Tom Cox (1)Rezensionen

I have mixed feelings about this book. While I am sure the author did love his six cats and I enjoyed reading about them, my own indoor only attitude contradicts the author's free roaming cat approach. I was upset by the injuries and ailments the cats incurred due to this free roaming lifestyle.

Villager is Tom Cox's first novel. Cox is a writer of place who explores landscape and folklore, the world and its margins. His short story collection Help the Witch marries that sense of place and love of folklore with fictions that open the door a crack to the other places hidden just behind what we experience as real.

There is folklore in Villager, but also Bildungsroman, speculative fiction, diary writing and cultural reference points that span Mary Oliver, Mike Leigh, Oliver Postgate and Public Enemy. The story sprawls over time and place, slipping through the margins and brushing up against its own past and future. At its heart is a collection of songs written by an itinerant musician, and one ancient song in particular that echoes through the narrative.

It's a work of lush prose that captures the change in the seasons and the change in human relationships. Most of all it captures humanity's relationship to nature and how badly we get it wrong at times.

There is so much going on in this novel that I feel sure I'll read it again.

This is my first Tom Cox book but I've been following him on various social media sites for a long time and I had a feeling I would enjoy Notebook because I enjoy his musings on so many things from nature to flared trousers and everything in between. I wasn't wrong. Notebook is an absolute pleasure from start to finish. It has a really calming feel to it and it flows perfectly despite it consisting of seemingly random snippets placed together (although they are curated into chapters of similar material).

It's a thin volume so it didn't take very long to read, but it's chock-full of delightful anecdotes, all taken from notebooks filled by Cox. You could read it slowly, taking it one or two notes at a time, or you could read it in a couple of greedy gulps as I did. I loved the author's writing style, with a fabulous and eclectic selection of intelligent thoughts and observations, and humorous vignettes. He writes beautifully and with care about his surroundings, the landscape and the animals in and around it, and then swiftly side-steps into an exchange with his father which, without fail, always made me laugh.

To further enthral the reader, the book contains striking illustrations from both of his parents for the first time which makes this into quite the family affair. Notebook is a gorgeous little read. If I could write as eloquently as Tom Cox then I'd be scribbling away all the time but alas the best I can manage is a shopping list. Thankfully, there are collections like this that provide thoughtful and poetic food for the mind. Notebook ought to be available on prescription.

There are countless books written about mountains, just take a look around the travel section of a bookshop. However, there are not so many written about hills, in particular, the small inconsequential hills that abound the landscape in our country. A hill might not have the majesty or presence of a mountain, but for Cox, these are more accessible, and still have as much mystery and lore and their larger cousins.

Beginning in Somerset under the ever-watchful eye of the Tor and the inland sea that is the Somerset levels he wanders from Britain’s smallest hill, in Norfolk no less, to the highest point on the South Coast. Yet another house move takes him to a house most of the way up a hill in Derbyshire; he is snowed in and it is a place that alarms his cats, and he is often woken at 3.44 in the morning from a nightmare and he would often hear things being moved in the loft… Not many things scare him, sitting with his feet over the edge of Golden Cap is no problem, but halfway up some mechanical edifice is enough to freak Cox out.

He wades through some family history when he discovers that his great grandmother who lived on Dartmoor, prior to moving to Nottingham. He finds that Dartmoor is at its most eerie in the summer when the heat makes time move like treacle. He spends time walking across Dorset’s hills spotting his third hare since moving to the West Country and amusing himself over alternative meanings for the village names in the area. Just seeing a hill on a car journey and then finding on an OS map late is a thrill, especially if there is access to walk up it later.

As I drive the roads, I watch the hills. I always notice the interesting ones, and none of them aren’t interesting, so I notice them all.

Ring the Hill is not quite a sequel to 21st Century Yokel, more of a slightly lairy companion. He seems to be one of the fastest funded authors on the publisher Unbound as he doesn’t really fit in any of the niches that a regular publisher has. Preferring to write widely about whatever the hell takes his fancy, from folklore to the music that works best when he is walking in a place. It is this wide-ranging fascination with all that he sees is what makes this book such a delight. Hares permeate the book too, not just the scant physical ones that he sees out and about, but the way that they are interwoven into the natural and spiritual worlds. I thought that this was a wonderful book, full of tangents and glimpses of things that fascinate him. I love the traditional linocut illustrations of hares that have been created by his mother and I was glad to see that his very LOUD DAD was back in the book again.

