Review: Dewey - The Small Town Library Cat Who Touched The World by Vicki Myron with Bret Witter

How is it possible for an abandoned kitten to transform a small library, save a classic American town and eventually become famous around the world?

In 1988, on the coldest night of the year in Spencer, Iowa a tiny kitten was dropped into the return book slot at the public library. When Vicki Myron, the library director, found him the next morning in the ice cold metal box he was too weak to meow. Vicki and a colleague immediately nursed the little animal back to health, warming, bathing and feeding him. Despite his frostbit feet he hobbled along to everyone he encountered happy and content. His horrible start in life was forgotten. He was already a very happy little cat.

It was his friendly disposition that enabled him to live at the library. He charmed his way into the patrons hearts and especially into Vicki's. She had endured much hardship, the loss of her family farm as a child, an alcoholic ex-husband who left her in debt and multiple health problems. Dewey brought her unconditional love. He also helped her bridge the gap between her and her teenage daughter. His gift was knowing when someone needed him and what they needed from him. He knew how to entertain with his humor and how to comfort with his warmth and compassion and he helped the people of Spencer for 19 years.

Before I read this book I wasn't familiar with Dewey but from the very first pages I was captivated. I could picture everything he did throughout the story. From his first night in the drop box as that cold and dirty, little misfit to the handsome ginger tabby who pranced throughout the library making it his own. But this wasn't just a cat story. This was also about the town of Spencer. Myron shares it's history and how the people persevered through hard times. In this farming community of 10,000, a poor economy in the 80's had devastated the area. Many lost their jobs, their homes and farms. Dewey had come back from the brink of death himself and he offered the people there a happy distraction, companionship and hope. This little library cat had also become world famous through newspaper articles and television interviews. Through his fame he brought a little bit of attention to Spencer. Vicki Myron also reveals the hardships she quietly endured and just how important this little cat had been to her life. In saving him, he had helped to save her. This is an emotional adventure that I thoroughly enjoyed and I promise it's not just for the cat lover. I would recommend this for everyone.


Thank you to Grand Central Publishing for a copy of this book.

Special information about the author and Dewey's antics along with photos and video clips can be found on the website:
DEWEY - The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World

Release date: 9/24/08
Pages: 278
Price/format: $19.99/hardcover
Type: non-fiction

Mailbox Monday

~ March 9, 2009

Thank you to host Marcia at The Printed Page .

Monday 3/2
- Kitty Raises Hell by Carrie Vaughn from Hatchette Books for upcoming book tour 3/25. Thank you Miriam!

Thursday 3/5
- The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova from a contest at Fizzy Thoughts. Thank you Jill!

Friday 3/6
- Fragile Eternity ARC by Melissa Marr from Harper Collins on Shelf Awareness. Thank you!

From the library.
- 'Tis The Season by Lorna Landvik
- ghostgirl by Tonya Hurley
- The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong



Sunday 3/8
-It wasn't a delivery from my mail woman or UPS guy (I don't think) but this morning some kind of stomach virus arrived. Special delivery just for me! My kids had a touch of it early last week so they may have saved some for me. I took a little break from my naps to post this and visit a little. I'm feeling lousy again so I'm taking a book or two back to bed. Hope you all had a great week and this week will be even better!

Review: Coraline by Neil Gaiman

The day after they moved in,
Coraline went exploring...

In their new flat, there are twenty-one windows and fourteen doors. Only thirteen of these doors open. The last door has always been locked until the day that Coraline's mother unlocks it with a very old key. She shows her daughter that it's a door to nowhere, the doorway had been bricked up. But the day that Coraline unlocks it herself she finds a hallway that leads to another flat exactly like her own except it's more interesting. The walls are brighter colors, the toys move and seem to come to life and the food tastes better. There is even another mother and another father. They seem very nice and say they love her but they are very odd. They have buttons sewn on for eyes and very long fingernails. And now they want to keep her and change her. The other mother wants to sew buttons on her eyes too.

As Coraline realizes that she must escape this world and return to her own she begins to hear the voices of children who are also trapped there, lost souls behind a mirror. She knows she can't leave them and she must fight for them as well as herself. She will need all of her wits, some special tools and some help from a black cat to save all of them. Her plain, ordinary life never looked so good.

I've heard about this young adult book for a long time but it took me forever to get around to reading it. I always wonder if a book will live up to the hype when it becomes so popular. I did enjoy it and thought it was very clever. I always admire when someone, especially a child, is brave in the face of adversity or fear. And when they put the welfare of others before themselves it always makes them a hero in my eyes. I don't think it will be my favorite Gaiman book though. I just got The Graveyard Book from the library and it captured my attention immediately. I look forward to reading many more pieces of his work. I have a lot of catching up to do!


Neil Gaiman's website.

Publisher: Harper Collins
Release date: 7/2/2002
Pages: 176
Price/format: $15.99/hardcover, $6.99/paperback
Type: fantasy
Ages: 8 and up

Friday Fill-In

#114

Thank you to Janet for hosting the fun here each week!


1. Helping my grandma and my great-aunt was my last random act of kindness.

2. Another place, another time.

3. Loyal friends who are good listeners are necessary in matters of the heart.

4. Coffee, tea or chocolate!

5.We must all take separate paths.

6. Our children remind me that there is hope.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to lounging with my hubby until a kid calls for a ride, tomorrow my plans include watching our high school win the basketball championship and Sunday, I want to relax and read (of course!) after a day of traveling.

Review: The Good-to-Go Cookbook by Kathleen Cannata Hanna

Take-Along Food,

Quick Suppers,
and Satisfying Snacks
for On-The-Go Families

Are you always on the run? That's the question in capital letters on the back cover of this cookbook. In this day and age I would guess that many people answer that with YES in capital letters. The best solution is to slow down but since that isn't always possible, this has some tasty solutions to that dilemma.

