No comments about Pokemon 2009 Calendar 994073.

5 comments about Stone Kiss.

1. I learned a lot about Jews from reading this book. For instance, I never knew they had a special prayer for leaving a cemetery. Kellerman writes with deep understanding and love for that culture, but I am afraid some of the nuances must have been lost on me.
   
   However, this is no anthropology text, but a very exciting, very well written. I was going to give it five stars, but for my reaction at the ending: "What? Who? What's that all about?" For that matter, I still can't figure out the title. Even though a lot of detective writers seem to pluck titles out of thin air, this one really had me baffled.
   
   This is the first Faye Kellerman novel I have read, but I hope not the last. I came to her because of her husband Jonathan's Delaware series. They both write extremely well. However, I have sometimes wondered what it would be like to be married to a detective novelist, seeing your beloved there pondering, and knowing that she may be thinking about corpses and morgues. But a married pair! What kind of conversations they must have!



2. Wish I had an option to give this entry in the Peter Decker/Rina Lazarus series 6 stars. I've been reading these out of order, which I do not recommend - it would help to see how this family grows and develops. There are some 10 or so installments to this series before this one that I haven't read yet, but I can't imagine any of them being better than this one. It's a total angst fest!
   
   LAPD Homicide Detective Lieutenant Peter Decker gets a frantic call from his (half) brother in New York City. Jonathan's brother-in-law has been found murdered and the dead man's 15 year old neice is missing - can Decker help? Family means a heck of a lot to Decker, but what can he do? Act as liason between the family and the police? His lovely wife, Rina convinces him to go - if nothing else is accomplished, at least they can visit with her two sons Sam and Jake who both go to school in New York.
   
   Decker is completely out of his element, though. He may be a good cop (and he really is), but New York may as well be a foreign country to an LA cop, especially as Jon's in-laws (the family affected by this tragedy) hate his guts and want nothing to do with him. (They may even be duplicitous in the crime). Novack, the detective in charge of the case, is a nice enough guy who is really working the case and doesn't mind Decker's input, but Decker has no connections in this city. Or does he?
   
   A psycho hit-man named Christopher Donatti lives in New York and he and Decker have a past. If Donatti manages not to shoot Decker on sight, maybe he'll condescend to help out. I love this character! Donatti is a grade A stone cold psycho killer, but he is so darned fun! Completely unpredictable, he's just as liable to buy you a cup of coffee as to shoot you in the back - if not both. With this guy on his side and everyone else against him, Decker will be very lucky to get out of this one unscathed. But it's not just him in danger - his whole family may very well be at risk and Decker's frustration levels are on overload - even if he does survive this, he may never be the same.
   
   My only complaint is the two small sections suddenly being told in a first person narrative by a minor character - it just seemed out of place and distracting. Otherwise, this is just non-stop angst and I've always been a sucker for angst. Don't miss this one!!



3. I just loved this book! It's just incredible, though for me the best thing is that the characters from Justice(Chris Donatti and Terry McLaughlin)appear in the book - it's so great that we finally find out what happens to them after Justice! Though maybe I should have rated it with 4 stars because I only half liked the part describing judaism, I can't because the rest is so great!



4. ...and my title is saying a lot. What separates this from so many other mysteries, her own included, is the incredible character Chris Donatti. As fans of Justice can attest, Donatti is complicated, both ruthless and sympathetic. Here's hoping we will see him crop up in the future. He's worth a book all his own.



5. Stone Kiss
   
   Characterizations are completely engrossing. Wonderful, interesting ethnic details. Can't wait for the next book.

5 comments about The Cat Who Came to Breakfast (Cat Who...).

1. Lilian Jackson Braun is a favorite writer, and it is supremely easy to become addicted to the Cat Who...series. The only thing wrong with this whole scenario is that the books do not come fast enough! Qwilleran is adorable, the cats are just too much, and the names of people and places are hysterical. Can't wait for the next episode. These are keepers to re-read again and again.



