Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.7 AVERAGE
3.7 AVERAGE
Firstly, thank you all for enjoying putting up with my cat-story updates. As pet lovers know, we all need to talk about our pets to random strangers from time to time, so that was rather therapeutic.
Dewey's story is an incredible one. And, as shown by the 20-year difference from the beginning to the end of the book, it's highly unlikely the library would have adopted a cat in this day and age. As Vicki notes, there were complaints after Dewey showed up and it was decided that he would stay, but they appeared to be few and far between. Nowadays it would probably be unheard of because of the sheer number of people with allergies and the like. But I'm glad for Dewey and the Spencer library; glad this was able to happen and that Dewey was able to help so many people in his way, as animals do. I'm not sure why, but cats and books have always seemed to go hand-in-hand to me (I've got a photo blog basically dedicated to it), and this story was so sweet.
I really found myself relating to Vicki even when she went off on tangents about the town's history or her family; I grew up in a small town, and my corner of Ohio is often surrounded by cornfields as much as her spot in Iowa seems to be, once you get out of the city a little way. Vicki's library stories also make me so thankful for the little branch library I had available when I was in school; by the time I was in high school, the branch library had been relocated and plopped square between the middle school and high school buildings and was adjoined to them via the high school library, so if the school library didn't have something I could pop through the door to the branch and be right back to school again in a minute. Now, here in Akron, we have branches all over the place and several of those Little Free Library spots, but I'm enormously spoiled by the main library. I can just imagine trying to have a library cat there -- poor thing would probably get lost and we wouldn't see him for days! But Dewey seems to have been a perfect fit for that little library in Iowa.
I really appreciated Vicki's voice in this book; she came through so clearly, aided no doubt by Susan McInerney's excellent narration in the audiobook. Reading this was like talking pets, books and life with a friend; casual, but to the point and expressive. Like my own pets (cats or otherwise), Dewey will always have a place in my heart, alongside Cleo, Lava and all the other wonderful animal stories out there.
Dewey's story is an incredible one. And, as shown by the 20-year difference from the beginning to the end of the book, it's highly unlikely the library would have adopted a cat in this day and age. As Vicki notes, there were complaints after Dewey showed up and it was decided that he would stay, but they appeared to be few and far between. Nowadays it would probably be unheard of because of the sheer number of people with allergies and the like. But I'm glad for Dewey and the Spencer library; glad this was able to happen and that Dewey was able to help so many people in his way, as animals do. I'm not sure why, but cats and books have always seemed to go hand-in-hand to me (I've got a photo blog basically dedicated to it), and this story was so sweet.
I really found myself relating to Vicki even when she went off on tangents about the town's history or her family; I grew up in a small town, and my corner of Ohio is often surrounded by cornfields as much as her spot in Iowa seems to be, once you get out of the city a little way. Vicki's library stories also make me so thankful for the little branch library I had available when I was in school; by the time I was in high school, the branch library had been relocated and plopped square between the middle school and high school buildings and was adjoined to them via the high school library, so if the school library didn't have something I could pop through the door to the branch and be right back to school again in a minute. Now, here in Akron, we have branches all over the place and several of those Little Free Library spots, but I'm enormously spoiled by the main library. I can just imagine trying to have a library cat there -- poor thing would probably get lost and we wouldn't see him for days! But Dewey seems to have been a perfect fit for that little library in Iowa.
I really appreciated Vicki's voice in this book; she came through so clearly, aided no doubt by Susan McInerney's excellent narration in the audiobook. Reading this was like talking pets, books and life with a friend; casual, but to the point and expressive. Like my own pets (cats or otherwise), Dewey will always have a place in my heart, alongside Cleo, Lava and all the other wonderful animal stories out there.
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
Yes, I was embarrassed when reading this on the bus to work. Yes, I got teary eyed at the end.
This was such a feel good book. If you love cats (and libraries) you will love this. It wasn't amazing but it made me smile a lot. Have your tissues ready though!
Almost cried at the end, such a cute and inspiring story about a beautifully charismatic cat in a library.
I'm only giving this book three stars - instead of two - because it's about a sweet cat, and I'm a sucker for animal tales. Otherwise, the clunky style of writing and constant affirmations that the Midwest/Iowa is morally superior to the rest of the world really, really detract from a touching story.
slow-paced
it made me cry toward the end when vicki was talking about her family troubles and all the trauma that they went to, but i really did not buy into the narrative that dewey was a special cat.
This book should find its way into everyone's home. Dewey and his library family are fantastic to read about, and you can really learn a lot from them.
Another tearjerker animal book that was inspirational, motivating and informative. Not the most well-written book, it was still such a heart-warming story that I was hooked the moment library staff in a small town in Iowa found a dirty freezing under-nourished kitten stuffed into the drop box of the library and decided to save it and raise it in the library. Dewey Readmore Books won over the library staff, board, city council, members of the town, and soon cat lovers nation wide (he was featured in magazines, newspapers, morning shows, and documentaries) and even internationally. Any one who has owned their own very special pet will relate to Vicki Myron's descriptions of her relationship with the cat, his antics, and his personality.
The book, however, also chronicled Iowa's struggle with a failing farm economy in the late 1980s, a successful rehabilitation of a dying town, and her own personal struggles from a complicated birth of her only daughter (resulting in a complete hysterectomy and early menopause at the age of 24), her brother and mother dying of cancer, her other brother's struggle with mental health (and eventual suicide), her own bout with breast cancer and a double mastectomy....with Dewey the one constant in her life.
It may sound depressing, in context these stories really all combine together into a story of motivation and hope! I recommend this book for anyone who is a fan of animals and the animal story genre.
The book, however, also chronicled Iowa's struggle with a failing farm economy in the late 1980s, a successful rehabilitation of a dying town, and her own personal struggles from a complicated birth of her only daughter (resulting in a complete hysterectomy and early menopause at the age of 24), her brother and mother dying of cancer, her other brother's struggle with mental health (and eventual suicide), her own bout with breast cancer and a double mastectomy....with Dewey the one constant in her life.
It may sound depressing, in context these stories really all combine together into a story of motivation and hope! I recommend this book for anyone who is a fan of animals and the animal story genre.
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
slow-paced