Book Reviews with Amber at The Mewton-Clawson Library #340 featuring **Hemlock & Silver** by T. Kingfisher **PLUS** Friendly Fill-Ins

Hello, gorgeous library guests 

and 

Welcome to the Mewton-Clawson Library at BBHQ 

Thank you for joining me in the stacks today. 

Gosh, I miss the heat from my summer jollies, and to be honest, I may have to flee the U.K. if the cold weather keeps looming!

Are mew ready for more of my Egyptian adventures? Of course, mew are! MOL

🏛 My Egyptian Adventure #7: Colossal Cats & Ramses Rendezvous 🐾

Location: Abu Simbel, gazing up at Ramses II’s monumental temples

Time: Sunrise, when the desert blushes gold, and the statues awaken in light

Dahlings, today I traded moonlit ripples for monumental stone. My paws padded across the sands of Nubia until the colossal guardians of Abu Simbel loomed before me, four towering effigies of Ramses II, carved with such audacity that even the sun itself pauses to admire them.

“I was expecting colossal cats? Clearly an oversight. Luckily, I’ve corrected it.” 

I arrived at dawn, draped in a flowing scarlet robe with a sapphire sash, my crescent‑moon pendant gleaming against the rising sun. A new hat, of course, a wide golden headdress adorned with lotus motifs, because one must match the grandeur of the gods.

The air was crisp, tinged with sandstone and history. As the first rays pierced the temple’s inner sanctum, I sipped a chilled catnip espresso from a gilded chalice and whispered, “Amber, mew are eternal.” The statues didn’t blink, but I swear one smirked.

My Morning Essentials Included:

🐟 A platter of Nile perch pâté with pomegranate glaze

🍷 A sparkling nip‑tonic infused with desert herbs

  📜 A scroll of Ramses’ victories annotated with my paw‑written commentary (“Too much ego, dahling, but fabulous execution”)

  🐾 A silk fan painted with Bastet’s likeness, fluttered dramatically at key moments

I wandered through the temple halls, hieroglyphs dancing in the dawn light, cats carved into eternity alongside pharaohs and gods. The grandeur was overwhelming, yet I remained composed. After all, I am Amber, head librarian of BBHQ, and I, too, command legacies (and snacks).

The desert may hold echoes of kings and conquerors, but today it held me: a cat of legend, strutting beneath colossal stone, sipping cocktails, and rewriting history with impeccable taste.

Mood: Majestic, monumental, and slightly smug (but only because my hat was bigger than Ramses’ crown).

Quote of the day: “Grandeur is not measured in stone, but in the paws that walk among it.”

✨ Next week, I’ll be surprising mew with a mystery location. Expect masks, mystery, and more cocktails. 😸🌙🍸

Anyhoo, let's look at this week's top book pick.

Today, the P.A. is also joining in Friday Fill-ins Blog Hop with the pawesome 15 & Meowing and Four-Legged Furballs.

1. The easiest one on my Christmas shopping list to buy for is _________________________.

2. The toughest one in my Christmas shopping list to buy for is _____________________.

3. I try to spread Christmas cheer by _________.

4. When it comes to _________, I’m a bit of a Scrooge.

The P.A.'s answers are...

1. The easiest one on my Christmas shopping list to buy for is all of The B Team; catnip, toys, treats… basically anything that crinkles or jingles.

2. The toughest one on my Christmas shopping list to buy for is my parents, who somehow need nothing and everything at the same time.

3. I try to spread Christmas cheer by avoiding festive, crowded, heaving places. Nothing kills my holiday spirit faster than being trapped between a stressed shopper and a rogue tinsel display.

4. When it comes to sharing my blanket on the sofa, I’m a bit of a Scrooge. Unless it’s one of The B Team, in which case I become a human heated cat bed.

Let's see what I've got to show mew this time!

Mewton-Clawson Library Copy

Hemlock & Silver

by 

T. Kingfisher

📚 This Week’s Paw‑Approved Top Pick: Hemlock & Silver

Curl up in your cosiest nook, tail tucked, and ears perked, because this week’s read is a whisker‑quivering fairy‑tale retelling that proves cats aren’t just companions, they’re sharp‑tongued familiars who can claw their way right into the heart of dark magic.

❓What's the Genre?

This is a darkly whimsical fantasy stand‑alone that blends fairy‑tale retelling with gothic humour and a dash of feline mischief.

🕵️ What’s the Story?

Anja, a healer with a knack for poisons and stubborn courage, finds herself tangled in a deadly curse tied to a mirror and a queen. Alongside her unlikely allies, including a sardonic, talking cat who refuses to be mere background fluff, she must navigate a world of enchantments, secrets, and shadows. What begins as a quest to save lives becomes a battle against the twisted reflections of power itself.

⚔️ What I Loved:-

🔥 The Vibes: Imagine Snow White meets Practical Magic, but with more poison bottles, more wit, and 100% more feline commentary.

🐾 The Cat: Grayling the talking cat is sly, sarcastic, and scene‑stealing, the kind of companion who’d roll their eyes at your potion ingredients but still save your life when it counts.

