From the shelves of the Mewton-Clawson Library, a curated review destination for cat-centric fiction at BionicBasil.com
Hello, gorgeous library guests
and
Welcome to the Mewton-Clawson Library at BBHQ
Many thanks for joining me in the stacks again.
I’m pleased to report that the timeline has mostly stopped wobbling after Smooch’s little “Chrono‑Niptini Incident,” although the Mewey Decimal System (M.D.S.) is still sulking and demanding what it calls “temporal recalibration.” Honestly, the drama.
Smooch, by the way, has been banned from the library for 48 hours for “timeline‑related reasons,” which is the polite way of saying he tried to demonstrate time dilation using a thesaurus and nearly folded the biography section into a Möbius strip.
Anyway, I padded in this morning to find Melvyn, my supurr efficient yet emotionally fragile intern, twitching at the reference desk like a cat who’s heard the word fleas and bath.
📚 A Conversation in the Library This Morning
Me: “Melvyn, sweetie, why are the dictionaries stacked in a spiral? We don’t do spiral shelving. Or book sculptures, especially not on a Friday.”
Melvyn: “It’s a stabilisation pattern. The M.D.S. is still vibrating. I’m trying to appease it.”
Me: “Appease… the shelving system?”
Melvyn: “Amber, it experienced a temporal event. It needs reassurance.”
Me: “Dahling, it’s a filing system, not a therapy client.”
Melvyn: “Tell that to Volume 4. It keeps humming and flicking its pages rather aggressively.”
Me: “Everything is fine. Purrfectly normal. Libraries hum sometimes. And pages, well, they can be unpredictable at the best of times.”
Melvyn: “Amber, the encyclopaedias are humming in harmony.”
Me: “Well, that’s rather joyous, isn't it? No need to put the radio on then.”
Melvyn: “No, Amber. It’s ominous. It's NOT normal”
Me: “Sweetie, mew need to relax. Have a herbal nip tea. Maybe two. Add extra primo nip, I think mew need it!”
Melvyn: “I’ll relax when the timeline stops making the atlases twitch.”
Me: “Details. Now, could mew tidy the shelves? I need to meditate.”
Melvyn: “Meditate or nap.”
Me: “Yes.”
So, my dahlings, if mew notice the shelves shimmering slightly or hear a faint harmonic hum, please ignore it. Everything is absolutely, completely, unquestionably fine.
Probably.
Melvyn later reported the encyclopaedias had stopped humming, but only after three cups of extra-strong primo nip tea and him giving Volume 4 a rather stern talking-to. Volume 4 snapped in protest.
Now, let’s dive into this week’s adventure before the M.D.S. demands hazard pay.
🌙 Amber’s Egyptian Adventure #12: The Temple of Hathor at Dendera 🐾
Location: The Temple of Hathor, Dendera - a celestial sanctuary of star‑carved ceilings, hidden crypts, ancient mysteries, and the legendary Dendera Zodiac
Time: Twilight, when the sky melts from gold to indigo and the first stars shimmer above the sacred lake like diamonds dropped by the goddess Hathor herself
Dahlings, today I glided into one of Egypt’s most enchanting and cosmically charged temples: Dendera, the domain of Hathor, goddess of joy, music, meauty, and all things furbulous. Naturally, I felt right at home.
The moment I stepped into the forecourt, the twilight breeze curled around my whiskers, carrying the scent of lotus blossoms and ancient stone. The sky above shifted into a deep velvet blue, and the temple’s columns, each crowned with Hathor’s serene face, seemed to smile knowingly at me.
“Ahhh,” I purred, “a temple dedicated to meauty, music, and divine indulgence… finally, a place that understands me.”
I arrived draped in a moonlit robe of pale silvery blue silk, embroidered with tiny stars and crescent motifs that shimmered with every step. Around my neck rested a collar of turquoise, gold, and polished moonstone, glowing softly in the fading light. Atop my head sat a delicate Hathor‑inspired crown, shaped like a tiny sistrum, because if one is visiting the goddess of music, one must dress accordingly.
The air hummed with ancient energy as I descended into the Dendera Crypts, a labyrinth of narrow passages and mysterious carvings. The walls glowed with torchlight, revealing scenes of rituals, offerings, and the famous “Dendera Light” relief. I paused, tracing the shape with a single elegant claw.
“Amber,” I whispered, “mew are absolutely radiant… but this is a close second.”
To steady my nerves and enhance the ambience, I sipped a Moonlit Mint Catnip Cooler, chilled to purrfection and garnished with a twist of candied lemon. It tasted like starlight… and excellent life choices.
Then, as the twilight deepened, I emerged onto the edge of the Sacred Lake, its surface shimmering like liquid silver. The reflection of the temple danced across the water, and for a moment, even I was speechless.
One of the ripples definitely winked at me. Or maybe that was the cooler.
My Twilight Essentials Included:
🌙 A Moonlit Mint Catnip Cooler, crisp, cool, and purrfect for lakeside stargazing
📜 A miniature star map, annotated with my paw‑written notes (“Hathor would adore my constellation”)
👑 A sistrum‑crown, light enough to sparkle, sturdy enough to command cosmic respect
🐾 A silver silk wrap, ideal for dramatic entrances, exits, and crypt‑wandering
I wandered through the hypostyle halls, the rooftop chapels, the shadowed crypts, and the lakeside terraces, each space glowing with celestial magic. The carvings of stars, goddesses, and cosmic cycles were so exquisite that I half expected Hathor herself to appear and ask for fashion tips.
But naturally, I remained composed.
After all, I am Amber, head librarian of BBHQ, and I, too, appreciate a well‑curated universe.
