We Live and Breathe Books: Library Loans

How to Age Disgracefully by Clare Pooley
Published by Pamela Dorman Books on June 11, 2024
Age/Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Fiction
five-stars

Goodreads

When age makes you invisible, secrets are easier to hide

Daphne knows that age is just a number. She also knows that society no longer pays her any attention – something she’s happy to exploit to help her hide a somewhat chequered past.

But finding herself alone on her 70th birthday, with only her plants to talk to and neighbours to stalk online, she decides she needs some friends. Joining a Senior Citizen's Social Club she’s horrified at the expectation she’ll spend her time enduring gentle crafting activities. Thankfully, the other members – including a failed actor addicted to shoplifting and a prolific yarn-bomber – agree.

After a tragic accident, the local council threaten to close the club – but they have underestimated the wrong group of pensioners...and with the help of a teenage dad and a geriatric, orphaned dog, the incongruous gang set out to prove it.

As long as their pasts don't catch up with them first…

When the community center is at the risk of being closed, a rag tag group of members band together to save it.

After finishing this book, I congratulated myself for choosing my first Clare Pooley book. I was immediately won over by this author and have since, loved all her releases. She is an author whose work always amuses me while touching my heart. Once again, she has assembled a multigenerational cast, and what a bunch of characters. From the seniors to the day care tots, I adored them all!

Some things that stood out to me:

The Characters - As previously mentioned, I adored this bunch so much. The seniors were a hilarious and colorful group who all seemed to be hiding something. Part of the fun was uncovering their checkered past, and none were as prolific as Daphne. I would consider her one of the stars of this book as it was her decision to finally step out and begin living again that really brought this group together. Single dad Ziggy was one who I was rooting for. It was tough being a teen dad but he was trying so hard to improve himself to provide a better life for him and his daughter. But, I won't lie, I think my favorite character was Maggie Thatcher, the dog who really rose to the occasion when it mattered most.

The Found Family - I can never resist a found family trope, and I adored seeing this odd group of people bond. Daphne was really looking out for everyone and played the role of fixer a few times, too. But they all lent a hand at some point and supported each other. The love vibes were strong here.

The Mad Cap Antics - The whole save-the-community-center was easy to buy into, and the methods they employed were an endless source of amusement for me. I laughed loudly and often as I cheered for them to find the solution they needed.

Overall, this was a fun and wonderful story of friendship and connection which made me laugh while also warming my heart.

If Cats Disappeared From the World by Genki Kawamura
Published by Flatiron Books on March 12, 2019
Age/Genres: Adult, Fiction
five-stars

Goodreads

The international phenomenon that has sold over a million copies in Japan, If Cats Disappeared from the World is a funny, heartwarming, and profound meditation on the meaning of life.

The postman’s days are numbered. Estranged from his family, living alone with only his cat Cabbage to keep him company, he was unprepared for the doctor’s diagnosis that he has only months to live. But before he can tackle his bucket list, the Devil appears to make him an offer: In exchange for making one thing in the world disappear, our narrator will get one extra day of life. And so begins a very bizarre week…

With each object that disappears the postman reflects on the life he’s lived, his joys and regrets, and the people he’s loved and lost.

Genki Kawamura’s timeless tale is a moving story of loss and reconciliation, of one man’s journey to discover what really matters most in life.

For a short book, this one really packs a punch. It did not only have me in an emotional state, but it was also one of those stories which forces you to reflect on your own life and existence.

The narrator was a 30-year old postal worker who had been estranged from his father since his mother's death and had just learned of his imminent death. With very little time left to live, he found himself resorting to writing a bucket list when the devil appears. The devil promised the narrator an extra day to live but that day would come at a cost. For something gained, something must be lost, and it is up to the narrator to determine what the world could do without.

There are a few chapters where the narrator selects things to be removed from the world. He reflects on how that loss affected him, but he also reflected on his life, remembering the good and bad times while trying to figure out what really mattered to him.

It's that personal struggle, the reflections that really held me captive. There are so many things we tend to overlook in our lives, to take for granted until it's too late. The message of embracing the now and not waiting to tell someone they matter are so beautiful and important. For a book about dying, there was quite a bit of humor in there as well, though I cried as I read those last two chapters.

This was a quiet book which was thought provoking, and I really appreciated the reminder to think about my humanity, the connections I have or want, and what really matters in my life.