October 26, 2013 by Texas

Bookstore Cats of NYC: Hayes and Rainer at Spoonbill & Sugartown, Booksellers

Today we are going to the neighborhood of Williamsburg in Brooklyn, New York, to meet with Hayes and Rainer, at the Spoonbill & Sugartown, Booksellers bookstore.

Hayes – which can be spelt Haze, too – is the mostly black, tuxedo kitty.

Rainer is the tabby and is a tripod.

My human went to this bookstore twice because the first time, she only got to see Hayes. She did met Rainer the second time and was glad she did come back: Rainer was really affectionate.

According to the person my human talked to, Hayes and Rainer have been there for 10+ years and enjoy sleeping on books.

Here are some more pictures.

[You can click on any pic to biggify and open the slideshow]

Spoonbill & Sugartown, Booksellers | Texas, a cat in... Austin

Once again, we would like to thank the bookstore humans for letting my human take pictures of the resident cats.

Spoonbill & Sugartown, Booksellers
218 Bedford Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11211
718.387.7322
http://spoonbillbooks.com/

October 19, 2013 by Texas

Bookstore Cats of NYC: Tiny at Park Slope Community Bookstore

One day, my human was reading an article about a bookstore in New York City. The article had nothing to do with cats (I know!). To her surprise though, she discovered in the article (she cannot find the link again, sorry) that the bookstore in question, the Alabaster bookshop in New York, had a resident cat.

She got an idea: find out about this kitty and other resident cats in NYC bookstores!

She looked on the Internet and found different old articles including this one, this one, and this one. All included bookstores in New York, but they were not recent.

My human learned, for example, that the kitty from the Alabaster Bookshop had crossed the Rainbow Bridge about 4 years ago. The Alabaster Bookshop is a book lover heaven (according to my human), with books piled everywhere. Apparently, the kitty loved to find hiding places in there!

Humphrey from the Drams Book Shop in Manhattan is now living with his human, and Francis from BookCourt in Brooklyn has moved in with a new family.

She wasn’t lucky either when she went to Babbo’s Books on Prospect Park West in Brooklyn. The bookstore had just been sold and was closed. She has no idea what happened to Holly.

Then she went to The Park Slope Community Bookstore in Brooklyn.

She knew the bookstore, but had never entered. It is extremely unlikely for my human not to visit a bookstore. She had first spotted it thanks to this:

Yes, the kitty! Little did she know there was a real one in the bookstore at the time!

When she went back last summer, she learned that Sir Marjorie Lambshank III had unfortunately crossed the Rainbow Bridge (he is pictured in the second article linkie above). But she got to meet Tiny!

Tiny is said to be good-natured… only when he feels like it =^.^= He let my human took some pictures though, so she thought he was a really nice kitty.
According to the bookstore humans, Tiny was part of a litter found in front of the store. His litter mates were all adopted and scattered around the neighborhood. He has a polydactyl brother the bookstore humans still hear about.

Here are some more pictures.

[You can click on any pic to biggify and open the slideshow]

Park Slope Community Bookstore | Texas, a cat in... Austin

My human and I would like to thank Tiny and the bookstore humans for letting my human take pictures of the star of the store.

The Park Slope Community Bookstore
143 7th Ave
Brooklyn, NY 11215
(718) 783-3075
http://communitybookstore.net/

Next week, we will stay in Brooklyn, but we will go to Williamsburg!

May 10, 2013 by Texas

Henri Monnier’s Cat Poetry Giveaway: 2 Poems

I decided to wait a couple of days before posting the poems to make sure everyone would see the main post for the giveaway.

Then, when I was ready for my human to post the poems… she was busy reading. She devoted her free time to finishing the lovely book Love Saves the Day, which she absolutely wanted to finish once she had started it!

My human tried her best to translate the two poems I chose, but she thinks a little is lost (most of the time) in translation, especially in poetry with rhymes and sometimes a certain number of feet. Also many words in French which have the syllable “cha” (sounding like “chat” or cat in French), used purposefully by the author, are lost in the translation.

The first poem is a tribute to ladies who give food to feral cats. The poem can be found in the collection of poems “Les Chats de Saint-Sulpice.”