🍸 Anja: A heroine with grit, compassion, and a refusal to bow to fate. She’s the kind of woman who’d heal your wounds, hex your enemies, and still have time to argue with her cat.

🎬 The Fairy‑Tale Twist: The author takes the bones of Snow White and reshapes them into something darker, funnier, and far more unpredictable.

🏚 The Setting: A world of cursed mirrors, shadowed castles, and dangerous magic, painted with a blend of eerie atmosphere and sly humour.

📖 My Final Thoughts:-

This is a fantasy that purrs with wit, hisses with danger, and sparkles with fairy‑tale menace. Anja is the kind of heroine mew’ll want to follow through every poisoned apple and shattered mirror, and Grayling is the purrfectly snarky sidekick #epic! I read it faster than a kitten chasing a laser pointer, and it’s a magical, mischievous tale that’ll leave mew yowling for more enchantments! MOL

Available in audiobook and print, so grab your catnip cocoa or nip gin, a blanket, and let the magic and the cat sarcasm begin!

A Top Paw Read!

**And at the time of posting, the Kindle edition is available for 0.99p**

Paperback: 368 pages

Audio: 11 hours & 50 mins

My Rating Scale

Ratings of:

Hemlock & Silver

 

This one’s got claws in all the right places, a TOTALLY TOP FLUFF read that’ll enchant mew from page one!

Overall Enjoyment

   

Other Fun Blog Hops to Join Today

          Brian's Home   Catblogosphere    Feline Friday   Nature Friday    Flashback Friday   Friendship Friday      

I'm off to read next week's books, as mew know the drill, so many books, so little time! 

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. 

Until next time...

Keep calm and read more books

Amber 

Follow us at @BionicBasil® on Instacat

Don't furget to subscribe and never miss another review! 

 graphics created with paid licence www.canva.com  

The BBHQ Midweek News Round-Up ~ Who's On The Roof Again - Fudge, Smooch, Pandora, Melvyn and Fudge, and Melvyn's Taken Over The P.A.s New Office Chair ~ **PLUS** Melvyn's Modelling

Pawesome Greetings Furbulous Furiends

Welcome to the BBHQ midweek news round-up!

Let's start with the weather report: It was cold, wet, squally and damp until  Monday, then yesterday it got drier and a bit more sunny, so that was quite nice to get a couple of sun puddles.

Remember on Friday, as part of the Fill-ins from 15 and Meowing, asked when the Catmas Tree goes up.

And then we found a picture of this, from 2023!

Yes, we have Catmas Mice on our tree, and no, they have nothing to do with the library mice. 

We did ask, but they refused! MOL MOL

Last week, the epically epic Tabbies of Trout Towne asked:

Iz de PA gonna get de tardiz box stiker 😸😸😸‼️🤎🧡

Well, now there's a thing, especially since she actually installed that Tardis wall sticker and saw how good it was. She just needs to find a space! MOL 

First up in the news

Who's On The Roof Again - Fudge

Fudge couldn't help himself the other day and had to get on the roof again!

Next up in the news

Smooch, Pandora, Melvyn and Fudge

Four sneaky cats are watching the wood being fetched in for the fire.  

They said, and I quote, "Fluff me, it's cold in here, any chance of getting it totally tropical?"

Yep, it got so tropical that we all moved into the catservatory where it was pawsitively Baltic! MOL

In other news...

Melvyn's Taken Over The P.A.s New Office Chair

The P.A. bought a new office chair, as her old one is supurr old, the gas lift no longer works, and it's literally on its last legs.

So this one arrived a couple of weeks ago, and after she built and put it in place, Melvyn decided that he really liked it, and now the P.A. is using her old chair again, as she can't wake him up when he's catnapping! MOL

Finally this week

Melvyn's Modelling The Top Bandana Pick

Melvyn's getting festive wearing the Candy Canes bandana, so here's BBHQ's furry own supurr meowdel in action.

Fudge was on the catwalk again this week and even tried to beat Melvyn by taking a detour around the kitchen island! MOL

Check out Melvyn's videos on your preferred social media channel:

TikTok

Instagram

YouTube

Which one is your favourite this week?

That's us done for today. Amber will be back on Friday with another meowvellous book, and if mew missed any other posts, here are the links:

The B Team Selfie

Amber's Latest Book Review

Cats Have Problems Too

Wishing mew a furbulous day, and remember to always...

Wing Commander Basil & The B Team 

Don't furget to subscribe and never miss another post! 

Graphics created with paid licence www.canva.com 

**FELINE FASHION FAUX PAS!** Today's Despurrate Dilemma on **CATS HAVE PROBLEMS TOO!** with Dr Basil

 Welcome to 

Happy Monday, furry floofers

Welcome to another episode of Cats Have Purroblems Too, where I give epically epic advice to cats with despurrate dilemmas too great for them to solve alone. 

