Author Rita Mae Brown based some of her mysteries on one of her cats, Sneaky Pie. As an animal lover, she has written this memoir about all the various animals she has known and loved, including cats, dogs, horses, and various wildlife.

As an animal-lover myself, I really enjoyed this. I agree with a lot of what she has to say, and disagree with some, but then I'm a city-person and she's a country-person and having grown up in a small town, I do realize that we see things differently. However, it's very obvious how much she loves animals, so underneath it all, we're on the same page. ( )

I've enjoyed the books by Rita Mae Brown that I have read so I thought this memoir would be interesting. I listened to the audio download from my library which was read by Ms Brown herself.

It starts with her earliest memories of pets in her childhood home in Virginia. She has always been surrounded by animals and now that she has her own place in Virginia she has dogs and horses and cats of her own. I was a little dismayed that a lot of her interest is in hounds and horses for fox hunting but as she explained that foxes are not killed I felt better about that.

Sometimes her stories are funny, sometimes they are sad but they are always about love between wonderful animals and caring humans. As Rita says, if you haven't yet experienced the deep love that develops with a dog or a cat you owe it to yourself to find that special animal. ( )

Animal Magnetism is a simple, straightforward account of the animals that have inhabited Rita Mae Brown's life. The stories of the cats, dogs, horses, birds, and foxes (there is even an opossum!) that have touched her reveal life lessons that all animal lovers can relate to. Brown often gets on her soap box about issues such as animal abuse, government, and city life, but she does it in such a down to earth, humble, and direct way that it is hard to disagree with her. The love and appreciation she feels for all animals shines through and the animals themselves will touch your heart. The story of Susie Q, the draft horse that taught Rita Mae to ride, reminded me of my own experiences as a child and the story of Tack, her loving and courageous dog, literally brought me to tears. As much as I loved the animals in these stories, I also loved the opportunity to learn more about Rita Mae Brown herself. She reveals herself in this book and proves she is a person worth getting to know. ( )