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3.78 AVERAGE
3.78 AVERAGE
This past week I read They Call Me The Cat Lady by Amy Miller. This is a general fiction novel about Nancy Jones. She lives on her own in a ramshackle old house with five rescued cats. She has had trauma in her past which prevents her from getting close to anyone but a person she once knew comes back into her life, forcing her to confront her traumatic history. This book deals with many heavy themes; bullying, grief, abuse, and attempted suicide. The writing is fairly simplistic and I thought this was a debut author. After reading, I found she had written 3 books prior to this one. I gave the book three stars because while it's overall an entertaining story, some of the topics are not fully dealt with and the writing style was simple, sometimes bland.
This book will be released April 26th, 2019. If it sounds like a book for you, definitely check it out.
This book will be released April 26th, 2019. If it sounds like a book for you, definitely check it out.
Ahoy there me mateys! Though this log’s focus is on sci-fi, fantasy, and young adult, this Captain does have broader reading tastes. So occasionally I will share some novels that I enjoyed that are off the charts (a non sci-fi, fantasy, or young adult novel), as it were. I received this literary eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. So here be me honest musings . . .
This novel caught me eye because of the title. It is not in me usual genres but me ship holds three feline cohorts for luck and love. All of me friends and family are dog people. I get called the cat lady . . . well crazy cat lady ALL THE TIME. I am given cat socks and sent photos of cats. I figured this book would be a purrrrfect fit! I picked it up expecting a silly, light read. I didn't get a light read but what I got instead was ultimately interesting and fulfilling.
The story follows a woman named Nancy. She is soft-spoken, private, and independent. Though everyone in town knows who Nancy is, nobody really knows much about her. Other than she has cats. So she is known as the cat lady and watches other folks' cats when folks are out-of-town. Everyone likes Nancy but seem to want to delve into her past which she has no interest sharing. Until one day her past comes to her in the form of a photograph. Finding that photo unleashes an unexpected series of events. Nancy has to choose how to face both her past and her future.
This tale was wonderful. It is about grief, hope, friendship, kindness, closure, isolation, life, healing, and lack of judgment. I thought Nancy was extremely relatable and lovely. I also enjoyed the cast of characters that help bring down Nancy's walls of sorrow. I particularly loved George and Alfie. I loved how we got to see how people deal with negative events in different ways. I loved how it shows ye can't know what goes on behind other people's facades unless ye let them into yers. I loved the connections. I thought the ending was absolutely touching and I may have shed a salty tear or two. Seriously I wouldn't mind having a Nancy in me life.
So if ye want a lovely story that warmed up even this grizzled sailor's old bilge-pump I call me heart, check this yarn out. Arrrr!
So lastly . . .
Thank you Bookouture!
Check out me other reviews at https://thecaptainsquartersblog.wordpress.com/
Merged review:
Ahoy there me mateys! Though this log’s focus is on sci-fi, fantasy, and young adult, this Captain does have broader reading tastes. So occasionally I will share some novels that I enjoyed that are off the charts (a non sci-fi, fantasy, or young adult novel), as it were. I received this literary eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. So here be me honest musings . . .
This novel caught me eye because of the title. It is not in me usual genres but me ship holds three feline cohorts for luck and love. All of me friends and family are dog people. I get called the cat lady . . . well crazy cat lady ALL THE TIME. I am given cat socks and sent photos of cats. I figured this book would be a purrrrfect fit! I picked it up expecting a silly, light read. I didn't get a light read but what I got instead was ultimately interesting and fulfilling.
The story follows a woman named Nancy. She is soft-spoken, private, and independent. Though everyone in town knows who Nancy is, nobody really knows much about her. Other than she has cats. So she is known as the cat lady and watches other folks' cats when folks are out-of-town. Everyone likes Nancy but seem to want to delve into her past which she has no interest sharing. Until one day her past comes to her in the form of a photograph. Finding that photo unleashes an unexpected series of events. Nancy has to choose how to face both her past and her future.
This tale was wonderful. It is about grief, hope, friendship, kindness, closure, isolation, life, healing, and lack of judgment. I thought Nancy was extremely relatable and lovely. I also enjoyed the cast of characters that help bring down Nancy's walls of sorrow. I particularly loved George and Alfie. I loved how we got to see how people deal with negative events in different ways. I loved how it shows ye can't know what goes on behind other people's facades unless ye let them into yers. I loved the connections. I thought the ending was absolutely touching and I may have shed a salty tear or two. Seriously I wouldn't mind having a Nancy in me life.
