June RandomCAT: Unusual Narrators

June's RandomCAT challenge is to read a book with an unusual narrator. Any narrator that is not a living human being counts for this CAT.

Examples of books with Unusual Narrators:

The Book of Chameleons (gecko)
My Name is Red (coin, dog, corpse, the color red)
The Lovely Bones (murder victim)
The Gray Lady of Long Branch (house)
The Book Thief (Death)
The Art of Racing in the Rain (dog)
Nutshell (unborn baby)
Delicious Foods (crack cocaine)
Dead Medium (ghost)
The Collector Collector (bowl)
Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend
Memoirs of a Porcupine
Grendel
Jacob's Folly (insect)
What's Bred in the Bone (Angel)
White is for Witching (house)
A Night in the Lonesome October (dog)
Cosmicomics (mysterious ancient being)

I'm planning to read Memoirs of a Polar Bear and The Lovely Bones for this CAT.

So, a vampire narrator would count? Does it have to be first person? If not, I would recommend The Bees. Clearly, the narrator is a bee, but it's not first person.

>3 owlie13: Yes, vampires and bees count.

Oh, this is quite a challenge! Would Tailchaser's song (a cat, I think) or Bulgakov's Heart of a dog count?

I'll probably read To Fetch a Thief by Spencer Quinn which is the next book in the Bernie and Chet series where the dog is the narrator.

>6 dudes22: Chet - my favourite dog!

I'm planning to read Nutshell by Ian McEwan. I've enjoyed all the books I've read by McEwan.

Sounds like Murderbot Diaries should work here! I'll read All Systems Red by Martha Wells.

I will probably end up going the SFF route: either Ancillary Sword, by Ann Leckie, or the first installment of I, Davros, a Big Finish audio drama.

>5 MissWatson: Yes, both of those would work. Even if the unusual narrator only narrates for part of the book, as in Heart of a Dog, it counts.

Hmmm, I must have a cat as a narrator on my tbr somewhere! I'll have to take some time to look a little closer...

My Name Is Red has been sitting on my virtual TBR shelf for a while, so I think I will choose that.

>11 VioletBramble: Thanks!

For anyone who hasn’t read it yet, The Book Thief is narrated by Death.

>13 Robertgreaves: - I think I'll join you in reading that one as well. It's on my wishlist and sounds intriguing.

Also, some other suggestions for this challenge - Death with Interruptions which is narrated by death and Watership Down which is narrated by rabbits.

I love the idea for this one. I have no idea what I'll read for it. I was considering Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh, but I can't seem to find it, so I'll probably have to go with something else. Would one of the Sookie Stackhouse books work? She is a fairy, but I don't think you find that out until a few books into the story I've been thinking of rereading the series.

Oh, very interesting! I'll have to root around my tbr and see what would fit.

I don't have any books that fit this theme, but after some research I've decided to try The Humans by Matt Haig, which is narrated by an alien.

I still have to take a closer look at what's on my tbr, but I have a recommendation.

For anyone who likes elephants, The White Bone by Barbara Gowdy is from the POV of an elephant. Really really liked that when I read it years ago!

The beginning of Behind the scenes at the museum by Kate Atkinson is narrated by an unborn child, from the moment of conception.

How about Ben and Me? It has been awhile since I read this tale of Ben Franklin, told by a mouse.

Or any of the Richard Bach books about ferrets, all narrated by ferrets, such as Air Ferrets Aloft or Writer Ferrets Chasing the Muse. All part of the Ferret Chronicles. I listened to them on CD, read by the author, and loved them all.

The Emily Windsnap novels are also good choices, as the characters are mermaids or half mermaids.

I admit I was at first stumped by this topic, but started looking through my own books and became inspired. Good and unusual topic! Thanks!

>22 LadyoftheLodge: Ooh, your Emily Windsnap suggestion made me think about Percy Jackson and the other Riordan books with half-bloods.

Oops! Did I post my plan in the wrong thread!? I thought I posted my plan here last night!

I am reading Thereby Hangs a Tail for this month's AlphaKIT, so that won't work for this.

I do have A Dog's Purpose on my tbr, though, so that will likely be what I read.

>24 LibraryCin: - You must have posted it somewhere because I remember reading it.

>25 dudes22: I must have posted in the wrong thread!

Wow this is an intriguing category!! I've got to put some research into it, but there are a lot of good ideas here.

If I'm right, the narrator of The mouse with the question mark tail by Richard Peck is a mouse. I've had it on the tbr pile for years, this might be the time to try it.

I still haven't found a suitable book (I haven't really looked) but I do recommend Three Bags Full by Leonie Swann, which is a mystery novel told from the point of view of the sheep investigating the murder of her shepherd. It's very well done.

>29 RidgewayGirl: That was an unusual viewpoint, and I liked the book very much when I read it.

What an intriguing challenge! I have already read The Art of Racing in the Rain and Nutshell.... Oh, and The Book Thief (love that one!).

>29 RidgewayGirl: and >30 thornton37814: That sounds like fun!

>17 virginiahomeschooler: I did not know that about Sookie Stackhouse. In that case the series would fit.

