Cat books suggestions

The Cat In The Hat

Under the genre of 'Children's literature' is the famous book of Dr. Seuss published in 1957. The title may seem familiar to you, as it has been adapted into a film in 2003 with the actors Mike Myers and Dakota Fanning.

Plot: An anthropomorphic cat shows up on the doorstep of two children rescuing them from boredom and taking them in an amazing daily experience filled with excitement .

Wikipedia about The Cat in the Hat

Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats

According to Wikipedia (forever in debt to you, Wikipedia!), Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats is a collection of whimsical poems by T. S. Eliot about feline psychology and sociology, published by Faber and Faber.

The poems were written during the 1930s and included by Eliot, under his assumed name "Old Possum," in letters to his godchildren. They were collected and published in 1939 with cover illustrations by the author, and quickly re-published in 1940, illustrated in full by Nicolas Bentley. It has also been published in reillustrated versions by Edward Gorey (1982) and Axel Scheffler (2009)

Interesting fact: It has inspired the composer and theatre director Andrew Lloyd Webber to create one of the most popular musicals of all times, Cats.

Wikipedia about Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats

The Black Cat

Horror-lovers of the world unite! This book combines both horror and a cat! It is one of the most famous short stories by the metre of the horror genre, Edgar Allan Poe. It is quite short, so I won't get into details about the plot. Just read it to feel the unique creepy atmosphere that Poe creates in his stories and if you like it, I would advise you to read some more of Poe's best stories, like The Fall of the House of Usher, The Mask of the Red Death, The Cast of Amontillado and don't forget about his superb poems.

Simon's Cat

Once there was a very popular YouTube animated series by Simon Tofield called Simon's Cat. In 2009 the animation made its way into a book owing to the audience's love. The author's inspiration was obviously his four cats, which provide him with dozens of stories to illustrate.

The animation and book presents a man and his relationship to his always-hungry cat. You will find the cat's strategies to get attention hilarious and the cat adorable.

Alice in Wonderland & Through The Looking Glass

Who does not know the famous Cheshire Cat in the book Alice in Wonderland? Most of those who have read the book declare their love for this unique cat. It is there to amaze you and confuse you at the same time with the things he says to Alice, leaving you wonderling whether to consider him mad or the wisest cat of all. I will not say anything more about Alice in Wonderland because I believe that everyone knows about it and every single person must read it at least once in their life.

Cheers!

Lilian White

Chocolate, Chocolate Everywhere..!

Do you dream of swimming in a pool filled with chocolate, too?

From sweet alchemies to chocolate addiction.

Many people on this planet take vows in the name of chocolate and claim that if they could, they would built for themselves a palace made of chocolate. Most of us adore chocolate. It is not random, after all, that the Maya considered chocolate a divine food.

The way I see it is that chocolate is not just a festive food we either consume or give as a gift at Easter or on Valentine's day. It is a very important ingredient of modern gastronomy and, of course, a huge part in our lives. Chocolate is everywhere. From choco bars, to cookies, to literally very sweet decorations and crafts (chocolate houses, bunnies, etc), even to chocolate underwear! But, why all this chocomania? There are so many kinds of addictions in life, but the sweetest of them all is chocolate addiction.

I am sure you have some friends that declare themselves as choco-addicts. So, is it true that chocolate can be addictive? There have been several surveys trying to shed some light on the reasons why chocolate can be considered a sweet drug. Experts say that because chocolate contains sugar and fat, it stimulates the brain, it gives us energy and this makes us feel more active and alive. It also causes a rewarding feeling because of its ingredients (fat and sugar mainly) which gives us pleasure, satisfaction and happiness. This is also true about sugar and fat-based food in general. Have you ever seen a child eating sweets and being unhappy at the same time? No. Therefore, it is natural for people to crave chocolate and its beneficial effects. However, to make the long story short, there is nothing yet that officially points directly at chocolate as an addictive food.

But chocaholics beware! We always ask for more of the things that we derive pleasure from such as food, let alone food that has positive effects in our psychology. Yet, losing control over our balanced diet can lead to health problems, obesity and increasing craving. That last leads also to a kind of addiction. So, I will repeat the big cliché that measure is important in our lives.

PS1: You can find more scientific explanations about choco-addiction here.

PS2: If I have just built up your appetite about chocolate, there are some mouthwatering recipes for you right here and here. Let me know if you eventually cook something delicious!

Lilian W.