So if ye want a lovely story that warmed up even this grizzled sailor's old bilge-pump I call me heart, check this yarn out. Arrrr!
So lastly . . .
Thank you Bookouture!
Check out me other reviews at https://thecaptainsquartersblog.wordpress.com/
This novel caught me eye because of the title. It is not in me usual genres but me ship holds three feline cohorts for luck and love. All of me friends and family are dog people. I get called the cat lady . . . well crazy cat lady ALL THE TIME. I am given cat socks and sent photos of cats. I figured this book would be a purrrrfect fit! I picked it up expecting a silly, light read. I didn't get a light read but what I got instead was ultimately interesting and fulfilling.
The story follows a woman named Nancy. She is soft-spoken, private, and independent. Though everyone in town knows who Nancy is, nobody really knows much about her. Other than she has cats. So she is known as the cat lady and watches other folks' cats when folks are out-of-town. Everyone likes Nancy but seem to want to delve into her past which she has no interest sharing. Until one day her past comes to her in the form of a photograph. Finding that photo unleashes an unexpected series of events. Nancy has to choose how to face both her past and her future.
This tale was wonderful. It is about grief, hope, friendship, kindness, closure, isolation, life, healing, and lack of judgment. I thought Nancy was extremely relatable and lovely. I also enjoyed the cast of characters that help bring down Nancy's walls of sorrow. I particularly loved George and Alfie. I loved how we got to see how people deal with negative events in different ways. I loved how it shows ye can't know what goes on behind other people's facades unless ye let them into yers. I loved the connections. I thought the ending was absolutely touching and I may have shed a salty tear or two. Seriously I wouldn't mind having a Nancy in me life.
So if ye want a lovely story that warmed up even this grizzled sailor's old bilge-pump I call me heart, check this yarn out. Arrrr!
So lastly . . .
Thank you Bookouture!
Check out me other reviews at https://thecaptainsquartersblog.wordpress.com/
Merged review:
Ahoy there me mateys! Though this log’s focus is on sci-fi, fantasy, and young adult, this Captain does have broader reading tastes. So occasionally I will share some novels that I enjoyed that are off the charts (a non sci-fi, fantasy, or young adult novel), as it were. I received this literary eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. So here be me honest musings . . .
This novel caught me eye because of the title. It is not in me usual genres but me ship holds three feline cohorts for luck and love. All of me friends and family are dog people. I get called the cat lady . . . well crazy cat lady ALL THE TIME. I am given cat socks and sent photos of cats. I figured this book would be a purrrrfect fit! I picked it up expecting a silly, light read. I didn't get a light read but what I got instead was ultimately interesting and fulfilling.
The story follows a woman named Nancy. She is soft-spoken, private, and independent. Though everyone in town knows who Nancy is, nobody really knows much about her. Other than she has cats. So she is known as the cat lady and watches other folks' cats when folks are out-of-town. Everyone likes Nancy but seem to want to delve into her past which she has no interest sharing. Until one day her past comes to her in the form of a photograph. Finding that photo unleashes an unexpected series of events. Nancy has to choose how to face both her past and her future.
This tale was wonderful. It is about grief, hope, friendship, kindness, closure, isolation, life, healing, and lack of judgment. I thought Nancy was extremely relatable and lovely. I also enjoyed the cast of characters that help bring down Nancy's walls of sorrow. I particularly loved George and Alfie. I loved how we got to see how people deal with negative events in different ways. I loved how it shows ye can't know what goes on behind other people's facades unless ye let them into yers. I loved the connections. I thought the ending was absolutely touching and I may have shed a salty tear or two. Seriously I wouldn't mind having a Nancy in me life.
So if ye want a lovely story that warmed up even this grizzled sailor's old bilge-pump I call me heart, check this yarn out. Arrrr!
So lastly . . .
Thank you Bookouture!
Check out me other reviews at https://thecaptainsquartersblog.wordpress.com/
TW: Attempted Suicide (graphic), Drug Use, Child Death, Bullying, Mental Health Facilities (not particularly well written)
Bechdel Test: Yes
As soon as I saw the title of this book, I knew I had to read it. I love cats and I'm not ashamed to say that I'm somewhat of a cat lady
"After calling goodbye and blowing kisses to each of her five cats, she left for work."
Nancy started of very endearing and relatable to me A woman who is battling some demons from the past which has her isolate herself from the outside world, but surrounding herself with her cats.
