The What Cats Do Book Tag

Happy Caturday! I don’t know about you, but I’m wide awake and feline fine on this bright morning, so I thought it was the purrfect time to do a tag all about my two favorite things: Cats + books.

I would say I’m sorry for all the puns, but the truth is I’m really not.

I’m stealing this tag from Lia @ Lost In A Story! I hope you enjoy!

But first, some pictures of my favorite kitties. You’re welcome.

My family’s cat, Mr. Whiskers, who we had from 2006 until he died this past spring

Nierme, who lives at The Haunted Bookshop – AKA Iowa City’s greatest indie bookstore, oBVIOUSLY

Nierme’s adopted brother Logan, the most decadent cat I have ever met

An anonymous gentleman I met at the Rathgar Bookshop in Rathmines, Dublin, this summer

Now let’s get to the tag questions, shall we?

purr.

What book made you happy and relaxed?

Like all of Dahl’s books, James and the Giant Peach has its dark moments: After all, it’s about a little boy who becomes an orphan when his parents die in a freak accident and is subsequently sent to live with his abusive aunts.

But he escapes. On a MAGIC PEACH. With GIANT BUG FRIENDS. And he never sees his aunts again. How fantastic is that? I’ve never not felt satisfied after rereading this story, because it reminds me that even the worst situations can change for the better.

sleep.

What book put you to sleep or was just plain boring?

I was really looking forward to this book, but it let me down! The Fangirl’s Guide to the Galaxy might be a good read for those just getting into fandom, but the information inside was too basic for me. (Like, it defined what cosplaying is and listed various types of fanfiction. I know all that stuff!) I haven’t yet found anything else I’d recommend to those already deep into fandoms of any sort, but I’m still looking.

twitch while dreaming.

Have you ever dreamt of a book you read? 

Of course! All the time! Makes sense, too – since dreams are a means of processing our emotions and experiences, it’s natural that the books I read would find a way into mine. Although I’m not a huge fan of Harry Potter anymore, I can’t deny that the series was a HUGE part of my childhood and so I’ve had many dreams about it over the years. One that I remember best was about the fight in the Department of Mysteries.

seems to play nice… until the claws are out.

Which book had the biggest plot twist?

The entire Skulduggery Pleasant series surprised me! I thought I was in for a cute, lighthearted children’s story and never once expected to have my heart broken multiple times over. Great job, Mr. Landy. I want to write like THAT someday.

cuddles.

Which character would you hug?

I’m not sure this entirely counts because Fun Home is a memoir and Alison Bechdel is a real person, not a character, but… screw it, she needs a hug. From arriving at the difficult realization that she is a lesbian to dealing with her gay father’s probable suicide (which she believes may be linked to her own coming out), she’s been through so much.

catnip.

What book made you feel warm and fuzzy?

I’m pretty sure catnip just makes cats feel high, not “warm and fuzzy,” but… yeah, never mind, I can’t think of any book that’s made me feel high.

One of my favorite picture books! I love to reread this book every year around Christmastime. Makes me cry every time, but it’s a good cry.

cat breeds.

What are your favorite books?

Here are just a few, in no particular order:

• The Miseducation of Cameron Post by Emily M. Danforth
• The Daring Book for Girls by Andrea J. Buchanan and Miriam Peskowitz
• Matilda by Roald Dahl
• And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie
• Gregor the Overlander by Suzanne Collins
• Ash by Malinda Lo
• The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater
• The Lost Continent by Bill Bryson
• The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales by Jon Scieszka
• The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents by Terry Pratchett

Of course I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to show you all a cover with a cat on it…

the vet’s office. 

What is your least favorite book?

I don’t have a single least favorite book, but this is certainly one of them. It took me forever to get through and I deleted the rest in the series from my Goodreads TBR shelf only recently because I finally gave up on trying to finish them!

being in places they shouldn’t.

What is your least favorite cliché?

I mean, it’s more of a stereotype than a cliché, but I’m so so tired of the Magical Negro trope. Stories with this trope feature a selfless black minor character who is there solely to aid the white protagonist in their journey, often by imparting folksy wisdom and using magic or spirituality to achieve a means to an end. I didn’t recognize this in The Secret Life of Bees at the time I read it because I hadn’t learned about the trope yet, but now… yikes.

the good old cardboard box.

What book or series do you think is most underrated?

Nathan Edmondson’s Black Widow series is amazing! Aaaa this character is so much better in the comics than in the MCU, but very few of the Marvel fans I know have read any of her stories. (Maybe I need to meet some new people?!) She’s much more complex than in the movies… plus, the watercolor artwork is gorgeous!

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I’m tagging:

• Orphu @ A Mirror Made of Words
• whimsywriter3 @ Rambling Writer
• Alex @ Miss Alexandrina
• Emily @ Loony Literate
• Ely and Michelle @ Tea & Titles

And as always, feel free to participate whether or not I tagged you. (Or ignore this tag, if you so choose.)

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What is your favorite fictional cat? (And why?!) Are there any bookish names you’d give a cat?

P.S. Post pictures of your cat, or of the latest cat you pet… I will love and cherish them all!