Tag: Book reviews

Theo of Golden by Allen Levi

Theo of Golden book
~ Sassy ~ 2 Comments


I am a dog. I write impressions of the books Momma reads to me each night.

Hugs, hi everyone! *Sassy wavy paws

Welcome to Meet Me At The Bookshelf. Today I am reviewing Theo of Golden by Allen Levi.

Theo is an 86-year-old, mysterious Portuguese stranger who arrives in Golden, Georgia. He loves the people there, so he decides to stay. A local attorney and his staff arranged for Theo to live above the office in a stunning, renovated, well-appointed apartment with a balcony.

Theo frequents a quaint coffee shop where he is enthralled by the insightful, well-priced, exquisite pencil portraits hanging throughout the cafe. He asks the owner and is told that a local artist, Asher Glissen, created the 92 portraits.

Theo wonders aloud why the subjects of the portraits don’t purchase the art themselves. The reader wonders that as well. The power of the pencil drawings moves Theo. It reminds him of something deep in his past.

Theo decides to purchase several portraits from the cafe each time. Afterwards, Theo arranges to meet the subject, hear their life story, and then convey what he felt the portrait showed him when he viewed the art. Theo calls these meetings a bestowal.

His first bestowal is to Minnette Prentiss. She feels surprised to receive this gift, but being seen and heard makes the strongest impression when she first meets Theo.

Theo calls it the “sadness in the seeing.”

Tony Wilcox, bookstore owner and a real scamp, was a favorite bestowal of mine. He gives a festive business and economic update every time he sees Theo. You can tell a genuine friendship has formed.

Each meeting’s elegant prose will remain with the reader.

The book is over 400 pages long. It might have been tighter, but I believe the author aimed for a broad link between Golden and Theo. This led to a stunning conclusion about who Theo is and why the town matters. Clever, I woof to Momma.

The most impactful portrait subject bestowals to me were the homeless woman, custodian, bookstore owner, accountant, musician, and the portrait artist himself, Asher. Theo shares little about himself in these exchanges, yet you can tell they matter to his life story. He starts to connect the dots to his own life.

Theo enjoys mystery and explains why this town and its people are central as the book’s bestowals continue. His elegant manners, eye for art, and generous wealth give clues to his true identity. Theo answers the call when any of his new friends needs him. He becomes a bit of a town legend.

I give this book five paws up. It was Momma’ s favorite book this year.

I loved the benefactor, Theo. He met every portrait subject with the art he purchased sitting right next to them, as they evaluated what he saw in them. Theo would sit, engage, and truly listen to them. The value of that exchange cannot be overstated.

Theo has a gorgeous life story to tell, but chooses to elevate the subject of each of the 92 portraits instead.

The hurry of today makes people lose this individual exchange. I loved it. I tried to imagine buying finely drawn portraits to give to perfect strangers and then chatting about what we see in the work. What a luxury to give the art, as Theo says, “to the rightful owners” and carefully hear the stories of their lives. Heartfelt random acts of kindness lead to the town’s emotional growth legacy.

What a wonderful book!

Thanks for joining me. Wuvu.

See you next time at Meet Me at the Bookshelf. *Sassy wavy paws

This Book Made Me Think of You by Libby Page

This Book Made Me Think of You photo
~ Sassy ~ 1 Comment

Hugs everyone! *Sassy wavy paws.

I am a dog. I contribute to the fabulous Anipal Times.

I write my impressions of the books my Momma reads to me each night. I hope you like my book review.

First, I want to explain my ranking system for the books I review.

Five paws: A must-read. So good that all my paws are waving.
So good that I borrowed a paw from Momma, who types for me, plus added all four of mine.
Four paws: A great read. Enjoy it in the tub.
Three paws: Eh. To read or not to read, if you have extra time, then read it.
Two paws: Likely skip it. Drags on, characters are silly, or just not a good read.
One paw: Seriously, skip it.

Welcome back to another Meet Me at the Bookshelf Book Review. Today we have a romantic offering called This Book Made Me Think of You by Libby Page.

The story involves Matilda Nightingale, a young woman who lost her husband, Joe, six months ago to an illness. They notified “Tilly” that before Joe died, he carefully chose one book a month for his beloved wife to collect at the local bookstore to help her overcome her grief.

Tilly heads over to the store.

Alfie, the store owner, takes a lot of abuse from Tilly, who wants the entire twelve books to be delivered in one swoop.

Alfie refuses.

Tilly trudges home with only that one book.

Even the bookstore cat, Georgette, thought Tilly made a scene.

