Book Gift Guide: My Favorites of 2018

DISCLAIMER: THERE ARE NO AFFILIATE LINKS OF ANY KIND IN THIS POST. YOU WILL SEE LINKS TO AMAZON, BUT I AM NOT AN AMAZON AFFILIATE AND WILL NOT MAKE A DIME WHEN YOU CLICK TO PURCHASE ANY THESE BOOKS, NOR WAS I COMPENSATED FOR POSTING THIS. THE BOOKS LISTED AS MY FAVORITES ARE NOT IN ANY PARTICULAR ORDER. 

As we approach the end of the year, it is the time that many of us decide to take better control of our lives and that usually begins with taking better care of our health.  The first book I am featuring doesn't pertain to cats at all but is a MOST IMPORTANT BOOK for taking control of our health, which will help us to live a better life and that is why I have decided to add it to my list of favorites of 2018! It is written by Dr. Phoebe Chi, MD who is a public health physician specializing in health education and disease prevention and management. She also has her own blog  and is the pet mom of a darling cat and dog!

"Born in the Eastern Hemisphere. Raised in Texas.
Lovingly nicknamed “PuppyDoc” by her peers.

Enjoys caring for people,
volunteering abroad, free jazz, good art,
and fuzzy animals."

Being Empowered for a Healthy Heart: A personal guide to taking control of your health while living with chronic conditions

"Living with a chronic illness can feel like a constant battle.Conditions such as high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, COPD, and depression not only require vigilant management, but they can negatively affect your day-to-day functioning and deprive you of the quality of life you deserve.

This book is designed to equip you with the tools you need to overcome the symptoms of pain, fatigue, shortness of breath, anxiety, and stress while effectively managing and reversing the diseases that cause them. By encouraging you to create personal healthy living goals and then providing valuable tools to help you achieve them, this guide will give you the confidence you need to take control of your health."

"Be inspired and revitalized as Dr. Chi takes you on a journey of self-discovery and empowerment through a combination of essential health information and original poetry —a unique fusion that will both strengthen the body and touch the soul."

"In this book, Dr. Chi guides you to become empowered in the self-management of your chronic conditions, with each chapter containing practical exercises and personal health trackers to help you better monitor and manage your symptoms and conditions."

A PARTIAL LIST OF COVERED TOPICS:

 Getting the most out of your healthcare visits 
  Taking and managing medications 
 Heart-healthy eating 
 The low-sodium diet 
 Exercising with heart conditions 
  High blood pressure 
 Type 2 Diabetes 
  Chronic pain 
 Stress management 
 Relaxation techniques 
 Fighting fatigue 
 Insomnia and sleeping problems 
 Urinary incontinence 
 Staying healthy during the holidays 
  Depression and anxiety 
 How to stay motivated 
 Tobacco and smoking cessation

Available on Amazon, purchase here

COLORING BOOKS

A great way to combat holiday stress or anytime stress is through coloring! Below you will find our favorites of 2018.

"Color Your World" with Cat Coloring Books

  by L.A. Vocelle

To purchase each of the books

that I am listing here 

click on their respective title

 Cats and Geishas Coloring Book

Cats and Flowers Coloring Book

"Curious Cats" by Susan T. Hall

HEART-WARMING

CAT BOOKS

To purchase each of the books

that I am listing here 

click on their respective title

"My Life in a Cat House" 

(A Curl Upwith a Cat Tale Book), by Gwen Cooper

"True Tales of Love,

Laughter, and Living

with Five Felines"

To read my review click here

Homer and the HolidayMiracle: A True Story

"Homer, the world-renowned Blind Wonder Cat, returns this holiday season with an ins-purr-ational tale filled with holiday cheer!

Fifteen years earlier, doctors had warned that Homer—a tiny, sightless kitten—was unlikely to survive and probably wouldn’t have much of a life even if he did. Miraculously and against all the odds, however, Homer grew into a feline dynamo who scaled seven-foot bookcases with ease, saved his human mom’s life when he chased a late-night burglar from their apartment, and rose to global fame—paving the way for other special-needs animals once considered “unadoptable.”

Now, only two weeks before Christmas, with doctors once again decreeing that Homer didn’t have much time—that he wouldn’t even make it to Christmas Eve—Homer showed everyone that he still had one more miracle left in him. The heroic blind cat proved again, once and for all, that hope and love aren’t things you see with your eyes. You see them with your heart.