Discrete Charity	Charité discrète
I will never say it enough Oh! all the good we must think of Brave ladies with their fragile hearts That travel all the city parts, To bring enough to erring cats To let them pounce on this and that.	Je ne dirai jamais assez Tout le bien qu’il nous faut penser Des braves dames au cœur fragile Qui s’en vont à travers la ville, Apporter aux chats vagabonds De quoi faire encore quelques bonds.
They don’t care ’bout those mocking them People with very little brain, And other, bigger fish to fry, The weather might be wet or dry These ladies leave some sustenance To cats considered a nuisance.	Indifférentes aux railleries Des gens qui n’ont que peu d’esprit, Et d’autres chats à fouetter, On les voit hiver comme été Déposer quelque subsistance Aux animaux de la malchance.
All these cats with so sad a fate Were abandoned on any date Because of undignified people, They hope for a sign or signal To be happy just like before, Is it a plea you can ignore?	Tous ces chats au triste destin Abandonnés un beau matin Par la faute de gens indignes, Ils n’attendent de vous qu’un signe Pour être heureux tout comme avant, N’est-ce pas un peu émouvant.
If you have a delicate heart To give your smile, it would be smart To the aspiring old lady Who heals a cat, or a doggie, And even if it is not much Your act is a good cause as such.	Si vous avez le cœur sensible Souriez tant qu’il est possible A la vieille dame qui vient Soigner un chat, peut-être un chien, Et même si c’est peu de chose Vous servirez la bonne cause.
She got no legion of honor, Never does she get a flower, She finds her very own reward In always being straightforward And she takes from her small pension What she needs for her good action.	Elle n’a pas la légion d’honneur, Jamais elle ne reçoit de fleurs, Elle trouve sa récompense En agissant comme elle pense Et prend sur sa maigre pension De quoi faire sa bonne action.
She is discrete in her process She never does try to impress But do not think for a second That she doesn’t like the children, She only endeavors to say In her own way, a little prayer.	C’est une personne discrète Qui ne cherche pas à paraitre, Mais ne croyez pas pour autant Qu’elle n’aime pas les enfants, Elle essaie seulement de faire A sa manière, une prière.

The second one is about how we, kitties, need to be loved, too. It can be found in “Sa Majesté le Chat.”

Cuddles	Cajoleries
Jumping about, pouncing, running, Having fun with next to nothing You’re so fragile, as you snuggle, Yet wonderfully indocile You’re looking for some affection; Playing the card of seduction, Like nobody has done before And when it works you purr some more.	Tu bondis, tu vas et viens, En t’amusant d’un presque rien Et tu te blottis, si fragile, Merveilleusement indocile En quête d’un peu d’affection ; La carte de la séduction, Tu la joues bien mieux que personne Et quand c’est parti, tu ronronnes.
You make the most of the torrent Of cuddles and the contentment Of my strokes that bring you calmness, You’re so looking for tenderness You are using all the assets That only nice tomcats possess, We are always caught in your game You too need to be loved the same.	Tu profites nonchalamment Des câlins et de l’agrément Que te procurent les caresses, Tu recherches tant la tendresse En usant de tous les atouts Que possède un gentil matou, On est pris à ton stratagème, Toi aussi, t’as besoin qu’on t’aime.

****You have until tomorrow 11.59 pm to enter the giveaway here. Please enter via Rafflecopter if you want to win one of these books! Good luck everyone!****

May 6, 2013 by Texas

Henri Monnier’s Cat Poetry & Denis Boissier’s Cat Illustrations + a Giveaway!

About a year ago (I think), my human’s mother went to a book fair in Paris and bought the following books. She sent them to my human and my human and I loved them very much. So we gave a mission to my human’s Mom: get some more copies so I can share them with you, my furriends. I’m glad to say that she completed the mission successfully. Thank you! =^.^=

These are small books (less than 20 pages, except for “Les chats de Saint Sulpice” which is a collection of the others) but very nice books of poetry and illustrations on cats. There are 4 different books of poetry on cats. Oh and yes, there is one on dogs, too.

The poetry is in French. Those who know French will really appreciate the talent of the poet, Henri Monnier, and the way he is playing with words. Poems are sometimes funny, sometimes moving, sometimes both and much more. We can really feel a true cat lover behind the plume.

If you don’t speak French very well or not at all, you can use them to practice ;-) But the books are also full of beautiful black & white illustrations (a couple in color) by artist Denis Boissier.

In any case, it will fit nicely in your cat books collection! And they are not really easy to find, even in France!

Tomorrow, I will feature two poems, both in French and with a tentative translation from my human. Today, I am featuring an interview with the author and publisher, Henri Monnier. He was nice enough to talk on the phone with my human last December.

*** What do you have to do to win one or more of these beautiful books? Use the Rafflecopter widget at the bottom of this post! Answer the two questions and follow the other options if you want to win more chances of winning. The giveaway will end on Saturday and the winners will be announced on Sunday!
The giveaway is opened to all countries. There are several prizes to win: 3 sets of 4 poem books on cats, 3 poem books on dogs, and 1 collection book of the poems on cats. ***

Now here is the interview with Henri Monnier.

Could you introduce yourself and talk a bit about the books?

I am 81. I am a publisher and I had the opportunity to work with many artists. I have many French as well as foreign artist friends. As a publisher, I dedicated myself to artists.

