 The Literary Pet Nicki Leone has a new dog, rescued from an abusive situation, who is currently undergoing training in preparation for a lifetime of living in peaceful coexistence with her books and cats. It’s been . . . challenging if rewarding, and I am encouraging her to write about the usefulness (or not) of print books versus e-books in such a pet-oriented environment. I do not own an e-reader and am uncertain how the three cats I live with would react to it, But I can tell you that while they no longer have the rambunctiousness of youth they nevertheless find print books irresistible in several ways. First, teething. You think they would have outgrown this stage, but no. Books’ edges, especially the top fore edge, apparently demand to be chewed. The type of book—old or new, jacketed or unjacketed, genre—are unimportant. What is important is that it be a hardcover that can stand up to some serious gnawing from both the inside as well as the outside without losing its edge. Gotta keep those teeth sharp! So far they have yet to completely penetrate the covers but a close inspection of several favorites shows that appears to be their goal. I swear that sometimes it looks like Dracula has been in during the night. A subset (as it were) of this reason is the shredding of the dust jacket corners. These appear to be not necessarily obstructive to the primary goal but to be an annoyance to be disposed of as soon as possible, preferably in tiny bits on the floor. Fortunately the entire jacket need not be shredded, just that part of it that covers up the to-be-chewed corner of the board. The second “irresistibility” of print books is their ability to stand up to their need for facial rubs. This almost fanatical action, wherein the cats rub their cheeks against the same hard upper fore edge of the books, is constantly ongoing. I wouldn’t mind it quite so much if they didn’t insist on leaving saliva behind or adding a few chews to their post-rubbing sessions. But they do. The third attraction of print books for cats is tied to their reader—me. Holding a book in my hands seems to be a signal that the cats can somehow “hear.” What it says is “I am sitting down, sitting still, and don’t have anything to do, therefore consider my lap available, right up here, where my hands are currently motionless and unused.” No book destruction is involved here, just lots of book distraction. I have no idea if an e-book reader would change any of their habits. But one thing is that I would no longer need to leave books out on the nightstand / end tables / coffee table / dining table / counters if I had one. Which is probably one of the reasons I don’t. I remember when I had my dearly departed Persephone. I would often read in bed while she lounged on and around my legs. One night I had several books also next to me and looked up to see her chewing on a fore edge. I started to say “No! Bad girl!” but before the words came out I realized that some day she would no longer be with me. Was the book worth a harsh word with her when that time came? I choked back my irritated response, then reached over and gently and lovingly said (instead), “Good girl! Very good girl!” I still have that book. And I value those particular teeth marks more than I can say. Upcoming Book Festivals and Fairs: Currently Reading:
The Pub House: Imaging Books & Reading: Of Interest: His post, titled Modern Russian Literature: Raising the Ignorance Curtain, is a look at some of this blogger’s current favorite Russian authors only some of whom have been translated into English. But of those who have he has a wonderful selection including fiction, literary fiction, phantasmagoria, intellectual science fiction and fantasy, biographies, mysteries, , a parable, and more. Check them out if you want to expand your reading into an international scene not well known in the U.S. Until next week, read well, read often and read on!
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