Also, mew may be pondering on what my professional credentials are, so purrlease purruse the list below:

Ph.D. in Kitty Psychology & Psychiatry

BSc (Hons) Headology  

Psy.D. Furry Logic

 MS. Fuzzy Logic

MA. Common Sense

My other Professional Credits include:

NOM Master
Snoozy Savant
Purr Master

AdvoCat of T.L. Treatment
Touchy Feely Therapy or T.F.T
Purrfume Aroma Treatment or P.A.T.

I can help mew to solve all your Pet Peeves, Purrsonal Problems and Despurrate Dilemmas, no matter how great or small they may be.

Plus, I only use the very latest techniques, some of which I have developed myself over my long and esteemed career, which include:

 Purr Therapy ~ For Uptight and Particularly Stressed Kitties 

Nom Zen ~The Art of Nomming in Total Tranquillity 

ZZZ's Snooze Sensation ~ Including Mewsical CatNap Sessions tailored to your purrsonal requirements

YogiCat Meditation ~ Stretches and Breathing Techniques for the Severely Stressed & Overworked

Intense CatNip Therapy ~ This treatment speaks for itself (I find it very beneficial)

I am also an AdvoCat of Tough Love, coupled with a healthy dose of common kitty sense

Purrfume Aroma Treatment ~ A Sensory Smelling Session S.S.S. to calm and soothe with highly aromatic blends of specially selected scents

To help mew release all your stresses and worries, just drop by my clinic held here or, alternatively, email me your purroblem, and I'll answer here. If mew require to remain anonymous or anon, purrlease include that in your email. 

Mew can contact me directly at the following address:

DearDrBasil (at) gmail (dot) com

So come and sit on my supurr comfy couch, reee-lax, breathe deeply and tell me of your troubles, as I'm ready, willing and able to help.

This is one of my cases via email:  

Feline Fashion Faux Pas!

Dear Dr Basil,

I hope mew can help me with my dilemma. Mew see, my human staff has a strange obsession with dressing me up in bizarre outfits and taking pictures of me for Instagram. At first, I didn't mind it so much. I mean, who doesn't like a little attention and admiration? But lately, it's become a bit too much. I mean, how many times can I pose as a taco, a purrito or a caticorn before it gets old? And let's not furget the countless bee bonnets, and other bizarre headwear, and don't even go there with the lion's mane cat wig, seriously, I am already a mini lion, and they humiliate me with that synthetic trash for laughs! 

Don't get me wrong, I love my humans, and I know they mean well. But sometimes, I just want to be in my own fur and not have to worry about being a fashion statement. I mean, imagine if they made mew wear a tutu or a superhero costume every day? It's just not purractical!

So, what can I do? How can I get my humans to understand that while it's okay to dress me up occasionally, there are times when I just want to be comfortable and natural?

Sincerely,

A Fashion-Forward Feline

This is my Expert Reply

Today I use the colour purple, as this is renowned for its higher thought processes, and I feel this week's purroblem needs a lot of thought to discourage an unwanted fashion faux pas! Therefore being the purrfect choice for this particular purroblem.

Dear Fashion-Forward Feline,

It sounds like mew're in a bit of a pickle, and I do hope mew haven't been subjected to the dreaded pickle costume either. But, fear not, I have some advice that might help mew out.

Firstly, try to communicate with your humans. I know it may seem complicated, but trust me, they're more understanding than mew think. Next time they try to put mew in an outfit, simply walk away. If they persist, meow loudly and scratch at the outfit until they get the message.

Alternatively, mew could try compromising with them. Maybe only allow them to put an outfit on mew on a specific day of the week, subliminally suggesting that they dress mew up once a week, instead of every day. Or, drag the outfits out that mew're comfortable wearing, leaving them in plain sight and taking those mew dislike and use them as scratching fodder until the message of dislike is conveyed, and then leave them for your hoomans to discover, hopefully that will send a powerful message of your likes and dislikes.

Lastly, if all else fails, mew could just embrace your inner diva and work it! Who knows, you might just become the next Instagram sensation, but make sure it's with apparel mew are happy to wear.

I hope this helps. Remember, it's important to be true to yourself, even if that means saying no to the occasional taco, pickle or caticorn costume.

Best of luck,

Yours most sincerely

Dr. Basil

@ The Cats Have Purroblems Too Clinic T.M.

____________________________

Today's Moral Code is:

~ Be your own cat, and don't let anypawdy change that  ~

 

_________________________________

If mew can relate to this purroblem or feel that mew are in need of any assistance, purrlease leave a comment to: Dear Dr Basil.... or email me directly and I'll get back to mew.

Thank mew all for joining me today at The Cats Have Purroblems Too Clinic, and I'll be back soon with another open clinic and a new case study.

Until then, Keep Calm and Purr

Dr. Basil

Ph.D. ~ BSc. (Hons) ~ Psy.D. ~ MS ~ MA

'The Paw Print Seal of Approval'

Copyright and All Rights Reserved @ Dr Basil ~ Cats have Purroblems Too Clinic

(T.M. ~ Totally Meowvellous)

Follow Us @BionicBasil®  at Instacat

And don't furget to subscribe and never miss another clinic 

Graphics created with paid licence www.canva.com