Humorous and heartwarming, Homer and the Holiday Miracle will leave you filled with the true spirit of the season. It’s the ideal stocking-stuffer for the cat lover on your list—and the perfect holiday treat for yourself. Read and rejoice!"

CAT HUMOR

To purchase, click on the book title

"I'M NOT SORRY": Poems By Cats"by Rosa Silva

to read my review click here

CAT ART

To purchase, click on the book title

CATICONS:4,000 Years of Art Imitating Cats by Sandy Lerner

There you have it! I hope you will consider adding these books to your holiday gift list, better yet, purchase these for yourself!!  Look for our list of our favorite products for cats and their humans on December 3rd!

Cat Coloring Book Give-Away!!! "Curious Cats" by Susan T. Hall

In honor of National Coloring Book Day (which happens to be TODAY) I am pleased to present one of the most darling coloring books I have ever seen!

The cover is beyond adorable and is certain to make you want to POUNCE INSIDE!!!

"Explore Space, the Sea & More

with these Far-Out Felines"

The darling kitties in this book are "out of this world!!" There are "THIRTY imaginative illustrations that feature cats napping on Neptune, singing songs   atop Saturn, hanging around a crescent moon, and frolicking among backdrops bursting with stars flowers, fish, and other fun-to-color images."

Here is the page that I colored:

I am beyond upset that the past few months have been BEYOND INSANE (part of the insanity is we are waiting for our first grandchild to be born any day now!), and I haven't been able to find the time to color that I would have liked to have had. 

The creator of this precious book, Susan T. Hall, seriously has to be one of the NICEST people I have met. There were a number of times I was going to blog about this fabulous book, but I postponed because I wanted to have time to color, and Susan graciously kept telling me to "take my time!!" Because things are about to become crazier, I did NOT want her to have to wait any longer.  Fall is approaching and there will be MANY rainy/cold days that I will want to color, stay tuned because as I complete more pages I will feature them. Here are a couple that I am excited to begin coloring!

FROM SUSAN T. HALL:"I had such a good time drawing these, coming up with visual puns, researching cosmic bodies, adding nonsense and sprinkling a touch of anything else that I love into these illustrations. The ideas flowed easily and it felt like they drew themselves!"

Coloring books were a staple in my home when I was a little girl, and when I have the time, I love how when I open a coloring book, it takes me back to the days when my only worry was what color crayon to choose next! Even Susan's cats know that coloring is relaxing and soothing and that it is a hobby we all should do more of!

Meet Susan's kitties, Sundance and Cocoa. They are not only excellent models but they are PURRFECT artist assistants too!

Photo Courtesy of Susan T. Hall

Coco has to make sure that everything is PAWFECT!
Photo Courtesy of Susan T. Hall

National Coloring Book Day is a day to RELAX AND COLOR !! This would be the purrfect time to reward yourself and get your paws on this book!! Click here to visit Susan's website!

Susan currently lives in Dallas, Texas with Sundance and Cocoa.  She says "they have a way of making things right" which  ALL cat lovers can relate to! Susan is a freelance illustrator and yoga teacher. She has a Masters Degree in illustration from Syracuse University, and as she says, her "unofficial Social Expression Art Degree" is from working 12 years at Hallmark Cards in Kansas City. When you visit Susan's website be sure to click through to see her incredible illustrations, she has done TONS of them! CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE A COPY OF THIS DARLING BOOK THAT IS AVAILABLE ON AMAZON! 

GIVE-AWAY!!!

Susan is graciously and most generously offering TWO OF OUR READERS WHO RESIDE IN THE U.S. A COPY OF THIS DARLING BOOK!! (an approximate $5.99 value) I am going to make entering super easy and omit using Rafflecopter. IF YOU WISH TO BE ENTERED, ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS LEAVE A COMMENT THAT STATES THAT YOU WISH TO ENTER TO WIN A COPY. THAT'S IT!! THE GIVE-AWAY IS OPEN NOW AND WILL END AT 5PM ON WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 8TH, THE WINNERS WILL BE CHOSEN BY RANDOM.ORG AND WILL BE ANNOUNCED ON THURSDAY, AUGUST 9TH WHICH IS BOOK LOVER'S DAY!!

GOOD LUCK!!!

