My Cat Saved My Life

Why would you read this book? Have you ever lost a loved companion, parent, sibling, friend? Perhaps you felt that societal restrictions on how you grieved didn't really provide sufficient room for your experience. Have you ever believed that soul is not the exclusive realm of humans? Have you ever been lost in a well of depression so deep that the light cannot reach you? Do you occasionally believe that animals know more about living than we (humans) do? Then this account will resonate with you. This heartfelt little book is written by Phillip Schreibman, who lost his emotional and spiritual footing following the deaths of his father and then his mother. He describes better than anyone I've read what it is like to experience someone dying. " A miracle of experiences, hopes, stories, thoughts, a way of smiling, a voice, vanished in the smallest fraction of a second." One minute they were there and the next they were not. "Now all the parts of me where my day-to-day living had once entwined with theirs were reaching out into nothing." But then he rescued a six-week old kitten and she, in turn, rescued him.

Love Walked In

At first you'll think that love walked into Cornelia's life and coffee shop in the form of a Cary Grant look-alike. She really wanted to be in love with Martin Grace because there were so many things to love about him. But the real fall comes when Cornelia meets Martin's estranged daughter, Clare. I'd be surprised if you don't fall in love with Cornelia as I did, and for the same reasons she fell in love with Clare -- because she's thoughtful, emotionally courageous, ultimately stays true to herself, and is willing to risk it all for what she wants. The characters are occasionally quirky, very well drawn, enormously endearing. We are reminded that, whether in families, friendships, or love affairs, there is no happiness without some cost, but it's usually worth it. Set predominantly in Philadephia, punctuated by delightful dialog and frequent classic film references, this first novel from Maria de los Santos is a most satisfying read.