Review: The Full Moon Coffee Shop

Title: The Full Moon Coffee Shop

Author: Mai Mochizuki

Publisher: 27th August 2024 by Hachette Australia

Pages: 240 pages

Genre: Japan, Magical Realism, fantasy, cats

My Rating: 3.5 cups

Synopsis:

Translated from the Japanese bestseller, this charming and magical novel, inspired by the myth of cats returning favors to those who care for them, reminds us that it’s never too late to follow our stars.

In Japan cats are a symbol of good luck. As the myth goes, if you are kind to them, they’ll one day return the favor. And if you are kind to the right cat, you might just find yourself invited to a mysterious coffee shop under a glittering Kyoto moon. This particular coffee shop is like no other. It has no fixed location, no fixed hours, and seemingly appears at random to adrift young people at crucial junctions in their lives.

It’s also run by talking cats.

While customers at the Full Moon Coffee Shop partake in cakes, coffees, and teas, the cats also consult them on their star charts, offer cryptic wisdom, and let them know where their lives have veered off course—because every person who visits the shop has been feeling more than a little lost. And for a down-on-her-luck screenwriter, a romantically stuck movie director, a hopeful hairstylist, and a technologically challenged website designer, the feline guides will set them back on their fated paths. After all, there is a reason the shop appeared to each of them…

My Thoughts

The Full Moon Coffee Shop by Mai Mochizuki is a magical novel about a Kyoto pop-up café that will suddenly appear (no set location or hours) to people needing advice and guidance in their life. Out of this cafe come talking cats, consulting astrological charts. 

‘In the middle of the temple grounds was what looked like a mobile coffee shop … Just then, a large tortoiseshell cat wearing an apron emerged from the truck and set out a sign. The sign read: The Full Moon Coffee Shop.’

The cafe suddenly appears to select people who have lost their way in life and the cats not only serve food and drink but also a reading from the character’s astrological chart. This will assist them to overcome their current obstacle and guide them once more in the right direction. It’s a cute and very quick read about understanding what motivates us and channeling that to lead a fulfilling life. 

‘And that is the story of the strange moonlit night on which I learned to know myself - and finally move forward with my life.’

If you like cats and you like astrology and you are a fan of Before the Coffee Gets Cold, Days at the Morisake Bookshop and Butter, then you are in for a treat. 

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.

Review: Mickey

Title: Mickey

Author: Helen Brown

Publisher: 1st May 2024 by ABC Books AU

Pages: 340 pages

Genre: pets, cats, autobiography 

Synopsis:

From the New York Times bestselling author of Cleo, a warm, wistful coming-of-age true story about the transition from childhood to adolescence, and the small stray cat who helped guide the way.

It was 1966 and the times they were a-changing, even in the provincial New Zealand coastal town of New Plymouth. Skirts were getting shorter, the Vietnam War was on TV every night and French nuclear tests in the Pacific turned the night sky a violent red. Twelve-year-old Helen, the youngest daughter of an eccentric engineer and a musical theatre fanatic, was living in a crumbling castle overrun by nature, and overshadowed by the majestic Mount Taranaki. On the eve of puberty, everything suddenly is uncomfortable and unfamiliar to Helen. She feels lonely and lost, adrift in this new turbulent sea. 

That is, until her father gifts her a tiger-striped kitten with extra toes on each paw. Noticing an M on the cat's forehead, Helen names her new companion Mickey. Inquisitive, clever and skittish, Mickey disrupts the already rambunctious household with his mischief. But as it turns out, he's just the ally Helen needs to explore the new world waking up around her.

My Thoughts

‘Cat and girl, we embraced the meow, surrendered to the shimmer, and let ourselves melt into the particles.’

The author, Helen Brown, has previously written three other books about cats and how they loved and supported her through challenging times. She has now gone back to the very beginning with the one cat that started it all, Mickey. When she was twelve years old, at the very cusp of what would be a challenging adolescence, her father presented her with a kitten. Mickey was her first friend and love with whom she shared all her dreams. 