October is the time of year for ghost stories and come the end of the month when the clocks go back then it feels like the right time to read them. This very latest book from Tom Cox is his first venture into fiction and there are ten short stories from him in here that venture from ghost stories to a modern take on stories that we have heard time and time again.

Beginning with Help the Witch, a tale of a guy who has just moved into an old house in early December and is shortly snowed in. Not is all that it seems though, even though he has just split from his girlfriend, Chloe, he starts to hear voices around the house, voices that answer him back. Listings is an unusual take on a story, it is told through the small ads that you see in the local paper, and tell of a modern executive home with a cave underneath.

For a surreal take on the world, then you might like his nine tiny stories about houses, or the ghostly sighting on a speed awareness course, where a guy meets his uncle who he hasn’t seen in ages. Or there is the Pool, a place where teenagers swim in the summer and when they have all left is revealed as the home of something ancient that emerges from the depths as winter breaks. There are more like this, stories that exist in the gloaming moments of the day and on the liminal fringes of our culture.

Just Good Friends was probably my favourite of all of the short stories in this book, it manages to be both normal and very unnerving at the same time. Folk horror can be properly scary, probably because it is deeply rooted in our own psyche, but most of the stories in here I didn’t find that frightening. Rather the stories were eerie and often unnerving and even had proper goose-bumps moments too. Cox is a quality writer, prepared to explore different things in different ways and seeking unconventional ways around subjects. I loved his 21st Century Yokel and this is great stuff too. The cover of this is quite distinctive too, the figure that is tree-like is quite chilling and the gold foil makes it a striking book.

The facets that make up our character are drawn from many sources; our DNA, our family, our culture, our history and as Tom Cox argues in this book, the places where you grow up that can define you as much as these other things. The way that Cox recommends that immerse yourself in the local landscape is to walk through the lanes and paths, climb the hills and the stiles, take in the views and soak up the natural world at walking pace.

The blurb on the cover says: It’s not quite a nature book, not quite a humour book, not quite a family memoir, not quite folklore, not quite social history, not quite a collection of essays, but a bit of all six. But there is a lot more in this book than that; crammed into the covers of the book. He is captivated by all sorts of things that he encounters on his strolls, from bees to beavers, scarecrows to owls and even his cats make an appearance a few times. Keeping his sanity by taking longs walks in the country around his Devon home gives him plenty of time to consider the world. All of the subjects he tackles begin with a narrow focus, before becoming wider ranging and for me, much more interesting.

He is fascinated equally by the ghosts of the past as he concerned by the future of the countryside, but what makes 21st Century such a really good book is that it defies categorisation. Part of this reason behind this is because Cox writes about what he wants to without following any set agenda, and partly this is because this reflects modern life and all its distractions where you start on one project, get distracted by something else, wander off to get an item and arrive back four hours later wondering why you were starting that in the first place. Because of this, the book feels fresh and interesting, it has its poignant moments, the chapter on scarecrows is really quite creepy and is a great example of modern folklore, His VERY LOUD DAD makes me laugh every time he appears in the narrative too. This rich and varied book is not quite many things, but one thing it is, is fantastic.

