Pawmistry

Whether your are a cat lover, a witchy vibes catcher...or both, you will love this book. It is fun and whimsical with cute illustrations and lots of jokes and silly activities to make it interactive. A great gift item for any major cat fan in your life and just to have to pick up from time to time.

One hot and humid morning, my Siamese cat Mochi and I began reading Pawmistry. The book explains how your cat is “privy to the most staggering universal truths and yet [is] still being regarded as a mere house pet!” The author explains her dislike of the word pet in a chapter footnote, “try substituting the phrases mystical fur companion, fuzzywuzzy wizard bear, or bewitching floofer baby.“

So, Mochi, my mystical fur companion, and I would have loved to try the book’s tea recipe, the Trial of Bastet, to verify that Mochi is a mystical guide. But Mochi seems to think that would be a waste of good catnip. And, since she is a Siamese companion, it is obvious to both of us that she knows secrets. So, on to divination by reading her tail, the food crumbs that fall from her mouth while eating, and even her poo. While the picture seems muddled, I’m sure that is my own incompetence. Or maybe my other cat, um, fuzzywuzzy wizard bear, Ninja, is mucking up the signs. It couldn’t be the mysterious Mochi, my bewitching floofer baby.

“Fortune favors the furry.”

Pawmistry is a great gift for the cat person in your life. It is humorous. The illustrations are pretty. Many of the situations will be familiar to those with whom cats deign to live. 4 stars!

Thanks to Chronicle Books and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

Cats are mysterious, and in Megan Lynn Knott's book, Pawmistry, they are mystical and magical, too. By using the methods in this book, you and your cat may be able to unlock the secrets of the universe...if your cat so chooses.

There are sections for divining and scrying via toys, toe beans/paws, leftover food, and, ew, scat. I personally think that section should come with a toxoplasmosis warning, and I don't know that there's a secret, short of unified field theory, that I want to know that badly.

The watercolor illustrations are beautiful, and add to the whimsy of the subject matter. I especially liked the flowchart that will help you find a mystical cat. Again, no promises that the cat will be cooperative.

I felt some of the methods were a little silly, and, in the case of the litter box scrying, possibly unhealthy. Much of the content was material found in many other places that have general information about cats, but it's nice to have it organized in one place, and again, the illustrations make this book worth a look.

3 out of 5 stars.

I received an advance copy from Chronicle Books via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Princess Fuzzypants here: As is well known, we cats were worshipped as gods by the Egyptians, forward thinking fellows that they were. Over the millennia, humans have either put us on pedestals or thought we were the most evil creature. They are only human and can be forgiven their inconsistency when it comes to those of us of the feline purrsuasion.

This book unlocks many of the secrets we have hidden from the human race. Being the all knowing beings that we are, we knew many humans could not handle the insights. However enlightened humans have observed sagely and now will share their wisdom with the masses. Approach it with awe and caution. Use it well grasshopper. Use it well.

Five purrs and two paws up.

Pawmistry: Unlocking the Secrets of the Universe with Cats is a ~120 page book on divination and mysticism with your cat (paw reading, "kibbleography," etc). It's a cute concept and full of well done illustrations, but I'm not sure of it's usefulness. The "tongue-in-cheek" style and blurred the lines between the author's jokes and the informative text on cats, making it a bit unclear what the take-aways were or if it's all meant to be a just a gift for a cat lover.

This book is set to be released October 12th, 2021. I received an uncorrected e-ARC for review.

My cat is definitely not my familiar. I not sure she likes me all that much. Anyway, I had to take some screenshots from this one to share with my cat-loving family. This one might be a fun gift for the cat-lover in your life.

I wasn't sure what to expect when I requested an ARC of this book and I'm not sure that the author was sure what she wanted to do with it either. It's not really a mystical book, though it has supposed magical things like how to read your cat's litter box leavings or what the colors of their toes says about their personalities. It is presented as though it's truth, but I can't really take it seriously. The beginning has a catnip tea reading exercise that could be really cool, but it involves ingredients besides catnip leaves that you're not going to have and a drop of your own blood from a cat scratch, so it's not really a serious activity (I hope?). She also gives a lot of information about what tail signs mean and things like that, but it doesn't seem to be actually accurate (and some cat tail positions are quite obviously made up, like in the shape of a pentagram) so it's not really effective as a "how to read your cat" book or a fortune telling book. I don't think the author actually has any training in either fortune telling or cat behavior, so it's all just sort of a fun make believe romp. That said, it has darling illustrations and it's a fun read, especially for cat lovers who aren't looking for too much depth.

I read a temporary digital ARC of this book via NetGalley.

