Mother's Day #CaturdayArt

Meows from Mudpie!

It's our first Mother's Day together and Mommy plans to be lazy and curl up with a cup of coffee, a cat cozy, and me, which is purrfectly depicted in our Caturday Art this week.

What do you all have planned for your Mother's Day weekend?

Visit more artsy kitties at Athena's Caturday Art blog hop!

Fun Feline Finds: Here, Kitty, Kitty Card Game

While I love the technology driven world we live in today, there are times I long for the days of sitting around the coffee table playing board and card games with my family. I still have many of them including my favorite, Candy Land. (My mother could never understand how I won every game until she discovered the strategically placed creases, my way of "marking" the cards!)

Fireside Games was founded in 2007 on the idea that games matter in this hectic, digital world. Game night brings families and friends together without the technology that separates us. From social interaction to embedded learning to stress management, games have a purpose, and for less than what it can costs to take the family to the movies for a couple of hours, you can bring home a game that will provide years of enjoyment.

From Bears! to Dastardly Dirigibles to The Village Crone, Fireside Games has something fun for everyone to enjoy, and their latest best-seller is the competitive card game Here, Kitty, Kitty.

About the game:

Your neighborhood has a cat problem! The problem is that all those cats don’t belong to YOU! Everyone in the neighborhood wants to claim those adorable kitties for themselves.

Outwit your fellow feline aficionados as you lure cats onto your property, move cats into your house, and steal cats from your neighbors. All’s fair in love and cat collecting!

There are no blenders or explosions in this game, but if you use your “Catlike Reflexes” and avoid “Stray Dogs” and “Hairballs,” you might just “Land on Your Feet!”

How can you resist the cuteness of the game pieces alone???

This game is for 3-6 players ages 10 and up, and the average time to play is 30 minutes, leaving you plenty of time to play with real kitties after you're done!

To find a store near you visit the Where to Buy section of the Fireside Games website, and Here, Kitty, Kitty is also available on Amazon.

Disclaimer: We received product compensation in exchange for featuring this content. All opinions are our own and we never recommend a product we don’t fully believe in.

Cinco De Mayo Funny

Meows from Mudpie...For Realz!!!

Meows from Mudpie! You've noticed that's how I begin all my blog posts, right? Well I have a treat for you today...a "Meows from Mudpie!" video!

One of Mommy's biggest regrets is that she never got video of Truffles' adorable little voice, and she's been determined to not make the same mistake with me.

So the other day when she was helping me take my Sunday Selfie, she turned on the video function of the iPad, and chatty little tortie that I am, I meowed right on cue!

Make sure your sound is turned up and enjoy!

Book Review/Giveaway: The True Tails of Baker and Taylor by Jan Louch w/Lisa Rogak

From the publisher: It all started with mice in the library.

Assistant librarian Jan Louch and a coworker decided that what the library needed was a cat. Or, even better, two cats. Soon, they found a pair of Scottish Folds who were perfect for the job. Jan named them Baker and Taylor, and they took up residence in the library.

But these cats were much more than mousers. Visitors to the library fell in love with Baker and Taylor and their antics just as Jan had. And then, after Jan let the cats be photographed for a poster, they became feline celebrities. Children from across the country wrote them letters, fans traveled from far and wide to meet them, and they became the most famous library cats in the world.

In The True Tails of Baker and Taylor, Jan Louch looks back and tells the remarkable story of these two marvelous cats and the people---readers, librarians, and cat lovers of all ages---who came together around them.

I'm almost embarrassed to admit that until this book I had never heard of the Baker and Taylor cats. My only excuse is that their heyday was in the 1980's, my childhood years when I was a frequent patron of my local library but not as enmeshed in cat culture as I am today. In any case, if they were around today they'd be giving Grumpy Cat a run for her money!

The two beautiful Scottish Folds arrived on the scene simply because Minden, Nevada's Douglas County Public Library was experiencing a rodent problem. Through a series of fateful events they become the mascots of book wholesaling company Baker and Taylor starring in a series of promotional ad campaigns, leading to worldwide celebrity and adoration. Along the way they leave their pawprints on many lives, from their primary caretaker/librarian Jan Louch to library patrons to classrooms of schoolchildren to the world.

