Feline Fiction on Fridays #82 at Amber's Library featuring **A Tale of Two Kitties** by Nick Harding

Welcome To

With Amber ~ The Best Library Kitty in the entire Mewton~Clawson Parish

Supurr salutations pawesome furriends

*waves paw*

Hello gorgeous library guests and welcome once again, to my private library

I've had another exceptionally busy week in the library, I decided that the books needed a bit of a rearrange, but then I couldn't find anything so I had to put them all back in their original places! MOL

In other news I've had furry stern wurds with the P.A. regarding all our Bionic Basil Adventures as she's just not turning them into books quick enough, I mean she's only got to edit seven and I can't see what the hold-up is.

The P.A. replied, "Seriously Amber, do you think I'm Super Woman?" 

I thought about this fur a moment and then said, "Can mew see if the real Super Woman is available? Then at least we'd get the books done in supurr quick time!"

 The P.A. answered with a chuckle. "Great idea as I have no time at all right now, so I'll tell you what, you get Super Woman to edit the entire series, then find an agent and publisher while I do the day job... I know you can make it all happen Amber."

Can mew believe that? Me either, mew just can't get the staff, not like in the good old days, where staff would only be too grateful to undertake any task, any time! 

So it would appear that little moi now has to find an editor, agent and publisher, so if any of mew fab kitties can point me in the right direction that would be pawesome.

In fact, I wunder if there's a publisher here in Mewton-Clawson, I must make enquiries... and on that note, I think it's time to share this weeks book.

This week I'm sharing

A Tale of Two Kitties:

2 cats, 1 man and a great big life-changing adventure

by

Nick Harding

**Furstly I have to let mew all know that I was given a free copy of this book in exchange fur a fair review**

Here's the book blurb:

Nick Harding was neither (although, if he had to pick a side he would have chosen the canines, on account of his cat allergies). Then he fell in love with a mad cat lady who forced exuberant kitten Alvin, on him, and the adventure began. 

A Tale of Two Kitties is the story of Nick's unlikely trajectory from cat hater to reluctant cat owner and finally to cat lover, via a global investigation of the weirdly fascinating domestic cat world. Nick embarks on a journey of discovery on which he investigates how cats came to rule the world. 

The story surfs the kitty zeitgeist and takes the reader on a global odyssey through cat history and the modern-day cult of the kitty. From hipsters using cats to take over the internet, to the richest cat in the world; Nick's personal cat journey explains how felines have risen to replace dogs as man's best friend. It's full of fascinating insights about cat behaviour, cat history and cat evolution. 

Nick lives and breathes cats, all in an effort to understand the true essence of his own badly-behaved moggies. It's a memoir, an escapade, an anthology and a social, natural and cultural history that takes the reader on a romp through our cat planet.

*    *    *

Now, what did I think to A Tale of Two Kitties?  Well fur a dude who was a CCH [Certified Cat Hater] and ACA [Avid Cat Avoider], I give him top marks fur his total conversion to full immersion into the wurld and joy of cats - way to go dude, I bet mew wished mew'd entered our realm years earlier! MOL

But seriously this book is really funny in places, the authors' back story had me laughing so much.  He's a top journalist wurking fur many of the Newspapers we read each day here in the UK.

Now mew know I hate to spoilerize anything but I'm going to share a couple of tidbits; on one assignment he dressed as a wizard when interviewing The High Priest of British White Witches, he even had a broomstick and cuddly owl toy, and another time he had an assignment at the furst British nudist hotel [seriously I didn't know there was such a thing] where he played nude ping-pong with the hotel's owner! OMC #Truestory MOL!!!

So how did a CCH become a FFF [Full Feline Fancier]?  Appurrently it was all because of love, that and his gurlfriends absolute and unequivocal INSISTENCE that they get a cat, and the cat in question was called Alvin.  Alvin was quite the character and definitely a kitty with determination and a big purrsonality.  Then a while later, along came Barry, who loves a good game of fetch and is really quite the kitty, he even entered a cat show!

Alongside the main story, there's some really great info too as the author explores many avenues of cat culture and history on his purrsonal journey into full CATDOM.

And I know mew're wanting to know, would I recommend this to mew?

In a wurd, yes I would, I think it's highly entertaining and would be a purrfect Sunday afternoon read.

And just before I pop off, I'd like to say a special thanks to Mirror Books fur sending me a copy of, A Tale of Two Kitties.

*    *    *

• Print Length: 217 pages
• Publisher: Mirror Books; 1 edition (11 Oct. 2018)

The Amber Biblio Rating System Fur Offurall Enjoyment:

Ratings of:

A Tale of Two Kitties

Offurall Enjoyment

I do hope mew enjoy this book if mew decide to give it a try... 

...and if mew've read it already, what did mew think?

*    *    *

Sadly it's time fur me to say BFN or bye-fur-now as mew know the drill, so many books, so little time and I'll be back next week with another specially paw-picked book just fur mew. And don't furget that all my previous reviews can be found on my Book Review page, plus if mew'd like an exclusive Library Card fur speshal access to my library, just email me at:

deardrbasil @ gmail . com

Happy reading or listening until next time

Purrs

Amber xox

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Wordy on Wednesday with Biblio-Kitty Amber #70 featuring Bodacious The Shepherd Cat & The B Team Trying To Herd Sheep

Welcome To

With me, Amber ~ The Self-Appointed Biblio-Kitty

Supurr salutations pawesome furriends

*waves paw*

Oh fabulous furriends, I'm a little sad that this is my last review post fur a while - well unless something extraordinarily wunderpurr catches my attention offur the summer jolly holly's and I have an urgent need to share! And can mew believe it's my 70th review too, who knew I read so much MOL.