>22 LadyoftheLodge: Not one of the books you mentioned was on the long list of books with unusual narrators I found online. I wonder how they missed the Bach books especially- he seems to always have a non human narrator. All of those sound like they'd fit this CAT.

>26 LibraryCin: I saw your post in the May thread.

>31 EBT1002: I love The Book Thief and The Art of Racing in the Rain. They were the inspirations for this topic.

I will probably read I Could Pee on This by Francesco Marciuliano. I'm not sure who this Marciuliano person is, the book is poetry written by cats.

>32 VioletBramble: Ohhhh - oops! Thank you! That's where I posted it!

I am going to read A Dog's Purpose by Bruce Cameron.

I've decided to read Thereby Hangs a Tail by Spenser Quinn, the second in the "Chet and Bernie" series.

I have started Glennkill where sheep are trying to find out who killed their shepherd.

>36 EBT1002: I just started it yesterday! If I wasn't reading it this month for AlphaKIT's Q, it's probably what I would have chosen for June's RandomCAT, as well!

>37 MissWatson: Hmm, that sounds rather intriguing.

And I have finished Glennkill. The author manages quite well to tell the entire story from the ovine point-of-view, while the mystery was given rather short shrift. Very enjoyable.

I'm going to be reading Firmin: Adventures of a Metropolitan Lowlife by Sam Savage. It's narrated by Firmin, a rat, and I've been meaning to read it for ages, though I haven't the foggiest how/when it ended up on my bookshelf!

>6 dudes22: oh, great idea! I've got The Sound and the Furry waiting here...

>22 LadyoftheLodge: I've never read Ben and Me, that's a good idea.

And Watership Down is one of my favorites. I highly recommend it.

I completed Thereby Hangs a Tail. Second in the Bernie and Chet series, it's a mystery narrated by Chet. Chet is a dog. His voice is charming and amusing. It was a fun and easy read.

>43 EBT1002: glad you liked it. I felt that the author really tried to have Chet think like a real dog, and avoided "cutesy" pitfalls.

>42 fuzzi: - I'm about half-way through the 3rd book and I agree with >44 fuzzi: that he doesn't make the dog too cute. That said, I still think there's a lot of filler in the books (mostly Chet's obsession with food) and a little bit less about the mystery. Still I enjoy them.

>44 fuzzi: and >45 dudes22: I agree with you both. Not too cute, convincingly dog-like thought processes, and some of those thoughts serve as filler for a mystery that is only moderately robust.
Sometimes I need reading to challenge me, sometimes I need it to provide pure pleasure. These fall into that latter category and fit the bill perfectly.

>46 EBT1002: right, like fluff, comfort reads. Sometimes I don't want to think too much while reading.

Just finished Nutshell by Ian McEwan and gave it five stars! What a skilled piece of writing. Imaginative, creative, original, suspenseful, funny, completely unbelievable and yet persuasive. To have the near-term unborn baby tell the story is a stroke of brilliance. This is my favourite McEwan so far and one of those rare books that when finished I want to start again at page one. I'm sure I missed the meaning of a lot of the clever lines and references to Hamlet so a second reading definitely in the cards.

>1 VioletBramble:, Thank you for making this the month's randomcat!

I admit, at first, I had no idea what I'd read for this challenge, and thought I might even end up skipping the month. But, then, a little voice in my head reminded me of a strange little book that's been perching on my shelf for ages, and sure enough, I picked it up to discover that the narrator is... a rat.

Well, I finally read it, and I adored it :) I don't know how it ended up finding me, but I'm glad I did. If you're curious, there's a full review written, and I'd certainly recommend Firmin by Sam Savage.

>49 whitewavedarling: Thank you for that bullet! I immediately ordered a copy for my son who will love it (after I read it, of course).

I've finished reading To Fetch a Thief by Spencer Quinn which is the third book in the Chet and Berne series where Chet the dog is the narrator. I liked this one more than I did the last although I still don't want to read too many at one time. Need a little break between them.

I just finished The Humans by Matt Haig, which is narrated by an alien who has taken over the body of a Cambridge mathematics professor. I went into this book knowing nothing about it, but I ended up enjoying it quite a bit! I'd definitely like to read more by Haig.

Was reading To Fetch a Thief on my way to work, and left it on the bus!! Never done that before in all my time riding buses. Shoot!!

>53 owlie13: oh no! Are you going to be able to get it back from the bus company's lost property?

>54 Helenliz: I'll try, but I'm not holding out hope. :(

>1 VioletBramble: Does the non-human narrator need to narrate the complete book? I just received through the LT Early Reviewer program Probable Claws which is a Mrs. Murphy Mystery by Rita Mae Brown and her cat Sneaky Pie Brown. Animals converse with each other in the book, especially giving their opinions what humans are doing, but do not actually narrate the story. Mrs. Murphy is a cat, and Sneaky Pie supposedly helped write the book.

I forgot to mention that I read Captain Kidd's Cat instead of my previous choice.

I read Animal Farm by George Orwell for this month's challenge, 3.5*.

