Category Archives: Book recommendations

It’s Monday! What Are YOU Reading?

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Hi everyone! We are joining Comedy Plus’ Awww….Mondays and Book Date’s It’s Monday What are YOU Reading?

All my older cats that are not doing well have been making me sad as well as turning the big 50 recently.  As you can see, I am looking to books for happiness. I just finished Resisting Happiness by Matthew Kelly.  I also have The Happiness Equation by Neil Pasricha, Happy for No Reason by Marci Shimoff and The Happiness Hypothesis by Jonathan Haidt. I haven’t started any of those yet.

I recently won Happy Money: Understand and Heal Your Relationship with Money by Ken Honda, I wrote a review for it on Goodreads. I thought it was a good book. I like the idea of having happy money. The author recommends we be happy when spending money instead of complaining about it. We will attract more that way. I am going to start adding a smiley face in the memo of checks I write. 🙂 That is my idea, not his.

Penny will be here tomorrow with one of her tips. I think she is mad about being bumped the past 2 Tuesdays. She left a plastic eyeball in my shoe- do you think that she was sending me a message?

It’s Monday! What Are YOU Reading?

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Hi everyone! We are joining Comedy Plus’ Awww….Mondays and Book Date’s It’s Monday What are YOU Reading?

I am currently reading The Castle on Sunset: Life, Death, Love, Art, and Scandal at Hollywood’s Chateau Marmont by Shawn Levy. I  had never heard of the Chateau Marmont, apparently that is where John Belushi overdosed. It is also where many celebrities have stayed since it opened in 1929. I am enjoying reading about all that have stayed there.It is like reading US Weekly from 1929-present day. No mention of Nicolas Cage though. 🙁

I am not a big fan of fiction, but I am enjoying The Secret Life of Mac by Melinda Metz. It is the author’s second book about a cat named Mac that has a knack for bringing people together.

One more thing- Noel is scheduled for an ultrasound on Friday. The vet said they would be able to tell if the tumor is contained. If it is, I will most likely opt to have it removed. If it has spread, the vet said not to do anything and I agree. Please keep Noel in your prayers.

It’s Monday! What Are YOU Reading?

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Hi everyone! Before we get started, we want to give POTP to Sawyer of The Kitties Blue. Teddy’s mom made this nice badge for him. He needs a lot of purrs and prayers as he has seizures quite often and meds don’t seem to prevent them.

We are joining Comedy Plus’ Awww….Mondays and Book Date’s It’s Monday What are YOU Reading?

Rene (It’s All About the Cats) told me about a new book, Bailey No Ordinary Cat by Erin Merryn.  I am so glad she did. It is a small book filled with photos of the author and her 3 little girls with Bailey. I always think Joanie is so good with The Great One and she is, but Bailey was even more patient. In one photo he is being fed with a spoon while sitting in a high chair. You can check out a lot of his photos on his Instagram page, click here.  Even my hubby enjoyed the photos and was amazed at Bailey’s patience. Sadly, Bailey passed away a few months before the book came out, but he can live on through these adorable photos. I am sure each one will make you say awwww…..

This is a different Bailey than Bailey the Boat Cat, he also has a book.

 

 

Snowflakes in July

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Hi everyone. Before we get started, I want to give my condolences to Summer, Boodie and their human on the loss of Binga. I always loved to see Binga in a post, usually interrupting a photo shoot. She was a tortie with tortitude and will be missed by all. She was also a founding member of The Crotchety Cougars. To visit her family,click here.

This week, I am joining Create with Joy’s Inspire me Monday and Comedy Plus’ Awww…. Mondays.

  Joanie is posing with the book of patterns that I  have been using to make snowflakes. My goal is to make at least one of each before Christmas. 100 Snowflakes to Crochet by Caitlin Sainio is divided into 3 sections of difficulty. I am still on the easy ones. Below is a photo of the 24 I have completed plus all the duds. Some came out larger than they were supposed to( the duds) so I will use those as coasters. My mom got me this book for my birthday several years ago and I finally got brave enough to try the patterns.

Inspire Me Monday

Behind the Laughter: A Comedian’s Tale of Tragedy and Hope

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HI everyone! I have a very inspirational memoir to tell you about today. Behind the Laughter: A Comedian’s Tale of Tragedy and Hope by Anthony Griffith,Brigitte Travis-Griffin with Mark Caro.

*Disclosure: I received this book for free as part of The Book Look Bloggers book review program. I am not required to write a positive review, all opinions are my own.

When I saw the title and name, I immediately thought, I liked Andy Griffith as Opie’s Dad on The Andy Griffith Show. When I got the book, I realized I had the wrong guy. Anthony Griffith is also a comedian and has been for over 30 years. Many have not heard of him because he is a clean comic and it seems like all the foul-mouthed ones get famous.

He grew up on the South Side of Chicago and worked hard at his craft. He was finally able to achieve his dream of appearing on The Tonight Show. He did this more than once and it led to several other gigs including acting in films. Sadly, as his career was reaching a high, his personal life was at an all time low.

He was married to the love of his life, Brigitte and still is to this day. She co-wrote this book and they take turns telling their story. Their baby is born very sick and died of cancer at age three. He never told anyone about this tragedy as he didn’t want pity. Eventually, years later, he tells all while speaking at a Moth presentation. I don’t want to cry so I did not watch the video of it, but if you are interested, click here.

On top of all that, he also has MS. He kept that as a secret for years, but eventually told the public because it has made him almost blind and tough to get around. The book may sound sad, but it is uplifting to read about how the couple get through all this together and both live full lives helping others.

I review for BookLook Bloggers

We are joining Comedy Plus’ Happy Tuesday Blog Hop.

