"My Life in a Cat House" (A Curl Up with a Cat Tale Book), by NY Times Best Selling Author Gwen Cooper

"True Tales of Love,

Laughter, and Living

with Five Felines"

Cover Courtesy of Gwen Cooper

"Celebrate the human-feline

bond with all its joys, mysteries,

and life-changing moments."

(Available October 30th, 2018)

Sitting down with a book written by author Gwen Cooper is like being perched at your kitchen table with your dearest cat-loving friend, sipping a cup of your favorite brew or, depending on your mood, sharing a glass of wine with the same friend, curled up on the couch snuggled beneath a pile of cozy comforters with a cat (or two, or three or five) by your sides. (Cody actually joined me for a few stories in this gem and he thoroughly enjoyed pawing through the pages with me.)

Having read and reviewed most of Gwen's books, I eagerly anticipated pouncing into the pages of "My Life in a Cat House" the latest book in the Gwen Cooper feline family of print. A gentle rain was falling outside my window, I lit a candle, grabbed MY favorite brew and a comfy blanket and curled up on the couch ready to enjoy my long overdue visit with a cherished and dear friend.

Today, being National Cat Day, couldn't be a more PURRFECT day to present this PURRFECT book, written by the PURRFECTLY talented Gwen Cooper to YOU, my PURRFECTLY wonderful readers!

"My Life in a Cat House features beloved favorites from Gwen's Curl Up with a Cat Tale series, as well as brand-new adventures sure to be treasured by cat lovers everywhere." 

Gwen has the uncanny ability to touch our hearts with her gift of  conveying thought provoking, and heart-stirring emotions,  and often side-splitting humor that has her readers running the gamut of laughing out loud to grabbing for a box of tissues. Gwen's writing is unpretentious, its authentic, its REAL. Whether like me, you have nearly all of Gwen's books, or if this one is your first, you will delight in her descriptive, often hilarious and loving stories about her cats, whether you have had two cats like me, or twenty, you will be saying to yourself, as I did "My kitty does that too!!"   Speaking in reference to my Angel Bobo that was the MOST true, in reference to Cody, after reading about Gwen's cats and their antics, I began to think that my boy who I used to (the operative words being "used to") think was brilliant, I am now thinking might be a little "duller" than I previously thought...mind you that was said with the UTMOST OF LOVE!

FROM THE PUBLISHER:

Raised in a dog-loving family, Gwen never pictured herself as a “cat person.”  But from the very first feline she adopted—an adorable five-week-old rescue kitten, slow to learn how to trust after life on the streets—Gwen was smitten.  Eventually one rescue kitten became five, and all the ups and downs of a life with cats are lovingly depicted here: From the obsessive cat who teaches himself to play fetch and demands it morning, noon, and night from his hapless human mom; to the crafty white beauty who raises outside-the-litter-box thinking to the level of an art form; to the routine vet trip that turns into a hi-jinks-filled misadventure on the streets of Manhattan with three (VERY cranky!) felines in tow. And Homer, the Blind Wonder Cat himself, returns triumphant in new tales of life and love after worldwide fame. 

For the few of you who might not be familiar with Gwen Cooper's  books, she is the author of the blockbuster bestseller Homer’s Odyssey: A Fearless Feline Tale, or How I Learned About Love and Life With a Blind Wonder Cat, the book Love Saves The Day (which my eagle-eye caught a reference to in this book, because it is also the name of Gwen's "all time favorite vintage store"  and a clowder of other books! In My Life in a Cat House Gwen's much-beloved, world-famous fur family featuring the cool, cantankerous and aloof Scarlett, the stunningly beautiful man-loving Vashti, Homer the blind wonder cat,  Clayton the playful tripod kitty, and Fanny who has the ability to jump to amazing heights, (even with a moth trap accidentally stuck to her tail!), is back sharing their adventures of life, love, learning and hilarity.

One of my favorite moments of  purrfect humor was a conversation that Gwen had with her husband Laurence, when he brought to her attention that one of the cats had vomited in the other room. As I read the pages that ensued I was CERTAIN that Gwen had visited my home and had heard the same scenario play out with my husband and I,  when she wrote it.

I mentioned above that Gwen has the uncanny gift to touch our emotions through her brilliant writing, as well as the ability to have us stop and think about our own lives. When Gwen's cats lived with her each arrived at a different time of her life. The first arrived when Gwen was a new "cat mom" in her 20s.  Our cats, if we are lucky, live long and fulfilling lives. What I never thought about until I read this book, is that while our cats are getting older, WE ARE GETTING OLDER TOO. Part of what makes Gwen's books resonate with us,  is that she built her life around her cats, as most cat lovers do. Inevitably, we all grow older and change based on our life experiences, I was in my late 30s when my first cat (Bobo) found me and I was much, much older when I adopted Cody. The Mom Cody has isn't exactly the same as the Mom Bobo had. My kitty "children", my babies grew older too That is sometimes hard to face. 

Oh, mirror in the sky

What is love?

Can the child within my heart rise above

Can I sail through the changing ocean tides

Can I handle the seasons of my life

Well, I've been afraid of changin'

'Cause I built my life around you

But time makes you bolder

Children get older

I'm getting older too

----from “Landslide” written by Stevie Nicks

 My Life in a Cat House is ideal for new readers and longtime fans like myself and many of you. This purr-fect memoir is told in eight purr-fect cat stories that are all filled with the humor and heart  that WE, Gwen’s devoted readership, has come to know and love. As is the case with all of Gwen's books, it is magnificent. RUN (don't walk!) and get YOUR copy TODAY!!

PURCHASING INFORMATION

 MY LIFE IN A CAT HOUSE: TRUE TALES OF LOVE, LAUGHTER, AND LIVING WITH FIVE FELINES (with the all-new adventures of Homer and the gang) is coming out on October 30th.  Gwen will be donating 100% of her  royalties on all pre-orders and first-week sales (October 30th through November 3rd) to Blind Cat Rescue & Sanctuary in Raleigh, NC in Homer's name.

 If you haven't done so already, please pre-order your copy TODAY of MY LIFE IN A CAT HOUSE--either on Amazon.com or, ideally, through your local bookstore (whether it's a small indie or part of a chain like Barnes & Noble).  Please note that if you do pre-order MY LIFE IN A CAT HOUSE through a bookstore, you must pick up the book/complete the purchase by November 3rd for it to count as a donation to Blind Cat Rescue.

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FTC Disclosure: I was not compensated for this review. I was sent a complimentary copy of My Life in a Cat House by Gwen Cooper in exchange for my always honest review. It is my honor to present this book to all of you.