Thursday, November 3, 2016

Tortie Shorties: CWA Edition


Meows from Mudpie!

One of the greatest honors Mommy has ever received was the day she was accepted as a member of the Cat Writers Association, and we're always thrilled when asked to review one of our fellow member's books. Today we're reviewing three of them, and each one would make a purrfect edition to any cat lover's bookshelf!


Cats for the GENIUS by Ramona D. Marek

From the publisher: Are you a cat owner or are you thinking about becoming one? If cats have already cast their magical spell on you, you'll find valuable information for you and your feline friends. If you're getting your first cat or find yourself unexpectedly living with a feline roommate, welcome to the cat fancy. Get ready for a whimsical, enchanting, and affectionate lifelong relationship!

Proper care takes time, money, and a lifetime commitment. Whether you are newly kitten smitten or a seasoned feline aficionado, Cats for the GENIUS shows you how to build the foundation of a long, healthy, happy relationship between you and your cat.

Cats for the GENIUS is written with clever wit and in an easy-to-read conversational style common to books in the For the GENIUS series. It is your comprehensive owner's guide to everything feline.

Tortie Shorties Review: We all have cat care books on our shelves that we dust off only to look up a medical or behavioral problem when it crops up. This isn't one of those books. I read my copy cover to cover and found myself learning new things even after nearly 4 decades of cat ownership! It covers everything you need to know from start to finish, from choosing the right cat for your lifestyle and preparing your home for your new family member to inevitable end-of-life decisions. It's well-researched yet conversational, told in an easy-to-read style accompanied by fun and informative anecdotes. I can't think of a better gift for someone adopting a cat for the first time...but longtime pet parents will find much to enjoy here too!



From the publisher: This new edition is a vet-approved, authoritative guide to homeopathy, supplements, and hundreds of other new choices for keeping dogs and cats healthy!
  • Strengthen joints and repair cartilage with this all-natural enzyme (page 114).
  • Push the "aspirin" point for instant pain relief (page 135).
  • Stop behavior problems like barking with a flower essence (page 150).
  • Herbs that fortify immunity and can help prevent cancer (page 178).
  • Eliminate swelling with this powerful nutrient (page 233).
  • A one-week plan to get rid of fleas-- without harmful chemicals (page 263). 
Discover for yourself how America's top holistic veterinarians treat their pets without using drugs...and how you can do it, too!

Tortie Shorties Review: It's no secret that I'm a huge fan of natural healing, both for myself and my pets. Over the past decade I've used everything from acupuncture to Reiki to herbs with a holistic vet right alongside traditional medicine with my regular vet. As soon as I received this book I went to the section on asthma and received confirmation on things I've already been doing (flower essences & treating the environment) while also learning other ideas to put into practice.

While we must trust in mainstream veterinary medicine, I strongly believe that we can do more for our pets through alternative holistic treatments and this book is the most comprehensive guide I've found for anyone just beginning to navigate this fascinating new world to people like me who've been studying the topic for years. It's a book that will remain at my fingertips for as long as I'm a cat mom (in other words, for a lifetime). 



From the publisher: This award winning guide to cat photography offers easy to follow tips and recipes that allow anyone to capture amazing pictures of their furry companion. A central theme of the book is learning how to turn your cat's habits to your photographic advantage. From candid photos to portraits to fun cat pictures, over 90 example images walk the reader thru planning, staging, lighting and photographing cats.

Along the way, the book explains essential photography concepts like depth of field, lens selection, composition and postproduction techniques for cat photography. In depth, step-by-step instructions describe various lighting techniques to establish mood using both natural light and flash.

How to Take Beautiful Pictures of your Cat was awarded a Certificate of Excellence by the Cat Writers' Association. It makes a valuable addition to the bookshelf of any cat lover or pet photographer.

Tortie Shorties Review: Who doesn't love looking at pictures of beautiful cats? From glamour shots to candids of cats doing everyday "cat stuff" there's huge satisfaction in getting that purrfect picture. Photographing cats is very difficult though, as every cat owner discovers. It takes patience, persistence, and a good amount of tricks up your sleeve. As much as I enjoy every aspect of pet blogging, photography is something I continue to struggle with; my greatest issue being that my house is as dark as a crypt and natural light is hard to come by. Thanks to this book I learned a bunch of tips and workarounds to help improve my efforts with regards to lighting, but also other techniques such as staging a picture, making the most of whatever camera you have, and how to use your cat's regular habits to your advantage. Professional and amateur photographers alike will find this book to be informative and entertaining (plus beautiful pictures of the author's cats Archie and Lucy are used as examples of the techniques!)

Disclaimer: I received free copies of these books from the authors in exchange for fair and honest reviews.

12 comments:

Unknown said...

I really like the photography book! Gray review!!

Fur Everywhere said...

These all sound like great books! I'll have to add them to my "to read" list.

The Menagerie Mom said...

These all sound like such helpful books. I, too, am always looking for ways to better photograph my furbabies, especially the active ones who simply won't sit still for a photo shoot (ahem, Eddy). Thank you so much for sharing these with us, Melissa and Mudpie!

Unknown said...

These sound like three really useful books. That photography book is definitely going on my "must-have" list! thanks for sharing!

Anonymous said...

Thanks, Melissa (and Mudpie).

Momma Kat and Her Bear Cat said...

I need the photography book!! I have a feeling Bear Cat might get me the first one too ;)

Rosa Silva said...

These books all sound awesome! I would love to get that photography book - improving my photography is one of my goals for the next year. Thanks for these great reviews!

AmyShojai said...

Thanks so much for the mention of the Natural Healing book. Looking forward to adding the others to my library.

da tabbies o trout towne said...

mudpie....how total lee awesum yur mom waz chozen ta ree view theeze book...they all sound grate.....we R gonna hafta sneek over two de book store N chex em all out !! ♥♥♥☺☺☺

nancywestbooks said...

Thanks for the reviews, Mudpie! You're the best!

pilch92 said...

Good thing Christmas is coming because I want all of these.

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