Read in 2008. Cats. Death. The Social Internet. (The author created a social internet site called echonyc...well before Facebook.) And Buffy the Vampire Slayer. All the themes that run through this memoir speak deeply to me. It is my favourite book of 2008 so far. Perhaps my favourite book of the decade.

Reread it, November 2021. My favorite book of the century so far.

If you've ever loved an animal...this book is perfect for you

Scared my life will become this lowkey

This was a weird book: a collection of the author's thoughts on death, loneliness and her self-described midlife crisis, combined with little vignettes about old places in New York and a few interviews with older people on how they think about their lives. And let's not forget the description of the death of one of her beloved cats. Although these are heavy topics, the author has a sense of humor about life and seems to have made peace with her anxieties and fears by the book's end.

As someone who's sort of obsessed with death myself, I liked this book, although it may not be for everyone.

Loved "Waiting for My Cats to Die", especially its wry humor, self-effacing honesty and the hands-on research that much of it was based on. I lived in Stacy's neighborhood in the 80s and even know one or two of the people she mentioned in the book. I also have two elderly dogs so could totally relate to Stacy's love for her cats. In fact I felt like I was reading a book written by a close friend. And thank you Stacy for visiting Hart Island and letting us know it isn't such a bad place. Two people I was close to are buried there, and I feel comforted by your description. Can't wait to read more of Stacy's work, she's a uniquely talented voice.

I only read a few pages of this book. The title of it was interesting, but I couldn't get into it. One of the few books I have opened that I actually had to simply put down.

I picked up Waiting for My Cats to Die because she mentioned having a diabetic cat -- and at the time, so did I. I didn't really know what to expect from the book. The title is morbid, of course :). However, this is a really interestingly organized autobiography. You'll laugh, and you will cry. I don't normally read autobiographies -- but this one is one I am glad I made the exception for.

I could barely get past the first few chapters. I never knew death could be talked of in such a boring manner. Ugh.

For the first few chapters, this book is interesting and fun. Then it very quickly became boring and strange. For a little while, the narrator is relatable. Then that ends, and you can sort of laugh at her (not in a rude way). Then that ends, and she just kind of becomes like that weird aunt you have that shows up once in a while at family events and just always seems to have some kind of story that you have to politely laugh at. I couldn't force myself to finish the book and sold it to a used-book store. I feel sorry for the person who finds it there and reads it.

Stacy, can we talk? You need to get out of NYC once in a while, my friend. You have oddly sheltered views on many things. Yes, everything you say is true: life is depressing and then you die. Not only that, you get old first. Things change that we don’t want to change. Like our looks. But I just turned fifty and feel fantastic, and not in an “Up With People” denial sort of way.

Here are a few of the chapters: "Death" "Cats" "Fantasy" "Death" "Cats" "Beauty" "Death"
"Cats" "Death".

So many parallels with my own life. Stacy, you are brilliant but messed-up. I had a definite love-hate relationship with this book. So many things similar, so many not. The death stuff was so depressing I wanted to bail, yet other parts can only be described as brilliant.

I'm not even finished and I have an opinion....this book is definitely a mixed bag. There are parts that are laugh out loud funny. There are parts that are thoughtful, introspective, and touching. And then there are some parts that are just ramblings that go on and on with "woe is me" pessimism and narcissism that we could all do without. This book has the potential to be great, but could have benefited from a heavy editorial hand. Even though it is no masterpiece, I will continue to read it because there are enough good parts that keep me wondering what will happen next.

So, now I'm finished and one thing I would like to comment on is the interviews that she does for the book with older people about thoughts on their lives, aging, death and dying. Some questions that she poses are: What are the main differences between the young you and the you now? How do you feel when you see your body in the mirror? What scares you? You are addressing someone you care about, someone young. Please finish this sentence. "If you only knew..." What would you like to experience one last time? Looking back on it all, what will you miss the most? Was it worth it? why?
The answers are some of the most fascinating reading in this book. And the questions are interesting ones to ponder, at various stages in life.

The first few pages of this book were off-putting to me. Horn is 40-something, unhappily unmarried, unnaturally attached to her chronically ill cats, obsessed with mortality and she bluntly lays this all out at the beginning of the book. If my sister hadn't liked this book so much I might have put it down, which would have been a shame because it really is a very fun read. (Really... trust me.) (Horn reminds me a little of my sister. I am comforted by the fact that she hasn't taken up drumming or cemetery weeding.)