I love Bob, loved all the books featuring him and I liked this short story with pills of philosophy.
I think this is a must read for any cast lovers and fans of Bob.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

James Bowen, once a homeless busker with dreams of becoming a Pop Icon, found an injured, homeless, ginger-tabby tomcat near his simple flat in London. He nursed the cat that he had called Bob and gradually they formed a lifelong and endearing relationship based on respect, love and companionship. Bob went everywhere with James, usually riding upon his shoulders, or resting on a mat while James busked. Together they attracted a huge audience and one day James was asked to write a book about their lives together. The book became a massive worldwide bestseller and their story was even made into a box office hit movie. James became a prolific author and literally and figuratively went from ‘Rags to Riches’. With this new book of top cat tips, self-help suggestions, ‘Bob’ anecdotal stories and wise words, his toll of ‘Bob’ books has now reached 7 in all. His fan-base is phenomenal, both on social media and in real life. Bob must be one of the most famous cats in the UK.
The book of short stories is cleverly arranged into parts, chapters and subtitles full of insights and what James has learned from calm and soothing Bob. It is entertaining and cat owners around the globe will smile in recognition of their own cat’s similarities. It certainly resonated with me, a previous cat owner of seven treasured cats throughout my lifetime. Cats are my ‘thing’, as you would be able to detect if you visited my home; Cat photos, cat paintings, cat ornaments, a cat clock, blankets, books, cushions and much more. Cats visit us and our garden and we enjoy stroking them and watching them play. One tomcat joined our tribe of two she-cats when he refused to leave when our neighbours moved house. Thankfully they asked us to keep him and we both fell in love with him, as we had with all of our other single cats. Life with a cat is cosy, warm and full of surprises. I miss all of ours.
Cats are very wise and self-sufficient. People cat cats choose their homes and not the other way round. Bob needed James, and James needed Bob; indeed Bob was his salvation. They are soulmates and James knows and understands all cat nuances and quirks. This comes to life in this little book of gems. It was lovely.
I received this enjoyable novel through my membership of NetGalley and from publisher Hodder & Stoughton, all in return for an honest review. Thank you. All the opinions in my review are my own with no influence from other parties. It is going to go on my list as highly readable, heart-warming true stories. It would make an excellent and cherished gift for yourself, family and friends. It’s a 4* review from me.

4* A lovely little stocking filler. Some great lessons/reminders here.

Though I've known about James and Bob for years, I've not picked up the books or seen the film, so this was a lovely introduction to a couple of clearly, great friends. There's a lot of wisdom in Bob and James seems to interpret and express things perfectly.

This is a feelgood book but also a reminder of the little things that we all too often don't pay attention to, or fail to do or not do, simply because we're in a rush and life gets in the way. It is a nice reminder that animals give unconditionally, and that we could do to live by some of their rules.

ARC courtesy of St Martin's Press and NetGalley, for my reading pleasure.

This short book is full of stories and little bits of wisdom where Bowen reflects on his own life, Bob's, and how they have changed.

It's charming, not profound, and Bob's philosophy will be familiar to many cat owners.

In the spring of 2007, James Bowen was busking and living in a supported housing program in London. One evening he found a ginger cat in the hallway of his building and he assumed it belonged to another resident. The cat was still there the next day and Bowen discovered it had an infected wound on his leg. Bowen took the cat to the nearby RSPCA clinic. To make sure the cat received its medication for the next two weeks, Bowen took him in, eventually adopting him and naming him Bob. Bob would follow Bowen when he went to work and the pair became famous. A number of books have been published about Bowen and Bob and a movie has been made.

This is a small book of the lessons Bob has taught Bowen and is made up of six parts:

In Bob We Trust - Lessons in friendship
It's a Bob's Life - What we need to be happy
Being Bob - How to get the most out of life
Bob vs the World - How to survive all that life throws at us
The Zen of Bob - How to be good to ourselves
The University of Bob - Lessons in day-to-day life

It's a quick cute read.

The Little Book of Bob
Life Lessons from a Street-Wise Cat
Disclaimer - This is Not a Romance Genre Book
By James Bowen

St. Martin's - October 2019

Non-Fiction


If you haven't met Bob previously, then you should know that Bob is a cat, and James Bowen is his human. They met when James was turning his life around. Having lived on the streets and been an addict, James was making a new life for himself. Then Bob showed up, people took notice, James wrote a book, and there was even a movie. You don't need to have read the previous books, but it is good to know their background. This book can easily be a favorite of both Bob fans and new readers.