2. There's a little something extra in TCWCB for my taste, and I've read over twenty of her whimsical tales. Mixed in with the fluidly vivid descriptions of her main characters, Ms. Braun makes some pithy comments about ecology and responsible community development - a theme she has been building toward in previous volumes of this best-selling series and feels strongly about... Here she expresses her concern about the future of this planet, and goes into all the things that can possibly go wrong when feasibility studies on ecology are non-existent or ignored, or when corporate greed and over-commercialization create underground community resistance on `Pear Island'... Bravo! I have a feeling she's wanted to write on this topic for a long time.
   
   Now, on the authorship of her later books which some readers have conjectured about, I'd like to make a point I've never seen brought up, because I'd love to see this controversy over the possibility of dubious authorship relegated to the litter box.
   
   I feel strongly that she has written every word in this amusing series and there have been no ghostwriters whatsoever. She's having too much of a good time for there to be any reason to turn over the authorship to someone of lesser ability or inferior talent, whether it's because of pressure from her publisher, or whomever, or because she's "too old" to have written them... and supposedly for what... greed?? After having had so many of these books on the New York Times' bestseller list, she's probably a millionaire two or three times over and still counting.
   
   I may be wrong, but my sense of her character is that she'd rather end the series cold turkey than farm out KoKo and Yum Yum to a lesser talent. So for her or her publisher to artificially keep the series going for financial reasons only, just does not compute, at least for me... I'm not convinced that her writing could be duplicated by anyone else for the sake of financial gain or to please fans, since she's the consummate word master "who could write 1000 words on anything," and particularly when her main character Qwill is so indifferent to his inherited millions... Ms. Braun strikes me as a writer's writer - she's in love with words - and I can't imagine her putting up with less vivid or striking prose and lowering her standards.
   
   There's no break that I can see in the continuity line of Qwill's personal development even though there was a twenty year gap in the publishing history of these books. So far, he has remained 50ish throughout the entire series, and the continuity of one book to the next, in terms of a time-line and recurring characters, has been consistent. This means that while there may have been a twenty year gap in publishing these works, there has been no twenty year gap in her story line - and I think that means something in the way these books were created.
   
   As far as my own tastes are concerned, the later volumes show no diminution in her amazing descriptive powers, wit and charm, but these books may seem different or `lesser' because they are driven more by character development than plot, and some people prefer the plot driven stories. There may have been a change of focus but not of ability, and her books have changed because she has changed in an evolutionary way. Nevertheless, even her later books have kept me guessing and I feel that TCWCB is one of the best in her series because she takes on a hot topic with amusing and biting satire.
   
   I see "Q" as her. Through him she gets to express all the facets of her own views on love, art, money and wealth... you name it... and she breathes sparkling life into these books and makes them wonderful literary companions for anyone who is lonely or seeks something uplifting to the mind and spirit. She's very healthy of mind and so is George Guidall, who's done such a wonderful job on the unabridged audio books. It's a great combination of talent that makes one fall in love with the power of the spoken word and perhaps wish to become a writer oneself.
   
   As of today's date, I believe she's still very much alive and wishes to stay mentally active with much more to say about the human condition. She's a deceptively simple writer with a virtuoso command of language, and for my liking, she has something to say about life above and beyond the mystery genre itself and is never heavy-handed about it. That's why I value her witty and unassuming books though the later ones may vary in the tightness of their plots and in the tidiness of their conclusions. In any event, for anyone who has enjoyed this wonderful series for years to turn on her viciously because of their "disappointment" makes me wonder if they were ever genuine fans to begin with. I like to remember with gratitude the many hours of enjoyment she's brought into the lives of her readers.



3. We have read all of the Cat Who series several times and never tire of the antics of Ko Ko and Yum Yum. Being disabled and also with limited "reading" vision, my husband reads to me and the troubles of my world are lifted ten times over! Thank you Ms. Braun!!



