Book Review: The Cat Who Went Bananas

The Cat Who Went Bananas

by:Lilian Jackson Braun
Audiobook read by George Guidall

PopSugar prompt: A book with a fruit or vegetable in the title
    Also could work for: 
     A book involving a heist, 
     A book about death or grief, 
     A book with an animal in the title, 
     A book with an ugly cover (it's hot pink with bananas on it, my poor retinas)
Goodreads Challenge:  1 of 51

Owned or borrowed: Owned (audio book)
Read before?: Yes 

Stars: ★★★☆☆

It's more of a 2½ stars.  Definitely not Ms. Jackson Braun's best.  So many of her later stories are about a transition of some sort and this is no exception.  Polly is transitioning from her job at the library to a bookstore.  Quill and the cats are transitioning to their winter quarters.  Multiple characters move to Pickax to escape their past.  This story doesn't have a true mystery, at least not one that is solved.  It's more like a snapshot into the town in a time of change.  The chapters seem short and unfinished.  It's fine to fall asleep to and not as bad as some of her other later books, but nothing to keep the attention.

I would recommend this to: A fan of the Cat Who books.  Not a great introduction to the series but an OK read otherwise.

Welcome to 2018

Another year, another set of goals, another Goodreads challenge year, another PopSugar reading challenge.  I've always wanted to complete a PopSugar challenge but never been successful.  This year I've used Habitica and picked out almost all of the books.  And I've set up my Goodreads goal to match.  If any of you would like to join me, here is the PopSugar challenge list ↓↓↓↓, and HERE is a link to my Goodreads account.

I'd also like to use my blog more so I promise to share my reviews of each book.

Most Played CD

Picture Prompt Day 34 - A picture of your currently most played CD

It's not music but it's technically on a CD!  Right now my fall asleep audio is Justice Hall by Laurie R. King.
     Great character dynamics and multiple mysteries/problems to solve!

My Day + 18 Facts About Me

Picture Prompt Day 25 - A picture of your day

     Today I worked on planning my NaNoWriMo, chatted with a friend I randomly ran into at the library, got the things I needed for dinner, then made dinner (Tuscan Bean and Sausage soup). 

Now I am going to unpack from our trip and clean my room so my sister can share with me while our grandmother is visiting.

1. My favorite song depends on my mood.  I like Mordred’s Lullaby, Come Sail Away, In My Room, I Dreamt I Dwelt in Marble Halls, Scarborough Faire, Bring Him Home, Part of Your World, Starry, Starry Night, God Help the Outcast, My Immortal, Solla Sollew, Falcon in the Dive, A Victory Song, Chattanooga Choo Choo, Gunpowder and Lead, Bait a Hook, and Ode to Joy.  (Julie O) 
2. I have never finished writing a long story.
3. One of my favorite things to write with is a Sanford Design Ebony Jet Black Extra Smooth charcoal pencil. 
4. I took art class in middle school and the only thing I really learned well is how to draw eyes.  Once our teacher had us sketch with our eyes closed to practice drawing without looking at the paper and my eye sketch was nearly perfect. 
5. For years I didn’t think I was artistic in the traditional sense because my artwork was not realistic but I have recently realized that cartoon-ish work is just as beautiful and have enjoyed embracing my own style. 
6. My reading choices as a youth consisted of mysteries (Nancy Drew, Hardy Boys and ND/HB xovers), animal stories (Island Stallion, King of the Wind, Animal Ark, Dinotopia), and historical novels (Laura Ingalls, Dear America, American Girl, The Midwife’s Apprentice, Girl in a Cage).
7.  The first book that made me cry was Black Gold by Margurite Henry.  I immediately gave the book to my sister to keep and while the book has found its way back to me, to this day I still have not re-read it.
8. When I read, if I’m not careful, I completely block everything out.  I lose track of time, I have no idea what has happened while I was reading, and my fingers will suddenly be in pain from me chewing on them.
9. As a child I would fall asleep chewing on the edge of my favorite blanket, singing to myself.  No wonder I have TMJ problems now.
10. These days I fall asleep listening to an audio book, either one of the Cat Who books by Lillian Jackson Braun, narrated by George Guidall or one of the Mary Russell books by Laurie R. King, narrated by Jenny Sterlin.  ((At this very moment it is Justice Hall.))
11. Or I fall asleep to the Return to Pooh Corner album by Kenny Loggins with “Lux Arumque” by Eric Whitacher, “Trial of Lancelot” and “Mordred’s Lullaby” by Heather Dale, “Flying” and “The Fairy Dance” from the live action Peter Pan soundtrack, and the main theme from Hunt for Red October.
12. Have I mentioned that Hunt for Red October can put me to sleep?  One of my favorite movies and it knocks me out! 
13. I have seen three movies in the theatre twice: Wreck-it Ralph, Les Miserables (2012), and Star Trek: Into Darkness.
14. So I already mentioned, I liked chewing on things as a child, especially when falling asleep ... including the power cord to the lamp above my bed. If my parents hadn't discovered it when rearranging my room I would have chewed on the live wires and killed myself by accident.
15.  I like cleaning my room to books on CD, especially Mossflower by Brian Jacques and Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson.
16.  Music and audio books can trigger very vivid memories.  For example, I hadn’t listened to Mossflower for a while but the moment I heard the passage about the Kotir soldiers capturing Martin I was immediately transported from the road I was driving on, back to my room where I first heard the story, facing my highboy, looking out over it into the backyard, in the summer, and I could distinctly taste the fruit gummies I had been snacking on at the time, as mother had bought a big box and I was the only one who really liked them.
17.  I am incapable of cleaning while looking normal.  I end up with my hair in funky/spikey buns, wearing clothes that don’t match at all (whatever I find while cleaning plus a skirt usually), whatever jewelry I come across, and my cleaning apron with bunches of pockets.
18. When Somebody Loved Me from Toy Story 2 makes me feel guilty about getting rid of things.

