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AngelKat

@angelkat.bsky.social

Cat lover, avid reader, amateur gardener and perpetually curious.

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AngelKat@angelkat.bsky.social · 2d ago

📚 Just Finished: 10 Minutes 38 Seconds In This Strange World 🇹🇷🇹🇷🇹🇷🇹🇷…while fiction, learned a lot of facts about Istanbul, Turkey—its history, people, political conflicts. Here, the brothels and downtrodden, especially women, are written about, w/respect of their tragic but beautiful lives.

Book Cover: 10 Minutes 38 Seconds In This Strange World, written by Elif Shafak. The title refers to this: “Researchers at various world-renowned institutions had observed persistent brain activity in people who had just died; in some cases this had lasted for only a few minutes. In others, for as much as ten minutes and thirty-eight seconds. What happened during that time? Did the dead remember the past, and, if so, which parts of it, and in what order? How could the mind condense an entire life into the time it took to boil a kettle? Successive research had also shown that more than a thousand genes continued to function in cadavers days after the person had been pronounced dead.” Here we learn of Leila’s 5 best friends. She chose well. The author has a PhD in political science and is the most widely read female author in Turkey, per her bio. This is my 2nd book by her…she writes really well & her knowledge & empathy resonate. Insert Book Cover: 10 Minutes 38 Seconds In This Strange World, written by Elif Shafak. “In the pulsating moments after she has been murdered and left in a dumpster outside Istanbul, Tequila Leila enters a state of heightened awareness. Her heart has stopped beating but her brain is still active—for 10 minutes 38 seconds. While the Turkish sunrises and her friends sleep soundly nearby, she remembers her life—and the lives of others, outcasts like her. Tequila Leila's memories bring us back to her childhood in the provinces, a highly oppressive milieu with religion and traditions, shaped by a polygamous family with two mothers and an increasingly authoritarian father. Escaping to Istanbul, Leila makes her way into the sordid industry of sex trafficking, finding a home in the city's historic Street of Brothels. This is a dark, violent world, but Leila is tough and open to beauty, light, and the essential bonds of friendship. In Tequila Leila's death, the secrets and wonders of modern Istanbul come to life, painted vividly by the captivating tales of how Leila came to know and be loved by her friends. As her epic journey to the afterlife comes to an end, it is her chosen family who brings her story to a buoyant and breathtaking conclusion.”Back Book Cover: 10 Minutes 38 Seconds In This Strange World, written by Elif Shafak. Includes quotes of praise for this book.
AngelKat@angelkat.bsky.social · last wk.

📚 Just Finished: Agnes Aubert’s Mystical Cat Shelter 🧙‍♂️🐈🐈‍⬛🪄… this is for those of us who know cats, especially strays & shelter cats, are naturally enchanted - no magic spells involved. 😊 This book is magical, just so delightful and the writing so smart. 💯 recommend. 🐾

Book Cover: Agnes Aubert’s Mystical Cat Shelter, written by Heather Fawcett. Oh did I need this book after my last few reads that were very dark. This tale was so well spun and so smart (had quite a few words I had to look up)…and it was truly magical. I’m not typically a fan of fantasy, but this felt so human, that I was enthralled. And let’s face it — it revolves around shelter cats! Agnes was so relateful in her love for all the stray cats and her desire to rescue them & find the right forever homes. Her faith in the goodness of people was her greatest strength, as was her sister who kept her grounded and protected from those who might use Agnes’ kindness. And then there’s Havelock — who has the power to make magic. What could go wrong — or perfectly right? You’ll see… Had a few notable quotes that struck me, a few of which are here: “Is there anything more contrary and self-centred than a cat? Yet I'd risk my life for them." “People with too much power aren't usually the ones harmed by their mistakes, are they?" “…And yet, wasn't I used to the feeling by now? How many times had I told myself that I could make things better, only to have the world remind me how small I was, a leaf in a vast river whose currents were governed by forces I could barely understand?”Back Book Cover: Agnes Aubert’s Mystical Cat Shelter, written by Heather Fawcett. “Agnes Aubert leads a meticulously organized life, and she likes it that way. As the proudly type-A manager of a cat rescue charity, she has devoted her life to finding forever homes for stray cats. Now it's the shelter that needs a new home. And the only landlord who will rent a space to a cat rescue is a mysterious man called Havelock—who also happens to be the world's most infamous magician, running an illegal magic shop out of his basement. Havelock is cantankerous and eccentric, but not not handsome, and no, Agnes absolutely does not feel anything but disdain for him. After all, rumors swirl about his shadowy past—including whispers that his dark magic once almost brought about the apocalypse. Then one day a glamorous magician comes looking for Havelock, putting the magic shop—and the cat shelter—in jeopardy. To save the shelter, Agnes will have to team up with the magician who nearly ended the world... and may now be trying to steal her heart. Havelock is everything Agnes thinks she doesn't need in her life: chaos, mischief, and a little too much adventure. But as she gets to know him, she discovers that he's more than the dark magician of legend, and that she may be ready for a little intrigue—and romance—in her life. After all, second chances aren't just for rescue cats....”Magically, my copy was a signed one! Lucky me. 📚🍀😊
AngelKat@angelkat.bsky.social · 2w ago