Tilly carefully reads the note from Joe, included in her first book. It makes her heart sing. Joe chose a children’s book, which inspires Tilly to read again and engage in life, despite her crushing grief.

Rather than return to the scene of her humiliating fit and see Alfie again the next month, Tilly visits the public library and chooses several of her favorite children’s books. She stuffs herself into a reading tent intended for the local under-six kids set and reads her entire haul of books. Tilly doesn’t let any actual kids in to spoil or share her reading space.

One child reports a troll has taken over the castle.

When Tilly finally decamps from the tent, Alfie is hilariously there, just outside her tent, delivering overstock books to the library. Hangdog, Tilly follows him back to the bookstore to collect her second book.

The gorgeous bookstore cat, named Georgette, greets Tilly, sprawled across the office paperwork on the counter. She is the luxurious fourth member of the Book Lane team, and she revels in the attention from Tilly.Alfie and Tilly banter about, comparing cats and book lovers, stating they are similar by being fond of snacks, sun puddles and quiet time.

Georgette, named for the mystery author Georgette Heyer, purrs on while the pair list the books that feature cats like Alice in Wonderland, The Traveling Cat Chronicles, The Cat in the Hat, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Carbonel and The Cat Who Saved Books.

Georgette senses a bond forming.

I alert Momma that it is time for my snack about this point in the adventure. Too much cat talk, I report.

The book-a-month choices by Joe give Tilly the confidence to travel, sing karaoke, read, and open her heart to life.

This book would make a splendid gift for birthdays and holidays. It has various book suggestions and updated titles packed amongst its pages.I give this book four paws up!The characters are quickly familiar, and the book is romantic.

Bonus: The bookstore cat would definitely be my buddy. I might chase Georgette once or twice, but she would forgive me.

I feel love will win the day, and I may get more purrs from my cat pals.

Try this book!

Thanks for joining me. Wuvu. See you next time at Meet Me at the Bookshelf.

*Sassy wavy paws

Mad Mabel by Sally Hepworth

Mad Mabel Sally Hepworth
~ Sassy ~ 1 Comment

Hi everyone. Welcome back to Meet Me at the Bookshelf! *Sassy wavy paws!

Today I am reviewing a book called Mad Mabel by Sally Hepworth.This book is a stunning mystery doused with a deeply twisted family tragedy. Brutal twists and turns galore keep the pages turning, which include a tiny, twice -rescued Chihuahua named Nugget.

The story centers on a woman, now called Elsie Fitzpatrick, living a quiet, nondescript life in a community neighborhood in Australia. Like most communities, this one has nosy neighbors, fantastic dogs, single moms, and kids that pester older adults.

The story’s star, 81-year-old Mabel, currently lives discreetly under a different name. She and her pal, Daphne, prefer quiet days and instead are being annoyed daily by both Nugget, a yappy Chihuahua owned by Ishaan, Mabel’s 93-year-old next-door neighbor and nemesis, and the seven-year-old kid across the street, Persephone.

Persephone, notebook ready, crossed the street one afternoon. She stated she needed to interview an elderly person for her school project. She approaches Elsie and announces that she feels Elsie is 167 years old so she has chosen Elsie for the interview. Daphne, Elsie’s friend, is thrilled that someone else will be interviewed.

As they try to conduct the interview, the dog next door, Nugget, is seriously carrying on and loudly yapping, and her owner, Ishaan, lo-and-behold does not come out to quiet her.

Persephone, still trying to finish her assignment, casually states she thinks Ishaan is dead. Elsie asks when anyone last saw him.

When no one can answer, the 81-year-old Elsie hops the wall, and after scraping her legs on the wall and hobbling into the house, she sadly finds him deceased in the home.

Nugget stops barking.

Mabel Waller, the youngest person ever convicted of murder in Australia, may have killed Ishaan, according to a neighbor, though the police refused to take Nugget.

The tale is off and running.

The book goes back and forth between the life of Mabel the child, who lost her baby sister to polio and whose mother walked off a balcony to her death, and Elsie the adult, who is lonely and misunderstood.

It is beautifully told.Her mother’s sister, Cess, took Mabel in and raised her in her mother’s mansion while her absent, wayward father gallivanted around. Mabel is not popular at school and is teased and bullied constantly.

A turn of phrase alerts her at school that it is in fact her dad that tells vicious stories to the neighbors about Mabel, calling her Mad Mabel, ruining her reputation, and making sure she has no playmates. Mabel feels devastated.I understood Nugget was sent to Mabel for a reason after Momma read me the sad parts of her past. I was pretty sure Mabel was a kind and honest person.