Favorite Book?

Picture Prompt Day 23 - A picture of your favorite book

The Beekeeper's Apprentice by Laurie R. King -  An awesome origin story and I just realized that I tried to turn my '08 NaNoWriMo into something similar. Wow.  I love all of the Mary Russell books (except maybe A Monstrous Regiment of Women 'cause it deals with uncomfortable interrelationship stuff, though it's my favorite ending).  For those that haven't seen any of the books, young Mary Russell, a modern (for 1915) genius with a passion for theology who just lost her entire family, meets middle aged Sherlock Holmes, Victorian gentleman, mostly retired consulting detective, and apiculture enthusiast.  The two immediately hit it off intellectually and become fast friends.  Holmes begins training Mary, without her knowledge, in the art of detection, which culminates in a chilling and thrilling case at the end.  In many ways the book is a series of short stories that illustrate the development of Mary's personality and the Russell/Holmes partnership.

Dinotopia Lost by Alan Dean Foster - I love dinosaurs and the idea of them living in peace with humans, which is part of why I love the whole Dinotopia series (the writing is also superb).  This is one of the two books for 'adults' and has pirates, dinosaurs, hostages, primitive hot air balloons, and a once in a generation storm.  In middle school I made a board game based on the book.

Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson -  My go to audiobook while cleaning my room.  It's for teens but there are some great plot twists.

Imitate Their Faith by Jehovah's Witnesses -  I was so happy to get this book this summer!  I love the in depth look at the Biblical people, including Esther and Ruth.  I also enjoy the look at Mary and Joseph.  They are so mythical and glossed over to many.  It's nice to see them humanized.

In the Belly of the Bloodhound by L.A. Meyer -  While I love all of the Bloody Jack series, Jacky is able to take control in a bad situation, in her female form rather than disguised as a man.

The Iron Marshall by Louis L'Amour -   I don't know why I like the book so much, but I keep returning to it.  I like most of Louis L'Amour's books and they are a must-read on camping trips.  I especially like the Sackett saga, one book of which, Ride the River, features the adorable Echo Sackett, one of Louis's few female MCs.

Ophelia by Lisa Klein -  Hamlet is by far my favorite play by Shakespeare and I always found Opheila to be a very interesting character.  How much was she faking?  When did it become real insanity?  Did it really?  This is Hamlet from her perspective and behind the scenes.

Q in Law by Peter David -  Absolutely hilarious.  Anything by Peter David is gold but this book has Q and Lwaxana Troi on the Enterprise at the same time.  Poor Picard.

Currently (re)reading -  The Little House on the Prairie series by Laura Ingalls Wilder.  In the past week I've reread The Little House in the Big Woods, The Little House in the Prairie, and On the Banks of Plum Creek.  I'm currently rereading By the Shores of Silver Lake.  Not sure why I skipped Farmer Boy.  *shrug*

25 Facts About Me

1.  In a musical there is almost always one song I don’t like (and my sister finds much amusement in this).
2.  The shirts in my closet are organized by color.
3.  One day I would like to find something I can be so passionate about that I will become an expert.
4.  As a child I wanted to be an archeologist with a focus in paleontology so I could dig up the dinosaurs I loved reading about.  If I couldn’t be that I wanted to be a secretary because going to the moon in one of those little capsules was not an option.

5.  In fifth grade I killed a fly in mid air with a ruler.

6.  I cannot stand repetition but I can reread a book a hundred times.

7.  I spell ‘theatre’ the British way … much to the confusion of my friends.

8.  I cannot spell ‘similar’.  I ALWAYS spell it ‘simular’ … which evidently means ‘one who simulates’.

9.  I like eating my round candies (MnMs, Junior Mints, Skittles) in twos ...

10.  … and I like it even better to eat my candies in color order … but not the whole bag usually, just by the handful.

11.  I am not a morning person and loathe speaking in the morning.  I will do whatever I can and use all of my ninja skills to avoid talking to people.

12.  Guilty pleasure movie: The Scarlet Pimpernel starring Jane Seymour, Anthony Andrews and Ian McKellen.  It is hilarious with moments of serious men in manly ponytails.  ^_^  Also, I like yelling at the screen, “You’ve been told by Magneto!”