Just Finished: The Summer That Melted Everything 🔥🔥🔥🔥… it all started when Fielding’s dad invited trouble. It came. And the summer heat fueled the hate ignited by the darkest of souls. Amazing writing, but dark & tragic happenings.

Book Cover: The Summer That Melted Everything, written by Tiffany McDaniel. The boys, Fielding and his brother, Grand, along with Sal, are so lovable. Their hot summer days and nights are just more than boys should ever have to endure. Back Book Cover: The Summer That Melted Everything, written by Tiffany McDaniel. “Sal seems to appear out of nowhere-a bruised and tattered thirteen-year-old boy claiming to be the devil himself answering an invitation. Fielding, the son of a local prosecutor, brings Sal home, where he's welcomed into the Bliss family, who assume he's a runaway from a nearby farm town. When word spreads that the devil has come to Breathed, not everyone is happy to welcome this self-proclaimed fallen angel. Murmurs follow him and tensions rise, along with the temperature as an unbearable heat wave rolls into town right along with him. As strange accidents start to occur, riled by the feverish heat, some in the town start to believe that Sal is exactly who he claims to be. While the Bliss family wrestle with their own personal demons, a fanatic drives the town to the brink of a catastrophe that will change this sleepy Ohio backwater forever.”
AngelKat@angelkat.bsky.social · 2w ago

📚 Just Finished: The King Of Diamonds 💎💎💎🫆…our library Book Club selection. Living in DFW since late 70’s, the rich neighborhoods, larger-than-life wildcatters & their la di da wives, lavish lifestyles & partying are well known to me. This true crime jewel heist story is wild as the oil boom times.🛢️

Book Cover: The King Of Diamonds, written by Rena Pederson. Being a local, this was a fun read. I’ve driven through the wealthiest neighborhoods this jewelry burglar hit, ate 🍕 at the infamous Campisi’s restaurant where the rich crowd and rumored mafioso gathered, and danced at a few of the nightclubs that were still around in the late 70s, early 80’s. The jewelry burglar was never officially caught - the wealthy victims, often involved in shady deals, associated with high political folks, gambling, sexual promiscuity, and dangerous mafia ties, protected their reputations over mere loss of jewels that were replaceable. Wild times, crazy money 💰. Great read, especially for us locals. Back Book Cover: The King Of Diamonds, written by Rena Pederson. “As a string of high-profile jewel thefts from Dallas high society homes went unsolved during the Swinging Sixties, the press dubbed the thief "the King of Diamonds" because he eluded the police and the FBI with panache. Like Cary Grant in To Catch a Thief, the King was so bold that he tip-toed into the homes of millionaires while they were watching television or hosting parties. He hid in their closets and dared to smoke a cigarette while they were sleeping not far away. He took jewels from heiresses, oil kings, and corporate CEOs. These were not just some of the richest people in Texas; they were some of the richest people of their time: But the thief was never caught and the jewels never recovered. Following the tracks of the thief, Rena Pederson interviewed more than two hundred people, from veteran cops to strippers. She traveled to pawn shops, Las Vegas casinos, and Mafia hangouts, and discovered that beneath the glittering façade of Dallas debutante parties was a world of sex trafficking, illegal gambling, and political graft. When one of the leading suspects was found dead in highly unusual circumstances, the story darkened. High society crashes head-first into Mickey Spillane in this very different kind of crime story that will remain, as one socialite so aptly put it, "a very peculiar business."