It’s impossible to imagine a more genial, candid, or generous tour guide than Tom Cox, whose fascinating, enlightening and moving accounts of his meanderings through the English countryside fill the pages of Ring the Hill. This is by no means a conventional travel book: the information it provides regarding towns, villages, hamlets, hills, rivers, fields, historical sites and monuments that are on Cox’s itinerary is secondary to the author’s often humorous, sometimes sobering reflections on being alive, and the story of his own life in progress: the relationships, observations, learning opportunities and personal decisions that have bestowed on him an uncommon degree of self-awareness and a vivid sense of his place in the world and, indeed, the cosmos. Tom Cox is less traveler than nomad: a man who moves house with unusual regularity, not out of dissatisfaction, but more out of restless curiosity, driven, one imagines, by a yearning for a new and different experience. Once settled into new digs—sometimes before settling—his custom is to go out and explore, compulsively and in any weather, the surrounding countryside and jot down his findings and commentary in a journal. In the six sections of Ring the Hill, Cox reports on ramblings through, among others, Glastonbury, The Peak District, Dartmoor and Dartington. Interspersed among descriptions of his discoveries and sightings are accounts of events taking place in his life at the time: visits with his Mom and Dad, encounters with locals (human and animal), the music he’s listening to, an obsession with climbing hills, an equal obsession with swimming, extreme weather, the adventures of his cats, his struggles to keep a tidy garden. Cox writes from a perspective of great compassion for the natural world and for those among us who strive to nurture and protect that world: his critiques are generally reserved for the disfiguring scars that recent human activity has left upon the landscape. He is knowledgeable, a retainer and purveyor of facts, but also easily distracted: we often witness him changing course on a whim when something off the beaten path catches his eye. He is flawed but aware of and admirably at peace with his shortcomings. Discussions of the ways in which natural phenomena influence his moods cause us to suspect that here is someone highly attuned and sensitive to the rhythms of the planet. Casual references to the presence of the dead within the land of the living and the influence of ancient rites and customs upon the present lend a mystical note to the narrative. "Make of me what you will," he seems to be saying, "this is who I am." The overall tone in these pieces is wise and conversational, and it is a conversation that will leave you hungry for more while lingering in your mind long after you have finished reading the book.

Tom relates his move to Devon from Norfolk in England with The Bear, Ralph, Shipley and Roscoe ... truly an adventure that should not be engaged by the weak of heart. The Bear is stoic as always. A new cat - George - tries to adopt Tom. The stories are laugh out loud funny... told as only a man owned by his cats can tell them...from the heart. The only thing that spoiled the book somewhat for me was the same thing that happened with the first book...the constant foul language.½

I had the pleasure and the privilege to be owned by a cat...little gray stripped Margie, for 18 wonderful fun-filled years. Although we never quiet lived up to her expectations of us...after all we only had two legs and couldn't climb a tree or bat a ball around worth a darn and we just reeked of inadequacy, but she loved us any way and allowed us to co-exist in her world. Tom Cox has our situation x 4. How I would love to meet his fur babies. Some authors you read for the subject...some for the writing style... Tom Cox has excelled the art to where you are entranced by both. If you love cats or just enjoy a moment of humor you'll love Tom Cox...and I guarantee you'll love his cats.

Very enjoyable non-fic about cats, nature, walking, family ties and a host of other subjects.

This book will be loved by anyone who has, or has had, cats in their life. Not the whole book is about cats, but the other tales don't feel out of place. It's written in a friendly, candid, and often humourous way. It's a comfortable book to read, like a conversation with an old friend.

I could identify with a lot of what's in this book. It's nice to know there are other people out there that relate to their cats (and cats in general) the same way I do. It's also always nice to see a man declaring himself to be a true cat person. A great book that sums up how special life is with a cat, or more than one cat.

Settling down to read this book was like revisiting some old friends. The cats are the central characters, but the side tales, such as toads in shoes and walking with alpacas, are just as entertaining. Looking forward to the next instalment.

Settling down to one of Tom's books is like sitting down with an old friend for a good, long chat. His love and respect for his four cats shines through, but so does his enthusiasm for so many aspects of life, particularly rural life. Tom has the talent to look at parts of everyday life and see the wonderful and special in them, and his writing creates a similar enthusiasm in the reader.

A thoroughly enjoyable memoir-ish collection of essays that exist at the intersection of the British countryside, cats, the author's endlessly amusing family (especially his dad), and lots and lots of walking. I got to know Cox's writing through his My Sad Cat Twitter feed and his social media presence (especially the instagram pictures he takes on his long walks) is all extremely enjoyable. This book proves that he is just as enjoyable in long form, even when he isn't writing more exclusively about his charming cats, who were the focus of his previous books. Not every essay held together for me, but the good ones were extremely good and, taken as a whole, the structure and imagery of the essays makes you feel like you are listening to the rambling and warm memories of a good friend. The book also features a beautiful design, including woodcuts by the author's mum that couldn't be more perfect for the text.

I helped support the publication of this book on Unbound, which is a pretty cool crowdfunding model for authors, and I hope to check back in and support some more independent writers this way.

