Hello, Pawesome Library furiends
and
Welcome to the Mewton-Clawson Library at BBHQ
Many thanks for joining me in the stacks again, and as mew know I don't usually review over Catmas, but because I missed one the other week, I thought it was only fair that I caught up and put the review programme back on schedule, heading into 2026.
Well, my gorgeous library guests, if mew thought last week was a catastrophe of cocktails and chakras, wait till mew hear what happened at BBHQ in the run‑up to Catmas.
The P.A. is still recovering from the flu (honestly, the timing), and the library mice have now declared themselves “essential seasonal staff”, which apparently means they’re exempt from all regular duties. When I asked why the shelves hadn’t been dusted, they squeaked something about “urgent tinsel logistics” and “cranberry‑scented candle testing.” Lumi even wore a tiny hard hat and carried a clipboard. I was too baffled to argue.
Meanwhile, the Mewton-Clawson Library has been transformed into what can only be described as a festive explosion. There’s glitter in the card catalogue, baubles in the biography section, and somepawdy... I’m looking at mew, Fudge... hung mistletoe over the emergency exit. Ardvaar, the Health & Safety Officer, nearly fainted.
As for me? Oh, I was very busy with Catmas prep, thank mew for asking. (I'll give my full Catmas update on next Friday's post!)
I’ve been:
taste‑testing the nip‑nog (for quality control, obviously)
supervising the mice’s “Nutcracker Rehearsals” (they’re terrible, but enthusiastic)
selecting the purrfect outfit for the BBHQ Catmas Pawty (sequins, velvet, and enough sparkle to blind a small deity)
and I wrote my annual “Dear Santa Paws” letter, which is six pages long and includes diagrams, pictures and a huge list of books for 2026
I even attempted to wrap presents, but after getting tangled in tape, ribbon, and a rogue roll of festive paper, I decided delegation was the true spirit of leadership. The library mice are now in charge of wrapping, they love it. They’re using far too much tape, but morale is exceptionally high and festive.
So yes, dahlings, between the glitter, the chaos, and the mice forming a union called “The Festive Furries,” it’s been quite the week. But don’t worry, I always land on my paws… even if they’re covered in gold wrapping paper and cookie crumbs.
🏛 My Egyptian Adventure #9: Catacombs, Curiosity & Cocktail Masquerades 🐾
Location: The Catacombs of Kom El‑Shoqafa, Alexandria... a labyrinth of ancient chambers carved deep into the earth, where Roman elegance meets Egyptian mystique
Time: Nightfall, when lantern‑light flickers on stone reliefs and shadows dance like masked guests at a secret gala
Dahlings, tonight I descended from the glittering world above into the cool, echoing depths of Alexandria’s most mysterious marvel: the Catacombs of Kom El‑Shoqafa. My paws clicked delicately on the spiral staircase... all 99 steps of it... as I spiralled down into a world where history lounges in the half‑light like a sphinx with secrets to tell.
“Ah,” I purred, “finally, a venue worthy of a masquerade.”
I arrived draped in a flowing robe of obsidian silk, embroidered with tiny gold ankhs that shimmered with every swish of my tail. My mask? A dazzling Bastet‑inspired creation of black lacquer and gold filigree, because if one is attending an underground soirée among the departed, one must look divine.
The air was cool and earthy, tinged with centuries of silence. As torchlight flickered across carvings of serpents, falcons, and hybrid deities, I sipped a Kom El‑Cosmo Masquerade Catnip Martini, garnished with a twist of candied lotus root, and whispered, “Amber, mew are the mystery.”
The statues didn’t blink, but I swear one of the sphinxes smirked.
My Evening Essentials Included:
🌙 A moonlit lantern trimmed with blue glass, casting dramatic shadows at all the right moments
🍸 A Kom El‑Cosmo Catnip Martini, shaken with hibiscus, honey, and a whisper of ancient intrigue, garnished with candied lotus root
📜 A map of the catacombs, annotated with my paw‑written notes (“Lovely fusion of Egyptian and Roman styles, dahling... very avant‑garde for the 2nd century”)
🐾 A feathered fan in midnight black, fluttered strategically whenever a draft threatened my whiskers
I wandered through the chambers... the Hall of Caracalla, the banquet room carved entirely from stone, the niches where ancient families once gathered, each space glowing with the soft warmth of lantern‑light. The blend of Egyptian symbolism and Roman artistry was breathtaking, but naturally, I remained composed.
After all, I am Amber, head librarian of BBHQ, and I, too, am a fusion of elegance, history, and cocktails.
The catacombs may hold echoes of rituals and forgotten feasts, but tonight they held me: a cat of legend, gliding through ancient halls, sipping martinis, and turning a subterranean necropolis into the hottest masquerade in Alexandria.
Mood: Enigmatic, glamorous, and deliciously dramatic (but only because my mask sparkled brighter than the torchlight)
Quote of the Day: “Some mysteries lie in shadows, dahling... others walk in on velvet paws.”
✨ Next week, prepare your whiskers, I’m taking mew somewhere windswept, wondrous, and worthy of a queen. Think ruins, revelations, and cocktails with a catnip citrus twist. 😸🌬️
1. The best part of 2025 was _____________________.
2. My focus word for 2026 is ________________________.
3. I always _________ in the days after Christmas.
4. I’ve had enough _________ to last a lifetime.
The P.A.'s answers are...
