Cover Image: My Life in the Cat House

My Life in the Cat House

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Member Reviews

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to read this book.

I've always loved Gwen Cooper's writing, and this book just confirmed that. Books about cats are among my favorites, and this is basically a collection of short stories about Gwen's cats over her lifetime. They aren't in chronological order, instead jumping between Scarlett and the siblings Clayton and Fanny and then back to Homer or Vashti. Some of them are funny or sad, but mostly they just show a glimpse into the life of another pet owner. I loved them!

Definitely a great collection if you're a fan of Gwen or her cats. Four stars.

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Gwen Cooper has written other books about her cats. This book is a collection of eight stories about her five cats ... Scarlet, Vashti, Homer, Clayton and Fanny.

She had adopted Scarlet when she was living with Jorge, the man she thought she was going to marry ... Scarlet wasn't over friendly. Then she adopted Vashti, who was a flirt with the men but peed on their things when she was jealous of their attention to Gwen. Gwen and Jorge broke up and she spent some time living with a friend. She heard about Homer, a blind kitten who no one wanted so adopted him too. About this time, she decided to make a career change and she and her three cats moved to New York. She met Laurence, who she ended up marrying. Her first three cats eventually passed away and she adopted Fanny and her tripod brother, Clayton.

I like reading stories about animals and that's why this one caught my eye. I liked the writing style and thought the stories were cute. Gwen and Laurence are definitely cat lovers and I could relate to some of the things they did for their cats ... like not throwing out things because the cats like them (like old shoeboxes, a frying pan on top of a cupboard that one of their cats like sleeping in, getting up to feed the cats because they are hungry, etc.).

I look forward to reading more books by this author.

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Gwen Cooper, author of Homer's Odyssey and Homer: The Ninth Life of a Blind Wonder Cat, returns with a short (true) story collection about her cats Scarlett, Vashti, Clayton, Fanny, and, of course, Homer. Anyone who has had, or spent enough time around, cats should recognize the loveable, eccentric, unique way each cat can be. An enjoyable read.

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A delightful book for cat lovers. It was great to read about the various cat, Homer included, their antics and their stories.
I loved the style of writing and how each story made the cats come alive.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC

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A charming collection of short memoirs of Cooper's life with her cats, including Homer, the blind cat and focus of her best-seller. From descriptions of how she got each cat tp delightful sketches of their characters, it's a real treat for cat lovers.

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A fun light-hearted read. Each chapter is its own stand-alone story. The author references her previous book often in this book, but it is not necessary to have read it to enjoy this one.
My favourite quote in this book was right in the beginning; "Still, as far as I was concerned, a home wasn't a home at all if there weren't any animals living in it." It very closely echoes how I feel about animals, so I enjoyed this book very much. Its not going to appeal to everyone - animal lovers, especially cat owners (slaves) will enjoy the antics of Gwen Cooper's cats and find themselves recalling a time their cat did something similar. But non-animal people might find the writing a bit strange and not "get" the humour.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, BenBella Books for the opportunity to read this delightful book.

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Gwen Cooper, author of <i>Homer's Odyssey</i>, featuring the now infamous Homer, the Blind Wonder Cat, writes more tales about her cats, including Homer. She talks about her life, her loves, her time spent between New York and Miami. She relates episodes from cats contemporary to Homer and cats who came into her life later. Some are humorous; most will be appreciated by cat lovers. The book bogged down at times with too much of the author's own story or with excess verbiage. Still it's a fun read for cat lovers. I received an advance electronic copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

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Having been owned by cats my entire life, I love well told stories about wonderful cats. All cats are wonderful in their own ways, but not everyone is a gifted storyteller like the author. I'll admit, I was unfamiliar with Gwen Cooper or her blind cat Homer before reading this book, but I quickly fell in love with Homer and the rest of the feline gang through the touching and funny stories she tells of their antics and quirks.

This book would surely be enjoyed by any cat lover and will make a wonderful gift for a few "crazy cat ladies" in my life!

Thank you to Gwen Cooper, BenBella Books and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this touching book. All comments are my own, unbiased opinion.

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I grew up in a pet free house and one of my goals, when I became an 'adult', was to have a cat. Two things stood in my way: a job involving a lot of travel and the pet adoption shelter applications that made it quite clear that to be deemed worthy, I would need to be home a lot more. So, no cat for you became the standard answer until one day a terribly thin crying kitten ran up to me when I came home. After an exhaustive neighborhood search for an owner proved futile, I finally had my first cat and a love for all things cat related grew.
I guess I don't qualify as a 'crazy cat person' though because I had never heard of Homer the Blind Wonder cat or his human Gwen Cooper before reading My Life in a Cat House. I certainly had missed quite a bit, since Homer's story and social media fame provided numerous links after a quick Google search. Homer's story is but one in this book that I am sure will delight anyone who loves cats. I know from personal experience that I think my cat is the most unique, engaging, and adorable cat that has ever lived. I also know that none of my friends want to hear me tell another story about my fabulous cat!
So I indulge by reading stories other cat lovers have written. I loved the author's writing style and how she makes her cat's antics come to life. Homer touched me the most because I have learned over time, so many kittens and cats will never get adopted because they are overlooked because of a handicap. I didn't race through this book but rather read a chapter a day and enjoyed each story the author shared. This book is going to make a great holiday gift for some of my cat loving friends!
I had a Wish Granted and received an e-ARC from BenBella Books through NetGalley.

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