4. This is another in the light and amusing series of stories of "The Cat Who"... Columnist and amateur crime solver, Jim Qwilleran and his two feline companions,Siamese beauties, Koko and Yum Yum, spend two weeks as guests of friends and B and B owners, Nick and Lori, at their holiday Inn and cabins, on Pear Island, also known as Breakfast Island. A series of "accidents" and two deaths has occured, driving away customers and driving a wedge even further between the developers and the native islanders. Koko, the cat, has supposedly physic powers and directs Jim in several directions with the use of dominoes and word games. It's a light, amusing read and a pleasant "in between" book.



5. After Polly announces she is visiting Oregon for two weeks, Qwill and the Siamese go to Breakfast Island a.k.a. Pear Island, to investigate several murders and other strange occurances. Qwill learns to play dominoes so he teaches Koko who send him messages in code using the tiles.
   
   One day while hiking the nature trail, Qwill rescues a "mermaid" from a snake bite.
   
   Many twists and turns later Qwill gets to the bottom of everything.
   
   I enjoyed this installment of. "The Cat Who..." series. You need to read it too!

5 comments about The Cat Who Lived High (Cat Who...).

1. The Cat Who Lived High
   Lillian Jackson Braun
   
   James Qwilleran, is about to inherit over a million dollars, had an alcohol problem, is a retired crimes journalist at the age of fifty-two. When he travels to "Down Below," he and his Siamese cats, Yum-Yum and Koko, are caught in a murder in a building called the Casablanca.
   Koko has "noble whiskers, aristocratic ears, a sensitive nose and impenetrable gaze. Koko could see the invisible, hear the inaudible, and sense the unknowable." Yum-Yum, his other Siamese, "was a charmer, who captivated Qwilleran with shameless wiles, reaching out her paw to touch his moustache while squeezing her eyes and purring throatily." Together they were a "handsome pair - fawn furred, with seal-brown extremities and mesmerizing, blue eyes."
   Lillian Jackson Braun's The Cat Who Lived High is a work of art. Throughout this novel I felt puzzled, surprised, and amazed. I couldn't wait to find out the murderer and the weapon. I recommend this novel for anyone who loves cats.
   
   Bodeine



2. The eleventh book of this series finds Jim Qwilleran packing for a trip Down Below, much to the dismay and worry of his fellow residents of Moose County. One of the Three Weird Sisters, whom we met in a previous book, has called him up and urged him to look into saving an old building in Junktown that is about to be demolished. The cats are none too happy about the trip but Qwilleran is eager to check out his old stomping ground and also to avoid the Moose County winter.
   
   He arrives back in Junktown to find an old rundown building that looks like a big refrigerator and as he carries the cats up to his apartment on the fourteenth floor the elevator stops. This time he is just as unhappy as the cats. He finds himself lodged in an elegant apartment that was recently the scene of a murder, a fact that Koko discovers. As usual in this series, Koko makes most of the discoveries and then spends a great deal of time trying to communicate his discoveries to Qwilleran. In this book Koko even takes up Scrabble to try and get his message across. One very nice thing about this book is that you don't get attached to the deceased because by the time the story starts, she is already dead. I'm still not over Iris Cobb's death.
   
   For fans of the series this book will bring back some memorable characters from previous books including Mary Duckworth of Junktown and Robert Maus and Charlotte Roop of the Maus House. It is great fun to go back and see what has happened in these people's lives since we last encountered them and to find out what they are up to now. Prim and proper Charlotte for example, has a man and is a changed woman. There are also some neat new characters like Mrs. Tuttle, Mr. Rupert, the Countess and Isabelle Wilburton who gives Qwilleran a flashing he will never forget. The characters and the atmosphere are indeed the major part of the story because the mystery is even more submerged than normal, but the clues are there if you just pay attention to Koko.
   
   This is not the best book in the series so far but it is very enjoyable. Unlike some other reviewers, I miss the folks in Moose County but it was a real pleasure to visit some old friends. It was a nice change of pace but I'm ready to get back to Pickax City.



3. In the 11th book in the Cat Who mystery series, James Qwilleran aka "Qwill", is feeling the familiar wanderlust grab him as the threat of the first large snowfall descends on Moose County (400 miles north of everywhere). When he is summoned by an old friend from "down below" to help restore the old Casablanca building in Junktown, he agrees to visit the old apartment building that has lost most of its previous shining glory.
   
