Teaching My Cat To Read: The “very serious” Book Review Podcast

For our final book review of series 3 join us as we discuss the Sherlock Holmes story “The Hound of the Baskervilles” by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Featuring haunted moors, Scooby-Doo villainy, the John Watson defence squad, and some dogs (no cats). For our other episodes featuring Sherlock Holmes, including “Study in Scarlet”, see our website link below.   Content Warnings Murder, death of animals,...

Join us on an unforgettable literary journey as we unlock the secrets of Tamsyn Muir's captivating novel, "Gideon the Ninth." In this episode, we venture into a realm where necromancers wield power, the line between life and death blurs, and secrets shroud the decaying Canaan House. Content Warnings Death Support the show Recommend us a Book! If there’s a book you want to recommend...

Join us for a discussion of Jane Austen’s Emma - a story of misguided match-making, lying lovers, and stressful social situations. We talk about class, telling yourself stories about what’s going on in the heads of those around you, and - of course - who we’d fight if given the chance. Content Warnings na Support the show Recommend us a Book! If there’s a book you want to recommend to us to read,...

Join us for a lively review of "Nicholas Sayre and the Creature in the Case." By Garth Nix.  In this standalone novella set in the Abhorsen universe, Nicholas Sayre embarks on a thrilling adventure, facing personal demons and unraveling a chilling mystery surrounding a locked case and an enigmatic creature. We explore Nix's masterful storytelling, immersive world-building, and theme...

In this mini episode, the team ask the questions they didn’t ask before in the full review of The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson.  For the full book review, see series 1 episode 20 Support the show Recommend us a Book! If there’s a book you want to recommend to us to read, just send us a message/email and we’ll pop it on our long list (but please read our review policy on our website first for...

Join us for a discussion of the first book in Tamora Pierce’s The Song of the Lioness series, Alanna the First Adventure. We think about what this story has to say about gender, and how it took on topics like bullying, sexism and misogyny while not even being allowed to run more than a couple hundred pages, because “it’s for children”. Content Warnings Discussion of misogyny and school bullying. ...

It’s time for us to review another medieval poem! In this episode, we discuss “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight”.  Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a late 14th-century chivalric romance in Middle English, with an unknown author. The title of the poem was given centuries later after it was first written. It is one of the best-known Arthurian stories, with its plot combining two types of folk motif...

Join us for a special episode of Teaching My Cat To Read, where Eli brings some beloved guests on board to discuss Kim Newman's Anno Dracula. We talk about whether vampires are always sexy, how many fun literary cameos an author can include before it gets annoying, and exactly what on earth is going on in this book. Please mind the content notes; this episode is a little heavier than usual. C...

In this mini episode, the team asks the questions they didn’t ask before in the full review of Temeraire (His Majesty’s Dragon) by Naomi Novik.  "Temeraire" combines history and fantasy, transporting readers to an alternate Napoleonic era where dragons exist. Join Captain Will Laurence as he unexpectedly becomes the partner of a dragon hatchling named Temeraire. Novik weaves a captivatin...

In this episode, we review Ann Leckie's captivating fantasy novel, "The Raven Tower." Published in 2019, it immerses readers in a world where gods and humans coexist. Leckie's masterful prose, rich mythology, and well-crafted characters make this a must-read. Discover why it earned critical acclaim and awards. Happy reading! “A usurper has claimed the throne. Invaders amass at...

In this episode, we chat about the play Hamlet by William Shakespeare. “ The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark”, often shortened to “Hamlet” is one of Shakespeare’s most quoted plays. It was written between 1599-1601, and is his longest play. The play is set in Denmark, where Prince Hamlet’s uncle has taken over the throne by killing Hamlet’s father, and marrying Hamlet’s mother.  This play fea...

In this mini episode, the team asks the questions they didn’t ask before in the full review of Small Gods by Terry Pratchett.  For the full book review, see series 1 episode 10. Support the show Recommend us a Book! If there’s a book you want to recommend to us to read, just send us a message/email and we’ll pop it on our long list (but please read our review policy on our website first for the bo...

As we continue on our valiant quest to read more books in the Discworld series, we decided to discuss “Guards! Guards!” by Terry Pratchett. The first in the City Watch series of books within the Discworld universe, Guards! Guards! Follows the Night Watch as they try to recover a stolen magical book which can be used to summon dragons. Featuring many puns, humor, and brilliant writing, plus dragons...

