The Art of Purring, by David Michie

The Dalai Lama's Cat and The Art of Purring
ISBN-13: 9781401943271
Publisher: Hay House, Inc.
Publication date: 11/28/2013
Pages: 209

I often sit at the computer terminal at the library, and type in 'cat'. Thousands of book titles show up, and I browse through them, hoping to find a gem.  Well, I found one, when I discovered David Michie's "The Dalai Lama's Cat", published in 2012.  The story of HHC (His Holiness's Cat) is delightful, endearing and thought-provoking. Without giving ANY of the stories away, this cat encounters many people and animals day to day, and the telling of how she views the world...and how Buddhist ideals are also cat ideals...makes a terrific read for anyone. Not to mention the joy of good food, and...um, erm...a bit of hanky panky?

THEN, just a few weeks ago, I discovered that David had written a sequel novel, called "The Art of Purring".  As soon as the book arrived at the library, I started to read as I walked home.  (You know, don't you, that it's not a great idea to put one's head in a book while walking in suburbia, right?) I've finished in record time, and I almost don't want to give it back.

Meditation and mindfulness, enjoying life while respecting life, forgiving one another while living in the present are wonderfully aspirations that this sweet cat and her human companions bump up against and then embrace.  Throw in a couple of chasing dogs, an email misprint, and a house fire to keep the reader riveted!

But WAIT!  There's more!  As I researched online for this post, I found out that Mr. Michie has released a third book about HHC!  Hokey smokes! "The Power of Meow".  Now I must be patient, while this book becomes available at the library. Perhaps I shall meditate on how generous the universe is, to have given David Michie the story-writing skills that I so enjoy.

Or, I'm going to drive to the nearest book-store and buy all three books so I can re-read them time and again!  Patience?  Me?!  Ha!