In following up his insightful Q&A-style treatise on feline behavior, Catwatching (1987), Morris here answers 60 equally engrossing questions, this time supplied by readers of the earlier work. The questions run the gamut on feline life—everything from will one female feed another's kittens (yes) and what are the best pets for allergy-sufferers (Cornish Rexes and hairless Sphynxes) to why do some cats suck on wool (the equivalent to thumb-sucking in humans—a substitute for suckling) and how and when was the cat first domesticated and bred. Morris also deftly researches the origins of such unusual terms and expressions as "catgut" and "grinning like a Cheshire cat." Cat aficionados may take exception to one of Morris' assertions—that neutering a cat is "butchery" done only for the owner's convenience, and should be replaced by tube-tying. (Though this solution might be applicable, and in some situations even desirable, one wonders whether Morris has fully considered the dangers of unneutered cats that run away from home during mating season, and the virtual impossibility of keeping odiferous cats—toms that spray—in multifamily dwellings.) With the exception noted, perceptive and enlightening—and for cat lovers, not to be missed.
Pub Date: May 1, 1988
ISBN: 0517127415
Page Count: -
Publisher: Crown
Review Posted Online: May 21, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 1988
An enjoyable slice of 20th-century music journalism almost certain to provide something for most readers, no matter one’s...
Music journalist and musician Wald (Talking 'Bout Your Mama: The Dozens, Snaps, and the Deep Roots of Rap, 2014, etc.) focuses on one evening in music history to explain the evolution of contemporary music, especially folk, blues, and rock.
The date of that evening is July 25, 1965, at the Newport Folk Festival, where there was an unbelievably unexpected occurrence: singer/songwriter Bob Dylan, already a living legend in his early 20s, overriding the acoustic music that made him famous in favor of electronically based music, causing reactions ranging from adoration to intense resentment among other musicians, DJs, and record buyers. Dylan has told his own stories (those stories vary because that’s Dylan’s character), and plenty of other music journalists have explored the Dylan phenomenon. What sets Wald's book apart is his laser focus on that one date. The detailed recounting of what did and did not occur on stage and in the audience that night contains contradictory evidence sorted skillfully by the author. He offers a wealth of context; in fact, his account of Dylan's stage appearance does not arrive until 250 pages in. The author cites dozens of sources, well-known and otherwise, but the key storylines, other than Dylan, involve acoustic folk music guru Pete Seeger and the rich history of the Newport festival, a history that had created expectations smashed by Dylan. Furthermore, the appearances on the pages by other musicians—e.g., Joan Baez, the Weaver, Peter, Paul, and Mary, Dave Van Ronk, and Gordon Lightfoot—give the book enough of an expansive feel. Wald's personal knowledge seems encyclopedic, and his endnotes show how he ranged far beyond personal knowledge to produce the book.
An enjoyable slice of 20th-century music journalism almost certain to provide something for most readers, no matter one’s personal feelings about Dylan's music or persona.Pub Date: July 25, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-06-236668-9
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Dey Street/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 15, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2015
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK TO SCREEN
BOOK TO SCREEN
BOOK TO SCREEN
Stricter than, say, Bergen Evans or W3 ("disinterested" means impartial — period), Strunk is in the last analysis...
Privately published by Strunk of Cornell in 1918 and revised by his student E. B. White in 1959, that "little book" is back again with more White updatings.
Stricter than, say, Bergen Evans or W3 ("disinterested" means impartial — period), Strunk is in the last analysis (whoops — "A bankrupt expression") a unique guide (which means "without like or equal").Pub Date: May 15, 1972
ISBN: 0205632645
Page Count: 105
Publisher: Macmillan
Review Posted Online: Oct. 28, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 1972
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