You Only Live Nine Times by Gwen Cooper

 

Reviewed by Jeanne

Rachel Baum came to Coacoochee, Florida to start over.  She landed a great job in a bookstore, and is enjoying not only selling books but creating events to promote the store.  She has an apartment above the bookstore that she shares with her three cats:  Scarlett, Vashti, and Homer, a blind black cat who doesn’t let a lack of vision hamper his fearless nature.

Coacoochee is an upscale community with a thriving social scene.  Rachel’s friends include Tommy aka “Mr. Nightlife,” who works for a magazine, reporting all the gossip and news on the beautiful people; Natalie, an investigative journalist who owns “Hot Mike,” a German shepherd who flunked out of police dog training school; and Daisy, a party girl who knows everybody who’s anybody.  Rachel finds herself rubbing shoulders with a celebrity chef, a wealthy real estate developer who owns at least half the property around, and a high profile newspaper columnist, all of whom have their own agendas. Still it all seems cordial enough—until someone turns up dead outside the bookstore right after an event Rachel hosted.  The police seem to think that it was natural causes, but Rachel isn’t so sure.

Her cats definitely think there is something wrong.  Unbeknownst to Rachel, the three felines have more interests than birds and catnip.  They think something is definitely amiss and they intend to protect Rachel. Unfortunately, Rachel doesn’t speak cat—or maybe that’s a good thing, or else she’d know what they have planned could be very dangerous.

Gwen Cooper is the author of the non-fiction book Homer’s Odyssey, which is the real-life story of her blind cat Homer, and Love Saves the Day, a novel about human relationships.  I knew I liked her writing based on those books, so I was interested to see what she’d do with a mystery novel.

As with many of the cozy mystery book series, the author throws out numerous characters all at once.  I was glad there was a list of characters in the front or I might have given up. Some don’t play a major role in the story and could have been skipped.  I understand that the author wants to build up her cast of characters for future installments, but overwhelming the reader with names is off-putting. As I said this is common in first in series books: the author is creating a setting she intends to return to so it seems that the reader is introduced to everyone in town, whether or not that character is going to play a significant role in this particular story.

Once I was past that, the book turned out to be as entertaining as I had hoped.  Part of the story is told from Rachel’s point of view as she tries to prove foul play, and part from the cats’ as they gather clues and enlist helpers including Hot Mike. Incidentally, Hot Mike is a fun character; his name comes from journalism, i.e. a “hot mic” and he adores his human, but he’s welcome to lend a paw or nose to help Homer and the gang.

The mystery was interesting and the cats are a hoot. There’s a good bit of sibling rivalry going on between them, and they all have delightfully distinct personalities.  I just decided to roll with all the characters and soon found the only ones I needed to keep track of.  There were well- placed clues, a bit of romance, and lots of feline frolics—or folly, depending on your point of view.

There’s a second book planned and I am looking forward to it.

My Life in a Cat House by Gwen Cooper

Reviewed by Jeanne

Back in 2009, Gwen Cooper published book about her blind cat, Homer, who lived his life with zest despite his disability.  Homer’s Odyssey became a best-seller and Cooper became an advocate for cats with special needs, which is how she came to adopt Clayton, a three legged cat, and his sister, Fanny.  With a strong social media presence, Cooper’s many fans learned bits and pieces about the rest of her feline family.

Interest remained strong, so she began writing down stories that centered just on one or the other of her felines to give them each a chance in the spotlight.  Vashti and Scarlett were already in the household when Homer arrived, but their appearances in Homer’s Odyssey were fairly brief.  Here we learn about their own quirks—Vashti was the “Picasso of pee,” for example. Cooper’s writing is entertaining, personal, and quite often hilarious, as when she is bedridden for a few days and her cats decide to try to entice her to move, preferably in the direction of their food bowls.  

Cat lovers will nod in recognition at many of the feline antics, or do more than nod:  Cooper is often sent tales of her readers’ companion animals.  I think any animal lover will quickly identify with the way Cooper sees her cats:  not just as animals, but as sentient beings with strong personalities.

Not to sound too picky, but I just like the way Cooper writes.  Her sentences are extremely well composed, not short and choppy in the way some animal stories are told; it's  as if the writer is afraid that readers can’t understand anything more complex.  Her vocabulary is also excellent.  It’s not that she’s showing off, but that she avoids repeating the same words so nicely that you don’t even realize she’s doing it.

I’ll confess I did slide over some parts in the book because as with most animal lovers I hate to read about the death of one that I’ve come to know and love. Again, Cooper deals with the subject compassionately, refusing to make the reader wallow in her grief, but ending on an up note inasmuch as possible.

Let me quickly add that there are still living cats at the end, so don’t expect a three hanky experience unless you count laughing until you cry.

Meygan reviewed Homer’s Odyssey in 2014 and you can read her review here; I reviewed it in 2009 and my review is here.

I also reviewed Cooper’s novel Love Saves the Day, a charming story which I think is underrated.

Bad Feminist, Bad Paper, Rock 'n' Roll and More in Nevermore

  Summary by Meygan

Nevermore began with the discussion of Bad Feminist by Roxane Gay. This is a collection of essays in which Gay hones in on feminism using pop culture references such as Sweet Valley High and Orange is the New Black, politics, and her own critical opinions. Bad Feminist is a New York Times bestselling book. As a female black gay author, Gay also writes about race, friendship, and body image. The Nevermore reader likes this book but says it is hard to categorize. Still, it was a highly recommended book.

The next book discussed was The History of Rock ‘n’ Roll in Ten Songs by Greil Marcus. Nevermore readers discussed the songs that were mentioned in the book, stating whether or not they had heard the songs. One reader said she had only heard of three of the songs; another said she had heard only one. Greil Marcus is an author, music journalist, and cultural critic. This is not his first book about rock and roll music. 