Cody and I would like to give a HUGE thank you to Susan for her patience while waiting for us to blog about this darling book. Susan is a true gem and her kitties are precious! 

DISCLOSURE:We received no compensation for featuring this book, we received a complimentary copy in exchange for our always honest opinion.

from Texas Tech University 

"Color Your World" with Cat Coloring Books by L.A. Vocelle

As readers of our blog, most of you know that when I have the time I enjoy coloring. When I was a kid my biggest thrill was a virgin box of Crayolas just begging to be used. I must have found their waxy smell to be intoxicating, because I was obsessed with coloring. God help any kids who came over  to color with me. If they broke a crayon it was a mortal sin, I also couldn't tolerate when they couldn't color within the lines. (Yes, even at 5 I was a control freak).

I have featured much of what I have colored on the blog and today I want to feature two beautiful books I received after connecting with the creator, L.A. Vocelle in the Coloring Books for Cat Lovers group on Facebook.  I reached out to her practically begging for the books, and she kindly obliged!

The first book I am sharing with you is the Cats and Geishas Coloring Book.   I have long had a fascination with all things Asian and this book is quite unique!

FROM the Cats and Geishas Coloring Book: -52 one-sided coloring pages will provide you with hours of stress relieving relaxation while coloring historically based Ukiyo-e woodprints. 

-Each coloring page shows a beautiful geisha interacting with a cat(s) and/or a kitten(s).

The coloring pages in this book are based on Japanese Ukiyo-e woodblock prints from the period (1603-1868). Translated, Ukiyo-e means a fleeting, transient world based on the Buddhist philosophy of impermanence. Ukiyo-e works were mostly woodblock prints, and the primary subjects were landscapes, seascapes, geishas and cats colored with vegetable dyes and then copied for mass consumption. This new art form was supported by the newly wealthy Japanese merchant class who were expressly interested in pleasure.

Geishas and cats were likened to each other just as women and cats have been equated throughout the world and history. Cats’ enigmatic mystical nature of loving yet vicious, peaceful yet aggressive was also used to describe women. Therefore, cats were the perfect companions of geishas.

Some supernatural representations include demon cats (bakeneko) along with a geisha. These are based on folktales where geishas and courtesans were able to change into cats. Demon cats are easily spotted with a towel or napkin over their heads or sometimes with a forked tail. 

Of course I had to color the kitty to make it look like Cody!

The geishas and cats are portrayed in domestic scenes. Geishas are wearing colorful and intricately designed kimonos and are reading, writing, gardening or playing music, all attributes that a geisha must possess. Some cats are on leashes, and some are playing or humorously causing chaos.

Spring has FINALLY arrived in Michigan! What better way to celebrate than to spend some downtime coloring in the beautiful Cats and Flowers Coloring Book by L.A. Vocelle.  

Here you will find  25 hand drawn illustrations of cats and flowers.

- All coloring pages are one-sided to prevent bleed through.

- Illustrations vary in difficulty so both adults and children can share in the coloring.

- Enjoy bonus pages from Laura's  other coloring books on Cat Breeds, Ancient Egyptian Cats, and Medieval Cats

Yep I made the cat Cody again!

Many people will say, "I am not artistic, I can't color." That could NOT be further from the truth. I always marvel when I see pictures online that people have colored and I read that they actually RESEARCHED what color a certain flower should be, they RESEARCHED what color  "this and that" should be. That is NOT my style and never will be. That takes me back to the days in school where an Art teacher in grade school would draw a tree and 30 kids had to draw the SAME EXACT TREE. I was never, ever like that (maybe because I was raised by an artist). Schools kill a love of art by not giving children the freedom to express themselves THEIR WAY.  YOU ARE AN ADULT NOW AND YOU ARE NOT IN SCHOOL. DO WHAT YOU WANT! DO IT YOUR WAY!

In my Geisha page above, I did not research what color her kimino should be, I went with what felt good to ME, I did the same with the flowers in the picture above that I colored. I color with colors that appeal to me on THAT DAY. As long as they work for me, that's all that matters.