Inside the 327 pages are more than 300 family friendly recipes. The contents are divided into categories of meals, snacks at home and on the go, 15 and 30 minute dishes, one-pot meals, pastas, side dishes and desserts. The pages are marked by colored tabs on the side so it's easy to find each section.

The recipes are laid out very clearly and simply on the page. Each step is numbered and there are also helpful tips at the bottom of the page. They include ingredients that can be added or altered and optional ways to serve the meals.

Along with the recipes there are also helpful tips on organizing your kitchen, cooking tips and a metric conversion chart. There is a wealth of information that will allow you to eat well in less time. You and your family may not have to make that mad dash through the take-out window quite as often. With three busy teens in our house we do that more than we'd like to. I haven't made my first meal from this book yet but I have plans! Now I just have to decide which dessert to make first - Peanut Butter Pie or Picket Fence Apple Pie. Yum!

Thank you to J.Kaye of J.Kaye's Book Blog for the contest where I won this book.

Review: Th1rteen R3asons Why by Jay Asher

You can't stop the future.
You can't rewind the past.
The only way to learn the secret
...is to press play.

-from back cover

When Clay Jensen arrives home after school a package with his name on it is waiting on his porch. When he opens the package he discovers a set of seven cassette tapes with each side numbered 1-13 but no other information. It is only after he starts listening to a tape that he is shocked to discover the voice of Hannah Baker, a classmate who committed suicide a few weeks ago. Clay had liked Hannah and even had a crush on her. He had no idea why he received these tapes and what they were about. Now he was listening to her voice telling him that he was one of the people who had some responsibility for her death. How was that possible? Clay's journey into Hannah's world is brutal. She bares her soul and has a lot to say and she doesn't sugarcoat it. These are her last words and she says everything she has ever wanted to say.

I've heard from others who have read this book that the audio version is excellent, especially since it has two readers. There is so much back and forth between Hannah's voice on the tapes and Clay's thoughts I think that it would be an excellent way to experience this story. Sometimes it switches between characters after every sentence and that can be confusing at times. I also had too many interruptions at home while I was reading this book and I needed to it be a continuous flow. The later chapters of the book felt a bit drawn out as Hannah's tapes continued. I did have much sympathy for her and although I didn't find her unlikeable at all it made Hannah less likable for me.

My high school self would have reacted very differently to this book compared to my grown-up, parent self now. Even though we lived very different teenage years I would have been able to relate better to those raw emotions. As an adult I know that things do change and high school doesn't last forever. With time you can hopefully learn to cope better with your feelings, issues and hardships. But as a teenager with a broken heart or hurt feelings I would have had a hard time believing that myself.

In this debut novel for Jay Asher he delivers an important message with his details of Hannah's life and death. Like most people she did have some warning signs before she took her life. It's always easier in hindsight though, when you look back and recognize things that never seemed life threatening at the time. We've had two family members go through the same thing as teens. They thought suicide was the only answer to their problems. One of them survived and one did not. My younger cousin had a horrible childhood but it had improved greatly and we all thought he was doing well. His senior year of high school he took a bottle of pills. He was found in time but he spent several days in ICU recovering from his near death experience. Fortunately he did survive and now many years later he is happily married with one child and another one on the way. My husband's cousin was not so fortunate. He was in his early 20's when a romantic relationship fell apart. He felt he couldn't live without her so he took his father's gun and ended his life. His parents have never recovered and never will. They carry a deep sadness and will forever think of what could have been.

This book was written for young adults but it will have an impact on anyone who reads it. I look forward to reading more from this author.

Mailbox Monday

I was working on this very late last night after a long weekend of not feeling well and traveling to see my nephew's hockey game. I always have trouble sleeping so I thought I could finish this up before I went to bed. I got very tired and started to nod off a few times. I finally gave up and saved it to finish today. I'm so glad I did because I had been very creative, especially with my spelling! Fortunately I didn't hit publish because it may have been worth a good laugh but no one would have been able to understand it. I don't think my Spellcheck would have picked up that Mornnf was supposed to be Monday. And that's only one example. Eek!

~ March 2nd, 2009

Mailbox Monday is hosted by Marcia at The Printed Page. Check it out to see what others are reading this week.

Tuesday, 2/24
-Kitty Raises Hell by Carrie Vaughn. This was from Miriam at Hatchette Books. Thank you!

Wednesday, 2/25
-Elijah's Coin by Steve O'Brien. This was from the author. (website) Thank you!
-War of the Witches by Maite Carranza. This one, and the next four books, were from a contest at Em's Bookshelf. Thank you so much Em!
-If the Witness Lied by Caroline B. Cooney. From Em's Bookshelf.
- Cathy's Book by Stewart, Weisman & Brigg. From Em's Bookshelf.
- Cathy's Key by Stewart, Weisman & Brigg. From Em's Bookshelf.
- Read, Remember, Recommend - Journal by R. Knight. From Em's Bookshelf.

Thursday 2/26
- Run For Your Life by James Patterson. This was from Miriam at Hatchette Books. Thank you!

Friday 2/27
- Kill For Me by Karen Rose. This was from a contest at The Book Binge. Thank you Rowena, Holly & Casee! It was just in time for a new book club that starts today.

Saturday 2/28
- You Are So Undead To Me by Stacy Jay. This was from a contest at Writer's Block Reviews. Thank you Holly!

From the library
- The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
- Shelter Me by Juliette Fay
- The Book of Unholy Mischief by Elle Newmark
- Deadline by Chris Crutcher