Total pages in book: 96
Estimated words: 89183 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 446(@200wpm)___ 357(@250wpm)___ 297(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 89183 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 446(@200wpm)___ 357(@250wpm)___ 297(@300wpm)
Her chest squeezed, but she briskly told herself that there was no reason to feel that pain. No men didn’t have to mean no children. She could have a kid entirely on her own if that’s what she wanted. After all, she was bold and brave and out living life on her own terms, wasn’t she?
A few customers came in, and Josie took the opportunity to read the book again slowly and really savor it the second time. When she finished, she decided it was time to get on her feet, stretch, and then browse this lovely bookshop. She was happily looking through shelves and making notes of a few titles that she thought Mari might like to order for the retreat, when an older woman said, “Excuse me? Would you happen to know if this is any good?”
Josie glanced at the book she held. It was a nice-looking coffee-table book about the history of the domestic cat. However, when she saw the woman’s red-rimmed eyes and the air of dejection about her, she didn’t think this was a lady who wanted to read about the history of cats. Taking a guess, she asked, “Did you recently lose your cat?”
“How could you possibly know that?” The woman sounded stunned. Then she nodded slowly, and a tear slid down her cheek. “His name was Buttons. I know I shouldn’t be so silly over a cat, but you see, after I lost my husband, Buttons was all I had left.” She reached into the pocket of her cardigan and pulled out a damp tissue, dabbing at her eyes.
Josie’s heart went out to the woman. “I’m so very sorry for your loss,” she said softly. Then she led her to a couch, where they sat. “I would like to recommend several books that you might like to read. Nothing will bring back your husband or Buttons, but reading about those who have also suffered a loss can be helpful.”
At that moment, a black cat slipped in the door on the heels of a customer, paused to peer around the bookstore, and then strolled over to where Josie and the customer were sitting and jumped up to sit beside them. Josie knew that animals sometimes had a strong sense of human emotions, and this cat obviously sensed that the lady needed comfort.
The woman stroked the black cat. “Oh, aren’t you a beauty?” The cat nudged her and then promptly curled up in her lap.
Josie overheard one of the ladies, presumably from the Mathilda Westcott Appreciation Society, say, “Look, that’s Mars. He’s in the Bookshop on the River mysteries that Mathilda Westcott wrote. Of course, she renamed him Cocoa, but everyone knows Mars was the model.”
“This is a very famous cat,” Josie told her new friend. “I’m Josie, by the way.”
“Emily Soames,” the woman answered, still giving Mars all her attention.
“When did you lose Buttons?”
“Only last week,” she said on a sniff. “And Bernard—that was my husband—passed away six months ago. It’s all been such a shock.”
“Let me pull some books that you might find helpful.” Josie was so pleased she’d toured the bookshop and had discovered some of her favorite titles on the shelves. There were others in her suitcase, but that was on the houseboat. She’d manage. She chose four titles and returned to where Emily was looking better for spending time with Mars.
“If you read these books, see if they make you feel better, or at least help you understand that grief has stages and it won’t always be this painful.” First, she handed Emily On Grief and Grieving: Finding the Meaning of Grief Through the Five Stages of Loss by Elisabeth Kübler-Ross and David Kessler. “This will help you realize your reactions are normal and part of the healing process. I learned so much from this book about grief, large and small.”
Emily nodded and accepted the book.
“The second book I’d recommend is A Grief Observed by C.S. Lewis. The author documents losing his wife, and the book is both beautifully written and intensely personal.” Then she added two more. “And this is Mathilda Westcott’s first Bookshop on the River mystery, Miss Fernsby Investigates. Her bookshop is based on this one, and the cat the sleuth sometimes talks to when she’s solving a crime is called Cocoa, but according to one of the Mathilda Westcott fans, he’s based on Mars here.” Josie was fairly certain that Emily was a little hearing impaired and hadn’t heard the woman telling her friend about the cat. “My advice is to have a nice cup of cocoa while you read the book. And for something completely different, try T.S. Eliot’s Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats.” She presented the slim volume with the colorful cover. “They are fun, light poems all about cats. I’m sure you’ll see Buttons in there somewhere. Andrew Lloyd Webber was inspired by these poems to write the musical Cats.”