Dawn O’Porter is an author, director, broadcaster, and co-founder of the charity Choose Love. Known for her investigative journalism, Dawn first made a name for herself in front of the camera in her 2007 BBC documentary Super Slim Me. Since then, she’s presented several documentaries covering everything from attitudes to pregnancy and childbirth to polyamory in the USA and breast cancer. In 2014, Dawn hosted This Old Thing, a Channel 4 series she co-produced exploring vintage clothing that she later adapted into a book. I ended up moving to Los Angeles for work, where I still live 15 years later. After an initial six-month test whereby Lilu stayed with friends in London, she came over, too. We were very happy in our little West Hollywood apartment. Life was dreamy for her until the rare occasion that I had to return home to the UK. So I left her with a friend who rented the flat while I was away for a few months. What felt like a good plan where she got reduced rent, but had to look after the cat, was a total disaster. They didn’t get on. My friend couldn’t cope with Lilu’s Siamese dramas and the way she’d wail through the night because she’d been abandoned by her mother. It was made quite clear that the deal was off, and so Lilu was put on a plane to London, where we ran into each other’s arms like long-distance lovers finally reunited in a terrible romcom. It was then that I made a pact with her: if I go, you come, too. I kept my word.

Dawn O’Porter X Joanie | Vintage-Inspired Collaboration Range Dawn O’Porter X Joanie | Vintage-Inspired Collaboration Range

Who should buy this book? Fans of The Great British Bake Off, especially fans who have just started to notice how wobbly the show has got without her. The Bullet That Missed by Richard Osman I loved seeing Mia grow into her confidence, and allow herself to be who she truly is beneath all the facades she shows everyone. Finally allowing space for those she loves to get close to her, and coming to terms with her past, whilst not letting it define her or suffocate her anymore. It was a truly empowering story, she has a lot of strength and bravery in her, and it was beautiful to see her finally flourishing. I enjoyed this one, if you're already a fan of the author's writing, you'll love it. If you like quirky characters and some bizarre, laugh out loud scenarios, then you'll also love it. Although my husband was sad, there was no one who felt the same way as me, and therefore I dealt with her death in the way that felt right for me and no one else. I had her freeze-dried, a process where she was dehydrated using extremely cold temperatures over the course of 10 months, preserving her perfectly to look just as she did on the day she died, and now she sits happily, but 100% dead, on a chair in my dining room. See, I told you I was a Cat Lady.Writing style Love Untold has a plot, but its real joy is in how Jones digs her fingernails into decades of complicated family history. The risk here would be to boil down at least one of the generations to stereotype, but Jones fiercely resists this. These are four complicated, singular women on their own paths and the story comes entirely from watching them rub against each other. It is stridently confident when it comes to hitting you around the head with sentiment until you relent and start crying, too. Jones could write books like this for the rest of her life and they’d all be brilliant. Main character Gary, a man with a job that Mortimer used to have, in the same location where Mortimer used to work. He also has the exact same cadence, vocabulary and thought processes as Mortimer, as seen in his long digressions about pies. That said, Gary is described as having a slightly larger nose than Mortimer, so they are definitely different people. Fresh, funny and for anyone who’s ever felt astray, CAT LADY will help you belong – because a woman always lands on her feet. Now, we love a bit of sparkle at JCHQ, but we don’t love how they’re made or when they are found at the bottom of the ocean twenty years later. We’ve taken the stance that until a sustainable version is widely available at our price point, we’ll sit out of the sequin game. We’ve worked closely with our suppliers to find or develop more sustainable options using recycled fibres and prints that shed far fewer microplastics (remember to wash in a mesh bag to capture even more!), which means we can sparkle without leaving a trail of glitter behind. Really gets the reader to think about what matters in life Unputdownable and completely wonderful!’ Reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Dawn O’Porter looks back: ‘That little girl went through an Dawn O’Porter looks back: ‘That little girl went through an

Next came a dog, then two children. Despite being a difficult old bag, she welcomed them all with love. Labouring with me as I prepared to leave for hospital with my first, then sitting quietly on the floor as I delivered our second at home on our bed. The midwife said she’d never known an animal to be so well behaved during a birth. I was as proud of her as I was my beautiful baby boy. When he was out and things were quiet, she jumped up and sat on my legs, where she remained almost constantly as I breastfed and watched terrible TV for the next few months.Dawn O’Porter challenges the stereotypes of the typical ‘cat lady’ with this beautiful and emotional read’ Reader review⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Every woman who owns a cat will want this Dawn O’Porter book. Photograph: Dave M Benett/Getty Images Mia has made all the right choices. She’s married, she has the nice house, the good career. But life isn’t about fitting into a box. And there’s another woman inside her who’s just clawing to get out . . . Main character Technically, the Thursday Murder Club are an ensemble – Elizabeth, Joyce, Ron and Ibrahim – but the leader is arguably Elizabeth, an ex-spy and primary carer for her husband, who has dementia.

