Short stories about cats

The Private Life of the Cat Who . . . (Tales of Koko and Yum Yum, Book 3 of 3 of Cat Who Short Stories) ~ by Lilian Jackson Braun, 2003, cozy animal mysteries, 144 pages, rated 5 stars (out of 5) by 71% of reviewers on Amazon

James Mackintosh Qwilleran is a journalist who wrote for metropolitan newspapers from coast to coast before relocating to Pickax, four hundred miles north of everywhere.  These excerpts from his journal include memories, thoughts and ideas from the "Qwill Pen" column — altogether a drama starring two feline celebrities.  So there are 22 short stories about cats "by" the journalist-character in this book for us to enjoy.

How I got my hands on this book is another story.  I left our Circle@Crown Café and went to our library to shelve books.  Another resident got off their elevator, saw me, and said, "I've got something for you."  Reaching into the bag on her Rollator, she pulled out a gift-wrapped object that looked suspiciously like a book.  Of course, it was a book!  After opening it, I asked her specifically if she meant it's for me personally or for me to add to the library collection.  No, she said she knew I liked cats and wanted me to have this book.  Thank you, Alice.

A true-crime thriller that took place in St. Louis

Evidence of Murder ~ by Bill McClellan, 1993, true-crime thriller (St. Louis), 246 pages

This thorough (but frustrating) true-crime tale concerns Ed Post, a model family man and affable realtor in New Orleans, who was accused and convicted of drowning his wife, Julie, in a St. Louis hotel bathroom in 1986.

Bill McClellan is a columnist for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.  In this book, he reconstructs the complex investigation: 

Post claims the death was an accident, but police found his statement exhaustive and therefore suspect.  Investigators learned that the couple argued regularly, that Ed faced rising debts and that Julie's insurance policy had been increased.  But there was countervailing evidence:  the Posts regularly upgraded their insurance; the medical evidence was inconclusive; and Julie's brother Bobby Thigpen, who claimed his sister feared her husband would kill her, failed a polygraph test. 

McClellan's detailed account of Post's trial borrows a lot from the transcript, showing how lawyers attempted to shade the evidence.  After jurors found Post guilty of murder, his conviction was overturned because of misconduct by deputies regarding the jury.  Post's family and friends, formerly his staunch defenders, then began to doubt his innocence, and testimony from Post's elder teenage daughter helped lead to another conviction and a life sentence.  Though Post, who still claimed his innocence, cooperated with McClellan, maybe the author should have probed his subject's psyche more deeply.

Week in Review

• On Friday, my book was about what people shared, HERE, when the author saked them, "What has life taught you?"
• My Saturday Stuff included a quote and Snoopy balanced on top of his doghouse, but in a very unusual way, HERE.

Hosted by Deb at Readerbuzz,

we bloggers gather at separate computers in different time

zones — to share what we have been doing during the week.

Gift book donated to our Crown Center library

Do more of what makes you happy.  This is actually a card-sized gift book.  It doesn't list an "author," though it does tell us the authors of each of the sayings.  Here's one you have probably heard before:

HAPPINESS is

a warm PUPPY.

                       ~ Charles M. Schulz

This is the puppy I thought of when I read that.  (I wonder why?  LOL)

And Snoopy always balances on top of his dog house, even sleeping, right?

Beginning ~ with the introduction

Beginning

What has life taught you?  Would you share it with me?  That is the simple premise behind this book and its predecessor.

In 1992 I compiled and edited the first volume of Live and Learn and Pass It On, and on a whim  asked readers to send me whatever wise sayings, humorus observations, and practical advice they would like to share.  Thousands of readers accepted my invitation.  This book is a collection of my favorite responses, along with some of my own discoveries.

Here's a small sampling:

• on finance;  "I've learned that loaning money to friends and relatives causes them to get amnesia."
• on self-esteem:  "I've learned that if you are in a relationship with someone who doesn't believe in you, you should get out before you stop believing in yourself."

