Reviews

My Life in a Cat House: True Tales of Love, Laughter, and Living with Five Felines by Gwen Cooper

appaloosa05's review against another edition

Cute cat stories. What more could you want.

rainbowbookworm's review against another edition

5.0

I am a crazy cat lady and I devoured this book of amusing anecdotes about Cooper's menagerie.

adelavmb's review against another edition

4.0

Oh, the joy I felt while reading this book. Was I not prohibited by my boyfriend to have more than one cat in the house (truth be told, it is his), I would definitely be living with a lot more feline friends than would be considered normal. So I lived the dream through Gwen Cooper's memories of her five adorable cats, some of which have hopefully gone to Heaven. The happy moments, the mischief, the pranks her cats did on her ex-boyfriend, and even some of the sad moments were all very amusing to read about. The most memorable was the last peeing accident one of her cats had. It made me laugh while ugly crying about the short, never-enough time these wonderful creatures share with us. And while I could identify a lot of mistakes Gwen did as a cat owner, which got her into situations like cats waking her up at ungodly-hours for food, I put judgement aside and appreciated her actions as what they were - a tremendously big love.

malibu114's review against another edition

4.0

I think listening to this book made it even better. I loved it!

littlespacekitty's review against another edition

challenging emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted fast-paced

5.0

Beautiful book- I recommend it to all cat lovers! 

rachel101's review against another edition

5.0

I love all of Gwen’s cat books and this one is a wonderful written collection of entertaining and touching short stories. This book will make a great gift for all cat lovers. Each story is special and covers many situations that we as cat lovers will identify with completely: stressful vet trips, death of a beloved cat, feline celebritism to name a few...... this book made me laugh out loud but also brought tears to my eyes. Enjoy!

yvo_about_books's review against another edition

4.0

Finished reading: December 9th 2018

"And they remind us that, no matter how complicated our lives, or how complex our relationships, or how sophisticated our desires and goals may become with the passage of years, those simple pleasures are still the ones most worth having."

*** A copy of this book was kindly provided to me by Netgalley and BenBella Books in exchange for an honest review. Thank you! ***

Spoiler

I am what some people call a proper 'crazy catlady' and I've been in love with these feline creatures ever since I was tiny. A bout of fur allergy prevented me from coming close to them between the age of three and twelve (more or less)... But as my allergies mysteriously disappeared after that, I was able to admire them more closely again. I've owned cats during most of my life since, except for a few years when I was traveling. So I definitely know what Gwen Cooper is talking about that every cat is unique and cat owners can create an unique bond with their feline friends. I knew I wanted to read My Life In A Cat House as soon as I saw the gorgeous cat on the cover. A memoir written by a fellow cat admirer? Yes please! I admit I hadn't heard of Gwen Cooper before I started this memoir, but this hasn't prevented me from highly enjoying her different 'tails' about her five cats. We get to know each of them through memories and anecdotes about why each cat is unique in its own way. Funny and heartwarming moments are mixed with a few heartbreaking ones... But the stories stay mostly on the humorous side. Cat owners will be able to relate to the different 'problems' Gwen Cooper has had to face while living with her pets as well as the happy moments and the benefits of being lucky enough to share your life with one or more cats. It also shows the importance of rescue centers and adoption (all of our pets were actually rescued from the streets); it is so much more fulfilling being able to give an animal a home after it having such a rough start in life... My Life In A Cat House will make a great gift for any cat owner or cat lover in general.

P.S. Find more of my reviews here.

melissasue81's review against another edition

4.0

As a mom of three cats, I could relate to a lot of these stories. Cats can be awesome, but they can also be naughty! You can tell how much the author loves all of her cats in these stories and their little kitty personalities really come through. Of course, I think that MY cats are the best cats and would never do some of the naughty things these cats do. Super cute, quick, feel good read for cat lovers.

tmn126's review

3.0

Cat lovers rejoice! Here's a book that highlights the complex and sometimes even complicated relationships between a feline family and the human who loves them. It's sure to be a smiles and maybe some tears as well to readers whether they are cat fans or not.

Consisting of a series of short narratives about the feline family of author [a:Gwen Cooper|179790|Gwen Cooper|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1518218235p2/179790.jpg], this book delves into the relationships between humans and cats in a totally unique way. Five furry friends teach Gwen all about love, loyalty, expectations vs reality, overcoming challenges and much more. She tells of her adventures with the cats in a mostly lighthearted way (with even a bit of sarcasm and snark thrown in where appropriate) that readers will find charming. By the last page, if you're a cat owner, you'll want to go give your pet a snuggle, and if your not, you may consider becoming one so you too can experience the joys of cat-parenting.

I'm not a cat owner; I don't think my dog would appreciate sharing her territory. Yet, I still enjoyed this book. The stories were entertaining, and I really felt like I got a good grasp of the personalities of both the humans and cats interspersed throughout. I found myself smiling at silly cat antics and tearing up while reading about both human and cat grief. Overall, these stories were well-written and a joy to read.

My only criticism, and it's more an observation I think, is that a couple of the stories in this book seemed to be making mountains out of molehills. What I mean is that simple instances or series of instances were stretched into an entire story when a few simple paragraphs would have sufficed for the telling.

Bottom line: If you've read [b:Homer's Odyssey|6261477|Homer's Odyssey|Gwen Cooper|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1442887803l/6261477._SY75_.jpg|6444699], you'll be happy to know that Homer features in this collection as well. Even if you haven't, this is a quick solid set of cat tales and is a delight to read.

tynathereader's review

emotional funny informative inspiring lighthearted reflective medium-paced

4.5