I thought this book would be about divination (tarot, oracles), as the synopsis led me to believe, but it's more of a guide to understanding your cat (if you have one). If you are looking for a fun book about the mystic arts, this isn't the book for you; but if you have a cat or know one and want to engage more with it, this could be a fun little book to read and learn more about your feline friend. The "funny bits" in the book seemed more confusing than funny to me as it was unclear when the author was giving us accurate information and when she was just joking around. If the whole book was just a satirical piece, then I guess the intention wasn't conveyed very well.

I absolutely loved it the artwork though; it's extremely cute.

Gorgeous illustrations! Absolutely beautiful and adorable. While I am personally not a fan of divination, I found this book really enjoyable as a cat owner.

One of the cutest cat books I've read but spiced up with magical element.
I would love to use my cat in order to make spells and guide my way in the world.

Also, I love cat beans!

Thank you for the E Arc NetGalley and Chronicle publishing. I read this with my precious little fur but snuggled in a fuzzy blanket by my side. I did almost disturb him to see the color of his paw beans, I didn’t want to upset the balance of the universe. Anyone that has ever loved a cat will love this deep dive in to the realm of the feline. The illustrations are fantastic and so was the content. Thank you for the cozy read.

Tongue in cheek guide to understanding felines using some slightly tweaked occult sciences. Amusing with gorgeous illustrations done mainly in tarot card style. Colorful and true to feline natures and stances. Mainly for cat lovers.

Adorable!!! I am absolutely getting a copy of this for my own bookshelf. The artwork is fantastic and fun, and there's authorial humor scattered throughout. This book offers a great new way of working your craft with your pets, but still manages not to take itself too seriously.

NetGalley advanced copy

This book was cute and fun. I like the idea of mixing cats with mysticism because they’re both allusive as hell. Fun read for cat lovers.

This book was a delight full of beautiful illustrations of cats, useful tips, and a whole bunch of whimsy. I now know that my own cat would prefer being called a "bewitching floofer baby" than a pet. There are pages to record the signs you have gleaned from your cat, such as what their toe beans tell us, reading kibble, and more.

I know quite a few cat lovers who would enjoy this quick read. It would be a perfect gift for a new cat parent!

This book was quite the fun read. Most notably, I became obsessed with the illustrations; they are absolutely beautiful. While we can't take this book to seriously, there is a blood brew after all, it’s filled with a lot of interactive pages for you to try to get to know your cat better. Some of the insights are straight up jokes, while others are real understandings. As long as you go into this book with a fun and exciting mindset, I think you’ll quite enjoy it.. if not for the illustrations alone.

Pawmistry definitely makes the perfect gift or coffee table book. If you find yourself wanting more, like myself, I suggest taking a look at the authors website to browse her gorgeous prints.

Thank you to NetGalley and Chronical for providing me with an advanced e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. The book will be published October 21, 2021.

Just like a discriminating cat, this book isn’t for everyone. It requires a laughing heart and an affinity for the feline tribe. But whimsical wise women, whiskered warlocks, and punsters will enjoy this imaginative introduction to the partnered magic of cat-lead divination. Delightful drawings, instructions and track-your-own-magic pages make it the purr-fect gift for the right quirky friend. (only halfway in, I knew two people who were going to get this book for the holidays).

This is a gift book, or what I call a coffee-table book. This book was brilliantly illustrated, beautiful photos, and fun and lighthearted. Should you take it seriously? Probably not completely (although there are plenty of facts involved and some I'm not entirely sure about). Hence it being a gift book. It was funny and cute and very creative.. All around a great gift book for cat lovers.

This is a fun cute book. I can think of automatically 3 friends with cats I’d buy this book for. Thanks spells within aren’t useful but the pictures and art are great.

Absolutely delightful and charming book for cat lovers, especially cat lovers with a bent for astrology. I read Ms. Knott's book as a very subtle parody of astrology and palmistry, but it's done so sincerely your horoscope-loving, cat-loving recipient might not realize that. Ms. Knott's illustrations are enchanting--I'd love a tea mug or tee shirt or tote with her images on it. Short and sweet, each page brought smiles and memories of some of my own cats, and some pages inspired loud guffaws. I know one cat-loving friend who will be getting this book for Christmas.

Absolutely adorable. I love Megan Lynn Knott's artwork, and this was absolutely tailor made for me. A combination of my favorite subjects; cats and witchery? Two huge thumbs up for me.

--Great Gift for a Cat Lover with a Mystical Bent--

I received an ARC from the publisher and here are my thoughts:

This book is tongue-in-(furry)-cheek and would likely delight anyone who is cat obsessed or even just mildly under the spell of their purring pet.

By examining various cat body parts, the angle of the tail, for example, you will learn about messages your cat is sending to you.

The book is humourous and filled with drawings of cats and cat parts...certainly good for an evening of entertainment and likely to appeal to cat lovers of all ages. I found the artwork beautiful and the whole premise to be hilarious.