Tails of Wonder and Imagination edited by Ellen Datlow

About the book: What is it about the cat that captivates the creative imagination? No other creature has inspired so many authors to take pen to page. Mystery, horror, science fiction, and fantasy stories have all been written aobut cats.

From the legendary editor ellen Datlow comes Tails of Wonder and Imagination, showcasing forty cat tales by some of today's most popular authors. With uncollected stories by Stephen King, Carol Emshwiller, Tanith Lee, Peter S. Beagle, Elizabeth Hand, Dennis Danvers, and Theodora Goss and a previously unpublished story by Susanna Clarke, plus feline-centric fiction by Neil Gaiman, Kelly Link, George R.R. Martin, Lucius Shepard, Joyce Carol Oates, Graham Joyce, Catherynne M. Valente, Michael Marshall Smith, and Many others.

Tails of wonder and Imagination features more than 200,000 words of stories in which cats are heroes and stories in which they're villains; tales of domestic cats, tigers, lions, mythical part-cat beings, people transformed into cats, cats transformed into people. And yes, even a few cute cats.

My thoughts: I chose this book of short stories for two reasons: I like stories about cats and I needed a short story collection for one of my challenges. For the most part I enjoyed this book. It was mostly fantasy with a healthy number of stories falling into dark fantasy and horror. The scariest was Cat in Glass by Nancy Etchemendy. Only two of the stories got me smiling and those were: Gordon, the Self-Made Cat by Peter S. Beagle and The Burglar Takes a Cat by Lawrence Block. One of the cat series I follow is about Midnight Louie and is written by Carole Nelson Douglas so I was happy to see a short Midnight Louie here. One of my favorites was the retelling of a Japanese fairy story called The Poet and the Inkmaker's Daughter by Elizabeth Hand.

I did not like that so many of the stories included the cats coming to some kind of harm. My recommendation will be to those of you who enjoy reading fantasy. I have to say that I love the cover!

Rating: B

Skeeter: A Cat Tale by Anne Watson

When a stray kitten romps into Lynne's life, she has no idea what she's getting into. As Lynne describes in letters to her friend Angie, Skeeter is all Cat - high spirited, contrary, and inventive. He's so goofy that he reminds Lynne of her own nuttiest escapades; so irrepressible that even Lynne's neighbor, mark, gets wound around his paw. And when Angie visits to see skeeter for herself....Well, no one who meets Skeeter will ever be quite the same again.

Anne L. Watson's writings on cats have appeared in the newsletter of the Gozo SPCA. She lives in Friday Harbor, Washington, with one formerly-stray cat.

Quote: "I think I'll continue being pack leader. Like all despots, I perpetuate Skeeter's servitude by monopolizing the means to freedom: the checkbook, the car keys, the can opener."

My Thoughts:This was a cute little story. I didn't realize how short it was until I finished it because I read it on my Kindle. I have since found that it is only 112 pages long. The story of Skeeter was told in letters written to Lynne's friend, a string of anecdotes. It was rather loosely strung and I think it could have been a better story with more details. I enjoyed reading about Skeeter, his antics were funny. As a cat lady myself I found myself laughing and comparing Skeeter to some of the cats I have owned over the years, especially when she was trying to get Skeeter t except a harness and leash. Cat people would like this book.

Links:

The authors site

Challenges:

100+ Reading Challenge

eBook Reading Challenge

2010 Cat Book Challenge

Monthly Mixer Mele

Total pages read 2010:

This book - 112

Total - 4840

Cat Striking Back by Shirley Rousseau Murphy

Book Description : Beware of the cat striking back . . .
On a lovely moonlit night, Joe Grey is minding his own business, carrying a gift of mice to a litter of kittens, when he stumbles upon a murder scene. Behind an empty house lies a swimming pool, its bottom covered with mud. There is also blood, the smell of human death, and drag marks. But there is no victim. Without a body, it's a crime that will be hard to prove.
With stubborn feline curiosity, Joe Grey sets out to investigate. As he, Dulcie, and Kit follow the killer's trail among four houses whose owners are on vacation, they discover that more murder has been planned for the small, close-knit neighborhood. They uncover evidence of conflict among the residents and multiple signs of breaking-and-entering, although nothing valuable seems to be missing.
With the help of two local ferals, the cats find the victim's hidden grave and learn of the violence that is yet to come. As they set out to alert the law, they discover the perfect way to thwart the killer—through that person's unnatural but powerful fear of cats.
Thus unfolds the next installment in Shirley Rousseau Murphy's beguiling series about the gray tomcat P.I., his feline friends, and human companions, as, skirting danger, they unravel events shaped by human frailty and by the darkest feline imaginings from the killer's past.

Quotes: When Joe slipped out of his tower to the rooftops, his belly full of supper and his mind on the empty houses, the fog had blown away; the sky was clear, the moon bright as he leaped across the singles to the neighbor's roof and raced on into the night.

Why this book you might ask: I follow this series so there was no question about buying and reading this.

My Thoughts: I love this cat themed fantasy, cozy mystery series. This is the 15th book. It was a fun light read and while it won't be my favorite of the series I still enjoyed it. The thoughts of the human characters seemed to go on far too long, especially the musings of the bad guy. They were predictable and repetitive, I found myself skimming some pages. The lively dialogue I expect to read wasn't fully here this time. If you are a mystery person who loves cats or a cat lover who reads mysteries you'll like it.

Links:
Joe Grey books

Hardcover: 336 pages
Publisher: William Morrow; First Edition edition (October 27, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0061123994
ISBN-13: 978-0061123993

Challenges:
100+ Challenge
2010 Cat Book Challenge
NaJuReMoNoMo
Monthly Mixer Mele

Total Pages for 2010:
This book - 319
Total - 1375

Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats by T. S. Eliot

About the book: These playful verses by a celebrated poet have delighted readers and cat lovers around the world ever since they were gathered for publication in 1939. As Valerie Eliot has pointed out, there are a number of references to cats in T.S. Eliot's work, but it was to his godchildren, Tom Faber and Alison Tandy, in the 1930s that he first revealed himself at "Old Possum" and for whom he composed these poems.

Quote:
The Rum Tum is a terrible bore:
When you let him in, then he wants to be out
He's always on the wrong side of every door

Why this book you might ask: I've owned this book for many years and have enjoyed it greatly. It was just time to read it again.

My thoughts: These poems are a lot of fun to read. They are humorous, playful, and at times insightful. If you ever owned a cat you might recognize him/her in the Rum Tum Tugger. I've had cats who were always on the wrong side of the door. My white cat is named for one of the cats in here: Jennyanydots. The poems vary in rhythm and rhyme, each one a unique work that works well with the others in the book. It's amazing to me that the play Cats was based on this little volumn. I recommend it highly, whether or not you like cats.

Links:
Preview here

Hardcover: 46 pages
Publisher: Harcourt, Brace and Co. (January 1, 1939)
ASIN: B000SSNKV0

Challenges:
100+ Reading Challenge
Cat Book Challenge
Monthly Mixer Mele
Flashback Challenge

Pages read in 2010:
This book - 46
total - 1056