The general tone of the book at the start was nicely paced and started to get you into Nancy's headspace, but I felt that it lost its way about a third of the way through. The flashbacks into the past were integral to the story, however I don't feel like they were utilised to their full capacity.
It then started to fall into a "helping others will make me feel better about myself" type of book, which while I get that - from personal experience you shouldn't distract yourself with other peoples problems, no matter the parallels you can gleam and apply to your own situations. I would have liked for Nancy to have worked on her issues a bit more and not have it based around other people.
Unfortunately it was just an okay book for me. Some people may love it, but I just wasn't feeling it.
*thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Bechdel Test: Yes
As soon as I saw the title of this book, I knew I had to read it. I love cats and I'm not ashamed to say that I'm somewhat of a cat lady
"After calling goodbye and blowing kisses to each of her five cats, she left for work."
Nancy started of very endearing and relatable to me A woman who is battling some demons from the past which has her isolate herself from the outside world, but surrounding herself with her cats.
The general tone of the book at the start was nicely paced and started to get you into Nancy's headspace, but I felt that it lost its way about a third of the way through. The flashbacks into the past were integral to the story, however I don't feel like they were utilised to their full capacity.
It then started to fall into a "helping others will make me feel better about myself" type of book, which while I get that - from personal experience you shouldn't distract yourself with other peoples problems, no matter the parallels you can gleam and apply to your own situations. I would have liked for Nancy to have worked on her issues a bit more and not have it based around other people.
Unfortunately it was just an okay book for me. Some people may love it, but I just wasn't feeling it.
*thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for a honest review. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
This was so not what I expected. I expected a story about a cat lady with way to many cats who perhaps met a young person who changed her. But this is so much more than that. What happened in her past has changed her, but this story tells you that it’s not too late to change again, for the better. You just have to find the right time. It also shows you how small the world can be, how you can connect a person to other in small steps.
This is one of the best books I’ve read this year. It’s both heartbreaking and unbelievable beautiful. I’m so glad I read this. If I had to recommend 5 books for a person to read this year, this book would be on the list. It’s so sweet, sad and beautiful. I admit to tearing up a few times. I actually have problems discribing how much I loved this book.
Merged review:
Received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for a honest review. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
This was so not what I expected. I expected a story about a cat lady with way to many cats who perhaps met a young person who changed her. But this is so much more than that. What happened in her past has changed her, but this story tells you that it’s not too late to change again, for the better. You just have to find the right time. It also shows you how small the world can be, how you can connect a person to other in small steps.
This is one of the best books I’ve read this year. It’s both heartbreaking and unbelievable beautiful. I’m so glad I read this. If I had to recommend 5 books for a person to read this year, this book would be on the list. It’s so sweet, sad and beautiful. I admit to tearing up a few times. I actually have problems discribing how much I loved this book.
This was so not what I expected. I expected a story about a cat lady with way to many cats who perhaps met a young person who changed her. But this is so much more than that. What happened in her past has changed her, but this story tells you that it’s not too late to change again, for the better. You just have to find the right time. It also shows you how small the world can be, how you can connect a person to other in small steps.
This is one of the best books I’ve read this year. It’s both heartbreaking and unbelievable beautiful. I’m so glad I read this. If I had to recommend 5 books for a person to read this year, this book would be on the list. It’s so sweet, sad and beautiful. I admit to tearing up a few times. I actually have problems discribing how much I loved this book.
Merged review:
Received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for a honest review. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
This was so not what I expected. I expected a story about a cat lady with way to many cats who perhaps met a young person who changed her. But this is so much more than that. What happened in her past has changed her, but this story tells you that it’s not too late to change again, for the better. You just have to find the right time. It also shows you how small the world can be, how you can connect a person to other in small steps.
This is one of the best books I’ve read this year. It’s both heartbreaking and unbelievable beautiful. I’m so glad I read this. If I had to recommend 5 books for a person to read this year, this book would be on the list. It’s so sweet, sad and beautiful. I admit to tearing up a few times. I actually have problems discribing how much I loved this book.
'They Call Me the Cat Lady' is a book I loved reading. I think the characters were great, and often not exactly what I expected them to be when I started reading - although there are exceptions like mr. Loveday, who was an a*hole all along.
This book does not shy away from the more difficult subjects of life. It is not the light reading I expected, but it turned out to be exactly what I needed to read. It is just like life does, it throws things and situations in your lap that make that you have to face stuff.
