Only when the people of a country lose their personal honesty, does that country lose its natural integrity and no one wants anything to do with a country that has no integrity. Cat Country is celebrated Chinese novelist and playwright Lao She’s dystopian satire first published in Hsein-tai Magazine in serial form and later as…
Guest Post: Book Review: Paw Prints in the Moonlight (2004) by Denis O’Connor #ReadingtheMeow2026
Today I have a Guest Post from my friend, advertising professional, Papiya Biswas, who reviews Denis O' Connor's 2004 memoir, Paw Prints in the Moonlight for Reading the Meow 2026. * * * Atmospheric. Relatable. Beautiful. Set against the isolated chill of a Northumberland winter, Denis O’Connor’s memoir describes the night he rescued a freezing,…
Buddyread: Thomasina (1957) by Paul Gallico: Chapters 18-25 #ReadingtheMeow2026
Today I’m back with part 3 of Emma@Words and Peace and my discussion of Paul Gallico’s 1957 novel Thomasina. Though ostensibly a story of a little girl who get separated from her cat Thomasina after the cat is diagnosed with an illness and put away, it is one that considers some much profounder themes and…
Book Review: The Calico Cat at the Chibineko Kitchen (2020/2025) by Yuta Takahashi (trans. Cat Anderson) #ReadingtheMeow2026
I received a review copy of this book from John Murray Press via NetGalley for which my thanks. The Chibineko Kitchen books are among the many Japanese ‘Feel Good’ series being translated into English in recent years, though unlike comparable ones like say The Kamogawa Food Detectives and Before the Coffee Gets Cold, the premise…
Buddyread: Thomasina (1957) by Paul Gallico: Chapters 1-9 #ReadingtheMeow2026
This month, with #ReadingtheMeow in mind, Emma @ Words and Peace and I chose to rea Thomasina: The Cat Who Thought She Was God (1957). This is the story that might outwardly appear to be that of a girl who cruelly loses her beloved cat and a cat who thinks she was (and is God),…
Guest Post: Book Review: A Cat of One’s Own (1999) by Lydia Adamson #ReadingtheMeow2026
Today for #ReadingtheMeow2026 I have a guest post from my mother, who read an entry from a new-to-me cosy series and author. A Cat of One's Own is book 17 in the Alice Nestleton mystery series. Here are her thoughts * * * While searching online for a detective book involving cats, I came across…
Book Review: The Cat Who Came in Off the Roof (1970/2026) by Annie M.G. Schmidt #ReadingtheMeow2026
I received a review copy of this book from Pushkin Children’s Classics via Edelweiss for which my thanks. Some years ago, I happened to see a Dutch children’s film Minoes (2001; with subtitles) about a cat who gets transformed into a young woman after falling into waste from a chemical factory and then helps shy…
Starting Tomorrow: Reading the Meow 2026
Tomorrow's the 15 of June 2026 which means we officially start #ReadingtheMeow2026, an annual week-long celebration of cats in books. To participate, simply pick a book with cats in it (with some role preferably), read and share your thoughts, on your blog, facebook, twitter, instagram or even here in the comments below. Tag it #ReadingtheMeow2026.…
Six Degrees of Separation: From The Post Office Girl to The Fourth Estate (June 2026)
June 2026 and this time I'm just a day behind for this month's Six Degrees of Separation--one of my favourite memes to participate in--today. Six Degrees of Separation is a monthly meme hosted by Kate at Books are My Favourite and Best. Inspired by the concept of 'six degrees of separation', originally set out in…
Buddy Read: The Chinese Bell Murders (1958) by Robert van Gulik: Chapters 13-18
Today I’m back with Part III of Emma @ Words and Peace and my discussion of Robert van Gulik’s The Chinese Bell Murders (1958), from his series of mystery novels featuring the real-life Judge Dee, investigator, magistrate, and later statesman. With their source material in history and written in the style of traditional Chinese detective…
Literary Potpourri 