Category Archives: 1990s-

358M: Children’s book on a boy and too many cats

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I’m hoping you can help us find this book we read to my daughters when they were young in the late 1990s, early 2000s:
The book is either a picture book or a beginning readers book about a boy who loses his cat, and decides to put “wanted” posters up around his neighborhood. But he forgets to put a picture of his cat on the poster, and neighbors bring all sorts of cats of every variety to his house and his home fills up with cats. There are lovely illustrations of the different kinds of cats. We can’t remember the author, illustrator, or the title, so this might be a challenge for you.

358H: Cold War spy thriller set in Africa

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As a child (sometimes in the 80’s or early 90’s) I read a book about a brilliant and charismatic Cold War era African leader who uses military cunning to successfully invade two of his neighboring countries (I believe Togo and Benin) .

The plot revolves around the leader setting the two countries against one another by having a mercenary frame one country for planting a bomb in the other. The leader than promises each country his support in a future war, but ends up invading and taking over both countries.

The book features an American or British white citizen visiting the country, befriending the African leader and falling in love with with a black tall singer. He joins the final battle in the book.

I also recall a minor scene where a pedophile communist spy was able to discover the plot by getting a government official drank, but he is killed prior to being able to share the info.

Another character is a British white secretary which works for the African leader and becomes his mistress.

I did extensive online research but could not find the book.

358G: Children’s Book with Elevator

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I have been searching google all day with no luck even finding the right title to this book.
I would imagine it was published sometime between 1990 and 1998. I am almost 34 (born in 1987) and loved this book as a child.
This book was shaped like a sky scraper – not a usual rectangle! It was a hardcover and all the pages were also board book material. I don’t recall any words or an actual story — just illustrations.
A track ran through the center of the book with a small plastic square that was an elevator you could move up and down the length of the book. The illustrations inside were the many floors of the building carved up into various different shops and businesses. For hours I would pretend to ride the elevator around running errands in the book.
It’s driving me nuts knowing this book existed (my brother remembers it too) but not being able to find anything even remotely like it after hours of searching online. I now have a daughter who I know would enjoy it just as much if I could find a copy. Although honestly just knowing the title and being able to see pictures of it would suffice!

357X: Cat Gets Lost, Travels World

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The book I remember is a children’s book.  I think the cover showed the cat sitting in front of the Taj Mahal.

The cat eventually found its owners.

The book is not “Pooni at the Taj Mahal,” “Lost Cat,” Lost and Found Cat,” or “The Cat Who Found his Way Home.”

The cat may have been white or yellow.  I read it in between 1983 and 1993.

357W: Racy novel set in 1960s in Fashion Industry

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I read this novel in the early 90s. It had a mostly white cover, possibly with a woman decked out in white fur. Here’s what I remember:
— Novel is set in the 1960’s and in the fashion industry.
— Main character was traumatized when, as a child,  she saw her mother, Coral, having sex and thereafter had a lot of problems.
— Her best friend is overweight, marries a drug addict named Alastair. She is also a fashion designer I think, in the style of Mary Quant.
— Coral, her mother, is a magazine editor I believe and nearly dies in a fire.
— Set in London and New York
— Potboiler type novel. Possibly with the word White in the title but maybe not … could just be confusing it because the cover was white.

357V: Traveling between the realms

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It’s been bugging me for a while. This is a young adult book from my childhood likely read between 2006 and 2010 from my school library.
It’s a fantasy book and the cover has flames on it with (I think) electric blue writing on it (like literal lightning font).
My very rough description: there’s a group of people traveling between realms (sort of like heaven and hell).
I’m so sorry that’s all I have!

357O: Scandinavian folk tale collection (Solved!)

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I am looking for a book that was a series of short stories or collection of Scandinavian (?) folk tales. It could possibly be classified as young adult but likely for a younger age range (10-14). The usual searches (Norwegian, Swedish, Scandinavian folktales) have not turned up the book, so perhaps it was a collection of general folk/magical themed stories. There were pictures throughout book. They were not in a cartoon style but drawn and I believe one picture showed a cave and/or beach. I only remember these drawings being in black and white. There was at least one story about the sea. The version I had was paperback. Cover art: White background, young girl (face of a young girl). It is was nymph like, or some type of fairy. Very g-rated. There was some green on the cover. It was more modern looking than the usual cover art for Nordic folk tale books, however, an overall flowy feel to the cover. Timing: I received it sometime between 1998-2002. It was likely purchased in Canada at either McNally’s Robinson bookstore or an independent seller.

357M: Ordinary Man Caught Up In Biker Gang

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Around 30 years ago I read a book about an ordinary man that gets caught up with a violent biker gang. The leader was beefy and wore a black leather vest over his bare torso; he ends up murdered and is buried with his hog.

It isn’t The Devil Rides Out.
The cover I believe may have been a dark blue representing a night sky and a biker. It may have involved pagan rituals.  There was something about the guy watching the goings on of the gang in some sort of disused warehouse.

357J: Marshmallow fluff and peanut butter sandwiches and mom’s note (Solved!)

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Early 90s children’s book. Book about children making marshmallow fluff and peanut butter sandwiches. They make a mess and find their mom’s note that says where she has gone to. The note has fluff all over it and they are only able to see a few letters. They go about trying to decode the note, imagining all the places she could be. Finally, it ends that it says she went to the pet store and comes back with a dog!