Thursday, August 29, 2013

Book Review: Urban Tigers Two (More Tales of a Cat Vet)

Urban Tigers Two by Kathy Chisholm is definitely better written, with more emotion, fewer similes and more tidbits about Halifax than her first book, Urban Tigers. The stories are told in the narrative voice just like her first book but with more gusto this time. She doesn't hold back any punches and in two of her chapters she reminds us that our sins will find us out; even if she steps on the church's toes in doing so, which is so popular to do these days much to my dismay. Kathy Chisholm is the owner of Tuxedo Stan who was nominated for a candidate to run as Mayor of Halifax to raise awareness of the stray and feral feline problem in our neighbourhoods. I was disappointed when he wasn't on the ballot. This book is a must read for cat lovers, and if you haven't read her first book, no problem her books can be read independently of each other. Her first book is still available and I recommend both of them. I'm going to buy them for Christmas presents. I look forward to her third installment and wish Kathy the very best in her writing career.

Thursday, August 22, 2013

Variety

Every summer I see an insect in my garden that I don't think I've ever seen before. There are enormous variations existing in the insect world. I was told that biologists could spend their whole life studying beetles and only scratch the surface, but that covers a range of species. Dogs on the other hand are one species and come in a wide selection of shapes and sizes. There is a dog for every person's taste. House cats on the other hand come in a few varieties from Sphinx to Siamese to Main Coon; from no hair to short hair to long hair. Colours vary from striped orange to different kinds of bi-colour to tabby, to white or black, to calico. It is a wonderful thing to have all these varieties. All of this is due to the DNA code written in each cell. As I ponder this, I think that there must be a master designer who was at work creating all this for His enjoyment. People come in all shapes and sizes too, some real smart, some talented, some big, some small, different ethnic groups, different coloured skin and hair, different likes and dislikes and different beliefs. The creator must like variety. Every living thing is unique; there is no other like it. So when I look at a living creature and think of the fingerprint of the creator left in the DNA, I marvel at His handy work.

Tuesday, August 13, 2013

Book Review: Urban Tigers (Tales of a Cat Vet)

Urban Tigers (Tales of a Cat Vet) is a fascinating collection of stories written by Kathy Chisholm. She owns Tuxedo Stan a black and white long haired cat who's name was advertised for Mayor of Halifax Regional Municipality during a municipal election to raise awareness of the feral feline problem in the city. This information is not included in the book but the stories are brilliantly written, albeit with an over use of similes. Sometimes the stories are belly laughing funny and sometimes I was trying to hold back the tears from the heart rending accounts. I recommend this book to any cat lover who loves to read. You can find this book in paperback or Kindle edition at Amazon. I'm now reading the sequel: Urban Tigers Two (More Tales of Cat Vet). I'll post my thoughts on that at a later date. I look forward to more from Kathy and wish her the best with her writing endeavours.