This week I have something a little bit special to share with mew. A couple of weeks ago

 Harper Collins, yes THE Harper Collins publishers contacted little old me, really, it's true. I was so stunned I nearly fell off my library ladder when the P.A. came to tell me.

In fact mew could have dipped me in treacle then rolled me in catnip and I couldn't have been any more surprised!

Anyhoo, aftur the initial shock had passed the P.A. said they'd asked if I'd like a preview copy of their latest non-fiction kitty book called, Bodacious The Shepherd Cat.

Aftur reading the blurb and seeing what it was all about, it really made me smile as Bodacious herds rare breeds sheep, but more about the woolly jumpers later in the post. Now what does rare breeds mean? It means that certain species are on the danger list of becoming extinct as the breeds aren't popular in modern day farming.

So this purrticular book really resonated with the P.A. and I, as before the P.A.'s dad was diagnosed with cancer he was a rare breeds cattle-man, with White Park, Irish Moileds and several other breeds on the nearly extinct list which he bred to help rebuild the rapidly dwindling population. So a book about rare breeds sheep is so up & down our dale and right in our farm yard we couldn't believe it, and how could I say no to the pawsibility of a read like that!

I rushed to tell Basil and rest of The B Team about it and Basil said. "Amber that sounds incredible, how about we try a little sheep herding ourselves?"

I gave him rather quizzical glance. "But Basil, we don't have any sheep!" I replied.

"No but I know where we can get one, let me make a call!" he laughed.

One hour later Ramsbottom arrived in the garden, express delivery from Sheeps4Ewe.

Ramsbottom is a furry rare breed indeed, in fact I think he's the only one of his kind! MOL

Basil, Smooch and Pandora took it upon themselves to get things started with a full frontal and flanking approach.

As Smooch got closer and realized how big Ramsbottom actually was, he said...

 Aftur studying the lay of the land fur a few moments, Smooch was rather purrplexed and added...

Pandora then said...

Then she tried another method...

Aftur Ramsbottom failed rather miserably to follow Pandora, Basil said...

And so that was the furst and last time Basil & The B Team herded sheep.

Basil said. "Amber mew must tell Bodacious he's one epically cool kitty, and I wouldn't want his job if sheep are this stubborn! MOL

Oh, and if mew're wundering, Ramsbottom is still in the garden and is still refusing to move at all.

Now I think it's time fur yours truly to get on with the review.

This week I'm obviously sharing

image @Harper Collins

Bodacious The Shepherd Cat

by

 Suzanna Crampton 

**Furstly I have to let mew all know that I was given a free copy of this book in exchange fur a fair review**

Here's the book blurb:

BODACIOUS: THE SHEPHERD CAT is a heart-warming and charming tale in which Bodacious tells us about life as The Shepherd Cat on Black Sheep Farm.

I wasn't always called Bodacious. I must have been called something else in my kittenhood, but it's all a bit of a mystery to my human. As far as she's concerned, I appeared one day and never left. It's a secret I plan to keep.

*    *    *

So what did I think to Bodacious The Shepherd Cat? Furstly I do have to say what a rather handsome mancat Bodacious is, and Pandora is rather smitten, especially with him being of the woolly variety like herself!

What I really liked about the book is that it's a year in the life of Bodacious at the Black Sheep Farm, not a diary but more of a memoir, and it tells of the ups and downs, and highs and lows of farming today.

It's written from a C.P.O.V. aka Cats Point of View and Bodacious refers to his hooman as The Shepherd. The Shepherd often tells Bodacious the story of how he came to Black Sheep Farm, as mew know I don't do spoilers so mew'll have to read it, though I will say this; the day he arrived was the day The Shepherd went shopping fur some red ribbon and came home with him instead. Best shopping trip effur!

The breed of sheep which Bodacious herds are called Zwartbles, they're black with white socks & hooves, a white-tipped tail and a white blaze on their face, so they're furry distinctive in their appearance. Furry cute woolly jumpers fur sure, and I'd certainly like to try a blanky made from their wool someday as it looks supurr soft.

Throughout the story mew get to meet lots of other anipals that live on the farm; horses, dogs and chickens too, oh and let's not furget the rodent population which are well taken care of by another furrmily member. Mew get to read about lambing season, Irish country living, farm-life and some really delicious food. The graft is hard, the days are long and sometimes things don't go according to plan, but then there's the beautiful countryside to soothe your soul as don't furget Bodacious lives on the stunningly beautiful Emerald Isle, where the green is like no other in the wurld.

I must say that this is a fabulous read, and I think that mew, my pawesome readers will love this book as much as I did. I can say in four wurds what I think to this story:-

 Bodacious is epically epic.

I'd like to say furry many thanks to Harper Collins fur letting me get my paws on this exclusive preview copy with the most supurr cute kitty bookmark clipped on the front cover too, thanks so much guys!

*    *    *

Mew can pre-order Bodacious's book as it won't be released until the 14th of June. And mew can follow him on social media here:

Twitter

Facebook

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    Hardcover: 246 pages 

• Publisher:  Harper Collins

The Amber Biblio Rating System Fur Offurall Enjoyment:

Ratings of:

Bodacious The Shepherd Cat

Offurall Enjoyment

I do hope mew enjoy this book if mew decide to give it a try.

*    *    *

Sadly it's time fur me to say BFN or bye-fur-now as mew know the drill, so many books, so little time and don't furget that I'll be back in the Autumn/Fall with another selection specially paw-picked cat-themed books just fur mew - that is unless I discover something truly EPIC in the meantime! MOL

Happy reading or listening

Bestest biblio purrs and kitty kisses

Amber xox

graphics created with paid licence www.canva.com and www.pizap.com