearance, confidence, or status.

Mogging is not to be confused with your moggy, who has been mogging you from the sofa for years.  Oh, now you want to know what "moggy" means?  A moggy (or moggie) is an informal term for a cat that does not have a pedigree or is of a mixed, non-intentional breed.  That would include all my cats over the years.  You can see my last three cats (Kiki, Clawdia, and Jackie) on the sidebar of this blog in the web version.

Another excellent writer whose books I enjoy

A Long Petal of the Sea ~ by Isabel Allende, translated by Nick Caistor and Amanda Hopkinson, 2020, historical fiction, 336 pages

In the late 1930s, civil war grips Spain.  When General Franco and his Fascists succeed in overthrowing the government, hundreds of thousands are forced to flee in a treacherous journey over the mountains to the French border.  Among them is Roser, a pregnant young widow, who finds her life intertwined with that of Victor Dalmau, an army doctor and the brother of her deceased love.  In order to survive, the two must unite in a marriage neither of them desires.

Together with two thousand other refugees, Roser and Victor embark on the SS Winnipeg, a ship chartered by the poet Pablo Neruda, to Chile:  “the long petal of sea and wine and snow.”  As unlikely partners, the couple embraces exile as the rest of Europe erupts in world war.  Starting over on a new continent, they face trial after trial, but they will also find joy as they patiently await the day when they might go home.  Through it all, their hope of returning to Spain keeps them going.  Destined to witness the battle between freedom and repression as it plays out across the world, Roser and Victor will find that home might have been closer than they thought all along.

Week in Review

• On TWOsday, HERE, I learned about the second book in The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek series.
• Jackie's Caturday post yesterday was an apology to me, HERE.

Hosted by Deb at Readerbuzz

Being catty today

Last week, HERE, I wrote about a book I want about cats and kittens.  Bonnie wouldn't buy it for me, so I complained to the whole world.  Okay, I apologize because it turns out that we already have books about cats and kittens in our apartment.  She showed them to me, so I could look at the pictures.  This is a magazine, not a book, so I started with it.  I will tell you about the books some other time, so let's just say that I'm being catty today, as usual.

Signed,

          Jackie

Book Two ~ for TWOsday

The Book Woman's Daughter (Book 2 of 2 of The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek) ~ by Kim Michele Richardson, 2022, historical fiction (Appalachia), 352 pages

Bestselling historical fiction author Kim Michele Richardson is back with the perfect book club read following Honey Lovett, the daughter of the beloved Troublesome book woman, who must fight for her own independence with the help of the women who guide her and the books that set her free.

In the ruggedness of the beautiful Kentucky mountains, Honey Lovett has always known that the old ways can make a hard life harder. As the daughter of the famed blue-skinned, Troublesome Creek packhorse librarian, Honey and her family have been hiding from the law all her life. But when her mother and father are imprisoned, Honey realizes she must fight to stay free, or risk being sent away for good.

Picking up her mother's old packhorse library route, Honey begins to deliver books to the remote hollers of Appalachia. Honey is looking to prove that she doesn't need anyone telling her how to survive. But the route can be treacherous, and some folks aren't as keen to let a woman pave her own way.

If Honey wants to bring the freedom books provide to the families who need it most, she's going to have to fight for her place, and along the way, learn that the extraordinary women who run the hills and hollers can make all the difference in the world.

Bonnie's note:  I hadn't heard of this until last night, when my friend Joanne in Chattanooga recommended it to me.