1. The best part of 2025 (latterly) was finally feeling like myself again. It was a quiet kind of homecoming I didn’t even realise I’d been waiting for, after five years of menopause mayhem!
2. My focus word for 2026 is ease. I’m choosing to move through the year with a softer, steadier kind of energy.
3. I always forget what day it is in the days after Christmas. Every day feels like a Sunday! By the way, what day is it today? LOL
4. I’ve had enough obligation‑energy to last a lifetime. I’m ready to choose what feels genuine instead of what feels expected.
And as yesterday was the last Friyay of 2025, we're also joining in the furrbulous...
Dahlings, today I present a photo‑fail from June 2018, capturing me in a moment of dramatic repose, some might say “stuck,” but I prefer “awaiting royal assistance.” The P.A. scooped me up like the queen I am.
I wasn’t stuck… I was just simply summoning service! MOL
Let's see what I've got to show mew this time!
Mewton-Clawson Library Copy
The Michaelmas Murders
The No. 2 Feline Detective Agency Book 5
by
Mandy Morton
Finally, I got to review BOOK FIVE in this epic series! I did have a Catmas book all lined up, which I thought had a cat in it, but sadly it didn't, so today is the day that I can do this one instead.
Here are the previous books in the series that I have reviewed so far:
The Michaelmas Murders BK 5 - YAY TODAY!!! MOL
📚 This Week’s Paw‑Approved Top Pick: The Michaelmas Murders
Prepare your whiskers, fluff your tail, and don your tiniest pair of wellington boots, because this week’s read is a cozy feline mystery that proves allotments are far more dangerous than they look. Forget magical libraries, this adventure is all compost heaps, competitive vegetables, and cats with very sharp instincts. MOL
❓ What’s the Genre?
A delightfully quirky, cosy cat‑centric mystery, part of the long‑running No. 2 Feline Detective Agency series. Think classic whodunnit meets village‑green chaos, sprinkled with cattitude, humour, and enough horticultural drama to make even the calmest gardener hiss.
🕵️ What’s the Story?
As the town gears up for its annual flower and produce show, disaster strikes: prize vegetables vanish, a body turns up in an onion patch, and the allotment community is shaking in its boots (and fur). Enter Hettie Bagshot and her loyal sidekick Tilly, the sharp‑eyed sleuths of the No. 2 Feline Detective Agency.
With baronial landowner Fluff Wither‑Fork in a flap and a scarecrow competition under threat, the duo must untangle a web of secrets, sabotage, and suspicious cats before judgment day arrives. Raised beds, raised tempers, and raised fur, this case has it all.
⚔️ What I Loved:
🧅 The Allotment Antics: Vegetable theft, competitive growers, and a corpse among the onions, this is peak cosy chaos. Every patch has a secret, and every gardener has a motive.
🐾 Hettie & Tilly: The purrfect detective duo. Hettie’s no‑nonsense grit pairs beautifully with Tilly’s loyal heart and quiet brilliance. Together, they navigate danger, gossip, and the occasional rogue marrow.
🌾 The Vibes: Imagine Midsomer Murders, but everyone is a cat and the stakes involve both life and prize‑winning produce. It’s charming, eccentric, and full of whisker‑twitching tension.
🎭 The Community Drama: From flustered aristocats to competitive growers who take their carrots far too seriously, the cast is a riot of personalities. Every chapter brings a new suspect, a new secret, or a new reason to laugh.
🌻 The Setting: A lovingly crafted world of sheds, scarecrows, binder twine, and gossip carried on the breeze. Mew can practically smell the compost and hear the distant meow of a cat plotting something suspicious.
📖 My Final Thoughts:
The Michaelmas Murders is a cozy mystery that purrs with humour, bristles with intrigue, and digs deep into the fertile soil of small‑town cattitude. Hettie and Tilly remain endlessly entertaining, and the allotment setting is a fresh, funny backdrop for murder, mayhem, and marrow‑based rivalry.
If mew love feline sleuths, quirky communities, and mysteries that keep your tail curled in anticipation, this instalment is a top‑paw pick! MOL
So grab your blanket, your favourite brew (nip tea, anypawdy?), and settle in for a delightfully muddy, murdery romp through the allotments.
A FURBULOUS READ, AND TOTALLY TOP PAW EDITION TO THE SERIES!
Ideal for readers who enjoy mysteries, mayhem, and stories that last exactly long enough for two naps and a snack break. MOL
Paperback: 288 pages
Audio: 6 hours 40 mins
My Ratings Scale
Ratings of:
Overall Enjoyment
Other Fun Blog Hops to Join Today
I'm off to prepare for next week's review, as mew know the drill, so many books, so little time!
I always look forward to your company as I share a specially paw-picked book just for my epic readers!
Don't forget, if mew are looking for great books with cats, check out the Book Review page, just click the link here or at the top of the page, as that's the place to visit to get your feline fiction fix.
Happy Mew Year!
See mew in 2026... and don't forget...
Keep calm and read more books
Amber
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