Cat Lady (Audio Download): Dawn O’Porter, Daisy Haggard Cat Lady (Audio Download): Dawn O’Porter, Daisy Haggard

Plot A fiftysomething woman is devastated when her partner is diagnosed with dementia and his children turf her out of the home they shared. Her partner was insistent that the house should never be sold. But why? Graham Norton, now an established author in addition to his TV and radio career, finds out. Main character The story is told from the perspective of all four characters, although the main one is Grace, a woman approaching her 90th birthday with the same energy that most approach their 30th. We meet her on a beach, snapping at a patronising do-gooder, and things progress from there.As always, Dawn O'Porter writes unforgettable, quirky characters and stories that stay with you, for both good and bad reasons. But the good far outweighs the bad. Since Lilu passed away, I have rescued two cats: a brother and sister called Myrtle and Boo, who I love so much it almost hurts. That brings my household to the grand total of two cats (or two and a half, if you count the dead one in the dining room), two dogs, two kids and a husband. Apart from the kids and the husband, I have big plans to extend the family even further. I love how pets make a home feel and the community you enter into when you get one.

Cat Lady | Dawn O’Porter | 9780008385415 | NetGalley Cat Lady | Dawn O’Porter | 9780008385415 | NetGalley

The pet grief group really emanated and highlighted the companionship, love and happiness pets can bring to your life, how important and vital they can be, particularly in times of heartache and distress of bringing some peace, relief and brightness to the hardest of days, when all seems lost. I also loved the emphasis on how valid every grief is, it doesn't matter whether it's grief of a dog, hamster, rabbit, cat etc. it's all completely valid and important, and not to diminish these feelings just because other's have an opinion. It's such a beautiful and meaningful reminder to take with you. Plot Gary, a down-at-heel London solicitor, goes for a drink with a friend. The next day, the friend goes missing. Meanwhile, Gary meets and falls for a mysterious woman. Could the two be connected? And why does Gary keep having conversations with a slightly belligerent squirrel? The debut novel by comedian Bob Mortimer has the answers. Writing style This is a book about a woman who essentially devolves (or evolves, as it would like us all to think) into an animal, which makes it a slightly less high-minded version of Paula Cocozza’s novel How to Be Human. It rips along at a decent clip and, even though O’Porter now lives in Los Angeles, does a very good job of depicting the empty aspirational scuzz of the London creative scene. In fact, this is where it thrives. The chapters about Mia’s awful workplace are much more compelling than the ones where she stops washing and pretends to be a cat.Cover quote “His grasp of human loneliness and longing is beautiful and comforting” – Marian Keyes (again). Previous works Two other Thursday Murder Club books, Richard Osman’s House of Games, A Pointless History of the World, The World Cup of Everything: Bringing the Fun Home. I’ve also always wanted to have fun with my clothes, but when you grow up on a small island like Guernsey you’ve got to be really brave to break away from what everyone else is doing. So I used to follow the herd, even though I knew I wanted to look different. Then, in my early 20s, I discovered vintage and that’s when it came together. After I gave up on modern fashion it was such a relief and everything made sense. I was raised by a dressmaker – my uncle made furs – and he’d turn clothes inside out and show me how they were stitched together, and I have so much sensory nostalgia for what my mum was like. Plot Sally Parker is the bored wife of an elaborately rich hedge fund manager. She has a full-time nanny, a chef and someone to groom her dogs. But when her husband suddenly goes bankrupt, all this is whipped away from her and she can start to find herself again. This debut novel comes from the comedian and former Bake Off co-host Mel Giedroyc, one half of Mel and Sue. Animals bring people together. Cats make people who might otherwise be alone, not alone. There is nothing crazy about a woman just because she lives alone with cats. Well, that’s not what I see anyway. I see someone who has a lot of love in their heart who chooses to take care of a cat who needs her as much as she needs it. For me, it’s a sign of a person with a huge heart, not a cold one. Unless she’s got a dead one in her dining room, of course. Then she’s probably as batty as they come.