I've read two children's picture books of poems, one by cats and one by dogs. Cat Talk with illustrations by Barry Moser is written by Patricia MacLachlan and Emily MacLachlan Charest. Once I Ate a Pie is written by the same authors with illustrations by Katy Schneider. The poems are good but it's the illustrations that I really loved.

I have completed A Dog's Purpose by W. Bruce Cameron, my choice for this month's theme. I loved this book although it did make me cry a few times.

>49 whitewavedarling: I'm glad you liked this month's theme and that it worked out for you.

>56 sallylou61: the non human narrator only needs to narrate for part of the book, but they definitely need to narrate.

>59 clue: I love Patricia MacLachan's Sarah books, will add that one to my wishlist!

BTW, your Touchstone is going to a different author's Cat Talk.

The July Random Cat is up http://www.librarything.com/topic/292489

>62 fuzzi: I loved the Sarah books too and that's what made me want to read these.

Fixed the Touchstone, thanks!

I'm counting my LT early review book as qualifying for this challenge since it is partially narrated by cats and dogs. It is Probable Claws by Rita Mae Brown and her cat Sneaky Pie Brown. Although the cats and dogs are not understood by the humans in the story, their messages are in English in italics so that the reader can understand them. They play an integral part of moving the story forward, being concerned for the human Harry and pointing our some clues for example.

>64 clue: go find Baby by Patricia MacLachan. It's not a Sarah book, but a worthwhile addition to her list of works.

I read through my June selection yesterday:



Bunnicula
A family dog narrates this story of the new pet rabbit, its peculiar eating habits, and the zealous cat who is determined to rid them of the threat it may or may not pose.
Cute, but nothing extraordinary. I think this one definitely needs to be read as a young 'un.

>67 scaifea: I always wondered what that one was about, with that odd title! Thank you!

>68 LibraryCin: Ha! You're welcome!

>67 scaifea: I just bought a Bunnicula t-shirt. Today Vegetables...Tomorrow the World. I haven't read the book. Just bought it for the vegetables.

>61 VioletBramble:, >65 sallylou61: . After thinking more, I've decided that Probable Claws by Rita Mae Brown, although it has animals talking and helping carry the story, it does not actually qualify as narration. Therefore, I'm not counting it toward the challenge, and am removing it from the wiki. With borderline cases, I'd rather not count something as qualifying.

A Dog's Purpose / W. Bruce Cameron
5 stars

This tells the story of a dog that lives multiple lives. (S)He remembers his/her previous lives and builds on them. His first life is quite short, but his next life is as the best friend to a boy. After that, he becomes a search and rescue dog… then circles back around as a friend to an older man.

I loved this! This is told from the dog’s point of view and it really feels like the dog is telling the story. The author seemed to get things so right. This dog had a few bad things happen to him, so the reader gets a glimpse into some of the bad things that can happen, but mostly this dog leads good lives. I had to laugh a bit at his thoughts about various pet cats! It was a quick read, and I think any animal lover would enjoy this!

I have read Mal Aria which is narrated by a mosquito. A bit weird and not very engaging, I couldn't quite see why it won prizes.

I read Artificial Condition by Martha Wells, which is narrated by a non-human construct of the variety it calls "Murderbots".

I am currently listening to the audiobook version of Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie for the June SFF Kit and have noticed that the narrator Breq appears to be a once vast AI (originally spread through a spaceship's computer system) suddenly confined to a single human form. Still only in the initial chapters so if anyone here has read Ancillary Justice, would Breq be considered an unusual narrator for this RandomCAT?

>75 lkernagh: Hope so, because I was planning to use the sequel, Ancillary Sword, for this CAT ;)

>75 lkernagh: yes, that series fits this CAT.

I just finished the short story collection Bloody Scotland, edited by Lin Anderson. The story contributed by Craig Robertson features a non-human narrator.

Finally, and at the last minute, I am joining in the RandomCAT for the first time now that the year is halfway over. Whew.

I read a short book that I received in a mystery box: Hell Hound by Ken Greenhall, which is partially narrated by Baxter, an English bull terrier. Baxter is not a very good dog. Actually, he struggles to understand those alien human beings on whom he depends and wants to improve his living situation, but the actions he takes are not very good. Eventually, he winds up with Carl, who is not a very good boy. Actually, Carl is a sociopath. The two at first seem to have an affinity for each other and a mutual understanding, but that can't last. I thought this was an interesting and different example of horror that is not gruesome but rather unsettling. Originally published in the 1970s, this book has long been out of print but was recently reissued by Valancourt Books, which I have found to be a very interesting publisher of forgotten books.

>79 sturlington: Wow, that sounds interesting.

I read Under the Skin by Michel Faber, the protagonist is an extraterrestrial.

I ended up reading The Bees and The Book Thief, both of which I really enjoyed.

Too bad it wasn't also the B month for AlphaKit, lol.

>82 Dejah_Thoris:, they never match up for me either. I liked both of those books.

Forgot to report in that I did finish Ancillary Justice and really loved the world build and the character Breq.