Now, it is no secret that I love cats. Lovelovelove cats. I always have. Cats have been my "thing" since I was a little kid, and if you spend more than half an hour with me, you will probably hear some adorable story about the amazing Fern and Loretta. Even with all that, though, I've never really gotten into people writing about cats. But this book is about as far from a traditional "cat book" as you can get. First of all, Tom Cox is a man. He's also a former music critic and a great writer. While the book follows the journey of him, his girlfriend, and their many cats, it also covers issues like: buying a first house, dealing with eccentric parents, London vs. the countryside, getting along with your neighbors, earning a living, real estate nightmares, and just keeping on keeping on. And it's great! Cox has a natural writing style and a keen sense of humor, particularly in cat-related anecdotes. If you like cats, are in your late 30s/early 40s, or just enjoy good writing, this is a good one to check out. Men who love cats should particularly pick this one up.

[full review here: http://spacebeer.blogspot.com/2016/05/under-paw-confessions-of-cat-man-by-tom.ht... ]

What can I say about this one...? Well, if the title appeals to you, then the book probably will too, because it pretty much does what it says on the tin. In a nutshell, Cox discusses the perils of being one of the minority breed of Cat Men, and covers the span of his time as a cat lover, right from his earliest, little-mentioned childhood friends Puss and Felix. Most of the book, however, is dedicated to the cats gracing the prime of his life - beginning when he first meets Dee, his future wife and an unashamedly enthusiastic cat woman. And so The Bear comes into his life: a temperamental black cat who may or may not be concocting evil plots, and who has a liking for Indian food and defecating in Dee's dressing gown pocket. Add to that Janet, a huge black hairball with the IQ of a teaspoon and a startling talent for creative vomiting, and you have the start of something huge.

From there it's a rocky roller-coaster of cattishness. Into their newly-married life tumble three kittens: Brewer the adventurer, Ralph (previously Prudence - bit of a shock when that one came out) and Shipley (the Obnoxious Yappy Black Cat). Throw in a couple of house moves, a turtle, and a brief dalliance with a 'cat' the size of a puma, then add two more cats to the mix: Pablo (Overexcitable Retarded Ginger Cat, previously a feral tearaway) and Bootsy (Grey Dwarf Cat, finally a clever girl to keep Dee company!).

Throw in a dash of tragedy and a whole lot of humour, and there you have it. A book that made me giggle out loud and cry a little bit as well. I have to admit, it did get a bit MUCH at times, and I was ready for the end when it came, but if I started to drift off there was always another cracking 'my cat does that!' moment to chuckle over and jerk me back into the book. In between the (long) chapters there are little humorous interludes which also helped, from a dictionary of cattish terms (do you know what a mousetache is? No?) to a definitive guide to successfully feeding six demanding characters at the same time.

Would I read it again? Maybe, maybe not. Cox doesn't quite have that far-reaching humour that Deric Longden, for example, possesses in such wonderful quantities and which makes him so re-readable. I love cats, but I did feel that sometimes the book could have benefited from slightly less felines, slightly more rest of life, only with the spot-on humour staying intact instead of dying away on non-cat-related pages. Would I recommend it? Definitely...½

This is a collection of columns originally written for The Observer Music Monthly magazine. The premise is that, back in the 1960s, there were clearly identifiable music tribes such as Mods and Rockers, but what are the tribes of today? Here Cox describes a wide range, from the Posh Hippy to The One Man Woman (in this case, Cliff Richard).

Whilst I have to say I didn't find this book laugh out loud funny, as an ardent music fan there were definitely moments where I winced with recognition as I saw elements of my own lifestyle being parodied.

I wouldn't align myself with any one of the profiles contained within, but then one probably ought to worry about oneself a little bit if one is exactly like any of these pen portraits. The profiles of those with wilder pasts such as Rave Mom certainly struck a chord, and I've met plenty of Audiophiles, iPod Twits and Old School Goths on my journey through life. I guess the closest is The Indie Kid, only about 20 years older.

Very entertaining and probable most suitable for if you need a book ideal for when you only have an odd few minutes here and there to read.

This is a very funny book that will have you laugh out loud from time to time.
It helps to be a cat lover, of course.
Tom Cox really is a very funny writer and I am glad I came across this book.½