But...I will fill you in on a little secret. While MOST PEOPLE find coloring to be relaxing, I am not one of them. Due to having a STRONG background in art (I was going to major in Art in college, in High School I spend 4 hours a day every day in Art classes. In college I was not going to major in art history,  but in  CREATING ART). I tend to take my coloring as seriously as I did as a child. There had better not be any broken crayons, pencils, etc., and no one will be harder on themselves than ME for coloring OUTSIDE of the lines, (trust me I DID color outside of the lines, a TON on these! Both of the pages I colored were colored with both colored pencils and markers. I originally was anti colored pencils but have since changed my mind because they give me the ability to shade certain areas that I may wish to shade.)

If you have never colored give it a try, it IS RELAXING for MOST PEOPLE. If you currently do color, be sure to add these two books to your coloring book library. I am thrilled with them and you will be too! Both books are available on Amazon and I linked to their purchase pages above. (Mother's Day is right around the corner and these would make great  gifts for the cat lovers in your life, and "just because" gifts!) 

I would like to extend a HUGE THANK YOU to Laura for indulging me by sending me these fabulous and unique coloring books, so that I may share them with all of you! 

ABOUT L.A. VOCELLE:Laura Vocelle is the creator and founder of The Great Cat  , the top art, history and literature website about cats. For free downloadable coloring pages and other publications related to cats visit her website (which I linked to above). You can subscribe to receive weekly updates on cats in art, history and literature. 

Thankful Thursday: Coloring Book & Gemstone Bracelet Won On Basil's Blog!

Hi all!! Today we I am excited to show you the prizes we won from our dear furiends at Basil's Blog. and decided to feature it on our buddy Brian's Thankful Thursday Blog Hop.

They have a special feature on Mondays which I greatly enjoy called COLOURING WITH CATS where a different Mandala is featured that Basil's human has colored.

Used without permission lol
from Basil's Blog
but we don't think they will mind

For those who may not know, the meaning of Mandala:  a Sanskrit word, is circle and like a circle, the mandala represents wholeness. A circle also denotes balance, perfection and eternity as the distance from its center to all points on it remains the same, from wherever it is measured.

Every Monday Basil's human features another Mandala and exercises to help keep us calm. (If only that worked for me! lol). 

So, back on February 6th,  there was a contest on Basil's blog  which was open world-wide! Here is what was being given away, and here is what I won!

I was so excited to win this book because I have been doing quite a bit of coloring lately, and what is so unique about  it is that it also has Wordsearch puzzles (which I adore!!!)

I started coloring this page, but didn't finish because there is soooooooooo much detail! It was NOT relaxing lol, but the Word Search was fun!

My FAVORITE part of these prizes though was this GORGEOUS semi-precious gemstone bracelet that was DESIGNED and MADE by Basil's human!!! That makes it EXTRA SPECIAL  and it is something that I will always cherish.

Isn't it beautiful!!!??? I was meant to win it I think because the colors of the bracelet and the bag PURRFECTLY match a blanket that I have that I used as the backdrop for this photo.

Each bracelet that Basil's human makes  is unique and full of healing energies from the large amethysts in  her crystal room.  What I particularly love, is I have a rather thick wrist and many bracelets don't fit me, but this bracelet doesn't have a clasp and stretches to fit any wrist! I just LOVE IT!!!

I am sending  a HUGE thank you to Basil's human for these wonderful prizes that came all the way from the UK!!! THANK YOU!!!

Winners of the Coloring Book: "All You Need Is Love...and a Cat" by Samantha Snyder

Thanks to all who entered our give-away for:

IT'S TIME TO ANNOUNCE

THE TEN LUCKY WINNERS!!!

YOU CAN SEE THEM LISTED BELOW

HUGE CONCATULATIONS!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Coloring Book Give-Away! All You Need Is Love...and a Cat: (Doodle Art Alley Books) (Volume 12) by Samantha Snyder (10 Winners! U.S. and Canada)

"Color Your Way to Fun, Inspiration and Relaxation"

I am a "doodler" from way back.  If  you are like me, often when you are on the phone or just daydreaming you have a note pad by your side, and you find yourself absent-mindedly making "doodles." A "doodle" may be scribbles, random lines and shapes which at first glance you may think  have no meaning or significance. I love to color and already have amassed quite an array of coloring books to indulge myself. I began coloring a few months ago when I read something that advised people to remember something from their childhood that they used to do all of the time that made them happy. For me, from as far back as I can remember, as soon as I could hold a crayon, I was either coloring, or drawing, or both.

