Five Books Cat Lovers Should Read
There are a lot of cat lovers out there. Just take a look at the internet. Cats are all over the place – in videos, articles, lists, photos. People post selfies with their cats. They become part of their extended family and their social media existence. Are you looking for a gift for someone who loves cats? If you are then one of the following books might be just the thing you are looking for. There are quite a few cat books out there but the following, we think, are particularly suitable for the real cat fans out there! They all feature cats in some way or another.
So, without further ado…
Mikhail Bulgakov, The Master and Margarita (Vintage Classics)
This Russian masterpiece took Bulgakov over 12 years to write, and he finished in in 1940. However, it was not published until 1967. Behemoth is the arch villain in the tale. He is an enormous cat who is as big as a pig and can also speak. He is definitely the best character in the novel and brings a lot of humour to the piece.
Emily Fragos (editor), The Great Cat: Poems About Cats (Everyman’s Library Pocket Poets).
This collection includes a cacophony of poems dedicated to cats and no matter what style of poetry you are into you will likely find something in here that tickles your fancy. From the eighteenth century poet Christopher Smart’s poem about his cat Jeoffrey to W.B. Yeats’s poem about Minnaloushe. A great gift for a cat lover who also loves poetry.
Jan Louch and Lisa Rogak, The True Tails of Baker and Taylor: The Library Cats who left their pawprints on a small town…and the World
This is a relatively recent book, having only come out in May 2016 but it has had a big impact and we think that it is definitely worth putting on your to buy list. It has already become a bestseller and had really great reviews. It tells the story of two adorable cats who become celebrities in the local area, famed for their mouse catching prowess in a museum. Any cat fan will love this book.
T.S. Eliot, Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats, Illustrated by Edward Gorey
We had to put T S Elliot on the list and this is a great book to buy for any cat lover. T.S. Elliot of course famously wrote Cats, made famous by Andrew Lloyd Webber in the musical version. It is a collection of wonderful pieces of poetry that will have you hooked. If you or the person you are buying the book for has seen Cats then they will recognise characters such as Macavity and Bustopher Jones. Edward Gorey has some beautiful illustrations which go alongside the poems.
Tad Williams, Tailchaser’s Song
This is a short fantasy novel and is really the cat answer to Watership Down. The main character in the book is a large, ginger tom cat named Tailchaser and it follows him on a journey to find his friend the female cat Hushpad when she mysteriously disappears. There is lots of mystery and intrigue in this novel and it’s a great read. Certainly worth a read. It is really the book that launched Tad Williams’ career.