This beautiful memoir is a love letter to cats and books. I felt such a kinship with the author as she detailed the connection that so many of us feel to both. Other heartwarming passages included interviews with several current library cats, tips on how to get a library cat for your own community, and a chapter written by Baker and Taylor's veterinarian. More than a few tears were shed by the end of the book as both cats sadly passed away, marking the end of an era. The ultimate lesson of their story is the healing power that cats have on humans and the chaotic lives we lead. What a wonderful world it would be if we all had feline co-workers.

Now my only question is...how do I get my paws on a Baker and Taylor tote bag???

The True Tails of Baker and Taylor: The Library Cats Who Left Their Pawprints on a Small Town . . . and the World is on store shelves today!

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher. Receiving the complimentary copy did not influence my review.

Giveaway: Leave a comment by noon eastern on Wednesday, May 11th for your chance to win a copy of The True Tails of Baker and Taylor. (US entries only please; a winner will be chosen by Random.org).

Tortie Shorties on Mystery Monday

Welcome to this week's edition of Tortie Shorties on Mystery Monday!

We hope you enjoy our choices.

The Paw-sitively Cheerful Poisoner (Beatrice Young Cozy Cat Mysteries Book 7) by Alannah Rogers

From the publisher: Danger's afoot in Ashbrook, New Hampshire. People are dropping dead like flies ... and the local doctor's at the heart of the controversy. 

Members of a prominent local family keep dying and what at first seems like an unfortunate tragedy, starts seeming awfully suspicious to Beatrice Young and her good friend, the sheriff.

Get ready to meet one of the most perplexing, twisted, and dangerous villains Beatrice Young and cats have ever seen. No one's safe from this happy-go-lucky murderer, for this person truly believes they're helping their patients—by delivering the kiss of death.

Can Beatrice, Hamish, Lucky, and Petunia save their neighbors, without falling into this deadly poisoner's hands?

Tortie Shorties Review: While I haven't read every book in this series I've read the last few, and this one is definitely my favorite so far. Why, you might ask? Because it involves murder...YAY!!! (Okay, it probably appears really creepy that that excites me so much LOL)

Beatrice is heartbroken to be attending the funeral of her good friend Anita Robinson, who had been in poor health but her death still came as a surprise. Before the day is over her grieving husband is also dead, and days later their oldest daughter as well. Something obviously nefarious is going on, and Beatrice quickly sets her sights upon the culprit. With the help of her three beloved cats she digs up all the dirt she can find on this "angel of death"...but how will she avoid being their next victim?

While it's apparent early on who the killer is, this person is so deliciously twisted and perverse that I only wish the story had been longer! Four paws up, and Beatrice's unresolved fate at the end has me eagerly anticipating what's next!!!

The Golden Owl (Clockwork Calico) (Volume 1) by Lana Axe

From the publisher: Calico Cogg is a cat like no other. Rescued from the streets of Ticswyk by esteemed inventor Lionel Cogg, she has been fitted with implants to enhance her natural feline abilities. When Lionel is kidnapped, Cali must put her skills to the test to free him. Dark schemes are in the works—a plague of tiny clockwork spiders are wreaking havoc on the city’s inhabitants. Only Cali, with help from her trusted mouse friend Emmit, can get to the bottom of it all. With a criminal mastermind planning a major heist, Cali must race against time to unravel his plot before he escapes with the city’s greatest treasure.

Tortie Shorties Review: Wikipedia defines steampunk as "a subgenre of science fiction or science fantasy that incorporates technology and aesthetic designs inspired by 19th-century industrial steam-powered machinery." Not something that would typically grab my attention, but kitty steampunk? Sign me up!

I enjoyed every single moment of this action-packed adventure as Cali and her adorable little mouse friend Emmit teamed up to save her human and uncover the dark forces at work in their town. This is a book that will appeal to children of all ages, 9 to 99, who enjoy a bit of fantasy in their fiction. I have a feeling many kids are going to be asking for Cali and Emmit stuffed animals and action figures soon!

Traffic Stopping #SundaySelfie

Meows from Mudpie!

Since much of our house is as dark as a crypt, pictures of me completely in natural light are a rare achievement. When Mommy does get one she says it's a good thing I'm not an outside kitty because I'm so beautiful I would stop traffic!

So for everybody's safety it's probably best that I stay inside, right?

We're joining our friends at The Cat on My Head for the Sunday Selfies blog hop.