Living in a household with her eccentric parents and older siblings, everyone seemed to be caught up in their own dramas. Feeling somewhat lost and unseen, Helen and Mickey traversed  through the challenges together. Living in provincial New Zealand in the 1960s, one was still aware of global tensions from Russia and USA, troubles in Vietnam and nuclear testing in the Pacific. So, far from being a book just about cats, it tells a story that is much broader. 

This is a heartwarming memoir about love and loss, family and friends and how our furry friends can provide the joy and healing we humans often look for. A genuine story that celebrates the power of our animal companions during life’s trials and tribulations. 

’Mickey and I shed our physical bodies and became weightless spirits, limited only by the size of our thoughts. The cat expanded to become the size of a giant tiger. I climbed on board her back. Together we dissolved through the ceiling and floated across the night sky.’

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.

Review: Hemingway's Cats

Title: Hemingway's Cats

Author: Lindsey Hooper

Publisher: 25th April 2021 by Kensington Books

Pages: 272 pages

How I Read It: ARC book

Genre: women’s fiction

My Rating: 3 cups

Synopsis:

IInspired by the true story of the world-famous six-toed felines of the Ernest Hemingway House in Key West, Florida--and the fur-raising hurricane that nearly blew them away--Hemingway's Cats is a delightful novel packed with colorful characters, adorable cats, a little romance, and a lot of humor.

Laura Lange didn't come to Key West to fall in love. As a recent college grad--with a useless degree in English--she came to work at the historic Hemingway home as a tour guide. Why not? She wrote her thesis on the iconic author. She has no other job offers. And she's desperate. Now Laura is falling desperately in love--with the fifty-four frisky felines who freely roam the estate. These descendants of Hemingway's original cat have not only stolen her heart--they're changing her life in ways she never imagined . . .

First there's Nessie, the bushy-tailed house mother of the cats who seems to have adopted Laura, too. Then there's grumpy old Pawpa Hemingway; the cat thieves Chew-Chew and Whiskey; the big-pawed Boxer and Bullfighter; and dozens of darling kittens. The locals are lovable, too. Laura's having a great time with her boy-crazy bungalow roomies, the Crabb sisters, and especially the young, handsome cat keeper, Jake. But Laura's summer of fun is about to take an unexpected turn--a Category 5 hurricane is about to make landfall directly on their doorstep . . .

They can't possibly evacuate fifty-four cats. So Laura, Nessie, and all of their friends decide to hunker down in the Hemingway House to weather this storm--together.

My Thoughts

Simply told, this book is about a college graduate who moves to Key West to work as a tour guide at the Ernest Hemingway home which is now a museum. Here she meets an eclectic group of people and the six toed cats that inhabit the home with an approaching hurricane on the horizon.

“Yes, I really loved that Hemingway quote. Especially the part about living life ‘intoxicated by the romance of the unusual.’ I don’t know why, but it really struck a nerve with me. It was exactly what I needed to hear, right here and right now.”

Personally, I picked this book up because of my love of  travel, history and cats - on all counts the book was good. To ‘escape’ to the famous Key West, have interspersed references to Hemingway and all accompanied with delightful feline fetishes was fun. Let it be said however, this is a most quirky little book. An interesting array of characters reside in this Florida locale and it is very much a character driven book. Many will find it amusing to say the least. I struggled somewhat with the writing not really understanding some of the author choices in switching to journal mode or the fizzled drama halfway through the book as an example.

All up if any of the main themes appeal to you, it is a pleasant way to escape to Florida Keys. And if an eclectic group of people hunkering down for an oncoming hurricane of the century appeals to you, then this will be sure to entertain. 

‘... just minutes before the hurricane made landfall - everyone was safe inside the Hemingway House. This included twelve people, two Chihuahuas, two boa constrictors, two box turtles, two tarantulas, two lovebirds, one parrot, one iguana, and, by last count, fifty-four cats. It felt like a slumber party. In a zoo.’

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.