One of the first things most people find out about me is that I am an ailurophile (which means that I like cats). I read as many books about cats that I come across whether fiction or non-fiction, for children or adults. Recently I came across the Bad Kitty books by Nick Bruel. There are four of them, Bad Kitty, Bad Kitty Gets A Bath, Happy Birthday Bad Kitty and the latest Bad Kitty Vs Uncle Murphy (plus another book called Poor Puppy about Bad Kitty’s canine companion). Bad Kitty reminds me of my cat Ebony, black fur and a prickly personality. Bad Kitty behaves in typical feline ways such as doing everything possible to not get a bath (I would get seriously hurt if I tried to give Ebony a bath) and the illustrations of Bad Kitty and her feline companions add much to the stories. There are also little facts about cats scattered among the pages so you learn things as well. While these books are marked as junior they are just as enjoyable for adults so why not bring Bad Kitty home with you today?

Before going to see the movie Young Victoria I decided to read up on the life of Queen Victoria. I checked out the new book We Two: Victoria and Albert: Rulers, Partners and Rivals  by Gillian Gish and found it a very interesting read. Victoria and Albert married for love which was uncommon for royals in the nineteenth century when most marriages were arranged for dynastic reasons. As Victoria was Queen when she decided to get engaged to her cousin Albert she had to do the proposing. Theirs was a loving but complicated relationship. Albert was in the awkward position of being a subject to his wife but also a husband who was supposed to be the dominant partner in the relationship. Victoria adored Albert but struggled trying to be the submissive wife her society expected her to be with her own strong will to have her own way plus her role as Queen. They had nine children whose descendants are still on some of Europe’s thrones today. Albert died young of typhoid and Victoria spent the next forty years mourning him. She kept his bedroom just as it was when he died, expected all her male descendants to have the name Albert and commemorated him by numerous monuments. A sad ending for one of history’s greatest love stories.