When offered the opportunity to review All You Need Is Love...and a Cat by Samantha Snyder, I jumped at the chance!

Explore the art of doodling!!  Think your doodles are insignificant? Think again! Take a look at your doodles and with a little imagination, beautiful pictures can be created. FROM DOODLE ART ALLEY BOOKS:"Geometric and abstract designs along with wonderfully detailed art work can grow from one simple, single line. Even emotional and mental healing can stem from a tiny little mark. The ideas and creative pathways are endless."

FROM THE PUBLISHER:All You Need Is Love…and a Cat shares 50 doodle art images of inspiring proverbs, quotes, and sayings printed on one side of the page for all ages to color.

Quotes from famous authors include Robert Byrne, Charles Dickens, Robert A. Heinlein, Abraham Lincoln, Edgar Allen Poe, and Mark Twain. The book also includes proverbs and sayings from “Behind every great person is a great cat,” “Dogs have owners, cats have staff,” and “If stretching were wealth the cat would be rich” to “The cat is magical and the bringer of good luck” and “You will always be lucky if you know how to make friends with strange cats.”

Each doodle art image has been carefully selected to provide plenty of enjoyment, inspiration, and relaxation.

I absolutely LOVE the quotes in this book and to give you an idea of what this book is like I took some time Friday and Saturday night and colored a few for you. When I color, I prefer using gel tipped pens. I know some people like colored pencils, and yes, crayons, but I don't. I find I have more control with the gel tipped pens, as well as better color quality.

The problem I ran into was a number of my pens chose to run out of ink on each and every drawing I did! So, I improvised in many cases and blended.

Some people think that when you color you MUST stay within the lines that already exist on the drawing. (When I was approximately 5 yrs old I cherished my coloring books and crayons, if any of my friends dared to color outside of the lines in my books it would destroy me! I would hand them one of my old books! Oh YES I DID!) Well, having "grown up", (which is open to debate, but I digress...), I have changed my outlook on staying within the lines. You do not have to! On all of my drawings I added color outside of the lines  wherever I saw fit. If you look at the picture below, this cat has stripes...you can see the black line where the stripes end, I chose to add color outside of the stripes and I like how it came out.

I also noticed on each of my drawings I seemed to have stayed with the same color scheme, (bet a shrink would have a field day with that!), and wasn't cognizant of it  until I was done.

Now, don't forget I rushed through these for review purposes, candidly speaking I am not thrilled with how they came out overall. For this type of a book I might have done better using colored pencils. 

Coloring IS supposed to relax MOST people (the operative word being MOST). Because I was going to major in Art, and I take whatever I create quite seriously, for me, it isn't as relaxing as it is for most. I have to make sure that my colors are balanced, etc., (just one of many personal quirks.)

MY OPINION?

 I enjoyed All You Need Is Love...and a Cat and would color in it at the times  when I want to do coloring that is less detailed.  Many would prefer these drawings because they will be finished much faster than drawings in some other books would be. I do LOVE my books that have complex and detailed drawings to color, but  All You Need Is Love...and a Cat would also be one that I would turn to, more than likely, when I have limited blocks of time to color.

This book would make a great stocking stuffer, gift for someone in the hospital, someone who wants to begin coloring, someone who loves cats...well, it would make a great gift across the board!

104 pages

ISBN: 978-0997102185

Author Bio:

Samantha Snyder has been doodling her whole life. While teaching elementary school, she often drew up coloring pages and printables for her students and fellow teachers. She decided to start sharing her creations and in 2008, Doodle Art Alley was founded. Doodle Art Alley is dedicated to giving those squiggly lines the proper credit they deserve. Who would have thought that such a small and simple idea could possess so much potential? There are lots of fun art activities, tips and information to read through and enjoy.

Visit http://www.doodle-art-alley.com for hundreds of exciting doodles.

"Explore the Magic of Doodle Art"

GIVE-AWAY!!! Now THIS IS GENEROUS! The publisher is offering a copy of All You Need Is Love...and a Cat to TEN of my readers (who are 18 and over and reside either in the U.S. or Canada). An approximate $10 value. Because everyone is busy getting ready for the holidays, there will only be ONE MANDATORY ENTRY OPTION ON THE RAFFLECOPTER!!! Good luck!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I was not compensated for this review or give-away. I was sent a copy of All You Need Is Love...and a Cat in exchange for my always honest review.