In this episode, we discuss the Agatha Christie Novel “Death on the Nile”. Featuring everyone’s favourite Belgian detective Hercule Poirot, (brushing off our gcse French to understand his thoughts), the twists and turns of the plot, silly questions, and what our cat would think.  Content Warnings Fictional murder, alcoholism  Support the show Recommend us a Book! If there’s a book you want to reco...

In this episode Lotti is joined by friends of the podcast Liv and AJ to discuss Brandon Sanderson’s high fantasy book series The Stormlight Archive. What did we think of this series compared to Wheel of Time, or other Cosmere books? What’s our favourite cameo? Who’s our favourite character? Check out this episode to find out!  We’ve read the books before, so we have spoilers for the series (with E...

In this episode we discuss the novel Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones. Listen to the episode to find out what we thought, and more importantly what our cat thought of the book! Book blurb: Sophie has the great misfortune of being the eldest of three daughters, destined to fail miserably should she ever leave home to seek her fortune. But when she unwittingly attracts the ire of the Witch...

In this episode, we discuss The Inimitable Jeeves by PG Wodehouse. A collection of short stories, published in the 1920’s, the book follows Bertie Wooster and his Valet Jeeves, who solves the hapless problems encountered by Wooster. Featuring why shouldn’t probably steal other authors ideas, colourful clothing, and Bertie Vs a cat. Make sure to follow us so you never miss an episode, and check out...

In this special episode to kick off series 3, we record us planning the books we are going to read!  If you want to find out all the books we are reading check out our website for all the details. Content Warnings NA Support the show Recommend us a Book! If there’s a book you want to recommend to us to read, just send us a message/email and we’ll pop it on our long list (but please read our review...

Support the show Recommend us a Book! If there’s a book you want to recommend to us to read, just send us a message/email and we’ll pop it on our long list (but please read our review policy on our website first for the books we accept). Social Media Website: https://teachingmycattoread.wordpress.com/ Email: teachingmycattoread@gmail.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/teachmycat2read/ Tumblr...

In this mini-episode we discuss DRACULA by Bram Stoker! We discuss the fun questions we introduced in series 2 for a book we’ve previously read in series 1. Including who’s the manipulator in this book, and what would the right move review be that Dracula is looking for for his London home (he probably won’t have to do a house share for £1k a month…) We originally read Dracula for series 1 episode...

Join us for a discussion of Madeline Miller’s 2012 novel, The Song Of Achilles, which is a modern retelling of the life of Achilles and Patroclus from childhood to death. We talk about the original text of the Iliad (a lot!), the masterful work of art that is the 2004 movie Troy, and which bits of this book made us cry like babies.  Content Warnings Particularly heavy discussion of assault and rap...

This week, friends of the podcast, Liv and AJ, join Lotti to discuss all things Cosmere! In this episode we discuss the following books and series: The Final Empire, Stormlight Archive (all four books), Warbreaker, Mistborn era 2, Secret History, Sixth of Dusk, Elantris, Mistborn Era 1… This is not a spoiler free episode. Please check timestamps below. Things we chat about in this episode about in...

This week, we’re talking about A Study In Scarlet, the first full-length Sherlock Holmes novel by Arthur Conan Doyle. Join us for a discussion of frontier Mormonism, flatmate compatibility, and - of course - yelling about how badly Moffat and Gatiss botched it on the BBC. Give us a listen to find out what the cat thinks about it all. Content Warnings Discussions of misogyny & animal death,  Su...

This week, we’re talking about Abhorsen by Garth Nix. Join us for a discussion of character growth, using metaphorical molotov cocktails to exchange one problem for another, and - of course - what the cat would think of it all. NB: This is the third in The Old Kingdom Series, after Sabriel and Lirael. We’ve read both of these books before! See series 1 episode 4 and episode 22. Spoiler warning for...

In our mini episodes we take 10 mins to discuss all the fun questions about a book we’ve already read on our podcast! Listen to us chat about which of the characters would be mansplain/manipulate/malewife and if Lizzie Bennet would do well in the world of The Long Way to A Small Angry Planet. In this episode we discuss PRIDE AND PREJUDICE by JANE AUSTEN! (Originally read s1e1)  Content Warnings na...