   Once he arrives, he realizes very quickly that the old building is not in great shape, and that the tenants are an eclectic mix. He meets elderly folks, young artists, and one eccentric building owner who is called the countess and never leaves her suite. Qwill is assigned the penthouse apartment on the 14th Floor, and when KoKo starts sniffing a stain on the rug, Qwill's natural curiosity is raised. He learns that there had been a murder in his temporary residence, and as he decides whether to finance the restoration of the Casablanca, he also probes into the mysterious death. With the help of his two irrepressible felines, KoKo and Yum Yum, the unlikely detective threesome saves countless lives from the clutches of an evil, greedy killer.
   
   This is my favorite cozy mystery series! I had read all of the books in the past, and wanted to read them again for a second time. This time around, I have chosen to listen to them on CD, as I love the voice of George Guidall. I must say that I missed the setting of Moose County and its residents a bit in this installment, but found it refreshing to have Qwill meet some new people and explore the city. The characters in each book are what keep drawing many readers back...so if you are looking for a hardcore thriller, this would not be the series for you. However, if you are a fan of small town cozies, give this series a try. You might just find that you have become an avid "Cat Who" fan before the book is even finished.
   
   This is a great series by my favorite author!
   
   The first book in the series is called "The Cat who Could Read Backwards". Enjoy!



4. Not only is this the best addition to the Cat Who series, it reminds me so much of my own treasured one, Mr. Cheddar. No need to get a permit for renovations, this book towers above other cat-related mysteries! I am tempted to get another cat just to name it Mr. Yumyum and see if I too can teach it scrabble.



5. Qwill and the cats go "down below" to the big city to try and save an historic building.
   
   This book is my favorite of "The Cat Who..." series. It is really exciting. When Qwill, Koko, and Yum Yum move to the historic Casablanca apartment building their lives change. It is exciting. Qwill eats at a new restaurant every night. He meets many interesting people and investigates a murder that supposedly was already solved.
   
   This book had a surprise beginning. Well written. Don't pass on this one!

5 comments about Black Cat (Gemini).

1. Wow! Thanks! This is why when I see a new VCA coming out I have to buy it... it's a compulsion - MUST HAVE VCA. This book didn't let me down.



2. I'm glad I'm not the only one who noticed that according to this book, Celeste was supposedly eleven when she gives birth to Baby Celeste.
   
   I know kids start early these days, but that darn Elliot is such a pedophile! He's old enough to drive and he still can't find enough desperate women to prevent him from going around and raping eleven year olds in the woods. He even thought she was a boy up until a couple minutes before he slept with her. Does that sound like a normal reaction to you?
   
   The front cover on this novel and Celeste boasts "A mommy that is worse than the Flowers In the Attic." I disagree. Her mother was off the wall and eccentric and she buried her son in her daughter's clothing and made her daughter cross dress for years and called her Noble, but I didn't see her feeding anyone arsenic. Of course, there does seem to be some doubt about the way Dave Fletcher died, but this was never clarified.
   
   As far as villians go, the Mother was by no means a sweetheart. She was perverse and cruel and she would give her daughter some kind of herbal tea that made her hallucinate whenever Celeste put on lipstick or tried to brush her hair. But she wasn't THAT bad.
   
   If Celeste had any kind of a backbone she would have just up and left. For most of the book, I was under the impression that she was in her early twenties and just hanging around her house to help her mother and keep the spirits appeased. But at the end of this, I'm set straight. Celeste was only 17 and a half. Her daughter is six. She was a minor.
   
   Everything is clear now. Thank you, ghostwriter!



3. I have read every V.C. Andrew book & this one is like all the rest. It has a good plot and parts of it just grap you. The ending was wonderful. There was a few parts that were kind of slow but then it would pick back up. Now I need to read the next one in the set.



