Thankful Thursday

Hi everyone, it's mes, Carmine!

The Mom decided to take a "small" break from packing.  The Mes wanted to post an update here, so the Mom decided to help mes with that.

Mes has been doing a superb job of supervising the Mom's packing.  Mes makes sure everything gets put in the right spot and that the Mom stacks the boxes and bins so that mes can sit on all of thems.  Mes sure loves boxes and bins!  

The Mom finally got approved for ours new apartment and signed the new lease todays.  Hers says the space is very small, but hers says the manager guy told hers that a one bedroom one (twice the size of the studio wes is getting) should be available relatively soons.  The Mom just has to get on the "transfer list" next week, and then hers doctor has to verify that the Mom needs the extra space for a medical reason.  

Thankful Thursday Amidst the Chaos

Hi everyone, it's mes, Carmine!  

The house is in chaos - everything keeps changing, and mes doesn't like it one bit!  Mes ams still stressed out over it all, but the Mom thinks that the Feliway diffuser is helping mes a little because mes is eating a little more than mes was last week.  Hers gives mes the delicious a/d when mes doesn't feel like eating much, and mes always loves to gobble that down!  Then mes laughs 'cause Lita tries to come and clean up my crumbs, and the Mom takes it away from hers and says, "Lita, you don't need a/d, pumpkin."  (Don't worry, Lita always gets hers own snack when mes has one).

The Mom talked to the vet about mes stress, and the vet prescribed mes something called Xanax.  The Mom hasn't given mes any yet, but hers says hers will a few days before wes make the move so mes will not be so stressed.  Hers says it will make mes feel sleepy and happy.  

The Mom still does not has a move-in date, but hers and the new apartment manager is planning for the move next weekend.  The Mom says the "higher ups are dragging their feets!"  Hers says that "the Big Guy Upstairs" has this, but hers is a worrywart and worries anyways.  So if yous would like to send purrs and/or prayers that all the moving plans fall into place, hers would appreciate it very much.  

Mancat Monday: Some News

Hi everyone, it's mes, Carmine!

How is everyone doing?  

Guess what?  The Mom says wes are moving soon!  The Mom has had hers name on waiting lists for three years, and hers finally got to the top of one.  

Mes sure does like the boxes that have made their way out, but mes sure doesn't like all the change.  Mes ams very stressed.  Mes is having a flare up of the pancreatitis.  The Mom has been giving mes nice pain medicine in addition to my daily anti-nausea stuff.  The pain medicine sure tastes horrible, but it does make my tummy feel good enough for mes to eat.  

The Mom bought mes a Feliway diffuser refill and hopes this will help mes be less stressed.  Hers is trying to keep hers own stress level down because hers knows it affects mes, but mes can still tell that hers is stressed, too.  

Mes and Lita will keep you posted on the move here and on the Mom's Facebook.  

Wes hope yous all are doing well.  Wes really miss visiting with yous!  The Mom is going to try helping us visit yous all a little more.  

Happy Birthday, Jewel

Today would have been Jewel's 19th birthday.

I miss her everyday.  

I hope they are having a huge celebration at the Bridge today for your birthday, Jewel!

Happy Birthday, my little angel.

Once Upon a Spine Book Review

About the Book: Brooklyn Wainwright, a San Francisco bookbinder, is on edge because her soon-to-be in-laws are coming to meet her all the way from England.  She's also worried about the rumors that the charming Courtyard shops across the street from her will be replaced by a high-rise apartment building.  She and her fiance, Derek Stone, must convince the shopkeepers not to sell.

That could be a difficult task with a rare edition of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland causing bad blood at the Brothers Bookshop and vandalism putting everyone on edge.

As if that's not enough, Brooklyn finds the local cobbler murdered under a set of shelves in the local Rabbit Hole.  Things get even more interesting when a second priceless copy of Alice surfaces.  Will this cause more trouble within the close-knit Courtyard community?

When Derek's parents arrive, things go much better than anticipated.  Brooklyn wins over her fiance's dad with some chocolate cream pie, and Derek's mother jumps at the chance to help Brooklyn solve this murder.

My Thoughts: This is the first big city cozy I've read.  It still felt like a small town cozy to me, given how close everyone in the Courtyard is - it's like their own little world.  Once Upon a Spine is the first book I've read in the Bibliophile Mystery series, and I was able to easily follow the storyline.  So if you haven't read any of the other books in the series, you'll have no trouble reading this book as a stand-alone novel.

I really enjoy Brooklyn's character.  Her relationship with the main detective on the case, Inspector Lee, is much different than I'm used to in cozies.  Inspector Lee almost welcomes Brooklyn's help rather than reprimanding her and telling her not to get involved in the case.

There is a cat in this mystery, but we don't see much of her at all.  That was disappointing, but the book was excellent even without many appearances from Brooklyn's cat.

I really enjoyed reading this book.  I wasn't all together surprised at the end, but I really enjoyed getting to know all the characters.

I believe anyone who enjoys cozies would like this book.

FTC Disclosure: I received a copy of, "Once Upon a Spine: Bibliophile Mystery" by Kate Carlisle for a fair and honest review.  Receiving the book did not influence my opinions in any way.  All opinions expressed on Fur Everywhere are my own.