I wrote on several subjects. I wrote poetry on life, love, death. Cats made the most successful subject though, and they helped me get noticed and better known. Some of my poems were even published by Hachette. Thanks to cats, the public learned about me.

Cats always have a lot of success!

My poems on cats come from my collaboration with an artist friend, Denis Boissier. Unfortunately, he died too young. He was drawing illustrations of cats [those in the books] and I wrote the poems to go with them. He was an incredibly talented artist!

Can you tell us a little more about the cats that shared your life?

I had many cats during my entire life. Next to my workshop, there is a little garden and stray and feral cats always come. You give then food and they come back. Sometimes they stay. They climb on the roof to bask in the sun, they walk in the garden. They generally come one at a time. In winter, sometimes they come near the stove to get warm.

Some never come back. Some cats are absconders. I had a tuxedo cat, a grey cat, and a calico female cat who was insolent! You have to be really patient as far as some cats are concerned. You have to adapt to them.

I have just buried a cat. He died of old age. That’s how things are. Most of my cats lived to be about 15. That’s a nice age compared to 1 or 2 years for a cat abandoned outside.

Cats are wonderful. They have their habits and at the same time they’re full of surprise. Sometimes they hide in places we would never imagine. It keeps us entertained!

I also wrote a book about dogs but it was less successful.

Among your poems, what are your favorites?

My first collection of poems on cats [Caresses et coups de pattes — Strokes and Paw Blows] was the most successful one. The cat from “Lapalissade” [play on words between lapalissade – statement of something obvious – and la palissade – the fence], a stray cat, was very successful. He really existed! He was a neighbor’s cat. Actually, all stories are real cats stories. “Mon chat et moi” [“My Cat and I”] was quite popular too.

See you tomorrow for two poems!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

April 22, 2013 by Texas

Mondays Are for Memories: Early Bookcat

In French, the word “bookworm” can be translated into the expression “rat de bibliothèque” (library rat). Well, I’m certainly not a rat (!) or a worm (!!) but I’ve always loved books! I guess that makes me a bookcat!

These pics were taken when I was about 9 months old, at my human’s Mom’s home. I was on top the book case. You can click on any picture of the gallery below to biggify and get to the diaporama but first I want to show you something.

Can you see the wallpaper peeling a little near the ceiling? It was me! I wanted to be a home decorator at the time! And can you see my tail? That’s because my human thought I wouldn’t be a good home decorator! The nerve!
You will be able to see that on several pics I am watching my piece of art very proudly!

Speaking of books, my human and I will review a wonderful book on Thursday.

I also learned from Cat Wisdom 101 that April is National Poetry Month. It will finally (I say finally because this has been a project since last December!) be the occasion for a book giveaway linked to poems, drawings and… kitties of course! And this will be on Caturday!

So I wish everyone a great week and hope to see you all on these two days especially!

September 18, 2012 by Texas

Getting your human’s attention – Books (Part 2)

You may remember that I had a technique to get your humans’ attention when they decide to read instead of playing with you. This technique worked on the couch, as you can see on the pictures, but what if your human decides to read in bed?

It is actually no different. It’s on the bed after all, so all you have to do is go sleep on it. The book that is.

Hiya, human! Is it time to sleep already?

Let me check your clock! Oh yes! It is time!

Sorry, no time to read

Sweet dreams!

[Cat chasing mouse image thanks to http://www.wpclipart.com/]

May 15, 2012 by Texas

A children’s book for furry and human friends alike

I bet my human is going to rush to the store to check it out. I’m talking about Ms Reich’s children book, “Minette’s Feast: The Delicious Story of Julia Child and her Cat”

The story, she said, should delight not just kids, but foodies, cat lovers, Child fans and Francophiles.

“Minette’s Feast: The Delicious Story of Julia Child and her Cat,” was released May 1 by Abrams and tells the story of Child’s first cat she adopted when she lived in Paris in 1948 with her husband, Paul. At the time, Child was learning to cook and the couple lived in an old apartment near the Seine.

I have lived in Paris too! Oui Madame !

Reich explained that as Child was learning to cook, she would often give Minette the leftovers. Her apartment, she added, also had mice in the walls.

“The crux of the story is about the cat preferring the mice to anything Julia Child cooks,” Reich said.

This reminds me something…

Gotta tell my human to buy it. Also you can check the author’s website.

May 11, 2012 by Texas

Getting your human’s attention – Books

Sometimes, humans just don’t have a sense of priorities. I have already mentioned how you can get your human’s attention when your human is busy with a laptop.

Well, my human, on top of reading cooking blogs, reads a lot of books. Below is a simple technique to remind your human that you exist and you are more important than any book.