4. When I started reading the Gemini series I was plesently suprised by the darkness in tone. It was a return to form for the author. But as usual the second book falls a little bit short. After Celeste gave birth to Baby Celeste her mother made her go back to being Noble. In this book, things pick up where they left off. Celeste is still Noble and her mother is still wacky. The story continues as Sarah marries the next door neighbor (who is the grandfather of Baby Celeste). This leads to an eventual confrontation with his daughter Betsy. The book concludes kind of abruptly and doesn't leave a great ending.



5. Celeste and Black Cat had a interesting premise, with what happened to the twins. But no reason is given for Mom's madness, or obsessive love for Noble. In the Flowers in the Attic, Casteel, and Cutler series, it is eventually revealed why the villains of these books did what they did - not necessarily a excuse, but a explanation. There is none given here for why everyone is so f***ed up. I felt angry and frustrated at the end of Black Cat because Celeste HAS NO FREAKING BACKBONE. This was the last "VCA" book I ever actually bought, I just couldn't take it anymore.

5 comments about Stuff on My Cat: The Book.

1. I picked up this book in a bookstore and couldn't put it down. It was so good, I read it cover to cover at the bookstore, but I didn't buy it (because many book readers are perverse and cheapskates about buying "non-literary books"). Months later, I still think about it and I'm laughing. So I'm finally caving in and parting with my money to get a copy. If anything, it is worth ten bucks for the idea. But it took me months to realize it. Yes, it is that good. (To cat owners especially).



2. If you have the Internet none of the pictures are that great. Many of the pictures are online or have been done better since. The paperback is too small to enjoy the collection pages (they display 20 or so pictures on one page). You can get this for someone that doesn't have the Internet, but the paperback isn't good enough so you would need to find a hardback; but I couldn't see paying the price.



3. Sometimes it is great to have something fun to open at Christmas. This year I gave this book to my new son-in-law, and it was quickly passed around the family. My daughter says that they have it out at their home to share with their guests. Hey, I'm allergic to cats, and I even like it!



4. 
   My poor cats have no idea what they have coming the next time I'm drunk off my butt on Jack Daniels' popsicles!



5. This is the funniest cat photo book since Why Paint Cats, which fooled a lot of people into thinking the images were real "cat paintings." But here the photos actually are real. Considering how finicky cats can be, it's amazing so many of them would put up with having so much odd junk piled on them, and then being patient enough so that you could take their picture. If I hadn't seen the book I might not have believed it myself. With so much odd stuff piled on them, the images become sort of live kitty collages. :-) For someone who is both a cat fancier and amateur photographer there is probably no more entertaining book than this.

5 comments about How to Get Your Cat to Do What You Want.

1. I found this book uninformative and a waste of money. I'm sorry that I din't buy a used book. This book was too cute with too many cute stories. I was more interested in learning about cat behavioral problems and how to solve them. I lost patience with this book. A very silly book.



2. Hmmmm... this book was a little too warm and fuzzy for me, and my cats still don't do what I want them to do. I like to call them my kitties of mass destruction.
   
   I know the above statement doesn't really offer any constructive criticism so let me see if I can put into words what I didn't like about this book. Warren and Fay seem to be very caring and compassionate animal lovers but there didn't seem to be a whole lot of practical advice regarding getting cats to do what you want.
   
   There were however, lots of cute stories about their animals sprinkled with a bit of advice - most of which I'd already heard. It was a nice read if you like animals (which I do) but not much help in the whole "getting them to do what you want" area.



3. I had a hard time getting past the author's mania for adorable little furballs. Here's an example: "Are your well-deserved vacations spoiled because you just can't cope with the anxiety of leaving behind the little furball?". Those of you who answer yes will probably enjoy reading the book from cover to cover. Everyone else will do better looking up topics of interest, or reading a different book altogether. Having said that, there is some good information here, and an important message that you will be a better cat owner if you try to understand the cat's perspective. I suggest reading the Publishers Weekly review quoted by Amazon, because that nails it.



