I loved this book! Recommended to any cat lovers out there!

Book Description:
Who would have guessed that one of the great historian’s passions in life is cats? Over the course of his eighty-two years, and from his birthplace in Dawson City, Yukon, to his home in Kleinburg, Ontario, Berton has known and loved many cats. In this charming collection of stories, he has chosen his best cat tales to share with us.

Pierre Berton is a master storyteller, and his lyrical writing and sense of pacing and adventure enliven this collection, making it irresistible to any cat lover.

The book opens with the adventure of Pousse-Pousse, the cat with extra toes, who was carried off by a Great Horned Owl and, seven months later, reappeared at the door, bedraggled but alive. Pierre Berton’s first cat was Happy, a kitten the teenage Pierre spied in a pet store window “free to a good home.” It was Depression-era Victoria, and the Bertons barely had enough to feed themselves. Still, they kept Happy, and she produced scores of kittens over the years. There are stories of stray cats and “hobo cats,” beloved cartoon cats like Felix and Krazy Kat, and finally, “Rules for Guests,” which includes the following: “No discussion is so intense, no story so riveting, that it can’t be interrupted when a cat enters the room.”

This beautifully designed small-format gift book is illustrated with line drawings by Pierre Berton, photographs, and coloured endpapers.

Bookring in progress, currently consisting of:

1. CompSciGirl (Ottawa)
2. SoLittleTime (Maine)
3. SDKelley (Illinois)
4. SalemHouse (Minnesota)
5. MysteryFan03 (Missouri)
6. Barker-TX (Texas) (skipped)
7. JonAzrael (UK)
8. Libertine101 (West Australia)
9. Caligula03 (California, End of list by request)
<-- we are here (in transit)
10. Back to me

Release planned for Tuesday, March 30, 2004 at postal release in mail, given to a fellow BCer Controlled Releases.

Sending to CompSciGirl, the first person on the bookring. Happy reading!

Arrived today... thanks so much!

Since this is a bookring, and I'm leaving tommorrow on a long flight, I will take the book with me and hope to have it read by the time I get back (10 days). Hopefully that plan will work out, so I can send this along to the next person quickly!

WOW! Awesome little book. Pierre Berton's easy style and clever wit make this a quick and very enjoyable read.

The book has travelled quite a bit with me... it came with me for the plane ride from Ottawa, ON to Prince George, BC... and then I read it out loud to my boyfriend as we drove from Prince George to Burns Lake, BC today. We shared a lot of laughs over the cats antics. Were suitably disturbed by the couple who just couldn't say no... and ended up with 480 cats. Quickly agreed on a three cat maximum for ourselves. :)

Jaguar, thanks so much for sharing this book with us! I have PM'd solittletime for the next addy for this book, and will send it out as soon as I can. Meanwhile, I was so impressed with this book I think I might have to add it to my "pick up my own copy someday for my permanent collection" list...

Mailed to solittletime this afternoon.

This charming book arrived today and I'm already doubting my will power to send it on to the next person when I've read it. Maybe I can just say that it was lost in the mail.

No, I guess I have to be good and read and release, but it already looks like I also might have to buy my own copy, and another to gift a friend. (Who said BookCrossing wasn't good for authors' royalties? Here's a book I never would have ever even heard of without BookCrossing and I'm already planning to purchase multiple copies!)

I hadn't allowed myself to do more than just skim this book, since I'm working on a BookRing book that came one day earlier, but today I had to have my oldest cat put to sleep, after many many years together, and when I stopped for a cup of coffee and to compose myself afterwards, before going to work, I saw this book on the back seat of my car and started reading with my coffee.

I wasn't really sure if it would be a good thing, or if it would be too upsetting to read at a time like that, but it turned out to be very comforting to be in the presence of such love for cats, even if it was arriving off of a page and not from a friend in person. His love for cats truly does just come off of the page and surround you.

I've got to put it down again and finish the book that arrived earlier, but I wanted to thank you for including me in this BookRing, as it did help me get through a very hard day. I'll return to it as soon as I finish BookRing #1 and will mail it out as soon as I can after I'm done reading.

I liked the rest of this book very much, despite the very disturbing descriptions of the author's mother allowing litter after litter to be born and killed. Did she never hear of Planned Parenthood? That part was pretty awful, but the rest of the book was just a love story.

The very last section of the book is From Paul Berton's Rules for Guests. The third is my favorite:

3. No discussion is so intense, no story so riveting, no baseball game on TV so important, no kitchen task so crucial that it can't be interrupted when a cat enters the room. When one does, all attention should turn to the cat (i.e., Oh what a beautiful cat, what's its name? That reminds me of the time a cat...)

Black and white photos and lots of really wonderful drawings by the author add to the enjoyment.

Will be mailing it out to the next in line, sdkelley.

Sent to sdkelley via media mail.

I just received this book in the mail, I hope to be able to get to it quickly.

This was really a great, fast read full of fun stories that my little Ichibod and I could certainly relate to!!

I put this in the mail today!

Received today, where my three cats are currently coping with the disturbances of remodeling, and the indignity of being sequestered in one room all day while the contractors are here. Will look for some quiet time this week to enjoy this book.

An enjoyable book full of unforgettable cats. Sending to MysteryFan03 next.

Just returned from a long weekend today to this book in my mail! Thanks!!

I finished this book a couple of days ago and forgot to journal it! I enjoyed this book and the stories about cats! What a great light book to curl up with?! Thanks Jaguar, for sharing!!

9-20 I have tried for a few weeks and cant get any response from Barker, so I will send this on to JonAzrael when I get the address.

Received today in the mail from mysteryfan03. Thanks!

I'll get on to it just as soon as I've finished the book I'm currently reading

Here are my two girls with the book: Zoë (left) and Sasha

Cute little read with some great tales about the cats in the author's life. I particularly enjoyed the story of Pousse-Pousse/Killer, the mystery of the disappearing cat at the beginning of the book.

Thanks to Jaguar for sharing! I'll send this on to the next person on the list as soon as I can.

RELEASE NOTES:

Still no response from barker-tx so this is on its way to libertine101 in Australia.

Enjoy!

Oh my goodness! Jon, your cats are adorable! :)

Well, when I got this int he mail, I was about to take my eldest cat for walkies. Yes, he walks with a harness on and a lead. So I started to read it immediately, as I walked Arki. or as he walked me ;)
So far I am enjoying it greatly!
Will report back once I have finished it. :)

Finished!
Well, you gotta love a man who loves cats. I enjoyed the wit and the photos and drawings. I did find his kitten drowning mother distrubing. I found it even more disturbing to read that he got his cat spayed once his mother had passed on and could not do the 'deed'! This was the 70's! desexing was around then! If a reader gets one thing out of this book: cats are prolific. Get them desexed! Its the humane thing to do!

On its way to caligula03!

The book has arrived safe and sound. I will read it as soon as I can. :)

Berton writes well and he clearly enjoys the company of cats but why oh why did he wait so many years to start spaying and neutering his cats?

RELEASE NOTES:

Returning book home.

Home again, safe and sound! Thanks so much, everyone, for taking part in this bookring!