The Interpretation of Cats: Understanding the Psychology of Our Feline Companions by Claude Beata, is an eye-opening book on the behavior of our feline companions. Written by a French veterinary psychiatrist with decades of experience researching cat behaviors, Beata offers clues to understanding a range of disorders that are known to affect humans but also affect cats. This can include conditions such as schizophrenia, anxiety, and depression. The book offers practical tips for identifying possible causes of behaviors in cats using real cases from his own veterinary experiences. Common issues of aggression and litter box problems are addressed with tips on how to handle these kinds of scenarios.

The Swedish Art of Aging Exuberantly by Margareta Magnusson, is part of The Swedish Art of Living & Dying Series. Magnusson’s book The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning became an international best seller for introducing the world to the idea of cleaning out your “stuff” to save others the hassle of doing it after your time has passed. Aging Exuberantly focuses on prioritizing what is important so you can live each day to its absolute fullest. Everyone experiences the process of growing older, but Magnusson balances the difficult things we must accept with some of the joys that can come with growing older. The message is clear — let go of what doesn’t matter, appreciate the beauty that surrounds us, hug your loved ones tight, and enjoy the ride of life.

Rebel Girl: My Life as a Feminist Punk is a memoir by musician and visual artist Kathleen Hanna. She is well known as the front woman of pioneering feminist punk band Bikini Kill and post-riot grrrl music and art project Le Tigre. Hanna details her tumultuous childhood, college years, music career, and perhaps most poignantly, her evolution as an icon of a cultural movement. Her stories are as raw as her music, giving the reader a glimpse into her life as she navigates the burgeoning music scenes of the 80s and 90s with friends like Kurt Cobain, Joan Jet, Ian MacKaye, and Ad Rock (whom she later marries). She documents the hard times, including her battle with late-stage Lyme Disease, along with the joyful times, as she continues to find her voice creating art that is raw and honest.

The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley is a story of time travel and unlikely romance. The story follows a civil servant early on in her career with the British government. After being offered a promotion and a hefty pay raise, she discovers her new position as a “bridge” is to acclimate one of a handful of time traveling “expats” who were plucked from history and brought into the future as part of a top-secret government project. She is assigned to Commander Graham Gore, who was slated for death on a doomed Arctic expedition in 1847. The two spend countless hours living together as Gore is taught how to exist and participate in modern day life, but his adventurous nature and charming ways are not diminished. By the time the government project begins to unravel, the bridge has fallen wildly in love with the expat. Complications ensue and choices must be made that will affect both the present and the future.

By Melissa Matuscak Alan

Circulation Department Head