4. I found this book to be a bit over the top. The authors suggest extreme measures for control of undesirable cat behaviors requiring strict attention to detail. I love my rescue kitten dearly who is 5 months old now, but some ideas offered in this book seem unrealistic for me. I do believe the authors have the best interest of the cat in their strategies; however, I think some of the methods require impossible amounts of time. For those of us who are very disciplined, go for it!



5. As a life-long cat owner, I am always frustrated with how many owners give up on training their cats so quickly and easily (or just write them off because they are cats). Cats loved to be challenged and this book lays out easy and appropriate ways to teach and train, fix behavioral problems, and gently discipline your cat. Yes it takes patience, but both you and your cat will find it well worth the time.

5 comments about The Enchanted Cat: Feline Fascinations, Spells and Magick.

1. I am most definitely a cat person, and I wouldn't have it any other way. I found "The Enchanted Cat," by Ellen Dugan to be a delightful exploration of the feline persuasion and a fun book to explore. Geared toward Wiccans, the book details feline fascination, spells and magick.
   
   Starting with the history of cats and their influence on our lives, then examining the cat Deities, are wonderful introductions to feline whiles and ways. Then a look at feline folklore and divination, and a wonderful chapter on cat magick bring readers deeper into the embrace of feline affection and admiration. Guides to feline power animals, and selecting a name for your own familiar, round out the book that is jam packed with spells, incantations, quotations of feline fancy, and so much more.
   
   Ellen Dugan is gifted when it comes to writing in a personally outreaching way. When reading her work, it is like reading a letter from your favorite witchy friend. You won't want it to end. But with this particular title, the delight keeps going as you take your new knowledge and apply it to your life. Of course, you may be inspired to add to your cat family, and at the least, you'll be enticed to cuddle up with the one or two you already have, gaze into their eyes and embrace the magick!



2. This book is a perfect one to read, snuggled up with your cat or your familiar. I know that when I pull my copy out to read, my familiar likes to be near me. Coincidence? I think not...
   
   I absolutely adore Dugan's books. Her writing style and personal stories are never boring, and they always add to the magic of the books. Some of the spells inside include: working with cat deities to enhance your life, spells to help you bond with your familiar, protection and negativity-removal spells, and a pet-memorial/passing spell to help ease the heartbreak that we all feel when we lose a pet cat.
   
   If you're a cat lover, or have a cat as your familiar, there is no better book than this to get! Its simply "purrfect."



3. Like all the rest of Ellen Dugan's books, this one is a mix of the practical and the fun, with lots of great information thrown in. If you're interested in Witchcraft or cats or both, this is the book for you. Then check out the rest of her books!



4. I just finished the book and it was a good read although i wouldnt do most of the spells.



5. I love love love Ellen Dugan, but I'm afraid this book is a little sparse for me. Upon looking back, maybe they're all sparse. Although I own almost every one of her books, so no, I do like her style and content- I just always seem to wish there was more of it! In this one, there is some stuff I can't really use- a whole section on names? But I am glad to own it and will take from it what I can.

2 comments about Captain Cat (I Can Read Book 1).

1. This is a funny book that shows a cat who jumps to attention at the sound of a bugle, and has more stripes than a drill sergeant. While captains don't wear stripes (they have bars), the book is a funny look at miltary life, from the perspective of a cat who innocently wanders onto an army post and is befriended by a soldier. The book is suitable for K-3, but is also a good choice for older readers who need the confidence that successfully completing a book on his or her own provides. This book was available in my son's elementary school library, which I believe says something for its broad appeal.



2. Good book. Good story. Good pictures. My son loves all of Syd Hoff's books.

1 comments about Bad Cat Wall Calendar 2009 (Wall Calendars).

1. Just like the desk sized calendar, this wall calendar of Bad cats is a great gift for someone who loves cats, or for yourself! There's room for keeping note of appointments (not a lot, but some), and every month has one main Bad cat, with each day having it's own much smaller Bad cat with sayings, comments or 'faux paws'. This helps you keep track of the days -- but for keeping track of how many times you'll smile or laugh out loud you are on your own!