February
The Guest Cat
by Takashi Hiraide
"a subtly moving and exceptionally beautiful novel about the transient nature of life and idiosyncratic but deeply felt ways of living."
A couple in their 30's are befriended by a cat who comes and goes from their cottage. As their relationship with the cat develops they find their lives brightened and changed in unexpected ways.
March
With You Were Here
by Rita Mae Brown
Crozet's thirty-something postmistress, Mary Minor "Harry" Haristeen, has a tiger cat (Mrs. Murphy) and a Welsh Corgi (Tee Tucker), a pending divorce, and a bad habit of reading post cards not addressed to her. When Crozet citizens start turning up murdered, Harry remembers that each received a card with a tombstone on the front with the message "Wish you were Here," on the back.
April
The Cat Mummy
by Jacqueline Wilson
Verity adores her cat, Mabel, and is desperately sad when she dies. Remembering her recent school lessons about the Ancient Egyptians, Verity decides to mummify Mabel and keep her hidden.
Verity's dad and grandparents can't bear to talk about death, having lost Verity's mum several years ago - but when they eventually discover what Verity has done, the whole family realises it's time to talk.
May
The Loved One
by Evelyn Waugh
The more startling for the economy of its prose and plot, this novel's story, set among the manicured lawns and euphemisms of Whispering Glades Memorial Park in Hollywood, satirizes the American way of death and offers Waugh's memento mori. Following the death of a friend, poet and pets' mortician Dennis Barlow finds himself entering into the artificial Hollywood paradise of the Whispering Glades Memorial Park. Within its golden gates, death, American-style, is wrapped up and sold like a package holiday. There, Dennis enters the fragile and bizarre world of Aimée, the naïve Californian corpse beautician, and Mr Joyboy, the master of the embalmer's art...
A dark and savage satire on the Anglo-American cultural divide, The Loved One depicts a world where love, reputation and death cost a very great deal.
Are all of the books going to be sad?
No! Not every book will be about dying dogs, cats, and horses. We also don't like to be sad all the time!
Well then what are the books about?
We've chosen books that cover a wide range of genres, time periods, and subjects. All of the books relate to the themes that Dead Pet Girls explores in all of our work: the role of pets in our lives, kitschiness, understanding grief and death, pets and aesthetics, pets and identity, pets in culture, and so on. We're really excited about the variety of stories we've already found!
How do I join?
Via our group on Bookclubs, which you can join with this link. They have a great, free mobile app, or you keep track of us on the website. Our Bookclub group is where we will post updates, polls, links to meetings, and create a lovely book club community.
Can I suggest a book?
Of course! There is a tab for suggestions in our Bookclub group.
Is it for girls only?
No! As with everything Dead Pet Girls, our content and community are for everyone of all genders who wants to explore the world of pet mourning! The name comes from Steff and Cat being Dead Pet Girls, not from anyone else's identity (though we welcome anyone to consider themselves a Dead Pet Girl alongside us!).