I received a free copy through Netgalley i turn for an honest review.
This book does not shy away from the more difficult subjects of life. It is not the light reading I expected, but it turned out to be exactly what I needed to read. It is just like life does, it throws things and situations in your lap that make that you have to face stuff.
I received a free copy through Netgalley i turn for an honest review.
This past week I read They Call Me The Cat Lady by Amy Miller. This is a general fiction novel about Nancy Jones. She lives on her own in a ramshackle old house with five rescued cats. She has had trauma in her past which prevents her from getting close to anyone but a person she once knew comes back into her life, forcing her to confront her traumatic history. This book deals with many heavy themes; bullying, grief, abuse, and attempted suicide. The writing is fairly simplistic and I thought this was a debut author. After reading, I found she had written 3 books prior to this one. I gave the book three stars because while it's overall an entertaining story, some of the topics are not fully dealt with and the writing style was simple, sometimes bland.
This book will be released April 26th, 2019. If it sounds like a book for you, definitely check it out.
This book will be released April 26th, 2019. If it sounds like a book for you, definitely check it out.
Hugely enjoyable and I didn't want it to end
Being a cat sitter I just had to read this book. I thought it might be just another cosy cat book but it was more than that and I loved it! I really liked Nancy and I liked how she called her cats after real people that she had lost in her life. This book will definitely appeal to fans of "Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine".
My only criticism of this book is that I would have liked it to have been even deeper, when talking about the grief and heartbreak the characters experienced. The loss and the relationship breakdowns could have had more detail. I also felt it all came together at the end as though the author had been unsure how to end it so made it a cute happy ending.....but that's just my opinion and other people may not agree. I loved the cats in this story and would love to read a sequel....
Being a cat sitter I just had to read this book. I thought it might be just another cosy cat book but it was more than that and I loved it! I really liked Nancy and I liked how she called her cats after real people that she had lost in her life. This book will definitely appeal to fans of "Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine".
My only criticism of this book is that I would have liked it to have been even deeper, when talking about the grief and heartbreak the characters experienced. The loss and the relationship breakdowns could have had more detail. I also felt it all came together at the end as though the author had been unsure how to end it so made it a cute happy ending.....but that's just my opinion and other people may not agree. I loved the cats in this story and would love to read a sequel....
emotional
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
#TheyCallMeTheCatLady #NetGalley
So, I thought this was a fun book. It is not. The term "heart wrenching" comes to mind. I got over that this is not funny, and I did enjoy this book.
This poor cat lady has had a sad life of painful tragedies. The storyline is told in flashbacks as Nancy (mc) tries to live a quiet life, while wondering if she can step out of her comfortable life of cats and small niceities to bullied children. She seems to have spent about 20 yrs trying to go unnoticed and suddenly realized it has not helped with her grief or guilt.
She reconnects with someone from her past who has done the opposite- spent 20 yrs trying to live as much as possible and stand out- and they are in the same place- lonely and unhappy.
As Nancy begins to allow more people in her life and try new (and old) things she begins to live again. She reconnects with the tragedies in her past and begins to have hope that her life may go on.
As with other books, this one is lacking in diversity, although there is one gay character. There is some good opportunities to talk about how different (and difficult) it could be to come out 20 yrs ago, but that was kinda muted.
In the end, the book is hopeful with Nancy learning to forgive herself and live with her grief.
So, I thought this was a fun book. It is not. The term "heart wrenching" comes to mind. I got over that this is not funny, and I did enjoy this book.
This poor cat lady has had a sad life of painful tragedies. The storyline is told in flashbacks as Nancy (mc) tries to live a quiet life, while wondering if she can step out of her comfortable life of cats and small niceities to bullied children. She seems to have spent about 20 yrs trying to go unnoticed and suddenly realized it has not helped with her grief or guilt.
She reconnects with someone from her past who has done the opposite- spent 20 yrs trying to live as much as possible and stand out- and they are in the same place- lonely and unhappy.
As Nancy begins to allow more people in her life and try new (and old) things she begins to live again. She reconnects with the tragedies in her past and begins to have hope that her life may go on.
As with other books, this one is lacking in diversity, although there is one gay character. There is some good opportunities to talk about how different (and difficult) it could be to come out 20 yrs ago, but that was kinda muted.
In the end, the book is hopeful with Nancy learning to forgive herself and live with her grief.
I was expecting a light read, but this book had me gripped. So many emotions in one book and I loved reading about Nancy and her struggles through life.