Monday, August 12, 2019

What I'm reading this week (8/12/19)

Last week I finished:

Several years ago I found the delightful Homer's Odyssey, the memoir of a woman who owns a blind cat named Homer (blind Homer, get it?). I found it delightful, but I didn't really remember much about the book other than it had a good first-hand account of someone living in New York City on 9/11. So when I was looking for books for my year of re-reading, it was near the top of my list. While, in general, books about cats (and especially cats that teach you "how to love" or "how to live") aren't my cup of tea, this one is well done enough, and the cat's personality (catality?) comes through well enough, that it is much better than the other cat books out there. Homer suffered an infection shortly after birth. He was abandoned at a vet's office, and she removed his eyes to treat the infection. Since this was done before the kitten had opened his eyes for the first time anyway, Homer never knew what sight was. This gives a different perspective on living, as you can imagine, because Homer did not know that others, specifically his owner, could see. He never got away with anything! But never having the ability to see, Homer never developed a fear of the unknown. Keeping him safe without "overparenting" him was quite the task. I enjoyed this book a great deal. I listened to most of it on audio, and the narrator's voice was a good match for the book. It's a humorous book, but also has the ability to make you think about things like limitations and fear and what it means to live a full life. It's a great story. I hope you'll try it. My rating: 4 stars.

The fifth in the Calpurnia Tate Girl Vet series is A Squirrelly Situation. I've read all of the Calpurnia Tate books, the five shorter chapter books in the vet series as well as the two longer books, The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate and The Curious World of Calpurnia Tate. I do prefer the longer books, but these chapter books would be great for little readers who love animal stories. Set in the late 1800s to early 1900s, Calpurnia and her brother Travis (there are several more Tate brothers, but they mostly don't figure in to the chapter books), who has a tender heart for animals, take in a squirrel who ends up being raised by the cat that resides in their kitchen. But keeping a squirrel in the kitchen can create issues, as you can imagine. This was a fun one, one of my favorite of the five. The other books in the series feature a skunk, sheep, an owl, and a porcupine. A good series for your little animal lover. My rating: 3 stars.


This week I'll finish:

This is the oddest story I've read in awhile. It features mermaids and whores. A full review will go up next week.


My evening reads:

Still loving all of my nightly reads. I added the Max Lucado book to the mix, and it's wonderful, too.


My current audiobook:


Whew, this one is a mindbender.



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