13.  The only thing that I like now, that I did not as a child, is guacamole.

14.  I still use Neopets Standard Time to set my clocks.
15.  When I get tired I use bigger words than usual.
16.  When I am uncomfortable in a situation I often start speaking in German, despite it not being my first language and despite my lack of fluency.
17.  I’ve never been stung by a bee/wasp/etc.
18.  I’ve never broken a bone.
19.   I have no freckles on the bottom of my feet, though I do have a matched set on the top.  (Cousin Denise)
20.  My favorite food is very hard to pinpoint but I love strawberries, I love lamb and venison, I love food that has flavor.  (Julie O)
21.  For a while I convinced my sister that split pea soup is nasty.  I still think so but she has changed her mind.
22.  I will not pull out in front of a car with it’s turn signal on, no matter how slow it is going.  That is how I almost got hit in Canada.
23.  Avengers fanfiction is best with a medieval soundtrack.
24.  I have never read an Alex Rider book … but I have listened to all except the newest and I’ve seen the movie.
25.  I cannot buy tights at a department store or drugstore because their lightest shade looks like a really bad fake tan on my pale German-Irish-Oregonian legs.     

Day 27 - Catastrophies and fruitcakes

August 27 - In anticipation of catastrophe

     Two things sprang to mind immediately, from two different phases/parts/ages of my life.

     The first is a scene from Eight Cousins by Louisa May Alcott is which Rose, the main character, her seven male cousins*, along with an assortment of friends and aunts are putting on a series of short skits, the theme of which is a part of a word.  The answer is catastrophe which they break into "Cat" (one of them makes a fetching little kitty), "ass" (as in Baalam's donkey), and "trophy" (the early bird gets the worm).  At the end they reenact a train wreck (it's before the time of motorcars).
     The second thing that sprang to mind is a wonderful fanfiction: Apocalypse Week by Eternal Contradiction.  EC writes excellent Shenny fanfics.  Shenny, for the Big Bang Theory fanfiction uninitiated stands for a Sheldon and Penny relationship, usually as a couple but sometimes as friends.  In Apocalypse Week Penny is introduced to a yearly tradition Sheldon drags the boys into, a week spent trying to train the boys to survive the end of the world through paintball (need to know how to shoot), sessions spent reviewing different forms of world ending events (zombies, aliens, natural disasters, etc), bomb-making, -throwing and -aiming practice, running (gotta keep ahead of whomever is out to get you), proper survival clothing (no leather but denim is good).

*  I remembered after I wrote this that it is only Rose, her cousin Mac, cousin Jamie, and the young people they are staying with that perform this.  They have gone into the mountains after Mac has had his terrible fever and nearly ruined his eyes.  Cautionary tale for anyone who reads with only a little light!  I know it certainly scared me as a child!
     I love Eight Cousins and it's sequel Rose in Bloom and have reread them many, many, many times.  It was a long time before I realized they were written by the same author as Little Women, which I adore because of Jo, a tomboyish writer with younger siblings.  Rose is such a sweet, kind and lively child who grows into a beautiful, benevolent, and wise woman under the tutelage of her many aunts and two dear uncles.  I have always wanted to be her or be like her, ever since I discovered her when I was very young.
     I had forgotten how much Apocalypse Week focuses on Penny's feelings!  Most of what I remember from it is how well Penny and Sheldon work together and the fact that, together, they could take over the world.



Day 27 - Fruitcakes and Discipline

     OK, what is everyone's problem with fruitcake?  Admittedly I've never had the traditional fruitcake soaked in rum w. gummy fruit (yay no Christmas?) but our family makes what could be classified as a fruitcake with canned fruit cocktail and an evaporated milk and sugar glaze that is not only heavenly but you can get away with eating it for breakfast because it has fruit!  </rant>
     Now that that is out of my system.  The point Ms. Abercrombie was making regarded her mother's self discipline, yearly making fruitcake as gifts and daily practicing piano.  This is a quality I greatly envy.  Follow-through is something I have struggled with my entire life (and is something I was discussing with my father just yesterday).  In school struggled to complete homework, not because the work was difficult usually, but because it was boring, repetitive, and/or I allowed myself to get distracted (A/N- this started in first grade).  Long term projects are/were deeply loathed and always completed two days (or less) before they were due (unless the teacher required some sort of proof of progress, which was rare).  And I usually got A's so I feel completely justified.  Neyah.
     Obviously I also struggle with goal follow-through/self discipline, such as in writing (sorry), exercise, tooth brushing (honestly, yes, I am 23 and I struggle with it), responding to important emails (the pressure!), talk writing (last minute anyone?), and service time (which makes the goal of pioneering really scary and seem completely unattainable without a Red-Sea-parting amount of holy spirit).
     Unless I am answerable to someone else I have a hard time completing a task, no matter how much I want to!  It is so very frustrating!

Eight Cousins image from GoodReads.com
Fruitcake image from Neopets.com