I will fully admit that I’m not a cat person. First, I am allergic to cats, so that doesn’t help matters. But, in addition to that unequivocal bias, I also find cats to be rather standoffish. The cats I have liked the best tended to be the ones that behaved most like dogs, and the dogs I have liked the least tended to behave most like cats.
I know. It’s unfair.
That being said, cats LOVE me. They are sneaky buggers. It’s like they know that I have a fundamental problem with them, and so they set out to annoy me into either loving them or hating them.
Regardless of my personal feelings toward cats, I enjoy it when my friends tell me stories about their feline companions’ complex personalities. And I adore watching cat videos on the socials. They are such interesting creatures. So it was a real pleasure to work on a manuscript about . . . cats.
In her book of short stories, Shirley M. McGrath takes you on a journey to a little known place called Prelude Lake, just north of Yellowknife. For ten eventful years, she lived in a magical house called Dragonholm there with her husband and a menagerie of cats.
Part memoir, part book of poetry, Cat of the North and Other Tales demonstrates McGrath’s great capacity for storytelling. She invites you to immerse yourself in her life, surrounded by all of her favourite things, and does so with a deft hand at easy humour and a special insight into feline psychology.
McGrath speaks to her cats and they speak right back, loud and proud or grouchy and pouty; it all depends on the mood of the day. These are the little details that turn a book from nice enough to engaging and smile-inducing. I found myself delighted with the individual personalities and McGrath’s easy way with words.
Whether the cats’ antics make you laugh or the quirky poems make you smile, there is no doubt what this book is about: love, pure and simple.
Shirley M. McGrath self-published her book through FriesenPress, Inc., a Canadian publishing services provider. This book is available for purchase on the FriesenPress website, if you wish to support Canadian-owned products, or via Amazon.
(Note: Parts of this blurb were taken from the back cover of this book, which I wrote as part of my work on this project.)
Other Posts
#11 A Giving Spirit
I lived in France for three years in my twenties (2003–2006). I had moved there for love, and despite my best efforts, that relationship hadn’t worked out. Still, I had a work permit, a job, and I was slowly making my own friends.
#10 Reciprocity
Several months ago, a man I’ve been seeing became woefully sick. He hadn’t had a cold or other illness like this in decades, he told me. He seemed both perplexed and angry that his body had betrayed him.
Articles coming soon
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis
#9 Boundaries? What Boundaries?
As we navigate life, trying to squeeze the best out of every day, we are inevitably faced with tough scenarios. My perspective on the world is unique simply because each of us is unique. I view things through a lens that has been shaped by my childhood, the interactions I’ve had in my adult life, and the many good and bad experiences I’ve had along the way. My traumas will be different from yours, and what triggers me might not trigger you.
#8 The Accountant, the Boss and the Lawyer
I lived in France for three years. Much of that time was spent working for a business school as the incoming students’ coordinator. It was a really interesting job. There was rarely a dull moment as I dealt a lot with students who were from another culture and who often had random questions they came by my office to ask. In some ways, I was a kind of therapist to them, helping them solve problems and providing an ear when they wanted to talk.
Cat of the North and Other Tales by Shirley M. McGrath
I will fully admit that I’m not a cat person. First, I am allergic to cats, so that doesn’t help matters. But, in addition to that unequivocal bias, I also find cats to be rather standoffish. The cats I have liked the best tended to be the ones that behaved most like dogs, and the dogs I have liked the least tended to behave most like cats.