At some point during this pandemic, Eliot’s Eats morphed from a food blog to a reading blog. This was not a conscious decision on my part but the result is the same. I’m still looking for culinary inspiration in whatever I’m reading but the last time I posted anything primarily recipe-oriented only was August 22 and before that it was August 9. That doesn’t sound that strange upon reflection, but everything else was a Top Ten Tuesday list or a recipe paired with a book (or movie review).
Questions of Perspective by Daniel Maunz was presented to me as “Metaphysical fiction—contemporary fiction with a speculative element, which gets a bit philosophical (not in a heavy handed way).” I received a free copy of this book for an honest review. All rants and gushings are my own.About the book
No one knew it at the time, but April 19, 2011, was the most important day in the history of the world.
After his only friend and colleague, John Manta, disappears without a word, Dave Randall further entrenches himself in the humdrum life of an unenthusiastic lawyer. But once he begins to understand what happened, he embarks on a journey to uncover the deeper meanings and implications of John’s fate.
Accompanied by Peaches the cat, Dave uproots his life and reinvents himself in the midst of his search. Along the way, he is haunted by his piecemeal understanding of John’s fate and what it means for his existence. Little does Dave know, his journey of self-discovery will have ramifications that extend far beyond the borders of his own little life.
“In Questions of Perspective, author Daniel Maunz’s writing style is clear and refreshingly down-to-earth as his characters interact. The full spectrum of human emotions is provoked here; complacency at work, feelings of inadequacy, connecting with a soulmate, and heartbreak pulled me in so many directions. All of this is punctuated by witty humor that also had me laughing and those I live with wondering what was so funny.” –Online Book Club (4/4 star review)
“One thing I love about reading is when you go into a book with no expectations and it blows you out of the water – this is a book that did exactly that.” –Backpacking Bookworm (4.7/5 star review)
Purchase Links
Amazon | Books-A-Million | Barnes & Noble
Connect with Daniel
Website | Facebook | Twitter |Instagram
About the author:
When he is not writing, Daniel Maunz serves as in-house counsel for a major insurance company. He currently lives in Sullivan’s Island, South Carolina, with his wife Lynne, their son Patrick, and their two cats: Admiral Meowy McWhiskers and Captain Cutie (or “Admiral” and “Captain” for short). Questions of Perspective is his first novel.
What I thought…
I loved this book. It is a totally irreverent look at spirituality. What if your best friend became God? (Well, not even your best friend; just your best acquaintance.) After she (or he) shows you the power of his/her omnipotent consciousness, would you go screaming into the night or would you really look deeper into yourself for purpose and meaning?
Also, would you adopt God’s cat?
The bigger question here is probably what would you do with god-like powers if you had them? Would you solve the world’s problems or maintain free-will?
These are all questions of perspective.
The only problem with this book is this: when you try to explain it to someone, you get really odd looks and many times they change the subject. I think I will just force the book into peoples’ hands and let them judge for themselves.
The Food
There is very little (and I mean little) food in the novel. But, when one meets God and experiences omniscience, is food relevant? Here’s what was included:
- Venti iced caramel machiato (8)
- Cool Ranch Doritos (10)
- Deli-chicken fingers and fries, salad (20)
- Monk-brewed beer
- Peaches (the cat) (44)
- Black coffee and capucinno (61)
- Few slices of bread; half a rotten banana (68)
- Ground beef, spaghetti, tomato sauce (80)
- Cranberry sauce (80)
- Spaghetti and wheatballs (118)
- Founders All Day IPA (120)
- Bagel (133)
- Lentil-roni pasta dish with kale chips on the side (162)
- Lasagna (175)
- Pasta lunch (192)
There wasn’t a meal or a dish that really seemed relevant (per my previous comment) so I decided to embrace the love both John and Dave had for Peaches the cat. I would make cat treats.
I found this recipe here and adapted it slightly (only using a 5 oz. can of salmon). It was just three ingredients: 1 egg, salmon, and flour to bind. Roll them out, cut with the smallest cookie cutter you have, and bake for about 20 minutes at 350 F. 
Ha! The smallest cookie cutters I had were Christmas ones, hence the miniature ginger bread men, Christmas trees, and teddy bears.
If you go to the website for this recipe, you will see a very cute cat eating these treats (cut out with very cute tiny fish shapes), and some adorable staging.
Eliot, our fur baby and namesake for this blog, would have nothing to do with these. She gummed one a bit and then just spit it out. So much for the adorable photo op.
I am taking them to the lake this weekend. We’ll see if the marina cat will have anything to do with them.
To sum up, I would pass on ever making these treats again (they kind of smelled up the house too when they were baking) but I would recommend Questions of Perception.
Eliot the Cat. Finicky yet lovable.
and Novel Food. 
Daniel Maunz’s TLC Book Tours TOUR STOPS:
Monday, September 28th: @booksloveandunderstanding
Tuesday, September 29th: @bookapotamus
Wednesday, September 30th: Blunt Scissors Book Reviews and @bluntscissorsbookreviews
Friday, October 2nd: @compulsivereadersblog
Monday, October 5th: Barks Beaches Books and @barksbeachesbooks
Wednesday, October 7th: Eliot’s Eats
Monday, October 12th: Books Cooks Looks – author guest post
Tuesday, October 13th: @the_unwined
Thursday, October 15th: @readinggirlreviews
Friday, October 16th: @_ebl_inc_
Monday, October 19th: @mentallybooked
Wednesday, October 21st: Openly Bookish
Friday, October 23rd: @ifcatscouldread
Monday, October 26th: @thebookclubmom
Wednesday, October 28th: @lets_talk_books_and_cats
That sounds like a fun read, Deb. I am not sure my cats would love the salmon treats too because I usually feed them pure meat, fish, egg yolks. They don’t even eat egg white. But you know what? They love roasted pumpkin…LOL
How old is Eliot? My oldest cat is about 18, the younger one is 14…so all seniors.
Yes, it was an interesting experience but I’m not sure I will make these again. Now, dog treats, on the other hand…Dogs are more appreciative. 🙂
Sounds like a fun read! Of course people have been writing metaphysical fiction forever. Think of _Tristam Shandy_. Or even _Gulliver’s Travels!_ Anyway, this does sound like a fun read — thanks.
It was a fun read and not too heavy even though it made me ponder some big questions.
The cat treat story is funny – sorry to say as it didn’t meet your expections.
At least one cat ate some. I left them on the boat and the next weekend they were moldy. 🙂
I’m sure Eliot was very happy that you read this novel. It sounds interesting to me.
Who knows what she thinks. 🙂 We have a magnet on the fridge that says “If cats could talk, they wouldn’t.” So true! 🙂
[…] Wednesday, October 7th: Eliot’s Eats […]
I love that you made cat treats! That photo of Eliot is priceless. Of course now I wonder whether our cats would like those. And such an interesting novel! Thank you so much for another contribution to Novel Food 🙂
I know our cat prefers the store bought treats. You are welcome! Thanks for hosting. Ready for #41?
The novel does sound intriguing, though not so much baking cat treats. We have a very finicky geriatric cat.:)
Yep, ours is a bit geriatric as well.