Now, even just typing the title and author is tricky in this one, as Mr. Taylor claims just to be the translator of the book, while it’s actual author(s) remain secret, and lost to the mists of time. But the editors of this, the 4,973rd edition, are likely Cleo, Simba and Tony, cats belonging to Prof. Taylor’s family.

This is a fun eBook, and its subtitle is “Guidance for the Adult Feline Consigned to Live With Humans” which pretty much sets the tone for the whole thing. It includes chapters on things like “Heaviness” that explain a cat can willfully alter how much it weighs as it sleeps, to render the human on which it is sleeping increasing immobile, tips and instructions on training one’s humans about feeding (including altering the human’s schedule, waking the human, etc. Much of this, I suspect anyone who has lived with cat has suspected all along, but we never knew they had an actual Manual for this, did we!

I guarantee a lot of chuckles, and some “A ha! So that’s why …” moments to any readers who have ever lived with a feline, or thought they “owned” one. Fun, funny, and it will give you new insight into the minds of these “mysterious” creatures!

And yes, they cultivate that reputation deliberately. You knew that, didn’t you?
And as it is an eBook, the cat cannot tear up the pages – an advantage considering chapter on Reading!

I will also review the books here, for the blog, and promise I will note on all future reviews if I’ve talked to the author or not. And I promise I will still be honest with the reviews, and will never just promote a book for someone or feed you their press release.

Really cool unexpected fantasy with a touch of science theory and real thought, everything from theories about time to mermaids and pirates, but none of it seems pedantic or too frothy or frivolous, either.

Set in 2001, not long after the September 11th bombings, the three Oakenfield children, Susan – the eldest, and her younger step brothers Charles and Murray are sent by their parents from New York to their uncle’s place in Canada. Real city kids, used to the congested but busy life in New York City, they are not sure really why they are being sent away, but their parents inssist it’s for their safety. The kids, though Susan had a different biological father, are typical siblings, and have their squabbles and tease each other, more Susan – born in England – and Charles, the next youngest, than Murray, who is only five years old.

Nothing is quite what it seems, aand it’s kind of refreshing that these are no Disneyland mermaids, and even the sea they are “adrift’ on is no ordinary see. It’s also cool that the kids do not automatically come together as the adventure begins, but continue their evolving relationships at what feels like an ordinary pace in extraordinary circumstances.

I highly reccomend this book to anyone age 8 to 800 who enjoys a good story, and doesn’t mind thinking about things a little as they go. It’s not too simple for adults, and it isn’t little with sly pop culture references to keep adults interested, either, it’s fine as is. And I am not even terribly bothered by the “sequel alert” subtitle of “The First Voyage” as this stands on its own, without the annoying “see what happens next” of some book series.

Excellent book, set in nearby Boston, and aside from one instance of Mount Auburn Street being called Mount Auburn Drive, it’s accurate in descriptions of places, names and neighborhoods. The heart of story takes place over just a 24-hour span, though there are years of history in the making of that day. It is set around the story of two broken families, one rich, and one poor, and how their lives suddenly intersect.


The first of the families, the wealthier one, consists of a father, a Boston politician, and a good Irish Catholic man. His wife, Bernadette, was from one of those large, sprawling Irish-Catholic families for which Boston is known, and the story begins with her tale of the statue of the Virgin Mary that she was given by her mother, which has been passed, mother to daughter, for generations. She and Bernard has always planned on a big family, but after their first boy, Sullivan, she was not able to carry another baby full term. Determined, they started the process of adoption, and ended up, eventually with not one baby, but his 18-month-old brother as well. That they were African-American did not matter to the Doyles, and Tip and Teddy were instantly loved. Sadly, Bernadette was only able to enjoy her family for four years, before getting diagnosed with and succumbing to cancer. The story takes place 20 years later, when the “little boys” are grown, and college students at Harvard and Northeastern, respectively.


The second family is even smaller, just a devoted, some would say overprotective single mother, Tennessee and her daughter, Kenya. They are also black, and live in just down the street from the Doyles, but across the line into Roxbury, in one of “the Projects.” Kenya, who is eleven, cares only about running, and learning well in school to please her mother. The families lives intersect when Teddy, whose forte in life is memorizing political speeches but who has little direction in life, and Tip, the “serious” one who wants to be an ichthyologist, accompany their father, and Kenya goes with her mother, to a Jesse Jackson speech being given at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government.


The night turns into a snowy one – as anyone who has lived here knows can happen, especially in January in Boston, and as everyone leaves the lecture, the accident happens, and the two families meet and lives are intertwined in tragic, joyful and unexpected ways.


An excellent book, and a quick, absorbing read, I heartily recommend it. Unless it happens to be January, and you’re enduring your first New England winter … And if you happen to enjoy running, politics, or biology – especially of the fishie sort, you’ll likely enjoy it even more.

I received this little (just 75 pages) book to review, and completely enjoyed it. Being as I am a “pet person,” couching any lessons in animal terms is always a way to get me to pay attention. This is a little book aimed at teaching business principles, and life lessons learned from he author’s 6-pound Min-Pin, Tazie.


Tazie is a Min-Pin, or Miniature Pinscher, and she’s even more “mini” than most, being 6 whole pounds full grown – usually adults are 8-11 pounds. But in true pinscher form, she’s never learned that she is a small dog, and has a tenacious, optimistic and indomitable spirit.


The author does a nice job presenting ten simple “lessons,” and giving examples of how they can be applied in everyday business situations.


Yes, there are a lot of “leadership” books out there, but this one is more cheerful and far less dry than most others. It’s simple enough for just about any reading level, and a quick read. If you are anyone’s boss, or are going to be, it’s worth a browse. There are a few typos, but I am sure they will be corrected in future editions, and the cartoons that head each chapter are adorable and appropriate.

Fun, grown-up book, with a sympathetic main character, and lots of intrigue involved. The main character, Beverly Parmetier, is a small business owner, who imports crafts, antiques and handmade goods from several countries in Central America. She lives in New Mexico, and loves her little Albuquerqe home, her shop, and her life for the most part, though her love life isn’t spectacular and she always is worrying about finances.


All this changes, after a vacation to Mexico with her beloved “crazy” Aunt Magdalena, the one family member who has always supported her. The rest of her family is still solidly ensconced in the UP – pronounced yoopee – Michigan’s Upper peninsula. Beverly instead served in the Peace Corps, speaks fluent Spanish, and is extremely knowledgeable and a scrupulously honest business woman.


Enter the “bad guys” – a corrupt and, we learn, slightly unbalanced U. S. Customs official, who is convinced Beverly is smuggling in and dealing in both stolen and illegal pre-Columbian artifacts, and probably drugs as well. The harrasment begins with packages being searched at the borderr, and escalated through agents following her every move, her home being bugged, her store being visited repeatedly by agents trying to trap her into selling them goods she doesn’t have, asking for drugs, or just being obvious and annoying.


The harrasment escalted, no matter what she does, and her oof-again, on-again boyfriend, who is a lawyer, is no help. When the “feds” even appear on her vacation rafting trip with old friends, she gets desperate.


Following her as she struggles to maintain both her freedom, innocence and sense of humor in the face of all this makes a good story, and little side stories, like her friendship with a handicapped kid and his dog who live across the street from her all add color to a good story.


I am not sure if it counts as “suspense” or mystery, but there is plenty of both, and it is a fun read. This is a first novel, and the author has worked for years in the import business, so you end up learning bits and pieces as you read, which is always fun. I recommend the book.

For a long time now, I have been meaning to start a blog. I am an avid reader of almost anything, and so will be reviewing books I have read. Stay tuned for more …