Nothing cures those economic doldrums like a good pet book, a “Marley & Me” or Jon Katz on his Bedlam Farm. This tale of a ginger kitten that was left in an after-hours book slot at a public library in Spencer, Iowa in 1988 is just the ticket – rocketing into the Top 20 the week of its release (high enough, perhaps, to pay off the astounding $1.25 million advance librarian Vicki Myron was given to write it). Named Dewey Readmore Books, the cat brings the town together (of course), making disabled children smile and businessmen melt. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll get hair all over the couch.

Dewey

The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World

by Vicki Myron

Grand Central