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witchqueen76's review
4.0
I knew I'd love this book as I too share my house with three cats and have recently moved 250 miles south to Somerset! I found myself giggling along and nodding sagely at various parts!
beecycling's review
4.0
The trials of owning a cadre of cats, moving house with them, getting them used to a new home and trying to integrate a new cat into the group - with only marginal success. Guest starring Tom's very patient girlfriend, lovely mum and VERY LOUD WOOD-CHOPPING DAD. Lots of fun for cat lovers. If you don't already have a cat, expect to start talking yourself into obtaining several after reading this.
1outside's review against another edition
5.0
When I find a book series, or an author I enjoy, I tend not to gobble all up in one go, wanna savour it.
In the case of Tom Cox, I was about to read a book I also helped to fund (in a tiny, inconsequential way) via Unbound - [b:21st-Century Yokel|34846976|21st-Century Yokel|Tom Cox|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1498133219s/34846976.jpg|56081667]. But then I realised I hadn't read the one preceding it.
And so I dove into what I think is the last cat-oriented book of Tom's oeuvre. For me personally, it's unique among the "cat books" preceding it, because it's the first one consisting of Stuff that I've been aware of via Twitter and Tom's blog. But it's also the last book featuring most of the main cat players.
It was a bit bittersweet, reading about Shipley and The Bear being alive and happy and in a relatively peak condition for their age. Sigh.
Interestingly enough, having had read Tom's blog posts covering a lot of the contents of this book didn't diminish the pleasure from reading Close Encounters. Tom's writing is always engaging and entertaining, plus it was great getting context beyond what I've remembered from this point in time.
And then there were passages, like Floyd's unfortunate passing and the way Tom's parents dealt with it, or Tom describing George's probable initial journey to being his and later his parents cat, that made me genuinely cry.
A wonderful, page-turning read!
In the case of Tom Cox, I was about to read a book I also helped to fund (in a tiny, inconsequential way) via Unbound - [b:21st-Century Yokel|34846976|21st-Century Yokel|Tom Cox|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1498133219s/34846976.jpg|56081667]. But then I realised I hadn't read the one preceding it.
And so I dove into what I think is the last cat-oriented book of Tom's oeuvre. For me personally, it's unique among the "cat books" preceding it, because it's the first one consisting of Stuff that I've been aware of via Twitter and Tom's blog. But it's also the last book featuring most of the main cat players.
It was a bit bittersweet, reading about Shipley and The Bear being alive and happy and in a relatively peak condition for their age. Sigh.
Interestingly enough, having had read Tom's blog posts covering a lot of the contents of this book didn't diminish the pleasure from reading Close Encounters. Tom's writing is always engaging and entertaining, plus it was great getting context beyond what I've remembered from this point in time.
And then there were passages, like Floyd's unfortunate passing and the way Tom's parents dealt with it, or Tom describing George's probable initial journey to being his and later his parents cat, that made me genuinely cry.
A wonderful, page-turning read!
andipants's review against another edition
5.0
Like its predecessors, this book chronicles the author's daily life and misadventures with his several cats in a series of humorous, contemplative essays. This installment finds them moving house and adjusting to new neighbors and environs, among other things. There is plenty of humor here, but also a depth of emotion; life isn't always pleasant, and the book deals thoughtfully with some of the difficulties that arise. I found myself laughing out loud at several points, but also choking up a bit from time to time as well. Mostly, at this point Tom feels like a good friend I'd love to sit and have a chat and swap cat stories with.
boygirlparty's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
3.75
Loved his writing style. Charming & uncomplicated. Recommended to me by a friend. Five cats is SO many cats, though.
cluelesspixie's review
5.0
The fourth installment of Tom Cox's cat books, this is the most accomplished of all. Tom Cox was always a good writer, but still you can see on this book just how much better he got at writing generally, composition and structure. This might look like a fun book to read when you feel down, and it is, but it is not to be dismissed as a one-time read. I'm sure I'll be coming back to it multiple times.
atlantic_reader_wannabe's review
5.0
This book was a fun read! Even though I'm reading it after the death of the wonderful feline known as The Bear, I enjoyed immensely another glimpse into his life while he was still here. Any fan of said The Bear will love catching those glimpses. Now I just want to go scoop up more of Tom's books and enjoy his other writings.
emmaprew's review
4.0
Another good read from Tom Cox, The Bear, Roscoe, Shipley, Ralph and George. I enjoyed the book, but 4 stars instead of 5 as it felt like I'd read a lot of the content before, in tweets or blog posts and whatnot – or maybe just déjà vu!