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn was a popular book in Nevermore. The reviewer said she couldn’t put the book down and she just had to make sure that she finished the book before she left her house that afternoon. Gone Girl is about a husband whose wife disappears. After he becomes the prime suspect, he and his sister work together to find his missing wife. This book has been described by a Nevermore reader as being a page-turning thriller!

“Holy mackerel!” was the Nevermore book reviewer’s response to Jake Halpern’s Bad Paper: Chasing Debt from Wall Street to the Underworld. In this book, former bank executive Aaron Siegal and former robber Brandon Wilson work in cahoots with one another to purchase uncollected debts for pennies on the millions. Our reader said this reminds him of the movie “Wolf of Wall Street,” which is a movie adaptation from Jordan Belfort’s book The Wolf of Wall Street. The Nevermore reader said Bad Paper focuses on the underbelly of the debt collectors and is mind boggling how they make unbelievable amounts of money from this scheme. 

The Mantle of Command by Nigel Hamilton was highly praised and was described as being a great book. This book deals with Roosevelt during WWII and the reviewer said you are “with” Roosevelt the whole time. He said the author did a good job of presenting all of the information, especially about Pearl Harbor. He also said this is better than any other book he has seen about Roosevelt and WWII. However, the book only covers until halfway through the WWII. The Nevermore reader suspects there will be a volume 2 issued. 

A few weeks ago, a Nevermore reader finished Capital in the Twenty-First Century by Thomas Piketty. Another Nevermore reader started reading the book because he found it intriguing. He did say to skip over the introduction though because it will about put a reader to sleep! The same Nevermore reader also read Doctored by Sandeep Jauhar, which was previously discussed in Nevermore. He enjoyed the book even though the content is dark. 

The last book discussed was Love Saves the Day by Gwen Cooper, the author of Homer’s Odyssey: A Fearless Feline Tale, or How I Learned about Love and Life with a Blind Wonder Cat. The Nevermore reader stated that she likes the book so far, despite the cheesy title. However, this is the case where a reader should not judge a book by its title. This book is not a love story between a man and a woman. This is a story from the point-of-view of Prudence, a cat, who is being taken to her owner’s daughter’s house to live. She doesn’t understand what happened to Sarah, her owner, but she clings on to the hope that Sarah will be back to get her soon.

Homer's Odyssey by Gwen Cooper

Homer’s Odyssey: A Fearless Feline Tale, or How I Learned About Love and Life with a Blind Wonder Cat by Gwen Cooper*

Reviewed by Meygan

*Not to be mistaken for the epic Greek poem, although I did feel incredibly smug when people admired the way I read “The Odyssey” for fun.  

According to the ASPCA, there are ninety million cats residing in approximately thirty-eight million homes in the United States. That is ninety million novels that could have been written, published, and possibly become a bestseller. So what makes Cooper’s story about her frisky solid black cat, Homer, any different? Well, first of all, Homer is blind. What’s so special about a blind cat? you ask yourself. That’s when Cooper’s humor and vivid details come in to piece together the story.  

Cooper wasn’t looking to adopt a third cat when her veterinarian called her about a two-week old kitten that had lost his sight due to an infection. Cooper questioned, just like most of us cat people do, How many cats can I have until people start thinking I am crazy? But as soon as she saw Homer, she fell in love. And by the second chapter, I had fallen madly in love with Homer as well. (I do need to mention that I DO love every kitten and cat that I encounter. So much, in fact, that I believe my husband is currently writing a contract with a lawyer stating that under no circumstances am I allowed to bring home anything else that has a mouth to feed. I wish I were kidding.) Homer is lively to say the least, especially for a cat that sees nothing but darkness. But Homer quickly learns his whereabouts to the many homes he is introduced to. (He especially becomes acquainted with the words, “No, Homer!”) The first chapters are mostly about the many adventures of Homer and his two “sisters”, Vashti and Scarlett. If I had to title these chapters, I would name them Homer and the Case of the Buzzing Fly; Homer Learns Not to Jump So High; Homer and the Case of the Burglar; Homer, Vashti, and Scarlet and the “Something Stinks, Who Done It?” Mystery. 

Although I loved hearing about Homer, Vashti, and Scarlett, I have mixed feelings about the ending of the book. Don’t get me wrong—I know that Cooper had to talk about herself every once in a while to lead readers to Homer’s next extravaganza, but I was disappointed in the ending. The first twenty chapters or so were superb. Cooper writes with such honesty with a hint of humor that will captivate readers. Then the narrative takes to turn. 

Throughout the book, Cooper plays with the idea of meeting Mr. Right, falling in love, and living happily ever after. She expresses the fear that this might never happen. Cooper is sweet and hilarious and someone that readers will want to find true love. Well, that day finally came for Cooper, and I couldn’t have been more disappointed in her choice. 

Do I think Cooper “used” her blind cat to gain attention for this novel? No, honestly, I do not. At least, I don’t think that was her intention. I do not want to give away any major spoilers, but Homer’s disposition changes towards the end and although I realize he is no longer the spunky kitten he was once, I believe the major change is because of Cooper’s love interest. There were parts of the book towards the end that made me so upset that I felt like ripping the book in half. However, the copy I was reading belonged to the library; needless to say, Cooper’s book was unharmed. I guess in the end I wanted more cats and less Gwen Cooper. Was that too much to ask for? 

Please don’t let my review of the ending deter you from reading the book. Cooper is an admirable writer. She’s witty, gets to the point, uses great sentence structure and vocabulary choice, and will probably make you want to adopt a cat after finishing Homer’s Odyssey. (No more cats, I repeat my husband’s words.) 

Unlike Old Yeller *spoiler alert*, Homer’s Odyssey ends on a happy note with