For this reason, it was with some reservations that I agreed to read Dulcy and Dee Ready's Twelve Habits of Highly Successful Cats & Their Humans when the author offered to send it to me to see if I would be willing to review it. Since Dee was responsible for one of the more popular guest spots at Wrote By Rote, her story of her first book A Cat's Life; and since I have always enjoyed the writing at her blog Coming Home to Myself, I felt like I should at least give her book a chance. Besides she asked so nicely and wasn't holding me to any obligations of a review that I couldn't turn down her offer.
In all honesty, I had low expectations of this book. I anticipated some cloyingly annoying animal story with all kinds of cutesy-isms and boring pet talk. Instead what I found in this short book was an enthralling story of love and devotion and a philosophical study of what it means to be truly alive.
Presented in a format similar to a self-help book, there are twelve sections corresponding to each of the twelve habits related to topics such as uniqueness, constancy, listening, acceptance, grieving, and others. Each habit is first explained by the superior being, a cat named Dulcy. Then the cat's human relates the life lessons she has learned from Dulcy.
This back and forth approach is done in a charming and very effective manner. Both cat and human provide exemplary anecdotes and observations that clarify each topic for the reader. Dee has done a commendable job of creating the distinctive voices of the cat and the human, filling each with enough humor and pathos to provide a well-rounded presentation that will entertain and enlighten.
With only seventy pages, this is a quick read that many will be able to do in one sitting. However the beauty of a book like this is that you can pick it up and open to any page and start reading and gain pleasure. It's the kind of a book you will probably be tempted to keep nearby to just read a snippet here or a habit there for inspiration. There is much wisdom in these pages and Dee has written it well.
If you are a cat lover I can almost guarantee that you will love this book. Anyone who enjoys animals will undoubtedly like this book. Even non-pet people like me who enjoy good writing will highly appreciate this book. Twelve Habits is as much about people and their relationships with other people as it is about cats and the people they choose to be with. The book can be read in an allegorical sense that can be helpful as much as it can be a fun read.
My recommendation is that you buy a copy of Twelve Habits of Highly Successful Cats & Their Humans for yourself and extra copies for the cat lovers that you know. This book would make a wonderful gift and it's inexpensive enough that it won't break you.
If you read Twelve Habits of Highly Successful Cats & Their Humans, I'd love to hear what you have to say about it. As for me this book almost made me wish I liked cats. Heck, it actually made me wish I were a cat who had a nice human to keep me company.
Do you yearn for joy? Do you dream of a welcoming lap and gentle words? Do you wish to know the deep delight of a life filled with tangy tuna and abiding love? Then follow my twelve habits for highly effective cats and their humans. In this inspirational self-help book, an enterprising feline named Dulcy mews twelve stories that, if applied by other cats, can help them find nirvana with their humans. In an accompanying meditation, Dee helps human readers apply the habit to their own lives so they, too, can find the peace and contentment of a life well lived.
Available at Amazon.
The author provided me a free copy of Twelve Habits of Highly Successful Cats & Their Humans for my honest review. The above is my true opinion about this book.
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