In The Little Book of Bob, James Bowen provides bits of wisdom, and then tells examples of how Bob exemplifies them. They are really small tidbits of Bob and James's life, and includes anecdotes from when they first met, to experiences while filming. The references to time on set were highlights. It is a charming little book that one can pick up and read a segment or two at a time. Rather like a Bob's moment of insight and wisdom.

I have listened to both A Street Cat Named Bob and The World According to Bob and those contained longer stories of their experiences. That is not the intention of this book. A philosophy is given, and then a snippet of how Bob displays that. This is showing that perhaps Bob has the best strategy in life, and why.

Kathy Andrico - KathysReviewCorner.com

I love Bob, I truly do. Always happy to see a new Bob book out so I can “catch up” with him, though this one isn’t my favorite.

I didn’t expect this to be some sort of self help book. I really like a street cat named Bob, but I am not too sure what to think about this book. It is a quick read, took me just 1,5 hours, but it doesn’t really tell a compelling story.
I do still love Bob, but this is too self help book-ish for me.

Aww, this book got me right in the feels. I have my own little orange cat, Bo, and so I was a sucker for it right from the beginning. The stories are adorable and full of little inspirational nuggets, the cartoons are so so sweet, I really enjoyed reading this book. x

This is the purr-fect read for any cat lover! I love orange tabby cats, so wanted to read this. It was well written and overall a great book. This would make a great gift for any cat lover!

This is a book very suitable for catlovers, as a lot of these nuggets of wisdom is known to said catlovers. It's a quick and easy read that sometimes made me laugh out loud because of the familiarity of cat mischief

I have my own orange cat (or should I say he has me!) so I'm always drawn to books of this type. This was an easy read with some commonsense little nuggets of truth. Bob certainly seems like a unique cat - - and yet aren't all cats unique. I loved the relationship they have and wish them all the success in the world.

I've had four glorious cats in my life; only one remains now. Every story in this little quick read book could have been about anyone of them. Our cats children teach us lots of lessons in the time they are with us. I am glad that Bob adopted James. he's teaching James lots of things! I love the Bob stories and enjoyed reading this one , too. Nothing really original, just nice to be reminded! Bob and James lovers will enjoy this book, too! So will all cat lovers. Make a fine gift.

I really liked the movie about Bob, and haven't read any of the other books, so I was expecting more of a completed book about his story. Instead, it looks like I should be looking at other books instead, as this is a bit of a greatest hits album. There weren't really any complete paragraphs, or narrative, just a heading and a sample from I assume other books by the author. The illustrations of Bob in the book were cute. I'm guessing this will be a coffee table book or a gift for cat lovers, since it basically just gives brief insights to cat ownership and life, while the full story can be found in another title. It's cute to flip through, or gift, but not really satisfying as a book on the whole,

We all know Bob, right? At least, I do. I loved the books about him that I've read already.

This book gives some nice nuggets of wisdom, deducted from how Bob lives his life and changes that of others.

By now, everyone has heard of Bob the street cat who literally saved the life of the then homeless Bowen, a man seemingly bent on his own destruction. Now Bowen presents Bob’s philosophy of life in a sweet little book that we would all do well to take to heart

A happy book a book full of advice from Bob the wonderful cat .The series is a pleasure to read Bob is irresistible. #netgalley#st.martinspress

"The Little Book Of Bob" by New York Times best seller, James Bowen.
"I have studied many philosophers and cats. The wisdom of cats is infinitely superior". ~ Hyspolyte ~

A friendship between an addict and street person, James Bowen, and a ginger street cat, Bob. Their friendship changed both of their lives. The reader will enjoy their travels and learn, like James did, some daily lessons in life. Such as friendships, challenges, set backs, adapting, hope, and the Zen Bob teaches how to take care of ourselves. Simplicity and inspirational. This book is delightful and get profound A book for one's own centering but a beautiful and caring book for a friend.
Publication October 22, 2019.

If you are a cat person, you will love this book. It is simply a wonderful book about Bob' and how a cat has a better understanding about things than some humans. If you've read the other books about Bob you will love this one. Thank you St. Martin's Press Thomas Dunne Books via NetGalley for the ARC copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

I love James and Bob and their story. Really warms my heart and I've followed them from the start. I just feel that this book was kind of surplus to requirements. Didn't really bring anything new to the party