Live and Learn and Pass It On: People Ages 5 to 95 Share What They'Ve Discovered About Life, Love, and Other Good Stuff  (Volume II) ~ by H. Jackson Brown, Jr., 1995, humor, 160 pages, 10/10

Millions of readers have bought Brown's timely and insightful bestseller Live and Learn and Pass It On, in which people of all ages tell what life's experiences have taught them. With the publication of this second volume, hundreds of others add to what they have learned from loving, winning, losing, and from the school of hard knocks.

Gilion at Rose City Reader hosts

Book Beginnings on Fridays.

Movie this afternoon

"Fried Green Tomatoes" was today's movie in the Community Room where I live.  Here's a synopsis I found online:

"Evelyn, an ordinary housewife, visits a nursing home and befriends the old lady Ninny.  Together, they bond over stories from the past about two intrepid women of Whistle Stop Cafe."

I came away from the movie annoyed, even though I remember enjoying the book.  What annoyed me was the fake accent for those people in the movie used.  I have NEVER in my life heard such a ridiculous Southern accent, ever  That may be one reason I prefer books.

Week in Review

• My Tuesday subject was a book about Harriet Tubman, HERE.
• On Friday, I wrote about my tears while reading a book, HERE,  The good part was my cat's reaction.

Hosted by Deb at Readerbuzz,

we bloggers gather at separate computers in different time

zones — to share what we have been doing during the week.

Beginning ~ with what Enzo knows

Beginning

Gestures are all I have; sometimes they must be grand in nature.  And while I occasionally step over the line and into the world of the melodramatic, it is what I must do in order to communicate clearly and effectively.  In order to make my point understood without question.  I have no words I can rely on because, much to my dismay, my tongue was designed long and flat and loose, and therefore, is a horribly ineffective tool for pushing food around my mouth while chewing, and an even less effective tool for making clever and complicated polysyllabic sounds that can be linked together to form sentences.

The Art of Racing in the Rain ~ by Garth Stein, 2008, literary fiction, 336 pages, 10/10

From the dust jacket:  Enzo knows he is different from other dogs: a philosopher with a nearly human soul (and an obsession with opposable thumbs), he has educated himself by watching television extensively, and by listening very closely to the words of his master, Denny Swift, an up-and-coming race car driver.

Through Denny, Enzo has gained tremendous insight into the human condition, and he sees that life, like racing, isn't simply about going fast. Using the techniques needed on the race track, one can successfully navigate all of life's ordeals.

On the eve of his death, Enzo takes stock of his life, recalling all that he and his family have been through: the sacrifices Denny has made to succeed professionally; the unexpected loss of Eve, Denny's wife; the three-year battle over their daughter, Zoë, whose maternal grandparents pulled every string to gain custody. In the end, despite what he sees as his own limitations, Enzo comes through heroically to preserve the Swift family, holding in his heart the dream that Denny will become a racing champion with Zoë at his side. Having learned what it takes to be a compassionate and successful person, the wise canine can barely wait until his next lifetime, when he is sure he will return as a man.

I read this novel when it first came out.  As I got near the end of the book, I started crying.  That was so unexpected and so unlike me, that my cat Kiki flipped over and turned to stare at me.  (She had been asleep with her back snug up against me before I startled her with my tears).  Even while in tears, I knew I wanted this picture, so I reached for my cell phone camera.  Poor Kiki.  I had never sobbed, ever!  I could not help myself, even though I knew the dog was dying.  I'm now re-reading this 10/10 book that's in our library here.

Gilion at Rose City Reader hosts

Book Beginnings on Fridays.

Harriet Tubman freed many people

"Wanted Dead or Alive": The True Story of Harriet Tubman ~ by Ann McGovern, 1965, historical fiction for children, 64 pages, 10/10

Harriet Tubman was a true American hero who led enslaved people to freedom on what was called "the Underground Railroad."  They walked away, following her as she showed them how and where along the way.  Thus, she became known as the "Moses" of her people.  She had found people who were willing to help her by taking them in and feeding them as they moved from the south to the north.  When she first escaped herself, Harriett headed to Maryland, so they would follow the path she knew.