Dendera may hold the secrets of the heavens, but tonight it held me: a cat of legend, shimmering under the twilight sky, sipping cool mint elixirs, and adding a touch of feline stardust to Egypt’s eternal story.
Mood: Celestial, serene, and delightfully luminous (but only because the stars insisted on matching my outfit)
Quote of the Day: “Some temples honour the stars, dahling… others simply recognise one when she arrives.”
✨ Next week, prepare your whiskers, we’re going somewhere ancient, echoing, and carved deep into the desert cliffs.
Think: shadows, secrets, and cocktails served in the company of gods.
1. I used to think ___________________, but I was wrong.
2. Every time I plan to _________________, I _________________________.
3. I’m already looking forward to the month of _________ because _________.
4. When it comes to social media, I _________.
The P.A.'s answers are...
1. I used to think when I was much, much, much younger, that everything needed to be perfect, but I was wrong. Perfection is just a fallacy, a construct imposed from external sources, usuallly by those who are selling something. Now I think, life is meant to be interesting, not perfect.
2. Every time I plan to have a quiet evening, I somehow end up starting a whole new project instead. Oh good gravy, if you knew how many things/projects and other stuff I have happening, it's hilarious. I have a basket on my desk filled with ideas, ready to go.
3. I’m already looking forward to the month of March because the clocks go forward to summertime, and that means lighter nights. And that means I get to spend more time outside. YAY!!! LOL
4. When it comes to social media, I am not bothered at all. I used to post a lot, but then I realised that all that time and effort was not for me. I'm not a short form writer, my thing is long form and that's what brings me joy - yes, you will have noticed this on the blog, right here. That's my thing, my vibe, my groove! LOL
Let's see what I've got to show mew this time!
Mewton-Clawson Library Copy
The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents
Discword Series #28
by
Terry Pratchett
So, this week,
like last week, I've gone back into the library, headed along the 'C' aisle for CATS ONLY - and I found this one, now I read this way back in the early 2000's but as I'm a huge, massive fan of Terry Pratchett and his legendary Discworld series, I thought I re-read this again.
If mew're wondering this is the 28th Discworld novel, it's written primarily for kids, but it's for everypawdy. I must say this, if mew're expecting Nanny Ogg, or Granny Weatherwax etc... to feature, they don't, this is like an offshoot story that doesn't operate under the main discworld lore, if that's makes sense.
📚 This Week’s Paw‑Approved Top Pick: The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents
Settle into your favourite sun‑patch and prepare your tail for some delighted swishing, because this week’s read is a whisker‑twitching, rat‑filled romp through magic, mischief, and morally questionable business models. And at the centre of it all? A cat. A very clever cat! MOL
❓ What’s the Genre?
A deliciously witty, slightly chaotic fantasy adventure with a fairy‑tale twist, a philosophical streak, and enough rodent revolution energy to make mew question your pantry security. It’s Discworld, but in a compact, younger‑reader‑friendly package; still sharp, still funny, still full of claws.
🕵️ What’s the Story?
Maurice is no ordinary street cat. He’s a con‑cat with a silver tongue, a magical glint in his eye, and a business plan that would make any self‑respecting feline proud. After nibbling on a bit of wizardly rubbish (as one does), a clan of rats becomes intelligent; reading, writing, strategising, dreaming of a peaceful retirement with plenty of food and zero traps.
Maurice sees opportunity.
Keith, the very earnest, very bland “piper,” sees… well, not much.
The rats see a chance to build a better future.
Together, they run a tidy little scam: fake rat plague, heroic piper, grateful town, easy money. But when they arrive in Bad Blintz, a town that looks like it’s been chewed on by something worse than rats and their con unravels. Something sinister lurks beneath the cobblestones, the food stores are mysteriously empty, and the rats’ newfound ethics are put to the test.
Suddenly, Maurice’s smooth‑talking charm isn’t enough, and the rodents must decide what kind of society they truly want to build.
⚔️ What I Loved
🐾 Maurice the Con‑Cat: Smug, sly, and utterly irresistible. He’s the kind of cat who would sell mew your own scratching post and make mew thank him for the privilege.
🐀 The Educated Rodents: A whole cast of thoughtful, anxious, hopeful little revolutionaries. They debate morality, dream of utopia, and occasionally panic in the most endearing ways. Special shout‑out to Dangerous Beans, the tiny philosopher king.
🎶 Keith the Piper: Soft‑spoken, kind‑hearted, and quietly heroic. He’s the emotional grounding in a story full of claws and chaos.
🏙 Bad Blintz: A grim, eerie little town with secrets in the shadows. Purrfectly atmospheric, purrrfectly unsettling, purrfectly Pratchett.
🔥 The Vibes: Funny, sharp, warm, and surprisingly profound. It’s a story about stories, about ethics, about what it means to be “people” ... even if mew’re a rat.
📖 My Final Thoughts
This is a clever, heartfelt, and wildly entertaining tale that blends humour with genuine emotional depth. Maurice is a delightfully unreliable hero, the rats are unforgettable, and the adventure is packed with wit, danger, and just enough existential pondering to make your whiskers curl.
It’s a comfort read with bite: cosy in places, dark in others, and always full of that unmistakable Pratchett magic.
So grab a mug of something warm (catnip cocoa for me, always, this time of year), curl up on your favourite supurr soft nesting blanket, and prepare to follow a con‑cat, a thoughtful clan of rats, and a very earnest piper into one of Discworld’s most charming adventures.
A FURBULOUS READ, TOTALLY TOP PAW! 🐾
Paperback: 304 pages
Audio: 3 hours 7 minutes
My Rating Scale
Ratings of:
The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents
Overall Enjoyment
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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
The Cat Book Connoisseur
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