Mabel houses Nugget, given that shelters lack space and the dog trusts only her. The police interviewed Mabel twice and seemed afraid of her.

They took one of her shoes for DNA evidence. I informed Momma that they could take both. When I eat a shoe, Momma tosses out two shoes instead of giving me the second one. Nerve that!

The police imply Mabel killed Ishaan. The word is out and several picketers arrived in the neighborhood to hassle Mabel.The neighborhood is now bustling with activists, news vans, and criminals. Persephone’s apparent father suddenly attempts to mingle with them multiple times before he tries to get into his kid’s home.

Mabel, with Nugget supporting her, approaches the man for a conversation. She called the police to no avail.

Mabel tries to get the picketers to leave her alone and leave her community. No one will help. A pair of YouTubers contact Mabel and ask to do a documentary, finally giving her side of the story. With no other choice but to clear her neighborhood of the activists, she agreed.

Mabel then watches the child at her home while Persephone’s mother works at night.

The story moves back and forth between the past and the present. Gorgeous, lyrical, and moving.

Momma had leaky eyes, and I found a Crocs chew to munch while she read to me.

I give this book five paws up!

It will make you think about judging others, innocent victims, and crime. Read it for a great time.

We wuvu u and we will see you next time for Meet Me at the Bookshelf.

*Sassy wavy paws!

Teddy Bear Book Reviews

~ Alfie Ted ~ Leave a comment

Here’s a review of a couple of teddy bear books:

Hi friends! Alfie here. Here in #TheHugHouse, we love teddy bear stories. I thought we might tell you about some.

Fitz is the official bibliobear in our Hug, so I’ll turn it over to him:

Book 1:

During my latest library trip, I learned of the book “The Lost Ears”. Unfortunately, the library didn’t have a copy. But I really wanted to read it, so we gathered up our pennies and ordered a used copy.

It’s the story of a tiny teddy bear (even tinier than me!) who lives in the pocket of his human’s pajamas. But one day something happened that changed him. But I am trying to avoid spoilers.

Book 2:

“Where Do Teddy Bears Come From” tells of a wolf cub struggling to fall asleep. He has read stories that include teddy bears, and he decided a teddy bear is what he needs. But he doesn’t know where they come from. He asked his mom, and she didn’t know, so he went out into his community to ask around. His neighbors are familiar faces from traditional children’s stories. 

Eventually, he finds someone who can help him. It’s someone famous and special. But I won’t give it away. 

Book 3:

Finally, the book “Loved to Bits” is reminiscent of ‘The Velveteen Rabbit’. It’s about a boy and his beloved bear who is always by his side… But eventually, all the cuddles and adventures change him. I expected sorrow, and it delivered, to some extent. But it has a sweet ending, and it really reflects the experiences of many stuffed animals. 

What books do you like? Obviously, we are partial to teddy bear books. Whatever you like, just pick up a book and read! It’s so important. 

Anipals Read

~ pumpkinpuddy ~ Leave a comment

Hi pals! Pumpkin here. I have something fun to share with you. Did you know we have a book club? It’s called Anipals Read (#readpawty).

Around 2011 or 201212, @MaggieTKat started #Readpawty. We’d all read the same book and meet once a month to talk about it. Of course, sometimes we strayed from book talk and caught up with each other, but mostly we really talked about the book. We’d meet on Twitter and use the hashtag #readpawty to keep the conversation together.

Well, it’s been many years, and #readpawty has evolved. We now meet on the second Tuesday of every other month (February, April, June, August, October, and December). We still meet on Xtwit, but since Xtwit’s gotten harder to use, we meet in a DM group. Sometimes, we don’t pick a book for all of us to read and discuss, but talk about what we’ve individually read since we last met.

We also use it as a set time to meet up. We’re all very busy anipals, and are online at different times, so we rarely get to connect. This way, we know we’re going to see each other at least once every other month.

We also have a group on Goodreads called Anipals Read. I keep a bookshelf there that lists everything we’ve read as a group since 2013. There are also suggestions there of books to read.

If you’d like to join #readpawty, even if it’s just to hang out with us, email me your Xtwit name. I use email to send out announcements, and I’ll need your Xtwit name to add you to the DM group. Hope you join us!

You can find me on Xtwit as @pumpkinpuddy. I’m also on FB (Cheryl Katz), Bluesky (pumpkinpuddy.bsky.social), and Discord (pumpkinpuddy), but I’m mostly on FB. The easiest ways to reach me and be sure I see it are email or FB Messenger.