 

It’s Monday! What Are YOU Reading?

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We are joining Comedy Plus’ Awww….Mondays and Book Date’s It’s Monday What are YOU Reading?

My librarian knows me so well that she sets books aside that she thinks I will like which means they are about cats ( she is a fellow cat lover too). She recently saved for me, The Cat Men of Gotham: Tales of Feline Friendships in Old New York by Peggy Gavan. I am glad she did because I had not heard of this one.

It was an interesting book that reads more like a history book. It was nice to find out that there were a lot of cat lovers in NYC even back in the 1800’s. Sadly though, there were a lot of people that didn’t like them and some stories were quite tragic. One story told of a kitten that fell between 2 buildings and lived there for 2 years ( people sent food and water down to it) until someone figured out a way to lasso it and got it out. The landlord would not let residents cut a hole in the building to get to it, so sad.

This book was well written and researched , but if sad kitty stories bother you then you really will want to skip this one because the sad outweighs the happy endings.

The Timeless Teachings of Guru Zuzu

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We are joining Comedy Plus’ Awww….Mondays and Book Date’s It’s Monday What are YOU Reading?

*Disclaimer- I received a copy of The Timeless Teachings of Guru Zuzu As Told To Tony Broadbent  in exchange for a fair review. All opinions are my own.

The Timeless Teachings of Guru Zuzu As Told To Tony Broadbent is a sweet tribute to the author’s Bombay cat, Zuzu. She was named after Zuzu in It’s A Wonderful Life because in the film, her rose petals were a reminder of the sanctity of life. She taught him so much over the years that he eventually called her The Blessed Guru Zuzu. She has gone to The Rainbow Bridge, but her wisdom lives on in these pages.

It is a very short read, with a quote on one page and an adorable drawing to go with it on the opposite page. The author illustrated many of the pages himself. One in particular that I enjoyed was ” Always remember, never lose your sense of humor. Life’s Far Too Short.” The illustration is of Zuzu with a red clown nose on her.

I highly recommend this book for all cat lovers. Father’s Day is coming up and it would be a great gift for all the cat daddies out there. It is available on Amazon, click here.

I’m Possible: Jumping Into Fear and Discovering a Life of Purpose

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Hi everyone! We are joining Comedy Plus’ Awww….Mondays and Book Date’s It’s Monday! What Are YOU Reading? 

I just finished reading I’m Possible: Jumping into Fear and Discovering a Life of Purpose by Jeremy Cowart. I found it very inspirational.

*Disclosure: I received this book for free as part of The Book Look Bloggers book review program. I am not required to write a positive review, all opinions are my own.
I was not familiar with Jeremy Cowart, but I chose to review this book because i enjoy memoirs. I think everyone has a story to tell that can contribute to improving the world. Jeremy Cowart is a photographer that uses his God-given talents to help others. He is not a typical rags to riches story. In fact, he grew up in a loving and supportive home in Hendersonville, TN ( fun facts: Johnny Cash used to live there and Taylor Swift went to high school there).  His grades in school were not great, but his Dad always reminded him of the biblical quote, ” You can do all things through Christ who strengthens you.”
Jeremy excelled at art despite his average grades. He was able to make a career with design, but was not happy in an office so he took a chance to start his own company. And later tires of that and moves on to bigger and better things. I like that he is willing to take that leap of faith so many of us only dream of doing- and it paid off. Along the way he met several people that mentored him along his path to being a successful artist.
He now uses his photography skills to help those in need. The book has a section displaying some of his collages and art which are all amazing. He has documented people in Africa. Haiti, and many other places after tragedies so they can tell their story. This has brought awareness to causes and helped raise funds for them.
I highly recommend this book to anyone that wants more out of life or is still trying to find their purpose. I think it would make an excellent graduation gift too. I love when people use their talents to improve the lives of others and that is exactly what he does. I also enjoyed the inspirational quotes and biblical references.
I enjoyed it so much that I want to share it with someone so if you want to enter for a chance to win ( sorry, I can only afford to ship in the US) just say so in the comment section of this post before Tuesday at 9PM ( EST) . Winner will be announced Wednesday.

I review for BookLook Bloggers

Cat Vs Dog-The Pet Diaries 1

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We are joining Comedy Plus’ Awww….Mondays and Book Date’s It’s Monday What are YOU Reading?

I was thrilled when Rosa Silva offered me a chance to review her latest book Cat VS Dog- The Pet Diaries 1. I enjoyed her other two books, you can read those reviews here and here.

*Disclaimer- I received a copy of Cat VS Dog in exchange for a fair review.All opinions are my own.

I am pleased to report that this book was just as enjoyable as Rosa’s other two. The illustrations are fantastic and really bring the diaries to life.

It is fun to read what Oliver, the cat thinks of Max, the new dog. At first, Oliver wants to get the dog into trouble, but Max’s sweet personality starts to wear him down. I don’t want to tell you everything as this is also part mystery story. I highly recommend it for any cat lover ( and/or dog lover too).

It is available on Amazon in paperback and Kindle format.

 

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?

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We are joining Comedy Plus’ Awww….Mondays and Book Date’s It’s Monday What are YOU Reading?

I am currently reading. I.M. : A Memoir by Isaac Mizrahi. As most of you know he is a designer, talk show host and much more. I am enjoying reading about his childhood and how he was always interested in fashion and design. Being gay in his Jewish neighborhood made things difficult for him in addition to being overweight. I am glad he was able to get through that and become successful.

It was a funny coincidence, I just got some sheets at TJ Maxx and they happen to be designed by him. I had to have these sheets- the kitties look like Angel Phoebe in her polka-dotted bikini.